Given it is still an act of disloyalty, a shame they don't have the guts to go all the way and actually vote against. Corbyn for one always had more guts than that.
The problem (well, a problem) with Ascension Island is that it only has a population of 805. I'm not sure it has the facilities (sewage, electricity, water, people, etc.) to add even 500 asylum seekers to that number.
Plus they’d be beating us at cricket within 20 years.
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The biggest objections are surely practical. Can you seriously contemplate this Government being able to organise anything so complex as a detention centre 4,000 miles away and then actually process cases through to completion?
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
On disbarring etc, it's all very well to say they should or surely must etc, but disbarring and discipline generally in the legal profession is a complex process of evidence, charge, hearing, proof, decision and an appeal process which goes through the High Court and could go the Court of Appeal - sometimes does - and in a case like this even to the Supreme Court, with the matter being perfectly arguable on both sides as to whether or not they have behaved improperly. You would find (for example) Lord Pannick eloquent, fabulously well informed and profoundly persuasive for whichever side managed to brief him first. One line comments don't quite make the grade here.
I'm not really sure why "seamless trade within the UK" is so important, if it is so unimportant with the rest of the World...
We are the UK not the whole world.
There was a time when the main argument of the Brexit supporters was that being in the EU restricted our ability to trade freely and seamlessly with the wider World.
Which is still true. Brexit deals with that issue.
We won't have seamless trade with the whole world though, that was never pledged.
You were the one who used the phrase “the whole world”, not me. I’d just settle for a few reasonably important trading partners.
Or when you say “Brexit dealt with that”, are you arguing like John Cleese about Loretta? We won’t actually generate any new beneficial trading partnerships, but the main thing is that we have the right to have them.
Not sure why the Internal Market bill is so important to you though? Given that you are in favour of both a United ireland (border in the Irish Sea), and for good measure an Independent Scotland (border on the Tweed).
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
You are absolutely correct.
If you want to send asylum seekers to an overseas camp, it makes much more sense to put it somewhere where there is existing infrastructure, potential employees and scheduled flights.
Building a camp on St Helena or Ascension Island would end up with us having to spend a fortune getting people out to the island, and on chartering planes back and forth. It would inevitably end up with us spending much more than we do currently.
In any case, these whizzo plans miss the fundamental issue that we actually have: and that is that we do not process asylum applications quickly. It's ridiculous that we've starved the system of money, to fit the budget, but ended up with tens of thousands of people who are in limbo, at the British taxpayers expense.
We need a rapid assessment process, whereby those who clearly have no asylum case are returned to their home country (or France, if that is from whence they came) as soon as possible. This would be fairer to those involved, cheaper to operate, and would avoid a situation where there are tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the system awaiting hearing dates.
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
Why do you think asylum seekers would aim to get to where the detention centre is?
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
Why do you think asylum seekers would aim to get to where the detention centre is?
Totally bizzarre.
??
Why would a genuine asylum seeker want to go to the asylum processing centre?
The problem (well, a problem) with Ascension Island is that it only has a population of 805. I'm not sure it has the facilities (sewage, electricity, water, people, etc.) to add even 500 asylum seekers to that number.
I actually know someone who has been there. It's basically an airbase on a rock if I remember rightly what he told me.
That's right. It's effectively only ever been an airbase and before that a naval victualing station. It was only occupied in the first place as it's the nearest island to St Helena and we were worried the French might use it as a base to spring Napoleon from there.
For all that they've always been small-scale and at times near-marginal, at least St Helena and the Falklands are actual settlements.
The problem (well, a problem) with Ascension Island is that it only has a population of 805. I'm not sure it has the facilities (sewage, electricity, water, people, etc.) to add even 500 asylum seekers to that number.
The Islanders would be up in arms too. Syrians jumping the queue on council houses and crowding out GP surgeries.
The only thing I remember now from the 2016 debates was the "You'd be in Jail" comment in the second one and Trump stalking Hillary around the stage.
Given Biden's past comments wanting to "beat the hell" out of Trump I wouldn't be surprised if (in the second especially) Trump tries to goad Biden into losing his temper.
Conversely, if there's one thing Trump hates above all, it's being the butt of jokes. I would imagine that the Dems are coming up with a number of sly digs and attempts to get the audience laughing at Trump.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen's a parrot of the government, see her shameful compliance with last year's prorogation.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The problem (well, a problem) with Ascension Island is that it only has a population of 805. I'm not sure it has the facilities (sewage, electricity, water, people, etc.) to add even 500 asylum seekers to that number.
The Islanders would be up in arms too. Syrians jumping the queue on council houses and crowding out GP surgeries.
The Internal Market bill - there is still speculation, fuelled by the failure to timetable the bill in the Lords, that the Govt are still preparing to drop it in exchange for EU concessions...
It certainly was. It's an interesting tweet. The Conservative Party is intellectually and morally so bankrupt it literally has nothing else to say. It can't talk about how it's going to manage Covid, the opportunities it's realising with Brexit, how it's going to make life better for anyone at all. All it's got left is the culture war and it's going through the motions even on that.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen's a parrot of the government, see her shameful compliance with last year's prorogation.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The Queen will not save us.
#TakeBackControlFromOurUnelectedRuler
Nice try It doesn't work as trolling if it's too implausible to be taken seriously.
The problem (well, a problem) with Ascension Island is that it only has a population of 805. I'm not sure it has the facilities (sewage, electricity, water, people, etc.) to add even 500 asylum seekers to that number.
The Islanders would be up in arms too. Syrians jumping the queue on council houses and crowding out GP surgeries.
Jonathan might have concerns he’ll lose some of his garden.
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
Why do you think asylum seekers would aim to get to where the detention centre is?
Totally bizzarre.
??
Why would a genuine asylum seeker want to go to the asylum processing centre?
I assume you mean "Why wouldn't..." but no one is every going to go the India to seek asylum in the UK. Do you seriously think a sign in Calais pointing asylum seekers to Mumbai would work?
It certainly was. It's an interesting tweet. The Conservative Party is intellectually and morally so bankrupt it literally has nothing else to say. It can't talk about how it's going to manage Covid, the opportunities it's realising with Brexit, how it's going to make life better for anyone at all. All it's got left is the culture war and it's going through the motions even on that.
I'm not sure it's as unprecedented as you seem to feel for the Tory's Twitter account to make a negative attack on Labour, or vice versa. It would be lovely if this didn't happen, but it is hardly an innovation of the current Government.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
Er... I think you're the only one on here who has been predicting the End of London.
Still good if it's not happening though. And I must admit I'm not picking up an apocalypse vibe as I go about my daily activities.
The Internal Market bill - there is still speculation, fuelled by the failure to timetable the bill in the Lords, that the Govt are still preparing to drop it in exchange for EU concessions...
The concessions they want though will be of the 'moonshot' variety and be ones the EU will never agree to.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
Er... I think you're the only one on here who has been predicting the End of London.
Still good if it's not happening though. And I must admit I'm not picking up an apocalypse vibe as I go about my daily activities.
I think London was at far greater risk 80 years ago this month than it is today.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen's a parrot of the government, see her shameful compliance with last year's prorogation.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The Queen will not save us.
#TakeBackControlFromOurUnelectedRuler
The Queen also signed the extension past March 2019 despite that being in breach of the Brexit the British people voted for.
She is a constitutional monarch and therefore has to accept what Parliament votes for or the PM advises
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Far be it for me to defend the awful Suella Braverman, but I think it rather unlikely that the Bar Council will discipline anyone for voting against a meaningless amendment which would have no legal effect.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
The Internal Market bill - there is still speculation, fuelled by the failure to timetable the bill in the Lords, that the Govt are still preparing to drop it in exchange for EU concessions...
The concessions they want though will be of the 'moonshot' variety and be ones the EU will never agree to.
Who knows, maybe they’ll settle for getting back into Galileo project?
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Of course she would if her government told her to. Indeed she has no option but to accept it in that instance.
It certainly was. It's an interesting tweet. The Conservative Party is intellectually and morally so bankrupt it literally has nothing else to say. It can't talk about how it's going to manage Covid, the opportunities it's realising with Brexit, how it's going to make life better for anyone at all. All it's got left is the culture war and it's going through the motions even on that.
I'm not sure it's as unprecedented as you seem to feel for the Tory's Twitter account to make a negative attack on Labour, or vice versa. It would be lovely if this didn't happen, but it is hardly an innovation of the current Government.
It would be if the Conservative Party were doing something else that was worthwhile. Clearly the controversial parts of the Internal Market Bill were aimed to trap Labour into voting against - Johnson even moaned that Starmer hadn't asked him about it at PMQs so Johnson could make the same point about him siding with the EU. Culture War is all they have got and in the situation where they are barely managing a pandemic and are mired in a Brexit mess of their own making, that Culture War is looking pretty sterile.
New Scottish Covid19 rules. Sing to the tune of ‘Ye canny shuv yer granny aff the bus’ 😁😆
Oh ye canny hiv yer granny roon yer hoose, Naw ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose, Ye can tak her fur a swally, Even if yer peely-wally But ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose. 😂🤣
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen's a parrot of the government, see her shameful compliance with last year's prorogation.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The Queen will not save us.
#TakeBackControlFromOurUnelectedRuler
The Queen also signed the extension past March 2019 despite that being in breach of the Brexit the British people voted for. She is a constitutional monarch and therefore has to accept what Parliament votes for or the PM advises
The post debate polls showed Trump lost all 3 but he still won the election .
Trump was crap and at times very weird and creepy.
What was the big thing for him were the rallies. He gets to speak unchecked and does so that i think speaks to a lot of normal Americans and not like a regular politician. And they got yuuuuuuge coverage with the media and online.
Although he is trying to do the same again this time, I don't think there is the same cut through.
"Not like a politician" is, of course, slightly less easy to pull off when you have been the number one politician in the country for 4 years.
That's right. And there's a touch of the "Magic Grandpa" (in a good way) about Joe.
I'm not too worried. So long as he can stand up and play the full 90 minutes I think he'll register a win.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
She's Queen of Quebec. Doesn't mean she speaks French.
Christ. What a f*cking mess Johnson's shower have got themselves into. Ministers including the PM have no idea what the current rules are.
And who can blame them when Hancock makes up new ones every other hour.
This is spiralling out of their control rapidly.
Why not a scale? Say 5 levels which areas could move up and down? With clear rules for each level? Say right you are moving from 3 to 4. So pubs shut at 10 and no mixing indoors. I'm pretty well informed and can't follow it. Even though NE is moving as one. Greater Manchester is super confusing as each Borough has completely different rules and the boundaries can run through streets. Reports of pubs in Wigan demanding driving licences and refusing to serve Boltoners. And of Wiganers refusing to drink there if they don't. My parents local has about a 70/30 Wigan to Bolton catchment area. The boundary is a tiny, brackish stream between 2 continuous rows of terraces.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Of course she would if her government told her to. Indeed she has no option but to accept it in that instance.
And the government is ensuring there will be no border in the Irish Sea with the Internal Markets Bill which I imagine the Queen will happily support and sign as head of state of the United Kingdom
A pretty lame number really. And as PhilipThompson noted earlier, since most PMs don't stick around very long to have the chance to rebel it is not as noteworthy as it might seem. But good on her.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
She's Queen of Quebec. Doesn't mean she speaks French.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
She's Queen of Quebec. Doesn't mean she speaks French.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen's a parrot of the government, see her shameful compliance with last year's prorogation.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The Queen will not save us.
#TakeBackControlFromOurUnelectedRuler
The Queen also signed the extension past March 2019 despite that being in breach of the Brexit the British people voted for. She is a constitutional monarch and therefore has to accept what Parliament votes for or the PM advises
'I feel like these posts contradict one another.'
Given the Commons has just voted for the Internal Markets Bill they don't
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Perhaps Johnson shouldn’t have signed her name to the Withdrawal Agreement then...
I’m still mystified as to why these “no Irish border” pro WA thought the agreement included the requirements for customs checks in the Irish Sea, if they were no circumstances where they could ever happen. Was it just included in the WA for shits and giggles?
Agree - "Brexit is done" in the voters' mind - and if its not "done" whose fault is that then?
Exactly. While parents worry about childcare, getting the kids to school, balancing work and family life in this time of Covid - the Tories are still banging on about Europe.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
You are absolutely correct.
If you want to send asylum seekers to an overseas camp, it makes much more sense to put it somewhere where there is existing infrastructure, potential employees and scheduled flights.
Building a camp on St Helena or Ascension Island would end up with us having to spend a fortune getting people out to the island, and on chartering planes back and forth. It would inevitably end up with us spending much more than we do currently.
In any case, these whizzo plans miss the fundamental issue that we actually have: and that is that we do not process asylum applications quickly. It's ridiculous that we've starved the system of money, to fit the budget, but ended up with tens of thousands of people who are in limbo, at the British taxpayers expense.
We need a rapid assessment process, whereby those who clearly have no asylum case are returned to their home country (or France, if that is from whence they came) as soon as possible. This would be fairer to those involved, cheaper to operate, and would avoid a situation where there are tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the system awaiting hearing dates.
It's not just that. In fact, that's a small part of it. The bigger challenge is that the qualifying criteria for claiming asylum is very broad, it's hard to disprove people's stories, you can't deport unless you know (and can prove) where they're from - and that they have no grounds whatsoever for worry if they go back there - or if there's another country willing to accept their claim and there's a whole legal industry in the UK dedicated to stopping deportations and maximising successful claims. That's why 90% stay indefinitely or disappear into the black economy.
The whole system isn't fit for purpose. The only real protection we have is that it's hard to get here. Otherwise, under current law, there are hundreds of millions worldwide who would qualify and - if they got onto British soil - we'd have to take them:
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
Siding with the EU might actually look a bloody good idea by end of January as Johnson's self-inflicted chaos spirals out of control.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
She's Queen of Quebec. Doesn't mean she speaks French.
Very disappointed that not one Conservative Party MP, not one, had the strength of their convictions to vote against the Internal Market Bill. Cowards the lot of them.
The law needs people willing to fight for it. To hazard a little in its defence. A word or two in its favour will not do.
As has been the case for many a year now, the right-wing within the Conservative Party is much the stronger. No matter how far to the right the leadership goes, the right-wing is ever willing to push harder than the left to bend the leadership even further in their direction - even now to the extent of trashing the rule of law.
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
Nobody even cares anymore, we've left the EU already. The whole thing just makes people's eyes glaze over now.
Given the Commons has just voted for the Internal Markets Bill they don't
I know it is pointless to seek to match wits with someone who has never made a mistake in their life and never been mistaken in anything, but do you truly not see any contradiction between correctly pointing out that the Queen has to accept what parliament votes for, and also saying she won't accept a specific policy decision?
The ins and out of this bill have nothing whatsoever to do with you simultaneously saying:
a] she has to accept what parliament decides b] she would not accept option X
What if parliament decided on X? What if X was a border in the Irish sea?
I know, I know, I know, this doesn't do that you say, whatever, I believe you. But you expressed two general principles that don't align, since if - if - parliament said let's have a border in the Irish sea, she could not follow both of your professed principles. Either she'd accept it as parliament requires, or she would not accept it and breach the first principle of yours.
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
They are doing this because they are intellectually and morally so bankrupt they have nothing else to say. So they keep going with their culture war. They are trapped by it.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
The Shard is shit. Our very own piece of Abu Dhabi bespoiling central London. Totally inappropriate.
Some tourists who don't know any better seem to love it though in the same way kids like Paw Patrol.
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
Yes and Yes. Back when Boris was sick a family member of mine was worried that if anyone else took over from him somehow we would not Brexit. There are still people who think it won't happen, or not in the right way, and who would be stirred up by replaying the greatest hits from the resistance to the May premiership.
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
I suppose the idea is that the Red Wallers will see it as vindicating their opting for Boris. But it feels a bit dog days of the Major years:
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Of course she would if her government told her to. Indeed she has no option but to accept it in that instance.
And the government is ensuring there will be no border in the Irish Sea with the Internal Markets Bill which I imagine the Queen will happily support and sign as head of state of the United Kingdom
I’m sure somebody mentioned previously that the IMB doesn’t actually do what it’s advocates seem to claim it does re:the Irish Sea border. There was reference to it being necessary to allow the U.K. to ship food to Ireland, but its provisions only being relevant to trade in the other direction? Is this true?
Because we are still obliged to carry out checks to protect the Integrity of the Single Market?
New Scottish Covid19 rules. Sing to the tune of ‘Ye canny shuv yer granny aff the bus’ 😁😆
Oh ye canny hiv yer granny roon yer hoose, Naw ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose, Ye can tak her fur a swally, Even if yer peely-wally But ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose. 😂🤣
Unless she's the one you have chosen to have as your extended family, of course.
It is curious that so many Bush Republicans only seem to bring a couple of % of the vote with them.
I think the weird thing about politics is those actually wielding or close to power can be a lot less tribal than those supporting them. Look at local government - a lot of people from different parties getting along pretty well in many places, even cooperating, even as many of their voters are spitting blood at each other.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Of course she would if her government told her to. Indeed she has no option but to accept it in that instance.
And the government is ensuring there will be no border in the Irish Sea with the Internal Markets Bill which I imagine the Queen will happily support and sign as head of state of the United Kingdom
I’m sure somebody mentioned previously that the IMB doesn’t actually do what it’s advocates seem to claim it does re:the Irish Sea border. There was reference to it being necessary to allow the U.K. to ship food to Ireland, but its provisions only being relevant to trade in the other direction? Is this true?
Because we are still obliged to carry out checks to protect the Integrity of the Single Market?
Yes, if this prevents a border in the Irish Sea, why has the government awarded a contract for management of the Irish Sea border?
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Of course she would if her government told her to. Indeed she has no option but to accept it in that instance.
And the government is ensuring there will be no border in the Irish Sea with the Internal Markets Bill which I imagine the Queen will happily support and sign as head of state of the United Kingdom
I’m sure somebody mentioned previously that the IMB doesn’t actually do what it’s advocates seem to claim it does re:the Irish Sea border. There was reference to it being necessary to allow the U.K. to ship food to Ireland, but its provisions only being relevant to trade in the other direction? Is this true?
Because we are still obliged to carry out checks to protect the Integrity of the Single Market?
Yes, if this prevents a border in the Irish Sea, why has the government awarded a contract for management of the Irish Sea border?
Well if you can get a ferry contract without ferries why nto a border contract with no border?
I'll happily manage that non-border at half the price.
New Scottish Covid19 rules. Sing to the tune of ‘Ye canny shuv yer granny aff the bus’ 😁😆
Oh ye canny hiv yer granny roon yer hoose, Naw ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose, Ye can tak her fur a swally, Even if yer peely-wally But ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose. 😂🤣
Unless she's the one you have chosen to have as your extended family, of course.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
But, i think this is temporary. In the end WFH is actually quite dull. Certainly for anyone under 40, or even 50 (maybe more so if you have kids)
The commute is a pain, sure, but it thrusts you away from humdrum domesticity into THE CITY, an exciting world of social, romantic, conversational, sexual, culinary, professional, emotional opportunity. People do it because they like it, in the end, even if they whine about it.
Sitting in a house outside Reading in your pyjamas doing your job on a laptop has an appeal for a while, but long term? No. People will always want to congregate, to go where the action is, to see and be seen. To have that random chat in a pub that leads to a brilliant job, to meet someone at random in the company lobby and have a coffee and have a great idea. To get laid.
Cities are unbeatable. In the end London (and other cities) will defeat Covid. Fuck Covid. London beat the Luftwaffe, we can beat this stupid Chinese virus.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen's a parrot of the government, see her shameful compliance with last year's prorogation.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The Queen will not save us.
#TakeBackControlFromOurUnelectedRuler
Isn't the point that we have taken control? The PM wields control and HMQ is nothing but a figurehead puppet dancing to the PM's tune.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
But, i think this is temporary. In the end WFH is actually quite dull. Certainly for anyone under 40, or even 50 (maybe more so if you have kids)
The commute is a pain, sure, but it thrusts you away from humdrum domesticity into THE CITY, an exciting world of social, romantic, conversational, sexual, culinary, professional, emotional opportunity. People do it because they like it, in the end, even if they whine about it.
Sitting in a house outside Reading in your pyjamas doing your job on a laptop has an appeal for a while, but long term? No. People will always want to congregate, to go where the action is, to see and be seen. To have that random chat in a pub that leads to a brilliant job, to meet someone at random in the company lobby and have a coffee and have a great idea. To get laid.
Cities are unbeatable. In the end London (and other cities) will defeat Covid. Fuck Covid. London beat the Luftwaffe, we can beat this stupid Chinese virus.
I neither live in nor like London or cities, but you definitely sell it well.
It helps that I am skeptical about the WFH revolution - not that there will not be one, but that it will be quite as all encompassing as people are acting like.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
The Shard is shit. Our very own piece of Abu Dhabi bespoiling central London. Totally inappropriate.
Some tourists who don't know any better seem to love it though in the same way kids like Paw Patrol.
What do they know?
The Shard is the greatest skyscraper of the 21st century. The way it soars above 11th century Borough Market has no equal, anywhere. Tsk.
One way to set the cat amongst the pigeons. Maybe the queen fancies a couple of year’s retirement. It would be a good way to go.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
The Queen is head of the whole UK including Northern Ireland, she rightly would not accept a border in the Irish Sea
Of course she would if her government told her to. Indeed she has no option but to accept it in that instance.
And the government is ensuring there will be no border in the Irish Sea with the Internal Markets Bill which I imagine the Queen will happily support and sign as head of state of the United Kingdom
I’m sure somebody mentioned previously that the IMB doesn’t actually do what it’s advocates seem to claim it does re:the Irish Sea border. There was reference to it being necessary to allow the U.K. to ship food to Ireland, but its provisions only being relevant to trade in the other direction? Is this true?
Because we are still obliged to carry out checks to protect the Integrity of the Single Market?
Yes, if this prevents a border in the Irish Sea, why has the government awarded a contract for management of the Irish Sea border?
That's easy to answer. It bungs a £200 million contract in the direction of Shankar Singham, who is mixed up in a lot of the American money and lobbying swilling around the Brexit Party and the Johnson faction of the erstwhile Conservative Party.
I'm not really sure why "seamless trade within the UK" is so important, if it is so unimportant with the rest of the World...
We are the UK not the whole world.
There was a time when the main argument of the Brexit supporters was that being in the EU restricted our ability to trade freely and seamlessly with the wider World.
Which is still true. Brexit deals with that issue.
We won't have seamless trade with the whole world though, that was never pledged.
You were the one who used the phrase “the whole world”, not me. I’d just settle for a few reasonably important trading partners.
Or when you say “Brexit dealt with that”, are you arguing like John Cleese about Loretta? We won’t actually generate any new beneficial trading partnerships, but the main thing is that we have the right to have them.
Not sure why the Internal Market bill is so important to you though? Given that you are in favour of both a United ireland (border in the Irish Sea), and for good measure an Independent Scotland (border on the Tweed).
I would be happy to see NI and Scotland go (because I think its the right thing for them more than I think England would benefit).
But for as long as NI and Scotland choose to remain a part of the UK I respect that choice and the UK should be whole and sovereign.
There is no hypocrisy there. If NI votes to leave the UK it will ipso facto leave the UK's internal market but until then it is and should be a part of it.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
But, i think this is temporary. In the end WFH is actually quite dull. Certainly for anyone under 40, or even 50 (maybe more so if you have kids)
The commute is a pain, sure, but it thrusts you away from humdrum domesticity into THE CITY, an exciting world of social, romantic, conversational, sexual, culinary, professional, emotional opportunity. People do it because they like it, in the end, even if they whine about it.
Sitting in a house outside Reading in your pyjamas doing your job on a laptop has an appeal for a while, but long term? No. People will always want to congregate, to go where the action is, to see and be seen. To have that random chat in a pub that leads to a brilliant job, to meet someone at random in the company lobby and have a coffee and have a great idea. To get laid.
Cities are unbeatable. In the end London (and other cities) will defeat Covid. Fuck Covid. London beat the Luftwaffe, we can beat this stupid Chinese virus.
I neither live in nor like London or cities, but you definitely sell it well.
It helps that I am skeptical about the WFH revolution - not that there will not be one, but that it will be quite as all encompassing as people are acting like.
I've already got friends who were big fans from WFH who are now complaining loudly about it. They are bored witless. They want to go back to the busy streets.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
But, i think this is temporary. In the end WFH is actually quite dull. Certainly for anyone under 40, or even 50 (maybe more so if you have kids)
The commute is a pain, sure, but it thrusts you away from humdrum domesticity into THE CITY, an exciting world of social, romantic, conversational, sexual, culinary, professional, emotional opportunity. People do it because they like it, in the end, even if they whine about it.
Sitting in a house outside Reading in your pyjamas doing your job on a laptop has an appeal for a while, but long term? No. People will always want to congregate, to go where the action is, to see and be seen. To have that random chat in a pub that leads to a brilliant job, to meet someone at random in the company lobby and have a coffee and have a great idea. To get laid.
Cities are unbeatable. In the end London (and other cities) will defeat Covid. Fuck Covid. London beat the Luftwaffe, we can beat this stupid Chinese virus.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
I've arranged two IRL work-social meets next week.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
The Shard is shit. Our very own piece of Abu Dhabi bespoiling central London. Totally inappropriate.
Some tourists who don't know any better seem to love it though in the same way kids like Paw Patrol.
What do they know?
The Shard is the greatest skyscraper of the 21st century. The way it soars above 11th century Borough Market has no equal, anywhere. Tsk.
I see you've been on the wine this evening, the shard is awful and on the wrong side of the river.
It certainly was. It's an interesting tweet. The Conservative Party is intellectually and morally so bankrupt it literally has nothing else to say. It can't talk about how it's going to manage Covid, the opportunities it's realising with Brexit, how it's going to make life better for anyone at all. All it's got left is the culture war and it's going through the motions even on that.
So awfully transparent it all is too. Plus Starmer is not doing the culture war. I fear for the Conservative Party, I really do. I even fear for our democracy. The country needs an electable alternative to Labour in 2024 and at this rate there will not be one.
I can't help feeling that Cummings' attempts to keep pressing the 'Labour siding with the EU against Britain' button are looking increasingly desperate. Does anyone, literally anyone, believe this, or even notice, or care even if they do notice?
I suppose the idea is that the Red Wallers will see it as vindicating their opting for Boris. But it feels a bit dog days of the Major years:
I wonder how many of the public could still actually name the big guy. Hell, I wonder how many could still name the little guy.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
I've arranged two IRL work-social meets next week.
A man cannot live on Zoom alone.
We have as well, I think a lot of people are feeling isolated so I'm reassured I wasn't alone in that, my wife is tagging along as there's only five of us, we're meeting at our local pub so chances are we'll end up in our front room after the 10pm closing time.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
Being serious for a moment, the real issue for London will surely be changing working practices now everyone realises WFH works pretty well for many white collar jobs.
But, i think this is temporary. In the end WFH is actually quite dull. Certainly for anyone under 40, or even 50 (maybe more so if you have kids)
The commute is a pain, sure, but it thrusts you away from humdrum domesticity into THE CITY, an exciting world of social, romantic, conversational, sexual, culinary, professional, emotional opportunity. People do it because they like it, in the end, even if they whine about it.
Sitting in a house outside Reading in your pyjamas doing your job on a laptop has an appeal for a while, but long term? No. People will always want to congregate, to go where the action is, to see and be seen. To have that random chat in a pub that leads to a brilliant job, to meet someone at random in the company lobby and have a coffee and have a great idea. To get laid.
Cities are unbeatable. In the end London (and other cities) will defeat Covid. Fuck Covid. London beat the Luftwaffe, we can beat this stupid Chinese virus.
You may have a point.
I've come into Edinburgh again today and am staying here tonight. I had 2 cases calling today and one at 9 tomorrow morning. All phone ins. All could have been done from home. But I am seriously bored of WFH. My productivity is shit, I drink too much coffee, eat too much cake and don't see my pals. Enough.
I'm not really sure why "seamless trade within the UK" is so important, if it is so unimportant with the rest of the World...
We are the UK not the whole world.
There was a time when the main argument of the Brexit supporters was that being in the EU restricted our ability to trade freely and seamlessly with the wider World.
Which is still true. Brexit deals with that issue.
We won't have seamless trade with the whole world though, that was never pledged.
You were the one who used the phrase “the whole world”, not me. I’d just settle for a few reasonably important trading partners.
Or when you say “Brexit dealt with that”, are you arguing like John Cleese about Loretta? We won’t actually generate any new beneficial trading partnerships, but the main thing is that we have the right to have them.
Not sure why the Internal Market bill is so important to you though? Given that you are in favour of both a United ireland (border in the Irish Sea), and for good measure an Independent Scotland (border on the Tweed).
I would be happy to see NI and Scotland go (because I think its the right thing for them more than I think England would benefit).
But for as long as NI and Scotland choose to remain a part of the UK I respect that choice and the UK should be whole and sovereign.
There is no hypocrisy there. If NI votes to leave the UK it will ipso facto leave the UK's internal market but until then it is and should be a part of it.
A referendum on ENGLISH independence tomorrow. How are you voting?
Went for a very plez oyster lunch with a friend in Soho today.
Oxford St, Regent St, and Soho now feel almost normal, with the added tedium of masks and queues, for sure - but normal. A lot of shoppers, plenty of traffic. Shops actually busy.
It was an agreeably warm sunny Autumn day but certainly not high summer, and yet the crowds were out. Restaurants pretty full. Bars mildly buzzing.
If we can avoid another calamitous national lockdown, we may also avoid economic Apocalypse. And the predictions of the End of London might prove premature.
You mean your predictions of the End of London?
Yes indeed. And God I hope I am about to be proved wrong.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
The Shard is shit. Our very own piece of Abu Dhabi bespoiling central London. Totally inappropriate.
Some tourists who don't know any better seem to love it though in the same way kids like Paw Patrol.
What do they know?
The Shard is the greatest skyscraper of the 21st century. The way it soars above 11th century Borough Market has no equal, anywhere. Tsk.
I see you've been on the wine this evening, the shard is awful and on the wrong side of the river.
It is in the perfect place. It stands alone and proud and silvery, like a mystical totem of broken crystal. It is genius.
If you walk up Primrose Hill, of an evening (this is entirely true) parties and picknickers and partygoers align themselves unconsciously in rows that point to the glittering Shard. It's an amazing sight. Ley lines of heathen worship.
The Shard feels like an obelisk that was put in London in 15,000BC and the rest of the City grew around it. It is possibly the greatest building of this century, so far.
I know you won't be persuaded by me. But go to Borough Market and watch how people walk out of the Market and then say OMG and they emotionally genuflect and go Wow. Despite themselves. The Shard has the impact of a building twice its height. The nearest comparison is not a modern skyscraper, but the Eiffel Tower, in the late 19th century.
I'm not really sure why "seamless trade within the UK" is so important, if it is so unimportant with the rest of the World...
We are the UK not the whole world.
There was a time when the main argument of the Brexit supporters was that being in the EU restricted our ability to trade freely and seamlessly with the wider World.
Which is still true. Brexit deals with that issue.
We won't have seamless trade with the whole world though, that was never pledged.
You were the one who used the phrase “the whole world”, not me. I’d just settle for a few reasonably important trading partners.
Or when you say “Brexit dealt with that”, are you arguing like John Cleese about Loretta? We won’t actually generate any new beneficial trading partnerships, but the main thing is that we have the right to have them.
Not sure why the Internal Market bill is so important to you though? Given that you are in favour of both a United ireland (border in the Irish Sea), and for good measure an Independent Scotland (border on the Tweed).
I would be happy to see NI and Scotland go (because I think its the right thing for them more than I think England would benefit).
But for as long as NI and Scotland choose to remain a part of the UK I respect that choice and the UK should be whole and sovereign.
There is no hypocrisy there. If NI votes to leave the UK it will ipso facto leave the UK's internal market but until then it is and should be a part of it.
A referendum on ENGLISH independence tomorrow. How are you voting?
Lawyers in the UK Government surely must be removed from the bar
Yes - by voting against the Labour amendment which “requires ministers to respect the rule of law and uphold the independence of the courts”, both the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, and the A-G, Suella Braverman, are in breach of their oaths of office. They should be disciplined by the Bar Council frankly.
Wasn't @Cyclefree making a similar suggestion using the Falklands a week or two back?
A few weeks back and not seriously. Is Priti reading PB? If she is, can she and her stupid colleagues just bog off and stop dragging Britain’s name through the mud.
Sending them to Ascension or St Helena is an entirely sensible idea. Both are British possessions. Both need economic development. Ascension in particular is large enough to allow major improvement. And it's nice and sunny.
IF all these people want is "asylum" and "safety" rather than, say, a job in a corner shop already owned by their uncle and/or an arranged marriage with a girl they've got lined up in Khartoum then can then import, what is the problem?
They will be safe and protected by British law. They will not be raped or starved. They will have the opportunity to learn skills and prove themselves. If all goes well at the very least they are spared further suffering, at best they can then become full UK citizens. Why are we so effete we find this unacceptably mean?
The basic points you (rightly) bring attention to would be equally served by having these centres in India and/or Africa, both of which are far better suited for the purpose, and far likelier to be reachable by genuine asylum seekers than two rocks in the South Atlantic.
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
You are absolutely correct.
If you want to send asylum seekers to an overseas camp, it makes much more sense to put it somewhere where there is existing infrastructure, potential employees and scheduled flights.
Building a camp on St Helena or Ascension Island would end up with us having to spend a fortune getting people out to the island, and on chartering planes back and forth. It would inevitably end up with us spending much more than we do currently.
In any case, these whizzo plans miss the fundamental issue that we actually have: and that is that we do not process asylum applications quickly. It's ridiculous that we've starved the system of money, to fit the budget, but ended up with tens of thousands of people who are in limbo, at the British taxpayers expense.
We need a rapid assessment process, whereby those who clearly have no asylum case are returned to their home country (or France, if that is from whence they came) as soon as possible. This would be fairer to those involved, cheaper to operate, and would avoid a situation where there are tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the system awaiting hearing dates.
It's not just that. In fact, that's a small part of it. The bigger challenge is that the qualifying criteria for claiming asylum is very broad, it's hard to disprove people's stories, you can't deport unless you know (and can prove) where they're from - and that they have no grounds whatsoever for worry if they go back there - or if there's another country willing to accept their claim and there's a whole legal industry in the UK dedicated to stopping deportations and maximising successful claims. That's why 90% stay indefinitely or disappear into the black economy.
The whole system isn't fit for purpose. The only real protection we have is that it's hard to get here. Otherwise, under current law, there are hundreds of millions worldwide who would qualify and - if they got onto British soil - we'd have to take them:
Comments
The suggestion to use the Falklands is predicated on the notion that nobody else 'wants our asylum seekers' - which is utter nonsense. There are huge economic systems in developing nations depending on processing all sorts of things from other countries. UK asylum centres would bring with them a whole assortment of jobs, many highly skilled. Many countries would jump at the chance.
Boris or his successor has 4 years before facing an electon
A lot of water to flow under the bridge in that time
Not a chance.
Or when you say “Brexit dealt with that”, are you arguing like John Cleese about Loretta? We won’t actually generate any new beneficial trading partnerships, but the main thing is that we have the right to have them.
Not sure why the Internal Market bill is so important to you though? Given that you are in favour of both a United ireland (border in the Irish Sea), and for good measure an Independent Scotland (border on the Tweed).
If you want to send asylum seekers to an overseas camp, it makes much more sense to put it somewhere where there is existing infrastructure, potential employees and scheduled flights.
Building a camp on St Helena or Ascension Island would end up with us having to spend a fortune getting people out to the island, and on chartering planes back and forth. It would inevitably end up with us spending much more than we do currently.
In any case, these whizzo plans miss the fundamental issue that we actually have: and that is that we do not process asylum applications quickly. It's ridiculous that we've starved the system of money, to fit the budget, but ended up with tens of thousands of people who are in limbo, at the British taxpayers expense.
We need a rapid assessment process, whereby those who clearly have no asylum case are returned to their home country (or France, if that is from whence they came) as soon as possible. This would be fairer to those involved, cheaper to operate, and would avoid a situation where there are tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the system awaiting hearing dates.
Totally bizzarre.
“When a British Prime Minister signs an international treaty, they effectively pledge commitments on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. Since the U.K. Govt has passed legislation, which I am compelled to sign, committing to break that pledge, I feel I can no longer act as representative of the British State. I am therefore abdicating the throne to my son, in the hope that the slate can be wiped clean, and in future his pledges as British Monarch will be upheld”
Why would a genuine asylum seeker want to go to the asylum processing centre?
For all that they've always been small-scale and at times near-marginal, at least St Helena and the Falklands are actual settlements.
Whether it works or not is another matter.
Her behaviour was not that dissimilar to the top bods in Vichy France.
The Queen will not save us.
#TakeBackControlFromOurUnelectedRuler
And who can blame them when Hancock makes up new ones every other hour.
This is spiralling out of their control rapidly.
I love this city. The greatest city in the world. Today reminded me of its incredible potential: still. London has everything: history, modernity, scale, beauty, grandeur, squalor, poverty, wealth, skyscrapers, palaces, Roman walls, the Shard, the river Thames, superb oyster houses, 25 universities, 5 royal parks, the best sport in the world, and amazing amazing people. Talent by the ton.
If it can survive Covid and power through, then I will happily eat a whole plate of humble pie (from my own recipe, and from the Groucho Club) and onwards we GO.
She is a constitutional monarch and therefore has to accept what Parliament votes for or the PM advises
A handy reminder:
New Scottish Covid19 rules. Sing to the tune of ‘Ye canny shuv yer granny aff the bus’ 😁😆
Oh ye canny hiv yer granny roon yer hoose,
Naw ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose,
Ye can tak her fur a swally,
Even if yer peely-wally
But ye canny hiv yer Granny roon yer hoose. 😂🤣
I'm not too worried. So long as he can stand up and play the full 90 minutes I think he'll register a win.
I'm pretty well informed and can't follow it. Even though NE is moving as one.
Greater Manchester is super confusing as each Borough has completely different rules and the boundaries can run through streets.
Reports of pubs in Wigan demanding driving licences and refusing to serve Boltoners.
And of Wiganers refusing to drink there if they don't.
My parents local has about a 70/30 Wigan to Bolton catchment area.
The boundary is a tiny, brackish stream between 2 continuous rows of terraces.
https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/951969/queen-elizabeth-news-state-visit-france-fluent-french
edit: snap!
Given the Commons has just voted for the Internal Markets Bill they don't
I’m still mystified as to why these “no Irish border” pro WA thought the agreement included the requirements for customs checks in the Irish Sea, if they were no circumstances where they could ever happen. Was it just included in the WA for shits and giggles?
This week an architect/designer friend of mine was employed (at HUGE expense) to completely gut and redesign the Belgravia mansion of a famous Indian billionaire, a project expected to take 3-4 years, and cost squillions.
It may seem trivial, it is not. The ultra-rich are not deserting London. They expect to stay here, despite Covid, despite Brexit. They are voting with their non moving feet.
The rich stay in safe, successful, exciting cities. If London can remain that global attraction, then the UK economy will benefit, as a whole, and this is a serous positive for us all.
The whole system isn't fit for purpose. The only real protection we have is that it's hard to get here. Otherwise, under current law, there are hundreds of millions worldwide who would qualify and - if they got onto British soil - we'd have to take them:
https://www.gov.uk/claim-asylum/eligibility
The law needs people willing to fight for it. To hazard a little in its defence. A word or two in its favour will not do.
As has been the case for many a year now, the right-wing within the Conservative Party is much the stronger. No matter how far to the right the leadership goes, the right-wing is ever willing to push harder than the left to bend the leadership even further in their direction - even now to the extent of trashing the rule of law.
The ins and out of this bill have nothing whatsoever to do with you simultaneously saying:
a] she has to accept what parliament decides
b] she would not accept option X
What if parliament decided on X? What if X was a border in the Irish sea?
I know, I know, I know, this doesn't do that you say, whatever, I believe you. But you expressed two general principles that don't align, since if - if - parliament said let's have a border in the Irish sea, she could not follow both of your professed principles. Either she'd accept it as parliament requires, or she would not accept it and breach the first principle of yours.
Some tourists who don't know any better seem to love it though in the same way kids like Paw Patrol.
What do they know?
Because we are still obliged to carry out checks to protect the Integrity of the Single Market?
I'll happily manage that non-border at half the price.
The commute is a pain, sure, but it thrusts you away from humdrum domesticity into THE CITY, an exciting world of social, romantic, conversational, sexual, culinary, professional, emotional opportunity. People do it because they like it, in the end, even if they whine about it.
Sitting in a house outside Reading in your pyjamas doing your job on a laptop has an appeal for a while, but long term? No. People will always want to congregate, to go where the action is, to see and be seen. To have that random chat in a pub that leads to a brilliant job, to meet someone at random in the company lobby and have a coffee and have a great idea. To get laid.
Cities are unbeatable. In the end London (and other cities) will defeat Covid. Fuck Covid. London beat the Luftwaffe, we can beat this stupid Chinese virus.
It helps that I am skeptical about the WFH revolution - not that there will not be one, but that it will be quite as all encompassing as people are acting like.
But for as long as NI and Scotland choose to remain a part of the UK I respect that choice and the UK should be whole and sovereign.
There is no hypocrisy there. If NI votes to leave the UK it will ipso facto leave the UK's internal market but until then it is and should be a part of it.
A man cannot live on Zoom alone.
But the 100% WFH is not favoured by many.
Most prefer a hybrid.
So that's probably what will happen.
If you walk up Primrose Hill, of an evening (this is entirely true) parties and picknickers and partygoers align themselves unconsciously in rows that point to the glittering Shard. It's an amazing sight. Ley lines of heathen worship.
The Shard feels like an obelisk that was put in London in 15,000BC and the rest of the City grew around it. It is possibly the greatest building of this century, so far.
I know you won't be persuaded by me. But go to Borough Market and watch how people walk out of the Market and then say OMG and they emotionally genuflect and go Wow. Despite themselves. The Shard has the impact of a building twice its height. The nearest comparison is not a modern skyscraper, but the Eiffel Tower, in the late 19th century.
https://www.robertharding.com/preview/1225-1051/shard-sunset-top-primrose-hill-london-england-united/
The problem is not the ultimate decision, it is the process to get there.