UK Politics Thread part II

[Skybird]

Never forget the fact she failed miserably in her greatest ambition....independence.
Yeah, but she walked out walking herself, they did not bring her out of her room with feet first - different to three or four London prime ministers in a row. :O:

[MGR1]

Certainly in comparison with the post-2016 Tory circus at Westminster the SNP have been positively boring (although not very effective), even if badly distracted by their main issue of independence, when it comes to actually running things on a day-to-day basis. The Gender Recognition Bill was a major mis-step so it's going to be very interesting to see what comes next.

One of the possible contenders is Joanna Cherry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Cherry), if you didn't like Sturgeon you won't like this one at all. Very much in the Salmond mold politically whilst being socially conservative.

The major problem for the Unionist/Pro-UK side still remains the same: a lack of organisation, vision and, crucially, having a vote split between three different parties which don't like each other.

In addition, the Pro-UK side isn't just faced with "selling" the Union only to Scotland, it now has to do the same in all four home nations. So far none have managed to come up with a positive or inspiring message as to why the UK should still exist beyond simple inertia and money.

Mike.

[MGR1]

Cherry has ruled herself out (Yay!:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:)
Here's the BBC news article on possible contenders to succeed Sturgeon:

[/URL][URL]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64648987 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64648987)

I've only heard about Forbes, Robertson and Yousaf, McAllan and Grey I didn't know existed whilst I recognise Brown's face, but that's it.

Humza Yousaf 'seriously considering' SNP leadership bid (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64677180)

Meanwhile Anas Sarwar and SLab think they may have an opportunity:

Anas Sarwar urges SNP voters to back Labour as Nicola Sturgeon quits (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64674533)

Can Scottish Labour mount a post-Sturgeon revival? (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64680291)

What that second question actually means is "Can they get the Clyde Valley constituencies back?" Of that, I am not so sure.:hmmm:

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

Can Scottish Labour mount a post-Sturgeon revival?

Nicola Sturgeon is the name on everyone's lips in Scottish politics this week, after her surprising and abrupt decision to call it a day as first minister.

It was no different at the Scottish Labour conference in Edinburgh, with members striking a less than sombre tone.

"We're coping OK," Jackie Baillie joked in her opening address.

That might be understandable when you consider the destruction wrought on Labour by the outgoing first minister.

The SNP had already supplanted them as the party of government at Holyrood, before Ms Sturgeon took the reins from Alex Salmond.

But her immediate project in the aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum was to shift the SNP to the left, and to consume Labour's traditional base.

The following year she seized 40 of the party's 41 seats at Westminster. In 2015 Scotland went straight from being a Labour stronghold to them clinging to a single seat, a position which persists today.

During Ms Sturgeon's remarkable run of electoral successes, the SNP's heartlands have mapped almost perfectly on to those which were once Labour red - across the central belt and particularly in Glasgow and Fife.

So you could forgive Labour for holding some hope that the departure of their nemesis could spark a revival in those areas and beyond, as part of the wider project to retake Downing Street.

James Kelly, who lost his Holyrood seat in 2021, issued a direct message to the SNP from the conference stage: "We're coming for ye."

But his party will need to target a turnaround almost as abrupt as the 2015 landslide which heralded the SNP's complete capture of Scottish politics.

At present, there are only four seats where Labour can target an SNP majority of under 10%.

Two of them have since seen the sitting MP defect to the Alba Party, while another is held by an independent - Margaret Ferrier.

There are a few others where there is a feeling that the SNP vote, while broad, may be soft.

But for all the talk of the road to Downing Street running through Scottish constituencies, it will take huge swings for Labour to make many gains. Gains anywhere near approaching double figures would look like a huge win.

Ms Sturgeon's departure could be a bonus for the party in its campaigning in the rest of the UK too, though.

Sir Keir Starmer - expected to address the conference on Sunday, fresh from a trip to Ukraine - will now face less competition as the face of left-leaning politics on the UK stage.

It will enable his party to campaign as a more straightforward choice for those who want to see the Conservatives turfed out of power.

And it will blunt the attack line which the Tories have been workshopping about the SNP wielding influence over him in a hung parliament.

You could already picture the campaign advert, with Sir Keir peeping out of Nicola Sturgeon's pocket.

But that is unlikely to have the same impact with voters in England and Wales under a new leader, who will not have anything like the profile of Ms Sturgeon.

She was first minister before Mr Starmer or indeed Rishi Sunak were even MPs, and whoever replaces her will take time to build the same level of recognition with the wider electorate.

Looking further down the road, will Anas Sarwar hope for a boost in his bid to be first minister some day?

In the last Holyrood election, Scottish Labour was pitching itself as a "better opposition" - but may want to go one better next time.

Mr Sarwar may have a better shot at winning the Glasgow Southside constituency, once Ms Sturgeon relinquishes her grip on it.

She intends to sit on the back benches at Holyrood in the immediacy, but she is unlikely to settle there for the longer term. Given her profile and talents, it is frankly hard to picture her whiling away her time as deputy convener of the public audit committee into the 2030s.

It is of course her seat in Bute House that Mr Sarwar really craves, and that would again require a massive turnaround in fortunes.

Labour still sits in third place at Holyrood behind the SNP and Conservatives, and has lost seats at every single election since devolution with a shrinking share of the vote.

To spring from that right back into government would be a huge ask, and Mr Sarwar may have to settle for arresting the long-term gradual decline.

But all of that said, the political world could look very, very different come the 2026 election.

Sir Keir may be settling in to Downing Street, and the prospect of an independence referendum could be even more distant - neutering two of the SNP's favourite electoral arguments, about ditching the Tories in favour of constitutional change.

If the binary question of Scotland's future somehow isn't the top priority in the campaign, Labour might hope to regain votes lost in recent years to both the SNP and the Conservatives.

And if independence is still a key issue - as is entirely probable - the brew of ideas bubbling up in the SNP about the best way forward means Labour's own constitutional proposals might get more of a hearing.

Nothing can be taken for granted - and Mr Sarwar has fronted up to that, telling delegates that "we've still got a lot of work to do to regain the trust of the people".

But Scottish politics as a whole is entering a period of massive uncertainty after decades of stability in the leadership of the SNP.

Labour will hope they can emerge from the whirlpool in a stronger position.

As with everything else in politics, it remains to be seen if reality actually delivers on those expectations.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64680291

[MGR1]

Same article as the bottom link in my last post.:03:

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

Never realised :)

:oops:

[Jimbuna]

Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan launch bids to become SNP leader

Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former minister Ash Regan have announced they will stand to take over from Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister.

The pair, who revealed their plans to run in the Sunday Mail, are the first to declare their candidacy.

Other candidates tipped to stand are Finance Minister Kate Forbes and Justice Secretary Keith Brown.

The winner of the race is due to be announced on 27 March.

Meanwhile Neil Gray, the minister for culture, Europe and international development, has ruled himself out of the leadership race, and given his backing to Mr Yousaf.

Announcing his leadership bid in the Scottish newspaper, Mr Yousaf says he had been through a "rollercoaster of emotions" since the longstanding first minister and SNP leader Ms Sturgeon announced her shock resignation on Wednesday, after eight years.

He says: "You've got to put yourself forward if you think you're the best person for the job. And I do. This is the top job in the country, and it needs somebody who has experience."

Mr Yousaf, who first became an MSP in 2011, has been a prominent figure on the SNP frontbenches in every Scottish administration since and has been considered a strong leadership candidate for many years.

But the 37-year-old's time as justice minister saw him bogged down in controversy surrounding the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill - which faced backlash over its impact on freedom of expression.

He has also been criticised for his running of the NHS in Scotland, which experienced the hardest winter in its history in recent months.

Ms Sturgeon has faced repeated calls from opposition parties to sack Mr Yousaf, with waiting times at record highs and doctors warning that the country's hospitals are not safe for patients.

On Friday, Mr Yousaf pointed to the record pay offer he made to NHS staff, which he said was likely to avoid strike action for the next financial year.

For her part, Ms Regan tells the Sunday Mail the SNP "need to bring back unity, draw a line under certain things and move past them", adding her belief that she is "the person to do that".

This statement is a reference to her views over the controversial the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, the SNP's proposed reforms to how people can change their legal gender in Scotland - which was subsequently blocked by the Westminster government.

Before it was approved by a majority in Holyrood, the SNP's former community safety minister had quit in protest over it and became an outspoken critic of the legislation.

Writing in the Sunday Mail, Ms Regan says: "The electorate expect the Scottish government to focus on things that are important to them.

"That means the NHS, which is still struggling to get back on its feet after the pandemic. People expect a first minister to concentrate on boosting the economy, creating jobs and helping them deal with the cost-of-living crisis."

In a later post on Twitter she outlined a plan to call for independence convention to be held to "create a new vision of an independent Scotland".

And she backed proposals to use either a Westminster or Holyrood election as a de facto referendum on Scottish independence.

After Ms Sturgeon's announcement, Ms Regan, 48, called for SNP members who left the party in the past year to be given a vote in the leadership race.

But this proposal was described as "preposterous" by Deputy First Minister John Swinney - who has already ruled himself out of the contest.

In a post on Twitter, Neil Gray said it had been "incredibly flattering" to have been suggested as a candidate to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as first minister.

But he added: "I have seriously considered, with family and colleagues, whether I am the right person to do that job.

"I have concluded that with my children the age they are, and given I am relatively new to government, now is not the right time for me."

He said Humza Yousaf had the "skills and experience" for the job and he was giving him his full support.

The SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and high-profile MP Joanna Cherry have also said they will not run for the leadership.

Other potential candidates said to be weighing up whether to throw their hats in the ring are Finance Secretary Kate Forbes - who is currently on maternity leave - and SNP deputy leader Keith Brown.

Nominations for the leadership contest will close at noon on Friday.

A party conference scheduled for 19 March to discuss the SNP's strategy for winning Scottish independence has been postponed.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64693915

[Jimbuna]

UK in surprise boost after record tax payments in January

By Michael Race
Business reporter, BBC News

The UK government saw a surprise surplus in its finances in January despite "substantial spending" to help with energy bills and EU payments.

The highest self-assessed income tax receipts since records began in 1999 boosted the UK's coffers.

It meant it spent less than it received in tax, leaving a £5.4bn surplus.

Economists said the figures showed a "mixed picture" with public finances still weaker than this time last year ahead of next month's Budget.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will set out his plans for tax and spending on 15 March.

Martin Beck, chief economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club which is a UK economic forecasting group, said the figures gave Mr Hunt "some positives to work on" in his Budget.

Mr Beck said the fall in cost of wholesale energy meant the government's spending on support for bills "will be a fraction" of what was officially forecast last year.

However, because the government's self-imposed fiscal rules around debt relate to five years in the future, he said short-term movements in UK's finances "don't have much bearing" on policies.

Public borrowing in the financial year to date is £30.6bn less than predicted by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the government's official forecaster.

Michal Stelmach, senior economist at KPMG UK, said this could "tempt the chancellor to offer a pay increase to public sector workers as part of his Budget next month" in a bid to prevent further strikes.

But Mr Hunt said debt was still at the highest level since the 1960s.

"It is vital we stick to our plan to reduce debt over the medium term," he added.

"Getting debt down will require some tough choices, but it is crucial to reduce the amount spent on debt interest so we can protect our public services."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman later indicated the surplus did not mean it would announce tax cuts at the Budget.

"We shouldn't place too much emphasis on a single month's data. Borrowing remains at record highs and there is significant uncertainty and volatility, both clear risks to the fiscal position," the spokesman said.

Every January, the government tends to take more in tax than it spends in other months due to the amount it receives in self-assessed taxes, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

But most economists had expected borrowing to rise this time, in part due to the large amount the government is spending on supporting households with their energy bills.

It is limiting the average household energy bill to £2,500 - although it says this will increase to £3,000 from April due to the high cost of the support.

In addition, the ONS said the government had faced "large one-off payments" in January relating to historic customs duties owed to the EU.

In the end, though, these costs were largely offset by record self-assessed income tax payments of £21.9bn in January, which left the government with a surplus.

But despite the surprise figures, January's overall surplus was still £7.1bn smaller compared to the same month in 2022. Interest repayments on government debt also hit their highest level for January since records on that data began in 1997.

The ONS said the rise in debt repayments, which totalled £6.7bn in January, was "largely" because of inflation.

This is because many UK government bonds, or "gilts", which the government sells to international investors to raise the money it needs, are "index linked", meaning the government's repayments rise in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which is currently at double-digit levels.

Of the interest payable in January 2023, some £3.3bn reflected the impact of inflation, the ONS said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-64705051

[Jimbuna]

Asylum backlog at record high, Home Office figures show

By Mark Easton
Home editor

The number of asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their case in the UK has soared to record levels, with about 166,000 people in the backlog.

Almost 110,000 have been waiting for six months or more, according to Home Office data published on Thursday.

The new figures show about 89,000 people claimed asylum in the UK in 2022, the highest for 19 years.

On Wednesday the Home Office announced plans to streamline the system by scrapping interviews in some cases.

The move aims to reduce the asylum backlog which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to see largely eradicated by the end of this year.

Instead of a face-to-face interview, some 12,000 asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Syria and Yemen will fill in a 10-page questionnaire in English.

Applicants from these countries already have 95% of their asylum claims accepted, says the Home Office.

Officials say claimants will undergo a face-to-face interview if caseworkers are not satisfied with the information provided in the questionnaire.

The new figures show that, overall, more than three quarters (75%) of asylum decisions made in 2022 were in favour of granting asylum, the highest in more than 30 years.

However the actual number of decisions made in 2022 was 10% below the level before the pandemic.

The 166,000 backlog includes people waiting for the outcome of appeals as well as for initial decisions. This figure is a rise of 60% on last year and is more than 160,000 for the first time.

Of those whose applications were refused last year, 3,531 people were returned by the Home Office, either voluntarily or forcibly, in the year to the end of September, marginally higher than the previous year.

However these figures are far lower than for 2012 when there were 15,000 returns, and 2004 when there were more than 21,000.

When forcible returns are considered separately, the figure for last year was just 489, compared with almost 6,800 in 2010.

Conservative party chairman Greg Hands said: "We need to get to grips with the backlog... Absolutely we're committed to the safety and security of this country.

"There's still a very strong process in place. We're talking here about cases that would be granted, we're just going to do it more quickly in a more streamlined way whilst making sure that public safety is secure."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64744553

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/fRYNZGKV/Untitled.jpg (https://postimg.cc/hX4w13Nn)
https://i.postimg.cc/MGx8G9Pd/Untitled1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

Johnson to run for NATO Secretary General

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to run for NATO Secretary General.

He made this statement on the air of the nationwide telethon "United News", informs Censor.NЕТ referring to Ukrinform.

"Yes, that's a great idea. You know, it's a very good one. I want to say, dear friends, that I have to announce to everyone that I have this intention. Let no one forget that there is such a candidate in reserve here. I feel like I'm going to be lucky this time," Johnson said.

The former prime minister believes that the next Secretary General should not necessarily be a citizen of the European Union.

"I am definitely considering myself. It is a very good position, an important one. It's worth saying that we have a NATO that's stronger than ever as well as inventive and active," the politician emphasized.

He noted that with the membership of Sweden and Finland, it is quite clear that Ukrainian membership is a prospect. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401777

[Jimbuna]

NI Protocol: Will Rishi Sunak's deal pass DUP checkpoint?

By Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

Rishi Sunak started the week in the green lane heading for a deal and ended up trapped in the red lane with no clear path out.

The prime minister thought he had his paperwork complete after months of delicate negotiation.

All he needed was clearance from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and his backbench Brexiteer MPs before signing off with the EU.

But, as his predecessors at Number 10 discovered, dealing with the DUP is challenging.

Thanks to those same predecessors, trust between DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and the Tory leadership has been slowly eroded.

That is why the party was not moved by the assurances offered by the prime minister in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

"We've heard the same warm words from the same dispatch box before, it counts for nothing," said one DUP MP.

That is why the DUP leader warned against "tweaking" the protocol and demanded the "legally binding text" be rewritten.

Unless the DUP can read it in a bill, they can't sell it.

While sidestepping that part of Sir Jeffrey's question, the prime minister hinted in another answer that legislative changes are in the mix.

That will be key for the DUP to be able say the old Northern Ireland Protocol is gone.

But any changes will come in the form of new legislation "overlaying" what has gone before both in London and Brussels.

Overlay but not replace.

So the EU will equally be able to say the original protocol text remains.

Nuances like that matter when it comes spinning and disguising compromises if we ever reach the point of a deal.

Judging by the Westminster whispers this week that is far from clear.

There is real concern among some less vocal Tories that a deal which was within touching distance could slip through their grasp.

Some of those non-European Research Group (ERG) MPs question why the Prime Minister is spending so much political capital on an issue which does not stir their voters at a time when other more pressing issues need attention.

The protocol does not appear in Mr Sunak's five key priorities and there is a budget looming within weeks.

"There are some on our back benches who are certifiable and Mr Sunak needs to stand up to them" said one frustrated Tory.

After briefing heavily that the deal was to be published this week, Team Sunak are now in crisis management.

The daily calls with European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic on the surface suggest Brussels is being squeezed for more concessions, but equally it could be for the optics ahead of a deal being agreed next week.

Mr Sunak has invested too much to walk away.

He cannot sit on a deal which provides much needed remedies for businesses struggling under the burden of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Plus, he is desperate to bank the gains he has secured.

That may include taking back control of state aid, VAT and other tax breaks in Northern Ireland which, under the protocol, fell to Brussels.

That was leaked this week and was not totally discounted by sources in Brussels.

Such leaks are useful in countering back bench and DUP pressure in the absence of publishing the deal.

Could this be one of the important areas where Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told us real progress has been made?

But what the prime minister really needs is for the DUP to hold back on its verdict of any deal.

This would allow the government time to win over business leaders and other stake holders before the DUP passes judgement.

But if the government is to secure its goal of restoring the Stormont institutions then the DUP will have to be won over at some stage

The party is expecting the deal to be published early next week and it will likely flag concerns but reserve full judgement until it sees any accompanying legal text

With a council election looming in May, rejecting the deal is the easiest option for Sir Jeffrey.

But saying no is not a long term sustainable position and that is the calculation the government will be banking on.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64750736

[Skybird]

Johnson to run for NATO Secretary General

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to run for NATO Secretary General.

He made this statement on the air of the nationwide telethon "United News", informs Censor.NЕТ referring to Ukrinform.

"Yes, that's a great idea. You know, it's a very good one. I want to say, dear friends, that I have to announce to everyone that I have this intention. Let no one forget that there is such a candidate in reserve here. I feel like I'm going to be lucky this time," Johnson said.

The former prime minister believes that the next Secretary General should not necessarily be a citizen of the European Union.

"I am definitely considering myself. It is a very good position, an important one. It's worth saying that we have a NATO that's stronger than ever as well as inventive and active," the politician emphasized.

He noted that with the membership of Sweden and Finland, it is quite clear that Ukrainian membership is a prospect. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3401777


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSps6S6LhPltClbOubTROnr8HSSxdqo4 Uf2Qw&usqp=CAU

[Catfish]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSps6S6LhPltClbOubTROnr8HSSxdqo4 Uf2Qw&usqp=CAU
^ :rotfl2:

[Jimbuna]

:haha:

[Skybird]

Neue Zürcher Zeitung:
-------------------------
Is the Brexit to blame? British supermarkets ration tomatoes, cucumbers and salads due to supply shortages

Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in the United Kingdom, with the government blaming crop failures in Spain and Morocco. But many British greenhouses also remained empty this winter - due to a lack of labor and high energy costs.

Britons have almost become accustomed to the fact that there are always gaps in the supermarkets' product ranges. After the implementation of the Brexit, there was initially a lack of truck drivers, which led to major supply bottlenecks in the retail trade and at gas stations. Last fall, there was suddenly an acute shortage of eggs due to inflationary prices for chicken feed and an outbreak of bird flu.

Now the country is being hit by shortages in the supply of vegetables: Several large British supermarket chains, such as Tesco and Morrison, last week limited the number of pieces of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces and other vegetables that each customer is allowed to buy.
Rationing instead of price increases

The main reason for the shortage is believed to be poor weather conditions, which have led to crop failure in Morocco and southern Spain. Normally, the market reacts to a shortage of supply with price increases. However, the major distributors apparently want to prevent stocks from emptying in one fell swoop.

A sharp price increase would mean that the poorer sections of the population would no longer be able to afford vegetables. Food inflation was already 17 percent in January anyway. However, average Britons are not known for particularly healthy eating habits. Various users boasted on social media that they haven't eaten salad in decades, which is why the vegetable crisis doesn't affect them.

Rationing is a dramatic measure, which is why the supermarkets' move made for outraged tabloid headlines. In practice, it is also hard to prevent a customer from shopping more than once at the same store or at different stores, thereby circumventing the quantity restrictions.


The case of a customer of a Lidl supermarket who was prevented by the manager from buying a hundred cucumbers, which she wanted to turn into detox drinks in her beauty salon, caused a sensation. The store had limited the maximum number of tomatoes and cucumbers customers could buy to three.

Connection with the Brexit?

Agriculture Minister Therese Coffey tried to calm tempers, saying the supply problems should be resolved in a few weeks. The Tory government denied any responsibility for the crisis, pointing to the unusual cold weather in southern Spain and floods and storms in Morocco. According to the British Retail Consortium organization, the UK is dependent on imports for 90 to 95 percent of its supply of tomatoes and lettuce this winter, with the lion's share coming from Spain and Morocco.

Producers from these countries, of course, also supply many other European markets that are not suffering from acute supply shortages. There are also reports of vegetable shortages in Ireland and Denmark. But Britons living in the EU published pictures of bulging vegetable shelves from continental European supermarkets - suggesting that the empty British racks were a consequence of Brexit. On Twitter, the catchphrases #BrexitFoodShortages or #BrexitFoodRationing made the rounds.

However, a direct link to the Brexit is not obvious. Morocco is not part of the EU single market, which is why nothing at all has changed in trade relations between the Maghreb state and the UK since the Brexit. In addition, the British have postponed the introduction of tighter Brexit controls on EU imports until early 2024, which is why no non-tariff trade barriers have yet arisen for Spanish tomatoes.

However, some observers believe that in the event of bottlenecks, coordination within a single market will be easier. In addition, transportation costs for shipments to the U.K. are higher than to more readily accessible continental European countries.

British greenhouses remain empty

Much more plausible is an indirect Brexit effect. British farmers have long complained that they can no longer recruit enough foreign labor to harvest fruits and vegetables since leaving the EU. That has made farming production costs more expensive, as have the high energy prices needed to heat greenhouses.

Lee Stiles, secretary of an organization of vegetable producers from the important Lee Valley growing region, told the BBC that a number of farmers had refrained from planting tomatoes, hot peppers, cucumbers or eggplants this season because of the cost. Farmers accuse the government of insufficiently shielding them from high energy prices. Making matters worse, according to the British Growers Association, is the fact that British supermarkets pay lower prices for vegetables than comparable major distributors on the European continent.

Stiles, of the Lee Valley Growers Association, believes the shortages could last as late as May, as there is no short-term panacea for the shortages before more local produce returns to the market. Agriculture Secretary Coffey's only remaining recommendation to the public was to switch more to seasonal British vegetables such as beets.
-----------------------------

[Jimbuna]

Northern Ireland Protocol: New Brexit deal 'inching towards conclusion'

A new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland is not yet done but is "inching towards a conclusion", Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said.

The taoiseach said a protocol agreement could come within days but negotiators still have a gap to close.

He urged politicians from the UK, Brussels and Northern Ireland to "go the extra mile".

Rishi Sunak told the Sunday Times he was hopeful of a “positive outcome”, saying: "I want to get the job done."

He said: "As someone who believes in Brexit, voted for Brexit, campaigned for Brexit, I want to demonstrate that Brexit works and it works for every part of the United Kingdom."

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Brexit talks and came into force in 2021.

It sees Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws to get round the need for checks at the UK's border with the Republic of Ireland, and has been an ongoing source of tension.

The UK and the European Union have been negotiating on a way forward and appear to be on the brink of completing a new deal - for which the prime minister has been trying to win support among some critical Tory MPs and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.

Mr Varadkar told reporters: "There is the possibility of agreement in the next few days but by no means guaranteed... there's still a gap to be closed."

He said there was ongoing engagement between politicians and he urged them to "to go the extra mile", stressing that the benefits to reaching an agreement are "huge".

There had been plans for King Charles to meet the president of the European Commission in the UK on Saturday, the BBC understands.

The planned meeting between the King and Ursula von der Leyen, originally reported by Sky News, was not part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU and multiple sources said her visit was cancelled due to operational reasons, unconnected to the political talks.

It is not known when she will now come to the UK, but the fact a meeting was planned is significant as it appears to indicate a Brexit deal was about to be done - and publicly presented - while Ms von der Leyen was in the UK.

Some had suggested a new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be called the Windsor Agreement and include a moment in front of the cameras involving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms von der Leyen.

The scheduled meeting was criticised by Mr Sunak's critics, with Jacob Rees-Mogg - a senior member of the Tory Eurosceptic European Research Group - saying: "If there were a plan to bring the King in before there is domestic political agreement, it would border on constitutional impropriety."

Both the UK and the EU have to make the choreography of an announcement work at a mutually convenient time and place.

Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen spoke by telephone on Friday and Downing Street said the prime minister had made "good progress".

A source said afterwards that it had been "positive" and negotiations would continue, with the leaders agreeing "to discuss this further in coming days."

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has pulled out of a long-planned trip to the Middle East at the beginning of next week - raising expectations that a formal announcement from the UK and Brussels could be days away.

But there have been repeated delays over the past week or so, as wrangling went on between No 10, the Democratic Unionist Party and Conservative backbenchers.

Mr Cleverly said talks with the EU had been "tough and complicated" but were entered into "with good faith", telling GB News: "We will resolve this when we have addressed all the issues that we are seeking to resolve, rather than [working to] some arbitrary deadline."

The DUP is currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland over its concerns about the deal.

Earlier, a source from the DUP told the BBC they had not been involved in any talks with the prime minister on Friday and had no meetings scheduled over the weekend.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64773113

[Catfish]

Neue Zürcher Zeitung:
-------------------------
Is the Brexit to blame? British supermarkets ration tomatoes, cucumbers and salads due to supply shortages [...]
Nahh ... just like in Germany it's all made in Ukraine and only the war is to blame.

[Catfish]

Northern Ireland Protocol: New Brexit deal 'inching towards conclusion'

[...] He (Sunak) said: "As someone who believes in Brexit, voted for Brexit, campaigned for Brexit, I want to demonstrate that Brexit works and it works for every part of the United Kingdom."
Oh I am sure he wants that :rotfl2::rotfl2:

[Skybird]

it's all made in Ukraine and only the war is to blame.
Wels-der-in-Wasser-schwimmt spricht viel in Reimen dieser Tage...? :D

Well, at this time of the year tomatoes for me just as canned Italian tomatoes by Itallian company Mutti anyway, please. Too expensive and either too sour or too tasteless real tomatoes in winter are: a waste of time, effort, money and expectation.


https://www.transagent.at/cms/media/Mutti_Headerbild_New_2018-002-1060x380.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Northern Ireland Protocol: Sunak 'giving it everything' to reach Brexit deal

Rishi Sunak says he is "giving it everything" this weekend to secure a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, and he wants "to get the job done".

But the prime minister said no agreement had yet been made between the UK and the European Union.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the deal over trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland was "inching towards a conclusion".

A No 10 source has described the negotiations as positive.

The taoiseach said an agreement could come within days but this was "by no means guaranteed" as negotiators still had a gap to close.

He urged politicians from the UK, Brussels and Northern Ireland to "go the extra mile" to get it over the line.

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed under former PM Boris Johnson after the UK left the European Union.

It sees Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws so that goods can flow freely over the border to the Republic of Ireland without checks.

Instead, goods arriving from England, Scotland and Wales are checked when they arrive at Northern Irish ports.

Critics, including Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), feel this undermines the nation's position within the rest of the UK as well as impacting trade.

The DUP, which also wants less EU oversight of the rules, is blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland because of its concerns.

The UK and EU have been negotiating on a way forward and appear to be on the brink of completing a new deal - for which the prime minister has been trying to win support.

Speaking to the Sunday Times from Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: "I'm here all weekend trying to get it done... We're giving it everything we've got."

He said he wanted to show that Brexit "works for every part of the United Kingdom", continuing: "There's unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done."

The prime minister said "the idea that the EU can impose laws on Northern Ireland without them having any say isn't acceptable", adding that ensuring stability for the people of Northern Ireland is key.

"It's about the people and communities of Northern Ireland," he told the newspaper. "It's about what's best for them and that's what everyone should have in the uppermost of their minds."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64773214

[Jimbuna]

The UK and the EU are believed to be on the cusp of a deal over post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland.

PM Rishi Sunak will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor later where they are expected to sign off on a new agreement.

The UK wants to change the Northern Ireland Protocol, which sees certain goods checked when entering from the rest of the UK

The dispute has been simmering since the UK formally left the EU in 2020

Unionists believe the protocol undermines NI's ties with the rest of the UK

The DUP, the largest unionist party, has been boycotting power-sharing in Northern Ireland over the protocol.

Some Tory MPs are sceptical of the deal but it has not been confirmed that there will be a vote in Parliament.

[Jimbuna]

NI Protocol: Final talks on Brexit deal due - No 10

By Lauren Turner
BBC News

Rishi Sunak and the European Commission president are due to hold "final talks" on a new post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland on Monday, Downing Street says.

The prime minister and Ursula von der Leyen will meet in Berkshire in the afternoon to discuss "complex challenges" around the protocol.

The UK wants to change the current agreement - which sees some goods checked when entering Northern Ireland from the rest of Great Britain.

A new deal has been expected for days.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab earlier said the UK and EU were "on the cusp" of a deal and that the EU had "moved" on some issues.

Downing Street released more details about the talks between Mr Sunak and Ms von der Leyen, which is set to take place around late lunchtime.

If a deal is reached, it would then be announced later on Monday, with the leaders holding a joint press conference after the cabinet has been updated.

The prime minister would then address the House of Commons.

Both Tory and Labour MPs have been told by their respective whips to come to Parliament on Monday.

Downing Street said: "The prime minister wants to ensure any deal fixes the practical problems on the ground, ensures trade flows freely within the whole of the UK, safeguards Northern Ireland's place in our Union, and returns sovereignty to the people of Northern Ireland."

There have been "hundreds of hours of talks" during the "intensive negotiations with the EU", the spokesperson added, saying "positive, constructive progress has been made".

The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed under former PM Boris Johnson as part of the process of the UK leaving the European Union.

It means Northern Ireland has continued to follow some EU laws so that goods can flow freely over the border to the Republic of Ireland without checks.

Instead, goods arriving from England, Scotland and Wales are checked when they reach Northern Irish ports.

Critics, including Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), feel this undermines the nation's position within the rest of the UK as well as impacting trade.

The DUP has complained about what it calls a "democratic deficit", with Northern Ireland being subject to EU rules while not having a say on them.

The party has prevented a Northern Ireland devolved government from forming, leaving it in political gridlock.

BBC chief political correspondent Nick Eardley said that while officials had been negotiating over the weekend, leader-level talks were needed to discuss the final details.

Sources in government have repeatedly said that not everyone will get everything they want from the deal - but the priority is addressing issues with the protocol and protecting the Good Friday agreement, our correspondent said.

There is no expectation in Westminster that the DUP will endorse the deal immediately and many believe it will not be enough to tempt them back to Stormont, he added.

Some Conservative MPs could also rebel against the government in any vote in Parliament, with Brexiteer Tories wanting lawyers to scrutinise the text.

One Tory told the BBC on Sunday night: "The bottom line is - if this doesn't result in power sharing, it's not a worthwhile agreement."

Labour's Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the opposition would "not play politics" when the deal was announced.

She told BBC Breakfast: "We will support the deal the government bring back."

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said he had been in contact with Ms von der Leyen on Sunday and "very much" welcomed her meeting with Mr Sunak.

He tweeted: "We should acknowledge the level of engagement between the UK Gov, the European Commission and the NI parties in recent months."

His deputy, Micheal Martin, said there had been "very significant progress", adding "a great effort" had been made to resolve issues.

"I would hope it can be brought to a conclusion, but that's a matter for the UK and EU negotiating teams to call."

The government has not confirmed if MPs would get a vote on any deal, but said they would be able to "express" their view.

Mr Sunak has been under pressure from some Conservative MPs over the role of EU law and the European Court of Justice in settling trade disputes.

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said it was "crucial" that parliament had a vote on the agreement.

The Conservative MP, who supported the UK leaving the EU, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is a very important step in terms of finally delivering Brexit in full, and that means that it's vital that parliament has a say and a vote on this."

Mark Francois, who heads the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, earlier said EU law needed to be "expunged" from Northern Ireland, bringing it in line with England, Scotland and Wales.

He told Sky News on Sunday that he had yet to see the detail of the deal and it would be "incredibly unwise" to bring in any new deal without giving MPs a vote.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has previously said: "The objective in London and Brussels should be to get this right rather than rushed. The wrong deal will not restore power sharing but will deepen division for future generations."

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks.

Before Brexit, it was easy to transport goods across this border because both sides followed the same EU rules. After the UK left, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.

The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods - such as milk and eggs - arrive from non-EU countries.

The land border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland's troubled political history. It was feared that cameras or border posts - as part of these checks - could lead to instability.

The UK and the EU agreed that protecting the Northern Ireland peace deal - the Good Friday agreement - was an absolute priority.

So, both sides signed the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

It is now part of international law.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64780244

[Skybird]

"Deal is done."
The UK and the EU have reached a new deal over post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland, sources on both sides tell the BBC. A senior UK government source says: "An agreement has been reached. The deal is done.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-politics-64779415


Lets see if it can and will work. At first glance it does not look too bad, or does it?

[Jimbuna]

Much will depend on what the DUP make of the deal.

[Jimbuna]

R I P Betty

First woman Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd dies

The first female Speaker of the House of Commons Betty Boothroyd has died aged 93.

She served as Speaker from 1992 to 2000, before going on to become a baroness in the House of Lords from 2001.

The current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle described her as "an inspirational woman" who was known for her "no-nonsense style".

She was the Labour MP for West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000.

"To be the first woman Speaker was truly groundbreaking and Betty certainly broke that glass ceiling with panache," Sir Lindsay said.

"Betty was one of a kind. A sharp, witty and formidable woman - and I will miss her."

The flags in Parliament are being flown at half mast and the House of Commons held a one minute silence before business began on Monday.

MPs will get the chance to pay formal tributes on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Baroness Boothroyd was a "remarkable woman" praising her "passion, wit and sense of fairness".

Former prime ministers have also been paying tribute.

Sir Tony Blair said she was "big-hearted and kind" and Sir John Major described her as "easy to like and easier still to admire".

Theresa May said she had earned "the respect and admiration" of all MPs during her time as Speaker.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described her as a "dedicated and devoted public servant who will be dearly missed".

Betty Boothroyd was born on 8 October 1929 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, the only daughter of mill workers.

Growing up in a political environment - her father was a trade unionist - she described herself as coming "out of the womb into the Labour movement".

However, she didn't immediately go into politics, becoming a dancer with the Tiller Girl troupe.

She then took a number of office jobs before getting involved in politics, working for the Labour MP Barbara Castle and on the campaign to elect John F. Kennedy as US President.

In May 1973, after several attempts, she entered Parliament, securing the seat of West Bromwich, later renamed West Bromwich West.

After nearly two decades in Parliament she was elected by her fellow MPs to the position of Speaker of the House of Commons - a job which involves presiding over proceedings in the chamber.

She stepped down from the position in 2000, but continued to be active in politics - calling for a statue in central London to commemorate the part women played in World War Two.

She was also passionately involved in the campaign to keep the UK in the EU.

Alastair Campbell, who was also involved in the campaign, said she was a "total one off".

"One of the kindest, wisest, most loving and loveable women you could ever wish to know."

Clare Short - a Labour minister from 1997 to 2003 - told BBC 5 Live that Baroness Boothroyd "suited being Speaker perfectly, her personality shone through, she had a natural authority.

"She was the one who dropped the wig [traditionally worn by Commons Speakers] because she had her own lovely thick grey curling hair."

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson simply tweeted: "Betty Boothroyd was magnificent."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64786680

[Catfish]

Much will depend on what the DUP make of the deal.
They have been offered more political influence, and i doubt this is a good thing for anyone.

[Jimbuna]

They have been offered more political influence, and i doubt this is a good thing for anyone.

Agreed :yep:

[Gorpet]

Well it would seem, that the first, English to make it back from Ukraine are wanting to sell their stories.Are they really lovers of Democracy or Just the lucky.? Hell no American Soldier believes in Anything .I want my free **** i was told i would get it. And when the first mortar shell hits and some sargents boobs get blown out and the rainbows will start running around looking for her missing parts..We must play over the loudspeakers The Valkyries

[Gorpet]

Who ,Loves ya.Transparency.It's Currently not for ?

[Jimbuna]

Rishi Sunak is in Belfast to secure support for his deal with the EU over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The prime minister told the BBC this morning his deal was a “huge step forward” for the people of NI

He said: "This is not necessarily about me or one political party... it's about what's best for people and communities"

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is the largest unionist party in NI and its support will be key to restoring power-sharing there.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson tells the BBC the proposals go "some way" to addressing concerns that caused its boycott, but issues remain.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin, the largest party in the NI Assembly, has welcomed the deal and is calling for the DUP to return to devolved government.

[Catfish]

They are just showing a report and analysis about "Cambridge Analytica" and who was and is involved, and how they really worked as a private company, from Israel.
Paid disinformation as a weapon against democracy

https://www.theguardian.com/world/series/disinfo-black-ops

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/revealed-disinformation-team-jorge-claim-meddling-elections-tal-hanan

Old news, how Cambridge analytica meddled with US elections. But people forget quickly.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/23/17151916/facebook-cambridge-analytica-trump-diagram

[Jimbuna]

Pressure builds on DUP over new deal

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has been urged by other Stormont parties to get back in government following the announcement of the Windsor Framework.

The party is boycotting devolved government until concerns about post-Brexit trading arrangements are fixed.

A new EU-UK agreement was announced on Monday, which PM Rishi Sunak said would make Northern Ireland "the world's most exciting economic zone".

The DUP said it would take time to come to a "collective decision".

On Tuesday, its party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson added: "I see opportunity of course, in terms of growing the Northern Ireland economy but is this the right framework in which to do it?"

He explained the DUP would take legal advice and "want to be sure that what is on the table does what it says and that it is good for Northern Ireland".

The prime minister was in Northern Ireland on Tuesday to promote the new deal - the so-called Windsor Framework - which will reduce checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill said she spoke to Mr Sunak and told him to keep up the momentum.

"People are now clearly focused on getting an executive up and running and want all parties around the table working together to deliver for workers, families and local businesses," she said.

Her party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, added there was "no justification for the DUP to continue this reckless and damaging boycott of democracy".

Speaking after a meeting with Mr Sunak, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie said it was "disingenuous" for any political party to suggest it would take weeks or months to respond to the Windsor Framework.

"We need to hear from business, we need to know if it works for them. People need to show the courage of their convictions, look at the deal, come up with your analysis and make your pitch."

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the deal should have been signed four years ago if, she described, the UK had a "serious" prime minister at the time.

"I think this is a good deal for Northern Ireland, whether it is a good deal for the DUP or not is for them to decide but I can say with certainty and confidence is there not is going to get a better one," Mrs Long continued.

Jim Allister, leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) said the agreement "does not live up to the overselling spin which accompanied it".

"As for it being enough to cause unionists to give up its Stormont leverage and settle for this deal, which comes with the added packaging of a Sinn Fein First Minister, then, no thanks," he said.

The DUP and Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leaders are currently in London and did not meet with Mr Sunak.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood previously urged Stormont parties to view the deal in good faith with a common determination to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly.

When asked if there was a split in his party, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson replied "not at all".

This comes after Ian Paisley, a more hard line DUP figure said he did not think the plan went far enough and DUP colleague Sammy Wilson insisted that no EU law should apply in Northern Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey has been speaking in much more nuanced terms on Tuesday, saying only EU law which allowed businesses to trade in the EU single market should apply.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64794091

[Jimbuna]

Boris breaks silence on Brexit and questions Sunak deal - but concedes PM has ‘momentum’

Boris Johnson has criticised Rishi Sunak’s post-Brexit deal with the EU to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol row – claiming it doesn’t “take back control” from Brussels.

The former PM said it would be “very difficult” to vote for the agreement struck by Mr Sunak, urging the PM to consider using his bill to unilterally override the protocol if it “doesn’t work”.

Mr Johnson told the Global Soft Power Summit in London: “When I looked at the deal we have, I have mixed feelings. I’m conscious of where the momentum is.”

But he added: “I will find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself because I believe we should have done something different no matter how much plaster came off the ceiling in Brussels.”

The former Tory leader said “we’ve got to hope that it works”. Mr Johnson said he understood why people want to “move on” from Brexit rows and accept the deal. “I get that.”

But, referrring to the Northern Ireland Protocol bill – ditched by Mr Sunak – Mr Johnson added: “If it doesn’t work, I hope we have the guts to deploy that bill again.”

He added that he wanted to be “clear about what is really going on here”.

“This is not about the UK taking back control and although there are easements this is really a version of the solution that was being offered last year to Liz Truss when she was foreign secretary,” he said.

“This is the EU graciously unbending to allow us to do what we want to do in our own country, not by our laws, but by theirs.”

Showing he has no intention of letting up on the issue, he added: “I will continue to campaign for what I think of as Brexit … because this is nothing if it is not a Brexit government, and Brexit is nothing if we in this country don’t do things differently.”

Mr Johnson also suggested he hoped the DUP would return to Stormont, despite their own concerns about the Windsor Framework struck by Mr Sunak and EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Referring to DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, he said: “I can hope he can find a way of reconciling himself and his part of getting back to power-sharing.”

He conceded he made mistakes in signing his Northern Ireland Protocol that caused the DUP to walk out of powersharing because of trade barriers in the Irish Sea.

“I thought those checks would not be onerous since there isn’t that much stuff that falls into that category; most of the goods stay in Northern Ireland,” he said.

Muttering, the former prime minister added: “It’s all my fault, I fully accept responsibility.”

Mr Johnson had been urged to “put up or shut up” over the deal, after he was said to be considering joining any revolt of Eurosceptics.

Several MPs told The Independent they expected any rebellion against the deal in the Commons to be limited to 20 of the staunchest hardliners “at the most”.

Mark Francois, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), said it could take as long as a fortnight for the Tory Brexiteer group to carry out its own “legal audit” of the deal.

Mr Sunak wants to give the DUP and the Tory Eurosceptics “space and time” to consider the deal before holding a vote in the Commons.

But a vote could be delayed until after Jeremy Hunt’s Budget on March 15, according to The Times.

Lord Frost, Mr Johnson’s former Brexit negotiator, said the protocol changes agreed by the PM and EU Commission were “all worth having” – but claimed the government was “overclaiming” the merits of the deal.

Lord Frost said his criticism “doesn’t mean the deal shouldn’t go ahead”, but added: “It leaves the government still only partly sovereign over all its territory. Just as in 2019, that is a bitter pill to swallow.”

The prime minister is not prepared to make any changes to his landmark deal as he stares down the DUP and critics and on his own backbenches.

No 10 said that the government believed it had secured “the right deal for all parties”, while Northern Ireland Office minister Steve Baker has warned: “This is the deal ... there is not a different deal available”.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/national/boris-breaks-silence-on-brexit-and-questions-sunak-deal-but-concedes-pm-has-momentum/ar-AA188tyA?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=a96786c37ec34bfb8abd9abc1a450db9&ei=12

[Skybird]

It is fundamentally absurd that a court appointed, financed and legislatively influenced by one of the parties to a treaty should have jurisdiction over a treaty between those two parties, since it is defined from the outset as being within a partisan, conditional conflict of interest. Neither a British nor an EU court should be allowed to have jurisdiction over the treaty and its subject matter in the event of a dispute. It can actually only be an uninvolved third party court.


Tricky.

[Jimbuna]

I fundamentally agree but it doesn't look like this is how it will pan out.

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson says he will find it ‘very difficult’ to vote for Northern Ireland deal

Boris Johnson has said he will find it “very difficult” to vote for Rishi Sunak’s revised deal for post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland, arguing that the plan ties the UK to EU regulations that will crush efforts to innovate and diverge.

In his first public comments since the Windsor framework was unveiled on Monday, the former prime minister did not explicitly say he would oppose it, and said he hoped the changes would work but that he had serious reservations about the impact.

Making a speech at a commercial summit in London, Johnson also accepted blame for the fact his original plan for Northern Ireland border arrangements did not, as he had promised, avoid checks in the Irish Sea – although he ultimately blamed the EU for this.

He also called on Sunak to not drop a bill, currently going through parliament, would allow the UK to unilaterally change elements of the protocol, arguing this was the best way to win concessions from the EU.

On the Windsor plan, Johnson said: “I’m going to find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself, because I believed that we should have done something different, no matter how much plaster came off the ceiling in Brussels.

“I hope that it will work. And I also hope that if it doesn’t work, we will have the guts to deploy that bill again. Because I’ve no doubt at all, that that was what brought the EU to negotiate seriously.

“In the meantime I will continue to campaign for what I thought of and what I think of as Brexit and the logic of Brexit because this is nothing if it is not a Brexit government. And Brexit is nothing if we in this country don’t do things differently. We need to take advantage of it, and we need to be seen to take advantage.”

The core of Johnson’s speech and subsequent Q&A session was the argument that Brexit was pointless without significant divergence from Brussels orthodoxy, saying the EU feared the UK “actually taking advantage of Brexit freedoms so as to be more competitive”.

It was this fear, Johnson argued, that made the EU interpret his own Northern Ireland plan rigidly, “as a way of keeping us more or less where they wanted”.

“This is all my fault. I accept full responsibility,” he continued. “Beneath the paint and plasters, there was the cold steel reality of EU control. The commission was in charge, not the UK. And contrary to my hopes, they did not apply it sensibly.”

Arguing against Sunak’s revision of the plan, which retains elements of EU legal oversight for goods entering Northern Ireland and bound for the Republic of Ireland, and thus the single market, Johnson said he had always argued “there was no point in being a vassal state, there was no point in being a rule-taker”.

“We must be clear about what is really going on here. This is not about the UK taking back control,” he said. “This is the EU, graciously unbending to allow us to do what we want in our own country, not by our laws, but by theirs.

“In that sense, this deal helps to accomplish the key objective I spoke of, in that it acts as a drag anchor on divergence. And there’s no point in Brexit unless you do things differently.”

While arguing there was no point in the UK “just emulating the high tax, high spend, low-growth European model”, Johnson said he accepted the argument may have moved on from his objectives.

“People wanted to change in their lives. They wanted to see things done differently,” he said. “I’ve got to put my hands up for this as much as anybody. We haven’t done enough yet to convince them that it can deliver the change they want to see.”

Johnson said he wished that as prime minister he had slashed corporation tax to “outbid the Irish”, adding: “What I wish we had done is put a big ‘Invest here’ sign over Britain as soon as we were out of Covid.”

Asked about a potential return to frontline politics, Johnson was typically opaque, saying only he had several books to complete: “I got a big budget of words I have to write, andI’m churning it out.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boris-johnson-says-he-will-find-it-very-difficult-to-vote-for-northern-ireland-deal/ar-AA188JbW?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=2f8b9e0bed5544699f72aee14bf35a12&ei=12

[Skybird]

Argentine cancles the Foradori-Duncan-Pact after new gas and oil was found in the vicinity of the Falkand Islands.

https://www.brusselstimes.com/388221/argentina-pulls-out-of-pact-with-uk-on-falklands-malvinas

Really...? Again...? :o

My standpoint on this remains the same like last time it was discussed. The people on the island said with overwhelming majority whom they want to stay with. And after almost 200 years of British sovereignty that is the by far most important argument for me that counts. Argentinia has no claim there.

History Timeline:
1592 first sighting by english seafahrers.
1690 first landing by an Engishg party.
1764 and 1766 foundign of two settlements, a French (Port Louis) and a British (Port Egmont)
1766 the Fench settlement was handed over by the French to the Spanish.
1774 the British gave up their settlement.
1811 Spain ended the support of their former French settlement, claimed only formal sovereignty over its half of the islands
Since then there is dispute over the Island, first between Britain and Spain, later between Britain and Argentine.
Not before 1820 Argentine claimed sovereignty over the island.
1833 the British founded a fleet base to underline their own claim for the islands.


The population of today predominantly stems from the British colonists that went to the Falklands in the 1830s.


A referendum from 2013 had 99.8% of the island population voting for staying with the UK. And this is what decides this issue for me. Only 3 people voted against the British.

The British have a garrison of around 1350 soldiers, mostly infantry, radiomen, and dock workers, says Wikipedia Deutschland. Plus alwas 1-2 surface warships, probably a submarine, and 4-6 Eurofighters.

The admiral commanding the Bitish fleet in the war from 1982 later said that nowadays the British would most likely be unable to retake the islands again if the Argentinians would again conquer them. My conclusion: the only military option thus can be not to lose them again in the first. Solid air defences, good radar and a constant submarine presence are the cards to play, I suppose!?

[Jimbuna]

^ Agreed but in all honesty I don't believe Argentina have the military capability today.

[Jimbuna]

Boris asks crowd if 'Brexit was a good idea' - almost no one raises their hand

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was left looking even more baffled than usual when asked a crowd whether they thought Brexit was a good idea.

Mr Johnson was speaking at a conference in London and asked for a show of hands as to whether they thought leaving the European Union had worked out – and almost no-one raised their hand.

As the conference host asked the crowd to raise their hands if they thought Brexit was a good idea, Mr Johnson said: ‘I got the feeling that might be the case as we went along, but I’m undaunted.’

He tried to move quickly on, and said: ‘The problem at the moment, it’s about what we’re not getting right now.

‘I’ve said this before, it’s a Brexit government or it’s nothing.

‘We got a massive mandate to change, people wanted change in their lives, people wanted to see things done differently, and I’ve got to put my hands up for this as much as anybody, we haven’t done enough yet to convince them.

‘That it can deliver the changes they do want to see, I think they are particularly dismayed about the small boats crossing the channel and they also don’t feel the economic change.

‘We’ve got to break out of the model that we’re in.’

He also raised concerns about Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland and said he will find it ‘very difficult’ to vote for it.

He said: ‘I’m going to find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself, because I believed we should’ve done something very different. No matter how much plaster came off the ceiling in Brussels.

‘I hope that it will work and I also hope that if it doesn’t work we will have the guts to employ that (Northern Ireland Protocol) Bill again, because I have no doubt at all that that is what brought the EU to negotiate seriously.’

Jet-setter Johnson has been travelling around the world for lucrative speaking gigs in recent weeks, and raised his head for the first time today.

In recent weeks the UK has been hit by a number of fruit and vegetable shortages, with some supermarkets limiting the amount customers can buy.

These shortages have been blamed on Brexit by some political commentators, with others saying it is due to bad weather in the areas where crops are grown.

When Boris took over Tory party leadership in 2019 he was the force behind a no-deal Brexit.

He insisted that the UK would leave the EU on October 31, with or without a deal.

Just five months after becoming leader Johnson won an 80-seat majority in the general election, giving him the backing to push through Brexit legislation.

And in January 2020, the Brexit deal became law after approval by U.K. Parliament, with the European Parliament approving the deal six days later.

Last week Johnson was accused of trying to ‘wreck’ the deal, as he warned dropping the Protocol Bill he masterminded – letting the UK scrap parts of the Brexit treaty – will be ‘a great mistake’.

Lord Mandelson, a former Labour Northern Ireland secretary, said: ‘He wants, and his supporters want, to undermine the PM.’

Labour’s Lord Hain, who also held the job, said Mr Johnson was ‘mischief-making’.

But cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt insisted: ‘Boris is being Boris, but I wouldn’t say it’s a completely unhelpful intervention.’
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/boris-asks-crowd-if-brexit-was-a-good-idea-almost-no-one-raises-their-hand/ar-AA188h7G?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=bc36b51776654662abe83e8bc03dd844&ei=20

[Skybird]

^ Agreed but in all honesty I don't believe Argentina have the military capability today.
Maybe, but so has the UK no capability to retake the islands either.



And there is another difference: today Argentine has practically the complete support and solidarity of all Latin America on this issue. Parts of South America have rich reserves in lithium and a few things more desperately needed across Europe, and in the UK. Any argentinian action against the Falklands may be accompanied by international moves against the UK and at the UN as well. In 1982, it stood practically alone, and got nothing but words from its neighbours. The Western view of things dominated the world.



These things have changed.

[Jimbuna]

James Cleverly says Falklands are British as Argentina ends deal

The UK has insisted the Falkland Islands are British after Argentina broke a co-operation deal and pushed for talks on the islands' sovereignty.

In 2016, both sides agreed to disagree on the sovereignty of the Falklands in favour of improved relations.

Argentina pulled out of the pact this week and informed UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

The Falkland Islands were subject to a bloody war in 1982 when Argentina tried to stake a territorial claim.

In response, Mr Cleverly tweeted: "The Falkland Islands are British.

"Islanders have the right to decide their own future - they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory."

The 2016 agreement between Argentina and the UK pledged to "improve co-operation on South Atlantic issues of mutual interests".

Mr Cleverly was informed about the decision by his Argentinean counterpart Santiago Cafiero when the pair met at the G20 summit in India earlier this week.

Mr Cafier called for talks on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas.

The UK's minister for the Americas, David Rutley, said it was a "disappointing decision" after he had had a "constructive visit" to Buenos Aires.

"Argentina has chosen to step away from an agreement that has brought comfort to the families of those who died in the 1982 conflict," he said.

The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the islands.

Argentina invaded in 1982 in a bid to reclaim sovereignty and said it had inherited the Falkland Islands from Spain in the 1800s.

A brief but bitter war lasting 74 days followed - with 655 Argentinian, 255 British and three Falkland casualties - before British forces regained control on 14 June 1982.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64835605

[Jimbuna]

Johnson may have misled Parliament over parties, say MPs

Boris Johnson may have misled Parliament over Partygate, MPs investigating his conduct say.

Evidence strongly suggests breaches of coronavirus rules would have been "obvious" to Mr Johnson, the privileges committee said in an update.

The inquiry has found four examples where Mr Johnson may have misled the House of Commons. This is not the committee's final report.

Mr Johnson said there was no evidence he "knowingly" misled parliament.

Mr Johnson is due to be give evidence to MPs later this month.

The former prime minister repeatedly denied breaking lockdown rules when asked in the House of Commons.

An investigation by the Met Police led to 83 people, including Mr Johnson himself, receiving fines for breaking lockdown rules.

On Friday, the committee published its initial report, including some previously unseen photos of Downing Street parties.

The report says the Commons may have been misled multiple times and Mr Johnson "did not correct the statements" at the "earliest opportunity", as would have been expected from an MP.

The report found "evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings".

It also said there was "evidence that those who were advising Mr Johnson about what to say to the press and in the House were themselves struggling to contend that some gatherings were within the rules".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64836425

[Jimbuna]

‘The man is a narcissist’: Tories despair as ‘bully’ Boris Johnson threatens Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal

As Rishi Sunak addressed much of his parliamentary party during an away day in Berkshire this week, he warned that voters would punish the Tories at the ballot box if they “inflicted more psychodrama” on the country.

But for many Conservative MPs the comments were more likely to be construed as wishful thinking, rather than a threat to fall into line.

While the Prime Minister was attempting to rally his troops, choosing to host the team-building exercise in the same Windsor hotel where he shook on a Brexit deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week, one of his predecessors was issuing a clarion call of his own.

Just as the Tory party’s Australian polling guru Isaac Levido was spelling out to MPs in Windsor how the Conservatives had a route to electoral victory by showing they could “work as a team”, 25 miles east Boris Johnson was delivering a speech in Westminster which rejected his leader’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, demanded fresh tax cuts and criticised the party’s position in the polls.

Tory MPs now fear that Mr Sunak’s attempts to govern through statecraft and quiet diplomacy, as shown in his dealings with Brussels, could be torpedoed by the noise surrounding Mr Johnson, even if his latest tilt at a prime ministerial comeback fails due to Partygate.

“The man is a narcissist with no loyalty to the party that made him,” spat one former minister. “He is praying for a trouncing in the local elections so that he can bully his way in again.”

Some have viewed Mr Johnson’s decision to speak out on the Brexit Northern Ireland deal as ominous for the current Prime Minister, whose team are now anxiously waiting for the crucial verdicts on the “Windsor Framework” from the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Brexiteers and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

“It could spell trouble for Rishi if things don’t start looking up,” a veteran Conservative MP said.

But Mr Johnson faces his own problems as a grilling from MPs over Partygate looms in just over a fortnight’s time.

Downing Street has meanwhile been cautiously optimistic that it has managed to secure a replacement for Mr Johnson’s fundamentally flawed Protocol arrangement that all sides could live with.

The lack of a flat rejection from either the DUP or the ERG in the 48 hours that followed the publication of the framework agreement was viewed as a victory.

Mr Sunak was praised for securing a deal that appeared to extract some major concessions from Brussels on the reach of EU laws and regulations in Northern Ireland, particularly through the implementation of the so-called “Stormont Brake”.

To Whitehall observers and allies of the Prime Minister it was evidence that the former City banker’s smooth style of technocratic statesmanship was able to pay greater dividends than Mr Johnson’s gunboat diplomacy.

It is an approach Mr Sunak intends to take forward in a bid to secure further compromises with striking nurses and with President Emmanuel Macron on the issue of Channel migrant crossings.

As revealed by i last week, the Prime Minister personally intervened in the dispute with the Royal College of Nurses, viewing their demands as a special case and one staunchly supported by the public.

Meanwhile, he is expected to rekindle “le bromance” with his French counterpart. The pair share many similarities, not least their past as bankers and their penchant for expensive suits and shoes with elevated heels.

Mr Sunak’s Parliamentary supporters believe that his collegiate approach to the country’s most pressing issues could even turn the party’s fortunes when it matters.

One ally told i: “I certainly think if things carry on like this, things could be looking up for the election. It’s the start of a drumbeat of action.”

The MP added that despite Mr Johnson’s sabre-rattling over Brexit, “Rishi’s deal has genuinely clipped his wings”.

Earlier this week Johnsonites were arguing that their champion remained a potent political force. They said that rather than attempting to derail the new Brexit deal, the former PM was choosing to criticise the framework as part of a “Spartan attack to claim the moral high ground”, and thereby build a support base from the staunch Brexiteer cohort within the Tory party.

One Johnson ally said such a move was the start of a call to arms for his backers to rally, with the news of Sue Gray’s attempt to join Labour as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff seen as a potential launch pad for Mr Johnson to try and reclaim the leadership.

“He’s raising his profile but not striking yet,” one veteran Tory said. “This Sue Gray story has given him a serious boost. I think over the next few weeks he will be seen as a martyr who was fixed up by the Left.”

The backbencher added that any move from Mr Johnson would “come after the local elections then climax around party conference time” in October.

His backers see Mr Sunak’s logical and technocratic approach to policy problems, as a weakness rather than a strength, despite the apparent success it offers.

“The consensus is Rishi is managerial, whereas Boris has vision,” one ally from the pro-Johnson wing of the party told i.

Since then, though, the Partygate allegations that helped to bring Mr Johnson down have returned to centre stage. On Friday the committee of MPs investigating whether the former PM misled Parliament over the affair published a series of WhatsApp messages, suggesting that even his own officials believed there was more than one “great gaping hole” in the account he gave.

Meanwhile, senior Labour figures believe their decision to back Mr Sunak’s Windsor Framework in any Commons vote has “boxed Johnson in” over Brexit.

But they are dismissive of the idea that getting the deal through Parliament means the PM has turned a corner.

“Ensuring people can buy British sausages once more in Northern Ireland is not success, it’s the bare minimum expected. And it won’t make the average voter feel any better off, or get striking workers back to work,” a Shadow Cabinet member said.

No 10 will be eager to avoid having to push through the new Brexit deal on the back of Labour votes, as it will leave Mr Sunak desperately exposed to attack from the right of his party. But he could be spared a renewed assault due to a general Brexit fatigue that has set into the party.

According to one senior backbencher, several in the ERG “do not have the appetite” for another scrap over the issue. “And truthfully, they know a compromise has to be reached and the deal has been drafted by those who were in the ERG hierarchy,” the MP added.

But Mr Johnson remains a problem for the PM. Supporters of Mr Sunak have criticised the former PM’s interventions because fear they will hand the Downing Street keys to Labour.

“Boris had his chance and he blew it,” a senior Tory said. “A period of silence now would be most desirable.”

But they do not view the renewed challenge Mr Johnson faces over Partygate as any kind of victory, because it is “dominating headlines” in a way that threatens the whole Tory brand.

As one supporter of the PM put it: “Rishi would rather this would just go away.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-man-is-a-narcissist-tories-despair-as-bully-boris-johnson-threatens-rishi-sunak-s-new-brexit-deal/ar-AA18cQA2?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=137774eeaf374ce7b148259bf5da8d91&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson won’t survive as an MP beyond the summer

In a couple of months, we could witness the spectacular end of Boris Johnson’s political career.

It seems incredible, given his profile, his still substantial fanbase in parliament (and among the Conservative membership, for whom he can do no wrong), and the fact, remarkable as it remains, that he secured a majority of more than 80 for the Tories at the last general election. How could he fall so fast, so soon?

Quite easily, really; and the steps to oblivion are almost preordained.

Step One to Johnson’s personal hell will be his appearance before the Commons privileges committee in the week beginning 20 March, to be arraigned for lying to parliament. It’s perfectly clear from the committee’s interim report that things are looking extremely bleak for Johnson.

Never the most impressive or plausible witness, his habitual buffoonery, bluster, banter and boosterism aren’t going to do him much good when he goes up against the likes of Harriet Harman, Bernard Jenkin and Charles Walker (steely-eyed and granite-faced, no doubt). He’s looking at a four-week stretch – a formal suspension from the Commons lasting 20 sitting days.

Unless Rishi Sunak launches some sort of rescue mission for Johnson (as if), the Commons will endorse the committee’s recommendation, and this is when the real slide can begin. The four-week suspension means that there can be a “recall petition” for a by-election in Johnson’s constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Say the committee reports in late April or early May, and the Commons considers the matter shortly after, then a petition for a by-election would be automatically opened up by June. There’s then a six-week period when people can sign up, and about 7,000 would be needed (10 per cent of the electorate) to trigger the by-election.

That takes us to around mid-July, at which point the Commons would still be sitting. A summer by-election could be held in August or September – and Johnson, on current polling, would lose.

And that would be that for his current parliamentary career. Even if it were a realistic prospect, he couldn’t launch a leadership bid because he’d be ineligible.

Oblivion? Almost. Even if Johnson lost his by-election, he could still stand again in a safe seat, such as... well, there’s always Nadine Dorries’ former constituency of Mid Bedfordshire, where he might just about scrape home.

As they don’t quite say: you can’t keep a bad man down.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/voices-boris-johnson-won-t-survive-as-an-mp-beyond-the-summer/ar-AA18d1WM?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=1e2a40b56c85455b83cd56af20e23dc8&ei=47

[Jimbuna]

Plan for lifetime ban for Channel migrants is unworkable, say charities

Government plans to ban migrants from re-entering the UK if they cross the Channel in small boats are unworkable and will leave thousands of people in limbo, refugee groups have said.

Under new legislation, Channel migrants would be removed from the UK, banned from future re-entry and barred from applying for British citizenship.

Supporters say the PM is "getting a grip" on illegal migration.

The government is expected to outline the plans on Tuesday.

The proposed measures will apply to anyone arriving on UK shores in a small boat - but there are few details on how they will be implemented, with previous efforts to tighten procedures - such as the Rwanda policy - mired in legal challenges.

PM Rishi Sunak, who has made the issue one of his top priorities, told the Mail on Sunday: "Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay."

But the Refugee Council, one of a number of charities to criticise the plans, accused ministers of shattering the UK's long-standing commitment under the UN Convention to give people a fair hearing, regardless of how they get to the UK.

The group's head Enver Solomon said the plans would "add more cost and chaos to the system", adding: "It's unworkable, costly and won't stop the boats".

It is thought the legislation would place a duty on the home secretary to remove all those arriving on boats to Rwanda or a "safe" third country "as soon as reasonably practicable" - no matter where they had come from - and would also permanently ban them from returning.

Currently, asylum seekers arriving in the UK have the right to seek protection under the UN's Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

But the Mail on Sunday says a clause in the Illegal Migration Bill is expected to apply a "rights brake" to effectively allow the conventions to be circumvented. It is not clear how this would work.

The proposed legislation would also stop those coming to the UK in small boats from applying for British citizenship.

Under current UK law, a person can seek to settle permanently and apply for citizenship after five years in the country - but this is not straightforward.

Last year's immigration act already gave the home secretary the power to bar Channel migrants from seeking to resettle. It is possible the new plans might be aiming to make this an automatic ban and not a discretionary one.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64848101

[Jimbuna]

Johnson nominating father for knighthood ‘absolutely outrageous’, says Starmer

It would be “outrageous” for Stanley Johnson to be given a knighthood as part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said.

The former prime minister, who was forced out of Downing Street last September following a series of scandals, reportedly included his father as one of as many as 100 names put forward for honours.

He told LBC Radio: “The idea that Boris Johnson is nominating his dad for a knighthood – you only need to say it to realise just how ridiculous it is.

“It’s classic of a man like Johnson. I mean, I think the public will just think this is absolutely outrageous.”

The former prime minister’s sister Rachel Johnson acknowledged “I don’t expect there’s going to be a national outpouring of joy, if my father is going to be arise Sir Stanley” but she said it was the subject of speculation, pointing out that the current Prime Minister would have to sign off the list.

Liberal Democrats chief whip Wendy Chamberlain urged Rishi Sunak to veto Mr Johnson’s honours list if future ones “are to have any shred of credibility”.

She said: “Honours should be reserved for those who’ve gone above and beyond to contribute to our country. Boris Johnson’s attempt to bestow that recognition on his father makes a mockery of the whole thing.”

But Mr Sunak has no plans to change the honours system, Downing Street indicated.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “There are longstanding rules that guard the honours process.

“There’s no plans to change those that I’m aware of. It is a matter of fact that outgoing prime ministers are able to nominate people in this way.”

Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan said there are “bigger fish to fry” as she played down the row.

The Science Secretary told LBC: “I think at this stage it is just speculation.

“Obviously, it’s the ex-prime minister’s prerogative to be able to make those types of appointments, but we’ll see if this story is true or not.”

The Times newspaper reported that the former prime minister has nominated his father for the honour.

A spokesperson for the former premier said: “We don’t comment on honours.”

Stanley Johnson also declined to comment.

But Rachel Johnson told The News Agents podcast: “If my brother hadn’t been Prime Minister, I think my father could have been in line for some sort of recognition in his own right.

“He’s done much more for the Tory Party and the environment than dozens of people who have been given gongs to at this point.”

She added: “People can draw their own conclusions, please don’t ask me to, as it were, sit in judgment on it. Because it literally is too close. You’re talking about my brother and my father. That is a decision that my brother has made with regards my father or not.”

Boris Johnson with his father Stanley (Stefan Rousseau/PA)Any honour for Stanley Johnson would raise questions for the former Conservative leader.

The former prime minister faced accusations of cronyism in 2020, after he nominated his brother Jo Johnson for a peerage.

In 2021, senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist publicly accused Stanley Johnson, a former MEP, of touching them at Conservative party conferences.

Ms Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, accused Stanley Johnson of forcefully smacking her on the backside and making a vulgar comment at the Conservative Party conference in 2003.

Stanley Johnson said after that he had “no recollection” of either incident.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/johnson-nominating-father-for-knighthood-absolutely-outrageous-says-starmer/ar-AA18gXZE?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=53dfaea8ef734731bdf594347fca8ae3&ei=19

[Jimbuna]

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is announcing new legislation in Parliament to try to stop people crossing the Channel on small boats.

The new bill would ban people entering the UK illegally from claiming asylum or re-entering in the future.

It would also place a duty on the home secretary to deport them "as soon as reasonably practicable"

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the bill isn't a solution and lets people smugglers "off the hook"

Braverman tells MPs she is "confident" the bill is compatible with international law, insisting the government's approach is "robust and novel"

The Refugee Council says it breaks the UK's commitment to give people a fair hearing, regardless of how they arrive, under the UN Human Rights Convention.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018

[Gorpet]

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is announcing new legislation in Parliament to try to stop people crossing the Channel on small boats.

The new bill would ban people entering the UK illegally from claiming asylum or re-entering in the future.

It would also place a duty on the home secretary to deport them "as soon as reasonably practicable"

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the bill isn't a solution and lets people smugglers "off the hook"

Braverman tells MPs she is "confident" the bill is compatible with international law, insisting the government's approach is "robust and novel"

The Refugee Council says it breaks the UK's commitment to give people a fair hearing, regardless of how they arrive, under the UN Human Rights Convention.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018

In 2030, England will become a footnote in History.It will not survive the NATO war.Sorry but you will not be alone.The Americans will meet you in hell.Allahu Akbar

[Jimbuna]

Suella Braverman calls Gary Lineker asylum remarks ‘unhelpful’

The Home Secretary criticised Match of the Day host Gary Lineker after he compared the Government’s new asylum policy to 1930s Germany.

Suella Braverman said Lineker’s remarks on the immigration plans were “disappointing and unhelpful” after he called the proposed measures “cruel”.

But she declined to say whether the BBC should sack the broadcaster, who earned £1.35 million in the financial year to April 2022 and is the corporation’s highest paid presenter.

The BBC said the star would be “reminded of his responsibilities” after he responded on Twitter to a video posted by Ms Braverman in which she said the UK is being “overwhelmed”.

A BBC source said the corporation was taking the matter “seriously” and expects to have a “frank conversation” with the former England striker.

The Government yesterday outlined plans to effectively ban anyone arriving via an illegal route from claiming asylum in the UK. Lineker wrote: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ‘30s.”

Ms Braverman told BBC Breakfast: “I’m disappointed, obviously. I think it’s unhelpful to compare our measures, which are lawful, proportionate and, indeed, compassionate to 1930s Germany. I also think that we are on the side of the British people here.”

She added that “the British people have had enough of this situation of thousands of people coming here illegally at huge cost to the taxpayer”.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/suella-braverman-calls-gary-lineker-asylum-remarks-unhelpful/ar-AA18mfRQ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=21ab1c1dcdf14de89ff31d6e0ec61eca&ei=17

[Jimbuna]

BBC speaking frankly with Gary Lineker over tweet comparing UK asylum policy to 1930s Germany

The BBC says it is having a "frank conversation" with Gary Lineker after the Match of the Day host tweeted critically about the government's asylum policy.

Lineker said the language in which the plan was set out was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

The BBC has impartiality guidelines and the corporation said Lineker was being "spoken to" about his responsibilities.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was "disappointed" by the comments.

On Tuesday, the government outlined its plans to effectively ban anyone arriving via an illegal route from claiming asylum in the UK.

Anyone found to have entered the country illegally will also be blocked from returning or claiming British citizenship in future.

The measure is part of attempts to address an increase in the number of people arriving in the UK via Channel crossings each year, which rose from around 300 in 2018 to more than 45,000 in 2022.

Responding to a video message setting out the policy by Ms Braverman, Lineker tweeted: "Good heavens, this is beyond awful."

Told by another user he was "out of order", he added: "We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I'm out of order?"

It is not clear which language in particular Lineker was referring to, but Ms Braverman's video and accompanying tweet included the words "enough is enough" and "we must stop the boats".

Following the comments, the home secretary told BBC One's Breakfast: "I'm disappointed, obviously. I think it's unhelpful to compare our measures, which are lawful, proportionate and - indeed - compassionate, to 1930s Germany. I also think that we are on the side of the British people here."

The decade saw the rise to power of the Nazi party in Germany and persecution of Jewish people, leading to the Second World War.

Lineker, who has presented Match of the Day since 1999, is the BBC's highest paid star, having earned about £1.35m in 2020-21.

He has in the past been vocal about migrants' rights and has taken refugees into his home. He has also been critical of successive Conservative governments over issues including Brexit.

In October, the BBC's complaints unit found Lineker had broken impartiality rules in a tweet asking whether the Conservative Party planned to "hand back their donations from Russian donors".

The comment came after the then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

In 2018, after BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew called on him to "keep your political views... to yourself", Lineker responded: "I'm the face of my own Twitter account. I'll continue to tweet what I like and if folk disagree with me then so be it."

The furore surrounding Lineker's latest remarks put pressure on the BBC, with director general Tim Davie having made impartiality a cornerstone of his leadership.

The broadcaster's editorial guidelines state that the organisation is "committed to achieving due impartiality in all its output" and that "public comments, for example on social media, of staff [or] presenters... can affect perceptions of the BBC's impartiality".

Mr Davie said he had not spoken to Lineker.

Asked about how many "strikes" the presenter has had over social media posts, he said: "I wouldn't talk specifically about individuals, I don't think it's right.

"I think the BBC absolutely puts the highest value on impartiality and that's clearly important to us."

Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson said Lineker was "out of touch" and should stick to football.

Writing on Twitter following Lineker's comments on Tuesday, he said the presenter had "piped up again with his virtue-signalling nonsense".

"This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public," he said. "Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps."

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay said Lineker's comments were "foul, ill-conceived and disgraceful" and called on the BBC to sack him.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she did not agree with the comment, adding it is "entirely" a matter for the BBC when asked whether it should take significant action against him.

She continued: "He's somebody that's spoken out very strongly on lots of different issues, and people who feel strongly should be able to speak out and say the things that they feel."

A spokesperson for the corporation said: "The BBC has social media guidance, which is published. Individuals who work for us are aware of their responsibilities relating to social media. We have appropriate internal processes in place if required.

"We would expect Gary to be spoken to and reminded of his responsibilities."

The corporation has also responded to previous criticism of Lineker by highlighting that he is not involved in its news or political output and is a freelance broadcaster, not a member of staff.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64883655

[Jimbuna]

Here we go again! Macron to spark fresh UK-France row by rejecting small boat return plan

Emmanuel Macron is poised to throw out Rishi Sunak's plan to return small boats to France, ahead of a meeting between the two leaders this weekend. The Prime Minister will travel to Paris tomorrow for the Anglo-French summit, in which they will discuss small boats, Brexit and defence.

It is thought Mr Sunak hopes to secure a long-term deal with the EU country to return illegal immigrants who cross the English Channel.

In return, Britain would accept refugees from the EU.

But the prospect of such an agreement has been played down by Government officials, with sources telling the Times that it would require EU-wide agreement.

Instead, the focus is expected to be placed on a new deal to increase police patrols on French beaches.

An EU diplomat told the Times: "Why would Macron take back Brexit Britain's returns when other EU members, like Italy, are not following the Europe rules? It will not happen."

Mr Macron is understood to be demanding annual payments from Britain in order to put "boots on the ground" on the beaches of northern France.

The UK has paid France at least £232million in one-off payments since 2014, the latest of which was in November when Braverman agreed to a £62million deal with her French counterpart to increase patrols by 40 percent.

Speaking ahead of the Anglo-French summit taking place this weekend, an Elysée source said: "We're trying to agree with our British counterparts a multi-annual financing framework that would allow us to better plan our actions and increase our human resources, equipment and infrastructure."

Another French official defended France's response to the issue so far, saying: "We already have a lot of boots on the ground. Being effective in our response necessitates much more than more police on the beaches of Pas-de-Calais."

Last year, 45,728 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats, up from 299 in 2018, during which time Britain paid France more than £193million.

Yesterday, the Home Secretary introduced new legislation to stop the small boats crisis once and for all by deporting tens of thousands of people entering the UK illegally.

The new legislation will stop asylum, modern slavery, and human rights laws being used by migrants who have breached Britain's borders.

In her statement to the Commons, Ms Braverman warned that "patience has run out" adding that the "law-abiding patriotic majority have said enough is enough".

The Prime Minister is under mounting pressure from Tory MPs who have questioned the value for money of previous deals with France.

Tim Loughton, Tory MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, accused the Government of failing to get value for money.

He said: "The British taxpayer has generously subsidised the French police for several years now over which time we have seen a substantial increase in the numbers successfully evading their measures.

"The real issue is that the French police will not arrest those migrants they intercept on the beaches so they are back again the following night with a new boat to try again. They only have to get lucky once.

"Similarly they will not intercept the boats in the water and return the passengers to French beaches or allow our Border Force to land them at Calais rather than Dover.

"This would genuinely kill off the vile and dangerous trade at source and we should not be transferring more funds to France until they are prepared to discuss these preventative measures."

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith echoed this, asking: "Are we subsidising them for something they should be doing anyway themselves?

"I don't mind if we get value for money on it. The problem is I haven't seen any evidence of value for money."

He added: "Are they using drones, which they should be doing?

"They keep saying you can't patrol every beach. But a drone with night vision can.

"How much are they using our money to invest in that sort of technology?"

Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North told the Times: "I'm not surprised to hear the French are demanding more of the hardworking British taxpayers' money yet again to do their job for them.

"The French should be willing to stump up their own cash to prevent people travelling through France up to their northern coastline to try and illegally enter the UK."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/here-we-go-again-macron-to-spark-fresh-uk-france-row-by-rejecting-small-boat-return-plan/ar-AA18p1Xd?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f9799e53b6074ac2bd8d60aa2cde4144&ei=15

[Jimbuna]

Small boats: Sensible to give France cash to stop crossings, says PM

Spending more money with France to stop small boat crossings is a "sensible investment", Rishi Sunak has said during an Anglo-French summit in Paris.

The PM has met French President Emmanuel Macron and the two men are holding a news conference later.

Speaking ahead of their meeting, Mr Sunak said giving France £63m a year to boost policing on its beaches was yielding benefits for the UK.

He argued it was better than paying to house migrants in the UK.

"I think everyone knows that we are spending £5.5m a day plus on hotels - we would rather not do that, and the best way to stop that is to stop people coming in the first place," he said.

The UK government hopes to use the summit to boost UK-French efforts to stop migrants crossing the English Channel.

But the two countries are not expected to reach a deal on returning migrants arriving in the UK to France.

The French government is thought to prefer a deal between the UK and the European Union, something of a frustration to British diplomats who would like to see quicker action.

"We want a EU-UK returns agreement and will push that forward," the prime minister's spokesman said.

"But it is equally important that there is work on the ground right now to stop the crossings we are seeing even in these winter months."

A French government source said: "At this stage, and due to Brexit, there is no readmission agreement between France and the United Kingdom."

Labour said the absence of a new agreement to return migrants to France was a "total failure".

The conflict in Ukraine, nuclear power and renewable energy are also on the agenda for the summit.

Mr Sunak also said he was planning to talk to the French president about relations with China, ahead of Mr Macron's visit to the country.

The prime minister met Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace on Friday morning and the two men are now taking part in a roundtable discussion with French and British companies.

Mr Sunak is being accompanied on his trip by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Environment Secretary Therese Coffey.

The summit comes in the week Mr Sunak unveiled his plans to deter people from making the channel crossing in small boats.

Under the plans, anyone found to have entered the UK illegally would not only be removed within 28 days, but also be blocked from returning or claiming British citizenship in future.

Those arriving on the UK's beaches would either be returned to their home country, or another "safe third country" like Rwanda.

The British government feels the relationship with their opposite numbers in Paris on this issue has improved significantly in the last couple of years.

But Downing Street's desire "to make the small boat route across the Channel unviable" is a bold ambition - especially given that the numbers proving it to be the opposite have continued to rocket.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018.

So far this year, around 3,000 people have arrived on small boats, but the two governments claim their joint work has stopped a similar number from embarking on the journey.

An announcement on deepening co-operation on the issue is expected, rather than a big breakthrough.

The joint work the two countries do on this issue remains politically sensitive, as our Europe editor Katya Adler writes here.

Officials point out that both the UK and France are nuclear powers, members of the G7, G20 and the Nato defence alliance and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Brexit has been something of a stone in the shoe of the relationship between the UK and France in recent years.

But diplomats believe the deal between the UK and the European Union on Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland creates a much better atmosphere between the two countries.

It is a month of particularly intense activity between the two countries - as King Charles and the Queen Consort will be in France in a few weeks.

Next year marks the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, which put an end to centuries of rivalry between the two countries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64909510

[Jimbuna]

Liz Truss allies say ex-PM vindicated as report says Hunt has £97bn to make tax cuts

Jacob Rees-Mogg and allies of Liz Truss have claimed that she has been vindicated by a new report which suggests Jeremy Hunt could make almost £100 billion in tax cuts in his Budget and still meet his main economic objectives in paying off debt. The report by the NIESR has also seen renewed criticism of the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), whose findings undermined Ms Truss's economic plan before her downfall.

In its findings, the NIESR report stated: "A combination of higher revenue and lower spending, together with the more favourable outlook for GDP and interest rates, means that the Chancellor has a large amount of fiscal space ahead of his budget on 15 March.

"We estimate this to be £166.0 billion (5.1 percent of GDP) for his deficit target and £97.5 billion (2.9 per cent of GDP) for his debt target."

The conclusions will fuel demands by Tory MPs that Mr Hunt abandons a 6p increase in the Corporation Tax rate taking it to 25p in the £1 above Britain's competitors in Europe.

He will also be under pressure to find other tax cuts and avoid further increases in items like fuel duty which would hit people in the pocket during the cost of living crisis.

Yesterday 45 MPs, mostly Conservative, attended the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on fair fuel to show their support to a campaign opposing a proposed 14p hike in fuel duty.

But the NIESR report has also led to claims that Ms Truss may have been right over the high growth, tax cutting economic policy which saw her forced out after just 49 days.

One of the criticisms at the time was a decision not to run the mini Budget by the OBR's whose subsequent forcasts were critical of her policies.

On seeing the NIESR report, a source close to Ms Truss said: "What does that tell you about the accuracy of the figures produced by the OBR which everyone takes as gospel and which were used to box in her and Kwasi [Kwarteng] as to what they could do in the mini Budget?"

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was Ms Truss's Business Secretary, also was critical of the OBR after seeing the NIESR estimates.

He also pointed out that inflation has in the short term helped bring down government debt.

He said: "This is an important study which shows how inflation helps the government's finances in the short term.

"It also exposes the limitations of the error prone OBR whose baleful inference is doing so much damage to the UK economy."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/liz-truss-allies-say-ex-pm-vindicated-as-report-says-hunt-has-97bn-to-make-tax-cuts/ar-AA18qym0?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=02037b3b282c4a54ad0060d43f7f57a5&ei=16

[Catfish]

Small boats: Sensible to give France cash to stop crossings, says PM
[...]
Spending more money with France to stop small boat crossings is a "sensible investment", Rishi Sunak has said during an Anglo-French summit in Paris.

Telegraph wrote:
"BBC urged to sack Gary Lineker after ‘Nazi’ migrant jibe
Tory MPs rebuke presenter for comparing crackdown on Channel boats to evil regime.
Gary Lineker said: ‘We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries’ CREDIT: Simon Stacpoole/Offside
Conservative MPs on Tuesday night demanded the BBC take action against Gary Lineker after the corporation’s highest-paid presenter compared the government’s migration policy to Nazi Germany."

"Fact is 1933's Germany took in about 100k Jewish-only undocumented and illegal refugees fleeing Poland and Russia."

https://journey.holocaust.org.uk/topic/jewish-life-in-1930s-germany/

"More Jewish refugees than the UK took in of all ethnicities combined in 2022.
Another fact is that 1930's Germany had the British King as an ally, was considered a "partner" and so much more."

2022/23 UK is attacking all refugees as "invaders" and all those who dare speak up as "invalids" that must be cancelled or burned at the stake. Orwellian dystopy coming true :hmmm:

[Skybird]

Telegraph wrote: "BBC urged to sack Gary Lineker after ‘Nazi’ migrant jibe
Tory MPs rebuke presenter for comparing crackdown on Channel boats to evil regime.
Gary Lineker said: ‘We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries’ CREDIT: Simon Stacpoole/Offside
Conservative MPs on Tuesday night demanded the BBC take action against Gary Lineker after the corporation’s highest-paid presenter compared the government’s migration policy to Nazi Germany."

"Fact is 1933's Germany took in about 100k Jewish-only undocumented and illegal refugees fleeing Poland and Russia."

https://journey.holocaust.org.uk/topic/jewish-life-in-1930s-germany/

"More Jewish refugees than the UK took in of all ethnicities combined in 2022.
Another fact is that 1930's Germany had the British King as an ally, was considered a "partner" and so much more."

2022/23 UK is attacking all refugees as "invaders" and all those who dare speak up as "invalids" that must be cancelled or burned at the stake. Orwellian dystopy coming true :hmmm:
"England prevails!"

https://criticalpopcorn.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/c3oybrmwaaeqktd.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Tory Party in government....go figure.

[Jimbuna]

Nothing beats keeping it in the family.

Good Friday Agreement: PM to invite Joe Biden to NI for 25th anniversary
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-64934106

[Catfish]

Lineker is back in business, the BBC has backed down.
No news from the Tories about that.
Still, " [...] calling refugees, a "swarm", "invaders" and "criminals" from the highest immigration office in the country is nazi language, pure and simple.
Especially more so when the UK has received less than 50k of them in the past 5 years in total, significantly less than any other country in Europe."

[Jimbuna]

The Tories are in such deep bother at home atm they will choose any policy to focus on that will bring them any support.

[Skybird]

Am I wrong or does the BBC look pretty stupid now? :D


They really shot themselve sin the feet. Both feet. With one bullet. Respect! LOL

[Jimbuna]

Am I wrong or does the BBC look pretty stupid now? :D


They really shot themselve sin the feet. Both feet. With one bullet. Respect! LOL

The answer to the above depends on which side of the fence you are on and is better answered/explained in the article linked to below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64953421

[Skybird]

Well, Linneker voiced a private opinion tweet not in a BBC program but on Twitter, and while his wording may sound harsh to some, that of the government's representatives to describe the arriving migrants was much more offending, imo. Running a strict and determined policy, and using phrases and terms like the press reported them as official quotes, are two different things. And yes, even internationally the BBC'S reputation already no longer is what it once used to be, many years ago. This now comes on top of it all.

I think the BBC was wrong in making this an issue in the first, and also in the way it did then so and "fired" Linneker. They surely look now like a poodle who wetted himself.

BTW, I hold neither sympathy nor antipathy to Linneker, I recall his name from his active career, and thats all, i have no impression of him at all, never saw the show he is hosting. Nothing. That migrants policies in all Europe need to be tightened, is obvious. But some of the vocabulay reported from the British islands in recent weeks made me raising an eyebrow. Obviously somebody appeals to the lower sentiments of his audience there.

[Jimbuna]

Gary Lineker will abide by BBC guidelines until review completed - Tim Davie

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-64937656

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson will give public evidence about whether he misled MPs over Partygate on 22 March, the Privileges Committee has confirmed.

The former prime minister will be questioned by the cross-party committee from 14:00 GMT in a televised session.

In an initial report published earlier this month it said Mr Johnson may have misled Parliament multiple times.

But Mr Johnson has rejected this and said he believes the process will "vindicate" him.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64954751

https://i.postimg.cc/bvM2Z4k1/1182400429-CR.gif (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

European MEP admits UK may have 'made the right choice' to leave EU

AEuropean MEP has admitted that the UK may have 'made the right choice' in voting for Brexit because there are now 'increasing reasons and arguments' for leaving the EU.

Dr Gunnar Beck, an MEP for the populist Alternative for Germany party, claimed Brexit 'has not gone smoothly due to open sabotage' by Brussels.

Beck said the UK's decision to leave the UK may have been the 'right one' as he criticised the influence that EU's European Court of Justice has on domestic policies. He said the legal body was centralising power to Brussels - all at the expense of individual member states.

The German MEP claimed that by voting for Brexit, the UK could now decide on many of their domestic policies. However, in reality, the EU will still have control over Northern Ireland under the proposed Brexit deal while the UK is still part of the European Court of Human Rights.

Beck told Breitbart: 'The European Court of Justice and its politically inclined activist judges are constantly reinterpreting treaties. With their court rulings, they are constantly making politics for an EU that is becoming more centralised and more powerful. At the expense of the Member States and their citizens, of course.'

He added that despite Brexit not going smoothly, due to what Beck claims is due to 'open sabotage', the power of the European Court of Justice means that the UK made the 'right choice' in leaving the EU. He added that it's time for Brussels to accept the UK voted for Brexit.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/brexit-deal-european-mep-admits-uk-may-have-made-the-right-choice-to-leave-eu/ar-AA18HMhI?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=262cbeac919d401a8cc4ec286b3ae310&ei=28

[Catfish]

[SIZE="4"]"European MEP"
[...] Dr Gunnar Beck, an MEP for the populist Alternative for Germany party, [...]
Ah.
:03:

[Jimbuna]

Every government has its opposition...sometimes unfortunately.

[Skybird]

https://i.postimg.cc/bvM2Z4k1/1182400429-CR.gif (https://postimages.org/)


Truth lies in the eye of the beholder. :smug:


:O:










:woot:

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson has been reselected as the Conservative candidate for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

It follows speculation the former prime minister might seek a safer seat ahead of the next general election in 2025.

Allies of Mr Johnson have always rejected this idea.

While Mr Johnson holds a 7,000-vote majority, his west London seat is seen as a realistic target for Labour at the next election.

Since leaving office in September, he has declared more than £1m in speaking fees.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64986948

Sheer Madness! :o

[les green01]

Jim might have to give me spelling and grammar lession if i keep talking to the princess of wales on hangout and email don't want to give subsim a bad name lol

[Jimbuna]

Major blow for Jeremy Hunt as public do not back Tories on economy in wake of budget

Jeremy Hunt does not have the confidence of the public, a new poll has shown, with just 39 percent of people saying they back the Chancellor on the economy in the wake of his budget. A poll, conducted by Techne UK for the Daily Express, asked voters who they trust on the economy, between Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt or Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.

Just 39 percent of people backed the Mr Sunak and Mr Hunt, 19 percent said they don't know, while 42 percent said they back Sir Keir and Ms Reeves.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/major-blow-for-jeremy-hunt-as-public-do-not-back-tories-on-economy-in-wake-of-budget/ar-AA18MJTk?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=62e4b196d9d24c2fa2c28f5376e5a03e&ei=23

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson has submitted evidence to MPs investigating whether he misled Parliament over Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.

The former prime minister, who denies misleading MPs, wants his defence to be published as soon as possible.

The Privileges Committee said it was reviewing the material to make redactions before publication.

Mr Johnson will be questioned by the cross-party committee in a televised session on Wednesday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65012967

[Jimbuna]

The Lying King just never knows when it is best to shut up and move on.


Boris Johnson told parliament that Covid rules had been followed “at all times” at No 10 parties without any explicit assurance from advisors, according to a new report.

The prime minister’s Partygate defence dossier – which includes a lengthy rebuttal of allegations that he lied to parliament – is set to be published by a cross-party committee of MPs.

It is expected to include a message from his then-communications director Jack Doyle offering him a “line to take” on gatherings ahead of telling MPs no guidance or rules had been broken.

But a Whitehall source told The Times that Mr Johnson had gone “off script” when he told the Commons on 8 December 2022: “The guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boris-johnson-advisers-did-not-say-parties-followed-rules-as-his-dossier-set-to-be-published/ar-AA18T2Yq?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=171ca2aecb804131beb9d40693042a10&ei=14

[Jimbuna]

Two former prime ministers, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, are to vote against Rishi Sunak's new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland in a debate later.

Mr Johnson said the deal would either mean Northern Ireland remained tied to the EU, or the UK would not be able to take advantage of Brexit.

Ms Truss believes it would not resolve issues with a deal Mr Johnson struck with the EU in 2019.

Other Brexit-backing Tories are also expected to oppose the deal.

The decision of two former PMs to oppose the deal may embolden Brexit-backing Conservative MPs to rebel against the government.

But Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker denounced the pair, telling broadcasters he would tell them "they're both better than this".

Mr Johnson risks "looking like a pound shop Nigel Farage" by voting against the deal, he added.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65034260

[Jimbuna]

MPs vote in favour of regulations to implement the Stormont Brake section of Rishi Sunak's Windsor Framework deal.

The deal aims to fix post-Brexit problems in Northern Ireland - the Stormont Brake gives Assembly members the chance to raise objections.

Despite dissent from his own MPs, the controversial part of the deal is approved by 515 votes to 29

Several high-profile Tory MPs said they would vote against it - Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel among them.

The DUP did not support it - it has been boycotting the NI Assembly due to the current post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Members of a key group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs also advised members to vote against it.

Who are the 22 Tory rebels?

In the end, only 22 Tory MPs voted against the Stormont Brake, fewer than Rishi Sunak might have feared.

But there are some striking names on that list, which includes two ex-prime ministers, a former party leader and other recognisable names. See it in full below.

Adam Afriyie
Sir Jake Berry
Peter Bone
Sir William Cash
Sir Christopher Chope
Simon Clarke
Richard Drax
Sir James Duddridge
Sir Iain Duncan Smith
Mark Francois
Jonathan Gullis
Adam Holloway
Andrea Jenkyns
Boris Johnson
David Jones
Danny Kruger
Craig Mackinlay
Dr Matthew Offord
Priti Patel
John Redwood
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Liz Truss

They were joined in the voting lobbies by six DUP MPs and Andrew Bridgen, a suspended Tory who now sits as an independent.

The Stormont brake passed comfortably, but it's worth noting that without support from Labour and other opposition parties, the government would have lost the vote.

In the end, 48 Tory MPs didn't vote at all and only 280 - well below a parliamentary majority - positively voted with the government.

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson's political future hangs in balance.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65047566

[Jimbuna]

Further to the post above...

Watch the video in the link which is less than a minute long :)

Question Time audience asked: Was Boris Johnson telling truth?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-65064708

[Moonlight]

Bozo Johnson and most other politicians in Westminster wouldn't pass that Question Time test either, the House of Lords are in the same boat, or should it be the same "Trough" as well.

[Catfish]

The "same trough" is well-filled, whatever your political position may be :03:

[Jimbuna]

Now this is one subject I feel I can support my government on.

The Government is considering further steps to try and put a stop to illegal immigrants crossing the Channel on a daily basis.

The government's Illegal Migration Bill would ban anyone who enters the country illegally from claiming asylum on arrival - or in the future.

It would also create an annual cap on the number of refugees the UK will settle through "safe and legal routes", and impose a legal duty on the Home Secretary to swiftly detain and remove anyone who arrives illegally.

There are currently more than 51,000 people being housed in 395 hotels which costs around £6m a day.

Disused ferries are being considered to house people - but this has not been confirmed and former airbases in Lincolnshire and Essex are among sites being looked at.

More than 45,000 reached the UK via the dangerous route last year, up from around 300 in 2018.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65074419

[Catfish]

Now this is one subject I feel I can support my government on.
The Government is considering further steps to try and put a stop to illegal immigrants crossing the Channel on a daily basis. [...]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65074419

The following texts are quoted

"3 deals later & these Tory muppets are still fighting the Brexit wars. After all what else can they do? They have destroyed the country so they will either blame refugees, the UN, the EU, the ECHR or the "establishment". They have no other proposition to offer for the worst-performing country in the G7. Inflation spiked again when everywhere else is going down, in the UK it is increasing further.

Right, so after the 3rd revision of the Brexit deal, this last iteration is still not good enough apparently, despite the fact that the US is passing a bill through the Senate that makes an FTA contingent to keeping the GFA and consequently the Brexit deal intact.
The ECHR is also baked into it because the EU has openly said that leaving the ECHR is a deal-breaker. Tory right-whingers want to leave the ECHR so they can proceed with the Rwanda plan to permanently remove all refugees from British soil. All 70k of them that arrived in the past 5 years. Because that is precisely what will solve British problems combined with hard-core anti-Europeanism."

^
"How is removing 70k Rwandans from England going to help the UK economically [...] ?
What is the average birth rate for English families by the way?
Don't you need more workers working in order to pay taxes to the UK?

Another wrote
"There is no way to make a Brexit deal that would be better than membership. So all the remakes of the deal are pointless at its core."

Re the 70,000 migrants in five years, i wonder how deporting them solves even one of the problems.

[Jimbuna]

Meanwhile, across he border, things look no better.

The SNP haver a new leader in Humza Yousaf.

"Electoral suicide" The SNP's new leader Humza Yousaf, in the words of his own colleagues

Amid problems in Scotland's health service, a cost of living crisis and the SNP's failure to get the country any closer to independence, top of Humza Yousaf's to-do list will be unifying his party after a bitter leadership battle. Unfortunately for him, after weeks of infighting, his colleagues will have a hard time rowing back on attacks aimed at him and his record in government.

The most bitter attacks levelled at him came from his opponent Kate Forbes.

During one television debate, Mrs Forbes launched an astonishing attack on Mr Yousaf, accusing him of repeated failure in his various Scottish government jobs.

"Humza, you've had a number of jobs in government. When you were transport minister the trains were never on time. When you were justice minister, the police were strained to breaking point.

"And now as health minister, we've got record-high waiting times. What makes you think you can do a better job as First Minister?"

The attack by Kate Forbes was so brutal the Scottish Tories wrote a letter to her asking for permission to use the debate footage in a political attack ad.

His other opponent, Ash Regan, claimed the SNP membership exodus could continue if Mr Yousaf were to win.

Asked by STV whether she believed more members could leave if Humza Yousaf continued the party's "slow progress towards independence", she replied "I think that is possible".

She also attacked both her opponents' campaigns as "wishy washy".

Attacks on Mr Yousaf weren't limited to his two rivals, however.

MSP Christine Grahame accused the new SNP leader of being someone who "takes credit for others' work" and said he avoids taking responsibility for mistakes".

Mrs Grahame also said that, unlike her preferred candidate Kate Forbes, Mr Yousaf isn't respected across the chamber in Holyrood.

"I'll tell you something: she is respected in that parliament - across the chamber - in a way that Humza Yousaf is not"

Johanna Cherry MP also joined in with the attacks on Humza Yousaf, accusing him of having an unfair advantage because he had the "party machine" behind him.

"It's no secret that the party machine is behind Humza and not behind Kate and Ash. The majority of parliamentarians who have declared are behind Humza.

"We've already had a couple of cases of people wrongfully using the party's internal mailing system to support Humza."

Michelle Thompson MSP said a Humza Yousaf victory would be seen by members as "an establishment transfer of power - to carry on with the status quo - rather than allowing our membership the freedom to make a healthy democratic choice".

Mrs Thompson, who backed Kate Forbes, also tweeted that a victory by Mr Yousaf or Mrs Regan would lead to "accelerated decline" of the party.

Former SNP MSP Alex Neil said "the last thing the party needs is Continuity!"

He also tweeted, "If Humza wins seats like Airdrie and Shotts will go back to Labour" and warned it "would be electoral suicide for the SNP to vote for Humza".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/electoral-suicide-the-snp-s-new-leader-humza-yousaf-in-the-words-of-his-own-colleagues/ar-AA198d1K?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6382bda80bfb4a5383a93b0124358834&ei=22

[MGR1]

Yousaf is going to be both toe curlingly awful and highly entertaining in a car-crash-sort-of-way.

The main joke that's going around is that the potential partition of the UK will be negotiated between a British Indian and a British Pakistani.

The Empire Strikes Back indeed!

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

I sincerely hope that does not happen....the British electorate are not that naive surely.

[Moonlight]

Humza Yousaf is a strange choice indeed from the SNP members, just when you think it couldnt get any worse for Scotland, it does. I'm sure the opposition parties can't believe their luck to see so many turkeys voting for an early Xmas. I have no idea what chemical substances the SNP are taking collectively because even I can hear the bells tolling ominously down here in England.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywsdFZn52DE

[Jimbuna]

The end for the poison dwarf is now official.

Nicola Sturgeon formally resigns as first minister
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65093281

[Jimbuna]

This clown certainly won't be missed if he fails to get re-elected.

Jeremy Corbyn: Labour to vote on banning ex-leader standing as candidate
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65088130

[Jimbuna]

The sites for housing illegal migrants have now been identified but a decision has yet to be made on the possible use of ferries.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65107827

[Jimbuna]

And the French think they have it bad.

UK State pension age increase 'set to be delayed until 2044'
The state pension age is due to rise gradually to 68 between 2044 and 2046 but earlier this year it was suggested ministers wanted to bring that forward – potentially as early as 2035.

The State Pension age is currently 66 for anyone born before 1960.

For those born on or after April 1960, the State Pension age is 67 and, for those born on or after April 1977, the state pension age is 68.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/state-pension-age-increase-set-to-be-delayed-until-2044/ar-AA19fwvi?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f144edbc479c44db81486c6c01b2cb23&ei=39

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/HLPLJcwk/111.jpg (https://postimg.cc/qtyrS7DP)
https://i.postimg.cc/zBbGTz7S/222.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

Humza Haroon Yousaf, born to Pakistani immigrants in Glasgow has now succeeded Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland.

Hand picked no doubt because of his desire for Scottish independence.

He has created a new post 'Minister for Independence' despite the fact that there was a Supreme Court ruling last year that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to hold another referendum.

This is not an appropriate use of taxpayer funding as it is not an area where the Scottish Government can action any policy that it has the power to deliver. :nope:

[Jimbuna]

How soon.quickly the mighty can fall.

The husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in connection with an investigation into Scottish National Party finances.

Peter Murrell, 58, is being questioned after being taken into police custody on Wednesday morning.

Police Scotland said officers were carrying out searches at a number of addresses as part of the investigation.

Mr Murrell resigned as the party's chief executive last month, a post he had held since 1999.

He has been married to Ms Sturgeon since 2010.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65187823

[MGR1]

:woot: (In absence of an Eating Popcorn option amongst the SubSim Smilies!)

Mike.:03:

[Skybird]

:woot: (In absence of an Eating Popcorn option amongst the SubSim Smilies!)

Mike.:03:




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[Jimbuna]

:woot: (In absence of an Eating Popcorn option amongst the SubSim Smilies!)

Mike.:03:

https://i.postimg.cc/6pvZ3RbW/popcorn3.gif (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/s2ChZXbp/giphy.gif (https://postimages.org/)

[MGR1]

:O:

Latest news is that Murrell's been released without charge:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65195171

Whilst Sturgeon has cancelled appearing at an event:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65199565

As for who Murrell is and why this is just a wee bit of an embarrassment for the SNP:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64972863

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/Qx8Qm0NH/339403218-2001073936890626-4672010749622485635-n.jpg (https://postimg.cc/dDfZtRyY)

[Jimbuna]

Humza Yousaf has said the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will not be suspended from the party because he is "innocent until proven guilty".

But the SNP leader confirmed the party would not be paying Mr Murrell's legal fees.

[Jimbuna]

A luxury campervan reportedly seized by police from the home of Nicola Sturgeon's mother-in-law was bought to be used as an SNP election battle bus, it has been reported.

Party insiders told the Daily Record that the vehicle, which is thought to have cost around £110,000, was purchased during the pandemic for use in the spring 2021 Holyrood election campaign.

But it is understood the Niesmann + Bischoff motorhome was never used for that purpose after Covid restrictions were lifted by Ms Sturgeon.

Officers confiscated the vehicle from outside the home of Margaret Murrell, the 92-year-old mother of Peter Murrell. He is the SNP's former chief executive and Ms Sturgeon's husband.

Neighbours said the high-end campervan was originally delivered to the address in Dunfermline, Fife by two men in January 2021 and had not been moved since.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/campervan-seized-at-nicola-sturgeon-s-mother-in-law-s-house-was-bought-as-snp-battle-bus/ar-AA19L8Nq?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=0643f8a927b0483f895529d6f703742e&ei=9

You simply couldn't make this up :haha:

[Moonlight]

STEVE HILTON: Striking doctors, disgraced business bosses, woke universities… this is how we've been betrayed by our allegedly great institutions


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11977505/This-weve-betrayed-allegedly-great-institutions.html

This article By Steve Hilton sums the present day UK up perfectly, Trust has almost disappeared in every official body you can mention, the Police\Politicians\ and the Justice System all started to go "To Hell in a Handbag" after Maggie Thatcher "The Milk Snatcher" became Prime Minister.
It wasn't all her fault I might add, oh no, not by a long way, it was a general malaise that had infected the middle classes and above for a decade or more before she came to power, it became more noticeable in the 1970's Union strikes where scumbags from the gutters took a stranglehold of those powerful Unions and ultimately destroyed them in the process, you cannot have the "Tail Wagging The Dog". That's where I always thought that Britain was changed for ever. The Unions had to be brought under control and that meant the kid gloves were off and all official bodies had better get on board with government policies or else.

I'm sure there were similar instances in the 1960's but the true potential of a government is the power it controls over the Media, and Thatcher knew how to use it to her advantage, those Media barons would have killed to be next in line to lick her boots, Maggie knew this and we all know what happened next. Nothing went back to how it was before the 70's strikes, oh no, those official bodies and non official bodies by the way had been corrupted forever and that's why the country is in the mess it is today, a leader is needed because we haven't got one and I don't see anyone on the Horizon either. We're all ****** and we know it, we'll be heading deeper into the abyss until someone rises up and says "Enough is Enough" it might happen but as things stand now I won't hold my breath.

[Jimbuna]

The SNP has insisted its finances are "in balance" after reports the party is facing a financial crisis.

According to the Sunday Times the party's treasurer told its ruling body it was struggling to balance the books due to an exodus of members and donors.

The SNP told the BBC selective quotes had been taken out of context.

On Saturday the new leader Humza Yousaf dismissed rumours the SNP faced bankruptcy, saying the party was solvent.

[Moonlight]

Leaked video shows Sturgeon dismiss finance concern

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65293006

I think it will all end in tears for the SNP, eventually the truth will come out and even though it might be whitewashed over a few times the SNP hierarchy will be tainted forever. When the mudslinging starts being thrown in a certain direction we'll know who has been chosen as the sacrificial scapegoat. My bet would be anybody who is not Nicola Sturgeon, even though she probably knew it was going to implode and implicate her, the missing £600,000, a motorhome supposedly paid for as a battlebus on her families driveway, this is not how a proper political party is run, I suspect there will be more revelations to come before they can sweep the rest of them under the carpet.
That Blackclock fellow who was down in Westminster for a while has been very silent as well, I just wonder if he saw the writing on the wall and decided to jump before he was pushed, it was all happening in the background so why wasn't anyone asking questions?, were the SNP asleep at the wheel? or were they too busy burying the skeletons as deep as they could.

SNP and the Auditors.
if the SNP had nothing to hide why did they put restrictions on what information the auditors could access and what they could not?. Very suspicious behaviour and the auditors knew this as well, that's why they resigned.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6enVtsVHXF4

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skwyx9FH9Nk

[Jimbuna]

Matters seem to be deteriorating rapidly.

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie has been arrested by police investigating the party's finances.

Mr Beattie, 71, has been taken into custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.

A spokesman for the force said the arrest was made in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65309791

[MGR1]

Now we know where all the people and groups that made Scottish Labour so corrupt went: the SNP.:hmmm:

Horrible thing to say, but never let a Clydesider near politics. Corruption will follow at some point.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLHiojXZ3dg

[Jimbuna]

Colin Beattie has resigned as SNP treasurer after his arrest as part of a police investigation into the party's finances.

He said he would also be stepping back from his role on the public audit committee until the police investigation had concluded.

The 71-year-old was taken into custody and released without charge on Tuesday.

It came hours before First Minister Humza Yousaf set out his government's priorities for the next three years.

In a statement, Mr Beattie said he had resigned as treasurer with "immediate effect".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65327953

[MGR1]

Niiiice!:D

SNP MSP Fergus Ewing calls Greens 'wine bar revolutionaries' (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-65339658)

An SNP MSP has warned that running down gas production in Scotland would be "economic masochism".
Veteran backbencher Fergus Ewing urged First Minister Humza Yousaf not to listen to the "wine bar revolutionaries" in the Scottish Greens - the SNP's partners in government.
The outburst drew amusement in the Holyrood chamber as Mr Ewing was cautioned on the tone of his language by his sister, Deputy Presiding Officer Annabelle Ewing.
Mr Yousaf said nobody advocated that gas extraction should stop tomorrow and the focus was on a just transition.
As someone from the North East of Scotland it's nice that someone from within the SNP has put a shot across the bow of the Weegie Mafia currently in charge of the party. If the transition affected Glasgow I have no doubt the Party tune and policy emphasis would be rather different.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

Humza Yousaf today hit back at Lord Frost after he suggested stripping Scotland of devolved powers following SNP chaos. The Conservative peer said devolution was about "enabling powers to be exercised closer to the people in a more practical and accountable way".

But the former Brexit negotiator said it had resulted in "effective one-party states" with a "tinpot amateurish one in Wales and a seriously dangerous one in Scotland".

Lord Frost warned that "not only must no more powers be devolved to Scotland, it's time to reverse the process".

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "We, the Conservative Party and the Conservative Government, have allowed this to happen.

"It's time to fix it. Ministers should make clear that, if re-elected, they will review and roll back some currently devolved powers.

"In particular, Scotland does not need to be an independent actor on the world stage; it should not be able to legislate to disrupt free trade within the UK; and it does not need to have most tax raising powers currently available to it.

"These powers are embryonic, independent government powers."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/humza-yousaf-erupts-after-frost-suggests-stripping-scotland-of-powers-over-snp-chaos/ar-AA1a6TUv?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=5e60f0b07c4c4b1ea07a6f92b8b5866f&ei=16

[MGR1]

Frost undercuts his argument by not mentioning Northern Ireland. NI is, after all, an integral part of the UK of the same status as England, Wales and Scotland, even if many on both sides of the Irish Sea wish otherwise.

The Tories may be able to get away with these proposals in Wales, after all the Principality was a fully integrated part of England until the late 1960's. Scotland is another matter as we've been deliberately unintegrated since 1707. The Act of Union only passed in Scotland due to that fact. Besides, devolution is popular even if the most hardline Unionists want to turn the clock back to before 1999.

Distaste for, ranging to outright hatred of, English Tories will also act as a psychological block for many if these proposals become Conservative Party policy. Which will be even more damaging for the Scottish branch of the party.

All of that means is that these proposals are a non-starter.

Mike.:hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

There is now a "broad expectation" at Holyrood that former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be questioned by police or even arrested in the coming days, a Scottish Tory politician has said. Murdo Fraser also believes the Scottish National Party (SNP) is facing "total collapse" as a result of fallout from the ongoing police probe into its finances. The SNP was plunged into crisis after the arrest of Peter Murrell, its former chief executive and Mrs Sturgeon's husband, on April 5, in connection with Operation Branchform, an investigation into possible fundraising fraud.

[Jimbuna]

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has resigned from the government after an investigation upheld some bullying allegations against him.

The full report into his behaviour found Raab had acted in an "intimidating" and "insulting" manner with civil servants while justice secretary.

He also was found to have described work as "utterly useless" and "woeful" in meetings.

And it says he abused power in a way that humiliated staff in a specific case while foreign secretary.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who received the report yesterday, has accepted Raab's resignation "with great sadness"

Raab had promised to resign if the inquiry found evidence of bullying but has criticised the inquiry, saying it set the threshold too low.

Hitting out at the findings, he said it set a "dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government" and allowed officials to target ministers.

Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of weakness, saying he should have sacked Raab first.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8lQvWh_auk

[mapuc]

After having read most of the comment here in the UK Politics thread I can only say this-Not even Spiting Image could have come up with this story.

Or other politic related satire.

I presume you British citizens are shaking your head.

Markus

[Skybird]

I presume you British citizens are shaking your head.
No more. The headshaking has lasted so long that by now all their heads already have fallen off.
The British and the Brexit.
The French are fighting against the vital pension reform that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The Germans can no longer generate enough electricity themselves, have to buy expensive atom- and coal-originating electricity, sell their few renewables cheaply, are among the biggest CO2 sinners, are the ones paying mroe for power than anyone else - but shut down their nuclear power plants.
The USA is getting bogged down in an endless polarization war and is paralyzing itself.


The entire West seems to be losing its mind. And in at least three of the above four examples, the Russians have a hand in it. Its all gone crazy.

[Jimbuna]

And to top it all off.

Psychic goat predicts whether or not Nicola Sturgeon will be arrested over SNP probe.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1761895/billy-psychic-goat-nicola-sturgeon-harry-meghan

:har:

[Jimbuna]

There is clearly something seriously wrong up in Scotland right now.

Ex-SNP treasurer U-turns over knowledge of £100k motorhome after insisting he knew nothing.

Colin Beattie backtracked having previously said he did not know about the SNP's purchase of the luxury campervan.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1762576/snp-colin-beattie-motorhome-finance-investigation

[mapuc]

I would say that UK is missing a cup or two in their attics.

And their butt hurts(Ireland)

Markus

[Moonlight]

What the UK is missing or lacking Markus is some bleeding competent politicians, this current lot in government are ****ing useless and those other dickheads of the opposition will in fact be a lot worse than this lot. We're currently doing a 180 degree turn and heading full throttle back to the 1970's union strikes, and we all know what mayhem they caused in the UK.

Thatcher would have taken Brexit by the scruff of the neck and slit its ****ing throat old boy, and those bleeding heart pillocks of the EU would have been next. That's what a strong leader does, they lead by example, show the enemy EU Politicians she means business and if that means threatening to pull the UK out of NATO to make that point she would have done it, that would have sent shockwaves throughout the EU and to the USA as well.

Brexit would have been done and dusted in less than 2 years with Thatcher's politicians, as for us Brits shaking our heads, yeah, we are, its not only the politicians who are ****ing useless but Council leaders are of the same ilk as well, too many migrants are holding positions of power and what should really happen is they should be booted out from any decision making, that means NOW, and in the future as well.

Its just my two penneth old boy, but I can tell you this, I'm probably just off centre of a perfect bulls eye with that assessment.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySveaX5QV4

:haha:

[Skybird]

https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/inflation-englands-notenbank-zieht-volkszorn-auf-sich-ld.1735883?_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_sl=auto


Now I know it! Marie Antoinette was British!

[Jimbuna]

So poor I now go begging in my local town centre each morning before I can afford to eat! :o

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/xCFkL4KH/Untitled.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/MHMn5mDL/Untitled111.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

The SNP are hoping to strike a “backroom deal” with Labour to secure a second independence referendum, the Scottish Tory deputy leader has said.

Meghan Gallacher insisted any such deal would be “sleekit” – a Scots word which means crafty or deceitful – as she warned Labour would be “weak on the Union” if Sir Keir Starmer does not win a majority in the next general election.

Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Humza Yousaf has already made clear that the powers to hold a second independence referendum would be the price he would demand if his party is needed to prop up a Labour administration.

[Moonlight]

Which chemical substance are these bleeding pillocks on because I want some of it. Starmer and Yousaf running the UK, these are what nightmares are made of, good luck with that Starmer old boy, we 50 families where I live recently sent a bunch of your councillors packing with a flea in their ear, if we'd had some rope we'd have strung the up. :yep:

[Jimbuna]

I'm not convinced Humza is telling the truth about him not having prior knowledge of the SNP not having appointed auditors since last September but either way, the deadline is looming and the SNP are swiftly sliding down the popularity ratings.

The SNP has signed a contract with a new auditor more than six months after the previous firm quit.

The SNP's Westminster group risks losing £1.2m of public funding if it does not submit audited accounts by 31 May.

Group leader Stephen Flynn said he was now confident that the deadline would be met.

The party must also file its audited accounts with the Electoral Commission in July.

Humza Yousaf, the SNP's leader and Scotland's first minister, said Manchester-based AMS Accountants Group had agreed to complete the accounts for both the party and its Westminster group.

Mr Yousaf said: "There is hard work ahead but it is really encouraging to have them on board as we work towards challenging deadline".

It emerged last month that the SNP's previous auditors, Johnston Carmichael, had quit last September.

Mr Yousaf has said he only found out after winning the contest to succeed Nicola Sturgeon in March that the party no longer had an accounting firm in place.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65467591

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq5ygOSEyVg

[Moonlight]

Scotland's dear leader. :haha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVsD7mKHlDM

[Skybird]

Scotland's dear leader. :haha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVsD7mKHlDM


Know your limits.

https://walz-images.walz.de/v2/470x470_r1/images/SU/907/907728_04/jpg/image.jpg

[Skybird]

Great show, as usual. Nobody does these things like the Brits. But is it enough to ride the high waves these times bring?

https://cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de/images/ca3b421c-8622-4cf5-a438-fb402f61e3d7_w948_r1.778_fpx51.87_fpy50.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Not a patch on his mother but having said that....GOD SAVE THE KING

[Skybird]

Really just visually: I cnanot help it, I think the crown looks too huge for Charles' head, it looked much more natural and fitting on the head of the (young) Queen.

Maybe he can still exchange it, it was only used once.

[Catfish]

I have seen this 'gold state coach' twice in England.
It belongs into a museum. Like the passengers :O:

[Skybird]

Surprisingly, because the costs of the monarchy are always cited by its opponents as an argument against it, the British monarchy is one of the "cheapest" (no pun intended) in Europe. The graph shows the cost of the monarchy in Euros per inhabitant of the country.


A fraction of a cinema ticket, and the show is much better. :yeah:


https://i.postimg.cc/KYWgfKmL/Unbenannt.png (https://postimages.org/)

[Jimbuna]

The truth always finds a way to get to the surface and Labour would be very wise not to allow this type of blackmail to succeed....at any price.

The SNP would demand the power for another independence vote as the price for supporting Labour in a hung parliament.

Senior figures in the SNP think they could hold the balance of power in the next parliament.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65503990

[Moonlight]

Starmer is Boasting of a General Election win.

Starmer is spouting his mouth off as usual, he knows that the local election results were not enough to get the Labour Party into power, even with the help of the LibDems or god forbid, the SNP. It's always the same thing with these bloody nutters, they have their eyes on the prize and forget about that last hurdle they have to jump to actually win the race.

The Tories and everyone else were expecting this massive clapback from the public to happen, Fishy Rishi and his cronies know that if they don't fix this mess that they themselves have created, it might mean an hung parliament at the least, or they might have to share power with another party. Sharing power comes with it's own risks too, everyone will remember what happened to Nick Clegg and the LibDems in the 2015 General Election and, that will send a shudder of fear down the collective spines of a party who props up a bigger party, be it the LibDems or the SNP.

Does Starmer not remember what happened to Neil Kinnock when he was boasting of a Labour victory back in 1992?, I made a boatload of cash betting on the Tories that year, no one liked a braggard then and, it's still the same now, bloody idiot.

[Jimbuna]

Protesters who tried to wreck the King's Coronation should emigrate to Europe, Lee Anderson declared last night.

The Conservative Party deputy chairman condemned "wet wipes" who refuse to "be proud of our fantastic country".

His comments came after hundreds of anti-monarchy activists gathered in central London on Saturday, chanting slogans including "down with the Crown" and "get a real job".

Dozens of demonstrators were arrested for public order offences.

Mr Anderson told the Daily Express last night: "Despite the Left-wing chatter that no one supports our great monarchy any more, thousands of well-wishers lined the Mall and gathered around the TV to witness the crowning of our new King and Queen.

"So I say to that small group of wet wipes who won't sing the national anthem, who won't hold their heads up high and be proud of our fantastic country, and who think living under King Charles is a world-ending dealbreaker, you are very welcome to take you and your pals to the EU Republic where you can live under another unelected head of state: Queen Ursula [a reference to European Commission president Ursula von de Leyen]."

:yeah:

[mapuc]

^ I disagree-You can still love your country and not love the King/Queen

I love my countries and I'm a republican-I respect that a majority of the Danes and the Swedes is royalist, but if there ever should come a referendum about the future of our Queen and King I would vote NO(if the question is: Shall we have a Monarch ?)

Furthermore I thought that you had free speech/expression. Which mean that they shall have the right to have this opinion.

Despite I'm a Republican I love the Danish Queen-She is so free in her performance-Some years ago a reporter said if it wasn't best for her to skip smoking-Her reply: Mind your own business(Something like that)

Markus

[Skybird]

Free speech does not give you the right to burst into other people's living room, switch off the TV in fornt of which the family had assembled, and then hold a speech to them which they must listen to. Free speech means you have the right to make sure you legally and morally own a situation where you then can hold a speech or voice your opinion or have a debate, may it be you write a book, write an essay in a newspaper column, or rent a hall, invite people and then have a debate with them. Free speech also means the society allows people reasonable opportunities to make use of their right for free speech. But bursting into somebody's party and lamenting on how very much you like it not, is not practicing the right of free speech, but is the abuse of it. And bad manners, btw.

A coronations is not a frequently repeated event, and no matter how you and me think about it, for many Brits it was and is something special, and quite some of them will keep dear memories of it for the rest of their lives.
It is rotten behaviour to spoil it for these people. All the more so because the monarchy costs surprisingly little in Britain, but still has an enormous impact as a national cause of identification, and is a foreign diplomatic tool of quite some value. It is simply a matter of etiquette and manners.


Free speech does not mean you have the right to force the other to listen to you if he does not want to. Free speech means the mutal understanding to talk and listen in turns in a dialogue when a mutual interest exists, and when the situation is appropriate. The situation on coronation day was anything but appropriate - which was part of the calculation of the protesters. They knew it. In other words many of them not only wanted to protest, but wanted to provoke. And spoil it for many others. Sorry people - wrong time, wrong place. Not this day.



BTW, I doubt they caught all protester across all the country, my impression was that they collected them in the imminent vicinity of the path the royal trek would pass, and locations of according interest.


Next time a foreign head of state visits another nations capital, you maybe will see that protesters inside a certain security zone are not tolerated, too. I recall what almost Eastern-Block-style show they set up when George Bush jr visited Germany. Residents were not even allowed to show their head at the windows of their own homes. Bush raced down empty streets and alleys, it looked like a ghost town.

[mapuc]

I thought that was given when I wrote free speech/expression THAT you have a responsibility in this rights and you are not allowed to mock another person for his or her belief.

I did not see these protesters mocking Charles the third-They were demonstrating against the royal stuff(forgot what it is called)
(not from the clip I saw)

Heck I saw as much as I could of the Coronation myself.
It was beautiful. I even saw part of the concert yesterday.

Markus

[Moonlight]

Where I live in this 50 bungalow complex, they had a large TV screen setup in our community room, beer, wine, and food was freely available to all residents, they even sent me a large plateful of food with plenty of tea to wash it down with, bless em, from what I heard, the day was a huge success.

As a republican I kept well away from it, I would never have gone in to the community room and spoilt that day for those who wanted to watch the spectacle with their friends. That's the trouble with the younger element these days, most of them have no respect or manners for anything, and that, I'm afraid to say is the fault of their bloody parents.

[Jimbuna]

Free speech does not give you the right to burst into other people's living room, switch off the TV in fornt of which the family had assembled, and then hold a speech to them which they must listen to. Free speech means you have the right to make sure you legally and morally own a situation where you then can hold a speech or voice your opinion or have a debate, may it be you write a book, write an essay in a newspaper column, or rent a hall, invite people and then have a debate with them. Free speech also means the society allows people reasonable opportunities to make use of their right for free speech. But bursting into somebody's party and lamenting on how very much you like it not, is not practicing the right of free speech, but is the abuse of it. And bad manners, btw.

A coronations is not a frequently repeated event, and no matter how you and me think about it, for many Brits it was and is something special, and quite some of them will keep dear memories of it for the rest of their lives.
It is rotten behaviour to spoil it for these people. All the more so because the monarchy costs surprisingly little in Britain, but still has an enormous impact as a national cause of identification, and is a foreign diplomatic tool of quite some value. It is simply a matter of etiquette and manners.


Free speech does not mean you have the right to force the other to listen to you if he does not want to. Free speech means the mutal understanding to talk and listen in turns in a dialogue when a mutual interest exists, and when the situation is appropriate. The situation on coronation day was anything but appropriate - which was part of the calculation of the protesters. They knew it. In other words many of them not only wanted to protest, but wanted to provoke. And spoil it for many others. Sorry people - wrong time, wrong place. Not this day.



BTW, I doubt they caught all protester across all the country, my impression was that they collected them in the imminent vicinity of the path the royal trek would pass, and locations of according interest.


Next time a foreign head of state visits another nations capital, you maybe will see that protesters inside a certain security zone are not tolerated, too. I recall what almost Eastern-Block-style show they set up when George Bush jr visited Germany. Residents were not even allowed to show their head at the windows of their own homes. Bush raced down empty streets and alleys, it looked like a ghost town.

Very well put :up:

[Gorpet]

Why was there no Ukraine Refugees allowed? When their First Lady attended, So they could cheer? For British and Ukraine solidarity.Why could they not be there to cheer for their first lady and show support for. Olena Zelenska ? oK i get it it's The Kings Day but democracy demands representation.

[ET2SN]

Because you don't have a fist fight or announce your new Patreon page in the middle of someone else's wedding?

[Gorpet]

Free speech does not give you the right to burst into other people's living room, switch off the TV in fornt of which the family had assembled, and then hold a speech to them which they must listen to. Free speech means you have the right to make sure you legally and morally own a situation where you then can hold a speech or voice your opinion or have a debate, may it be you write a book, write an essay in a newspaper column, or rent a hall, invite people and then have a debate with them. Free speech also means the society allows people reasonable opportunities to make use of their right for free speech. But bursting into somebody's party and lamenting on how very much you like it not, is not practicing the right of free speech, but is the abuse of it. And bad manners, btw.

A coronations is not a frequently repeated event, and no matter how you and me think about it, for many Brits it was and is something special, and quite some of them will keep dear memories of it for the rest of their lives.
It is rotten behaviour to spoil it for these people. All the more so because the monarchy costs surprisingly little in Britain, but still has an enormous impact as a national cause of identification, and is a foreign diplomatic tool of quite some value. It is simply a matter of etiquette and manners.


Free speech does not mean you have the right to force the other to listen to you if he does not want to. Free speech means the mutal understanding to talk and listen in turns in a dialogue when a mutual interest exists, and when the situation is appropriate. The situation on coronation day was anything but appropriate - which was part of the calculation of the protesters. They knew it. In other words many of them not only wanted to protest, but wanted to provoke. And spoil it for many others. Sorry people - wrong time, wrong place. Not this day.



BTW, I doubt they caught all protester across all the country, my impression was that they collected them in the imminent vicinity of the path the royal trek would pass, and locations of according interest.


Next time a foreign head of state visits another nations capital, you maybe will see that protesters inside a certain security zone are not tolerated, too. I recall what almost Eastern-Block-style show they set up when George Bush jr visited Germany. Residents were not even allowed to show their head at the windows of their own homes. Bush raced down empty streets and alleys, it looked like a ghost town.

Holy **** , Send this to the Liberals in Washington DC . Only what will happen this year matters because that's what's going on right now today and in the next months of summer. Your brilliance will not change the outcome of the future. And the future of the Globalist liberals is right now up in the air. The big question is who in the end will get to keep their countries and culture intact and how far will those countries go. To not bend the knee to the Globalist. Germany has been a pancake and a prime example of what happens when you lose. Russia didn't lose then and i don't think they will lose today to the Globalist liberals.They stand alone they want their culture and their country. What's wrong with that?

[Gorpet]

Just so you know. Has driven 8,000 refugees a day into the United States and there all coming right into Texas and i hope Neil can set up some campsites and portalets on his property and welcome them. Kill some hogs they will need food and i'm sure he is asking himself where the hell is Kamala? Don't worry Joe is sending 1500 hundred military typist to help.

[Jimbuna]

The SNP has been accused of turning a “blind eye” to sexual harassment after it emerged that a disgraced sex pest MP wants to defend his Glasgow seat.

Patrick Grady, who was found by an independent Commons probe to have drunkenly made unwanted sexual advances towards a teenage male staffer, is said to be confident that he can retain his Glasgow North constituency at the next general election.

He is understood to believe that he can hold on to the seat by appealing to Catholic voters, despite previously being suspended from the Commons and the SNP, before he was readmitted to the party last December.

Mr Grady had been found by a Commons probe to have made an “unwanted sexual advance” towards a male staff member, who was then aged 19, while “under the influence of alcohol” in a London pub in October 2016.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/snp-accused-of-turning-a-blind-eye-as-sex-pest-mp-says-he-wants-to-defend-seat/ar-AA1aTZYi?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=be4e6ea4b2b4446098b156387d1fa81c&ei=24

Absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable :nope:

[MGR1]

Uuuh.....:doh:

Appealing to sectarianism in order to keep a hold of his seat. How very typical of Glaswegian politicians of both sides.:down:

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley making up 40% of Scotland's population. To control Scotland politically, you have to control the Clyde Valley, as I've posted many, many, times before.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

Just a few pearls of wisdom for the Archbishop....."The church is one of if not the richest entity in the UK, so why don't you pay for their upkeep"?

The Archbishop of Canterbury has attacked the government's migration plans, saying they risked "great damage" to the UK's reputation.

Justin Welby said the Illegal Migration Bill would not stop small boat crossings, and it failed in "our moral responsibly" towards refugees.

He was speaking as the bill begins what is expected to be a rocky passage through the House of Lords.

But Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick urged peers to back the legislation.

Adding that the archbishop was "wrong" in his criticism, he said: "There is nothing moral about allowing the pernicious trade of people smugglers to continue.

"I want to see that stopped, and this bill is the only way to do that," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.

He added that critics of the bill, including opposition parties, had not suggested "any viable alternatives" to stop journeys across the Channel.

The bill, unveiled in March, is a key part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plan to "stop" small boats crossing the English Channel - which he has made a priority ahead of the next general election.

It will place a legal duty on the home secretary to detain and remove those arriving in the UK illegally, to Rwanda or another "safe" third country.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65535784

[Moonlight]

Green minister Lorna Slater criticised for using private ferry


Another case of "Do as I say and not as I do"
Green minister Lorna Slater was last night accused of a 'spectacular display of hypocrisy' for chartering a private catamaran to visit a Scottish island.
The beleaguered minister is set to travel to the Isle of Rum on the vessel today, instead of using a Scottish Government-owned CalMac ferry.
Ms Slater has previously been called a 'hypocrite' for urging Scots to abandon domestic flights before setting off on her own trips to Canada and Japan.
The fare for the 85-minute crossing would have cost Ms Slater £4.70 on the ferry network. I wonder how much it costs to charter a private catamaran, hundreds of pounds?.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-65570607

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuKIx5U91qg

[Moonlight]

^I remember the 2010 ConDem coalition, no TV presenter asked the electorate or the Labour Party if they were OK with that one, I'm finding it quite surprising that the Tory party and their shills are focusing on a LabDem coalition now. The Tories need to concentrate on fixing all the screwups they've caused over the last 13 years, get that right (if they can) and there won't be any need for a coalition with anyone, it was a dumb question anyway as the Tories wouldn't give her a truthful answer either.

Beth Rigby
I wondered where I'd heard that name before.
In December 2020, Rigby was criticised for breaching London's tier 2 COVID-19 restrictions by attending a restaurant to celebrate the birthday of Sky presenter Kay Burley, and was taken off air until March 2021.

Typical London centric knobhead, they have no bloody morals or shame.

[Jimbuna]

Early signs of a split in the Tory ranks but hardly surprising after the humiliating losses they suffered in last weeks local elections.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel will blame "those in power and control" of the Conservative Party for their heavy local election losses in a speech later.

Ms Patel will say "errors and mistakes made by a minority in Westminster have cost [the] party dearly".

She will be among several high-profile Tory MPs speaking to the Conservative Democratic Organisation, a new grassroots pro-Boris Johnson group.

The Tory Party said it had no comment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65579691

[Jimbuna]

This is a hot potato all UK political parties are frightened to make a definitive decision on.

HM Treasury would love to see the back of the expensive state pension commitment, but few politicians dare admit this in public.

Whenever they're asked, they squirm and twist and duck the question, because they're too scared to tell us the truth.

Loads of politicians would love to axe the triple lock, but they also want to win the next election.

They can't do both, and they know it.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/state-pension-triple-lock-in-new-election-threat-sunak-and-starmer-must-come-clean-now/ar-AA1b8coF?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=50177ff4575e4d819ddd3c911ff7d996&ei=24

[Moonlight]

^Me thinks it's time for some risky Politics.
If the polls at the next General Election are depicting a massive loss for one side or the other, wouldn't it be better to throw the "Triple Lock" into the mix and see what reaction they get from it.
So, they might end up losing the pensioner vote, but, and that's a big "But" by the way, couldn't they pick up a larger share of the younger vote to compensate for it. It will only become a problem when the younger voter turns into a pensioner voter and, everyone knows that the younger end don't look that far ahead.

[Ostfriese]

If things go on like this, the younger people won't have to worry about pensions - they won't get one.

[Jimbuna]

To be totally honest with you both I'm not all that bothered personally because I've been in receipt of my Police pension since 2010 and will receive my State pension this July, the being already in receipt of hers.

Two things bother me....the future impact on my children and granddaughter and the fact my State pension will take me well into the taxable deduction bracket.

[Jimbuna]

Something doesn't quite add up here....political interference perhaps?

Police in Scotland requested a warrant to search Nicola Sturgeon’s home during the SNP leadership race, but waited two weeks for it to be approved - after the contest was over, it has been alleged.

The Crown Office received the request on March 20, but it was not approved until April 3, the Scottish Sun reported.

Police arrested Ms Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, and searched the couple’s home in Glasgow, on April 5.

The Crown does not accept that there was any kind of delay, the paper reported, while Police Scotland declined to comment.

At the time, Police Scotland said a 58-year-old man was held in custody in connection with an investigation into the funding and finances of the party.

Mr Murrell was questioned by detectives for 11 hours before being released without charge. Investigators also searched the SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh.

Police continue to investigate allegations that the party misused £600,000 of donations.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/police-allegedly-waited-two-weeks-for-approval-of-warrant-to-search-nicola-sturgeon-s-house/ar-AA1beOu4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=d2acb13c58064b9896defe31fb4f47d9&ei=16

[Gorpet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjoSQ-lCA58To be totally honest with you both I'm not all that bothered personally because I've been in receipt of my Police pension since 2010 and will receive my State pension this July, the being already in receipt of hers.

Two things bother me....the future impact on my children and granddaughter and the fact my State pension will take me well into the taxable deduction bracket.

Jim, all is recorded into a computer. If the computer dies, and you have no paper...
You don't exist.When AI makes the decisions, it will let the most wealthy spend their days enjoying the planet.Yes the rich and the smartest have at this point in time decided and found out we are not leaving this planet. And they have no escape and no where to go. And humans unchecked breed 24 hrs a day 7 days a week 365 days a year. All around this planet.We have to many humans. So AI will make the decisions for the Elite and they can feel good. Knowing AI chose them ! the same people who decades in the past created the blueprint for AI...So they and their families will be the chosen for decades. Until the Edgar Friendly's are born.

I understand your concern, but the politicians, they live in a bubble that we as citizens allowed them to ascend to without any checks or balances.What is that old saying, let me in your house by your hearts decision and in the morning, you will be desolate and broke but you will still have your heart and beliefs. I didn't kill you in your sleep.

[Jimbuna]

You can pull the bugga down for all I care.

There is a risk Parliament could be destroyed by a "catastrophic incident" before repair works are carried out, a group of MPs has warned.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said there was a "critical need" to restore the building.

Up to £2m a week is being spent on repairs but there is still a growing list of health and safety incidents, some involving asbestos.

A Parliament spokesperson said work was under way to ensure people's safety.

The committee said the clerks of Parliament "finally seem to acknowledge publicly the enormity of this task, for which they are now personally accountable".

However, it said progress had been painfully slow with "years of procrastination" and that the focus has been on MPs rather than the thousands of staff and visitors who use the building.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65633976

[Otto Harkaman]

Important news! Royals in NYC involved in 2 hour high speed chase with paparazzi

https://youtu.be/ke_AW0y98c8

Yes Dailymail
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/05/18/20/71145561-12100211-Notably_not_one_person_I_spoke_to_nor_one_speaker_ or_honoree_men-a-15_1684437597435.jpg

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12100211/Harry-Meghans-account-near-catastrophic-car-chase-called-question.html

[Skybird]

https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-emmanuel-macron-vladimir-putin-lickspittle-weirdo-aide/


These two wont get friends in this life anymore... :D

[Jimbuna]

Important news! Royals in NYC involved in 2 hour high speed chase with paparazzi


I wouldn't believe a single word coming out of either of their mouths and I believe that opinion is gathering support here in the UK.

[Jimbuna]

This individual won't be missed in fact I should imagine Rishi and his gang will be overjoyed.

Former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab will stand down as an MP at the next election.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65678955

[Moonlight]

^The next General election is scheduled to be held no later than 28 January 2025, with Parliament being dissolved no later than 17 December 2024, Raab is going and I predict a lot more MP's will be exiting Westminster as well next year....... From both sides of the house.

I can see a LibDem resurgence on the horizon, not because their policies are any better than the Tories or the Labour party, but because most of those fuming Labour and Tory voters cannot see either Starmers mob, or Rishi's cronies, fixing what those two parties have done to the UK in the last 20 odd years or so.

The next election is going to be a dirty tricks one and a very bloody messy affair and those Tories are masters at that game, I'm guessing this Woke nonsense is going to be a major factor as well, Starmer, hanging his flag alongside the Woke flagpole and not being able to define what a woman is will probably cost him dearly with the female vote.

Those Red Wall seats the Tories won from Labour will go to the LibDems if they play their cards right, play one off against the other and pick up the pieces, job done. Migration is going to be another big player in the election as well, so, Woke, Migration, the Cost of Living Crisis and the NHS is going to give those out of touch MP's a kick in the nether regions next time out.

As it stands now, I predict an Hung Parliament with the LibDems as King Makers, but, as we know, anything could happen to upset that applecart, Starmer could say he defines as both a Labour MP and a Tory MP hoping to pickup the idiot vote and, there's hundreds of thousands of those pillocks in this country......

[Jimbuna]

No surprises here like. You know what they say.....Birds of a feather flock together.

Rishi Sunak has said Suella Braverman's handling of a speeding offence did not breach ministerial rules and would not be investigated.

The home secretary was caught speeding last year and asked officials for advice on arranging a private course.

Opposition parties had called for an inquiry into whether she had breached ministerial rules.

But after discussion with his ethics adviser, Mr Sunak said he thought an investigation was not necessary.

In a letter to Mrs Braverman, Mr Sunak said he had decided "these matters do not amount to a breach of the ministerial code", after speaking to Sir Laurie Magnus, who advises the government on ethics.

Mr Sunak said while action could have been taken to avoid "the perception of impropriety", he was nevertheless reassured that Mrs Braverman took "these matters seriously" and had "expressed regret".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65694017

[Moonlight]

The home secretary was caught speeding last year and asked officials for advice on arranging a private course.

^Asking her officials for advice on arranging a private course is monumentally different to demanding one, a storm in a bleeding teacup in my opinion and the PM thought so too.

Cesspit Suella and Fishy Rishi have more than a teacup storm to worry about this week as "Hurricane Migration" is just over the horizon, the legal net migration figures are out tomorrow and by all accounts they are dwarfing the previous annual record of 504,000.

The only thing Suella and Rishi haven't lost control over yet is their bladder and bowels, the right wing media may add that one to the list the moment the legal migration figures are published. All this talk this week from Suella and Rishi about reducing migration is a load of bleeding bollocks, the same tactic was used by Bozo Johnson and Priti Patell and they got sweet **** all done.

Do me a favour Suella, get to that dispatch box in the House of Commons, stand tall, stick your chest out and declare that "I'm a Bigger **** Up Than Priti Patel" sit down and listen to the reaction from both sides of the house.
The "Speaker of the House" is going to kick you out of the commons but don't worry about it, your new status as a Tory Legend will save your ass even though you don't deserve having it saved. :O:

[Moonlight]

Julia Hartley-Brewer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UgQSKPGTX4

I haven't seen Julia this angry in a long time.

Here's my thoughts on the Tories Migrant debacle, I won't be holding anything back as I prefer to let it all rip in one go, so, any of you from the UK who disagrees with me, that's your right as citizens to do so. It doesn't make it wrong though, it just needs you to get those rose tinted glasses off and take a good look at what 20 odd years of "Champagne Charlies" and "Pompous Tory Toffs" have wrought upon us.

How valid are Julia's statistics?, we people where I live believe the Tory government have demanded that the "ONS" "Cook those Books" again, those 700,000 to 900,000 plus figures were the true numbers and that's why the figures were mentioned in the first place.

Let Me Say That Not All Migrants Are Bad, But The Bad One's Outweigh The Benefits That The Good One's Bring.

The benefits to the economy will get a boost from the flood of migrants some MP's have said, "Really?" how exactly are students and their dependants fuelling that then?, where is that £100,000 plus a year coming from to pay their own way then?, if they don't have that amount coming in each year then they're holding that "Begging Bowl" out to Central or Local government aren't they?, me thinks those MP's are talking bollocks again as usual.

Then we have low skilled "Economic Migrants" from Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa flooding in by boat, trucks and cars, bleeding hell they'd hide under a dead rat if it was big enough. Not many of these "Economic Migrants" have any idea what a "Skill" is or what it actually bleeding means, so I don't know how they're going to earn £30,000 a year to live independently, No, they're going to be poncing off the UK taxpayer as usual, I will say this for them though, they're bleeding experts at holding a "Begging Bowl" out and going on crime sprees.

Our migrant prison populace were filling our prisons up faster than the judges could bang them in a cell, it got so bad that the Tory Government instructed magistrates and judges not to give anyone prison time except for the most serious of cases. It's no wonder we've got a huge bleeding crimewave going on all over the UK and the migrant drug gangs are fuelling most of it, it's easier to get hold of a 1lb of cocaine than it is a policeman these days. The Tory Party were all for law and order before the General Election of 2010, what the hell happened to them?, me thinks they had too many posh boys in charge who were totally out of their depth on the mean streets of the UK that the Labour Party had created.

We never had an housing crisis like this in the UK before the Labour party came to power in 1997, "Hold my Beer" said Tony Blair I'll fix that ****** for you, that pillock opened the floodgates and they've been wide open ever since. What we've always had since 1997 is a migrant crisis, and that's what's fuelling every problem the government are facing today, add to that the inability to stop the invasion by the "Illegal Boat Migrants" and that is where the problem lies, incompetent governments and the Whitehall Civil Servant Blob who are doing untold damage behind the scenes.

The first Tory Home Secretary we had was "Theresa Moronic May", who actually lost over 100,000 migrants, that bleeding Tory knobhead should have been hanged until she was dead for that one. Next came "Priti Useless Patel", who could "Talk the Talk" but could never "Walk the Walk" and finally we got "Cesspit Bleeding Suella" who couldn't organise a "Piss up in a Brewery".
The 3 worst Home Secretaries the UK have had in the last 100 years and they've all been women, what does that tell you, it tells me that all 3 of them identify as a "Useless Bleeding Currant" who should never have been selected as an MP in the first place.

Eh, Tories and their shag pieces you say, well I think that's a bit harsh to be fair but, most of us got royally screwed by those pompous bastards so I'm not going to say that you're wrong. :O:

There you are Fishy Rishi and Cesspit Suella, I've given you the cause of the UK's main problem, now it's time to strip these "Migrant Plastic Brits" of their citizenship along with all the "Migrant Criminals" you've given a home to.
You were warned what could happen by Enoch Powell in the 1960's but the Tory Party took no notice of him, Oh, if only I could resurrect him for a couple of years he'd put a rocket under all of your bleeding asses.

[MGR1]

Has anyone considered the possibility that the people traffickers on the Channel Route might be supported covertly by Russia's FSB?

What better way to put pressure on one of Ukraine's strongest allies than exacerbate an already existing migration problem?

Mike.:hmmm:

[Moonlight]

^Its possible, although I highly doubt that they've been wasting billions of rubles over the last 20 years on these migrants. Could they have been helping to fund the "Illegal Migrants" since their war with Ukraine started?, now that is a possibility, even Putin would have a good bleeding laugh over that scenario, no matter how much it cost him.

But, we all know Putin doesn't have to do that, the UK government are clothing these "illegal migrant pillocks", feeding them, housing them and giving them money to buy fags and whatnot.
Its as if these Tories have a big sign over their heads saying "We Are The Super Dickheads Of The World".
I think we've come to the realisation that the Tories and the Labour Party are not the parties who have a solution to this problem, and that begs the question of, if they haven't got the answer to it "Why Should We Bleeding Vote For Them". Now, if questions like that were asked of these politicians then they'd start looking at each other and thinking "I could lose my seat in Westminster if I give the wrong bleeding answer to this question". But, yet again, we haven't got many journalists who aren't part of the arse licker political elites have we. :haha:

We're all screwed and we all know it.

[Moonlight]

I was going to do another piece on the migration figures today until I was sent a link to this video below, I'll let Nigel do the talking as he has more inside knowledge than I have.

The Tory Migrant Explosion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RShPLuatKdU

I knew those Tories had cooked the bloody books again, come on you lot, you knew they had as well.

Its A Bleeding Invasion.

Jesus Bleeding Christ Nigel, this hasn't been a migration problem over the last 20 odd years, its been an invasion problem which has been aided and abetted by the 2 main political parties. Lets not forget the involvement of big business who want cheap foreign minimum wage workers, the last 13 years have been a tory and big business stitch up, I always wondered how the Tories could be so incompetent, well it turns out that they were just following instructions from their boardroom masters.
No, big business didn't want or need workers with skills, what they wanted were workers with the intellectual capacity of a bleeding slug and, the Tory Party were happy to help them out with that one.

Bleeding Currants.

[MGR1]

Ehhh.... I am very much of the opinion that the Russians have their hooks into Farage and others like him.:hmmm:

Mike.

[Moonlight]

That might be true and then again it might not, you can't go throwing such accusations about without some evidence to back it up or you could end up in front of a judge.
Now, if you want to throw accusations of that sort against the Tories I would nod my head in agreement with you, they were in bed with those Russian Oligarchs for far too long imo. I used to have nightmares about Theresa May getting shagged by those obese Russian Oligarchs who were constantly waving their members about like an AK47, I still shudder at the thought of that, oh bollocks where's my Valium.

[Jimbuna]

Totally predictable and inevitable when taking into consideration the turmoil and chaos currently within the SNP ranks.

SNP split as eight politicians announce plans for new party
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/snp-split-as-eight-politicians-announce-plans-for-new-party/ar-AA1bJrT7?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=54541457373d42c39e61d7bfd0bf6c3b&ei=65

[MGR1]

BBC News had that a few days ago:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-65696135

Sounds like council sleaze rather than anything earth shaking in terms of the main party.

There's a lot of sleaze and general corruption at council level in Scotland and it isn't confined to any one party or any one council area. They're all as bad as each other.:down:

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

I doubt England is any different regarding the 'sleaze stakes'.

[Moonlight]

Why can't our Police and government use these methods as well, our coppers have truncheons and tasers so its about time they started bleeding using them.
I would bring a new law in that exonerates the police of any blame if they happen to kill injure any of these protestors, the police wouldn't have needed to be there in the first place if these "Infected Hive Mind" idiots had stayed at home and got themselves a good bloody wash for once.

Dutch Police 1-0 Infected Hive Mind.

Extinction Rebellion protest in Netherlands ends with 1,500 arrested.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65735289

[Jimbuna]

Well he would say that wouldn't he.



Boris Johnson has insisted that there is nothing in his diary entries that shows further rule-breaking during the Covid pandemic.

He was referred to police last week following a review of his official diary as part of the Covid inquiry.

He said the diary entries were "completely innocent".

He added that the diaries, from his time in Downing Street, "merely record entries in my day".

The short interview is Mr Johnson's first public comment on the latest development and he said: "This whole thing is a load of nonsense from beginning to end."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65731507

[Moonlight]

Illegal Migration, the Grim facts.

According to the National Crime Agency, 80 Albanian migrants some of whom may have been here legally have been sentenced to a collective 130 years in jail in the first four months of 2023.

These people have been convicted of murder, manslaughter, rape, violent disorder, firearm offences, kidnap, causing death by dangerous driving, burglary and the illegal production of cannabis.

A second statistic, revealed by the Home Office, Some 12,800 Albanians who entered the UK illegally have broken their bail conditions in 15 months from the beginning of last year. In all, 44,957 migrants of all nationalities breached their bail conditions during this period.

The cost of imprisoning the 80 Albanians unfortunate, or careless, enough to be apprehended is £57,000 per criminal per year (more than the fees at Eton) and £20 million to house all these offenders for their time in jail. Another interesting fact is that there are more Albanians in prison — 1,393 at the latest count — than any other foreign nationality.

I wonder what would happen if these migrant crimes involved the MP's and those other pillocks in the House of Lords, then again I think a lot of the males would be trembling with anticipation at the thought of being raped by a young lusty fella again.

[Jimbuna]

Something doesn'y quite add up here.....unless you have something to hide.

The government is to launch a legal challenge over the Covid inquiry's demand for WhatsApp messages and documents.

Officials missed a 4pm deadline to disclose messages between Boris Johnson and his advisers during the pandemic, as well as his diaries and notebooks.

The government has refused to disclose some of the material, arguing it is not relevant to the inquiry's work.

But the inquiry's boss says deciding what is relevant should be her job.

Crossbench peer Baroness Hallett, the inquiry chairwoman, says she needs to see the messages to see if they are relevant to its remit.

The government, however, says disclosing the requested material would breach individuals' right to privacy and undermine the ability of ministers to discuss policy matters in the future.

It has said it will apply for a judicial review, where a judge would decide whether the inquiry had overreached its legal powers to demand evidence.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65782535

[Jimbuna]

I find it strange at best that our Prime Minister, a child of immigrant parents should feel the need to focus on illegal immigrants so heavily and at the cost of so many other pressing problems such a poverty, inflation and the energy crisis.

Yes, illegal immigrants are a cause of concern to many but so is the state of so many other problems.

Two new barges have been purchased to house up to 1,000 migrants, the prime minister has announced, as he said plans to tackle small boats crossing the Channel are working.

Rishi Sunak said the location of the new barges will be announced soon.

It comes as the PM said the numbers making the crossing by small boats were down by a fifth since last year.

He said a returns deal with Albania had led to 1,800 people being sent back to the country.

The first barge to hold asylum seekers is due to dock in Portland Port this month, and will house 500 adult males claiming asylum in the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65810728

[Jimbuna]

Looks like you're on your own Rishi but that hardly surprises me.

‘No one wants to join Rishi Sunak’s crusade,’ say EU officials as Prime Minister hails small boats plan

While European Union countries, including France, see illegal migration as a political hot potato, they have little incentive to help Britain or join Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s “crusade” against asylum seekers, officials and experts say.

Mr Sunak claimed on Monday that his migrant plan was “starting to work” and that numbers crossing the Channel this year were down by a fifth compared to the same period last year.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/no-one-wants-to-join-rishi-sunak-s-crusade-say-eu-officials-as-prime-minister-hails-small-boats-plan/ar-AA1cd1X9?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=a00d36060a944e328b1caf2c9c3bb29d&ei=9

[Jimbuna]

UK firms could gain access to US green funding as part of plans to boost UK and US ties announced by Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden.

The pair unveiled the Atlantic Declaration, to strengthen economic ties between the two countries, at a White House press conference.

The PM said the agreement, which falls short of a full trade deal would bring benefits "as quickly as possible".

[Jimbuna]

I never thought I'd live long enough to see this day but it is loooong overdue.

GOOD RIDDANCE! and don't bother worming your way back.

Boris Johnson is stepping down as an MP after claiming he was "forced out of Parliament" over Partygate.

The former PM saw in advance a report by a committee of MPs over whether he misled the Commons.

In an explosive resignation statement he calls the committee a "kangaroo court" whose purpose "has been to find me guilty"

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner labelled Johnson a "coward" who "doesn't accept responsibility for his own actions"

Chris Bryant, the Labour chair of the Privileges Committee, says the ex-PM has "run for the hills"

Johnson's resignation will trigger a by-election in his west London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Will Walden, his former adviser, says he doesn't think it's "the end" for Johnson - "he is preparing himself for what might be next"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-65860705

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/434rPHr9/444.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/8599TKsR/555.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Moonlight]

Bozo Johnson gone and Nadine Dorries gone, both on the same day too, those by-elections will test the mood of those two Tory constituencies, will they hold them?, yes, but they've never fought for those seats in the economic conditions that are upon us today, so they're in for a war. 7,210 majority for Bozo in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency and 24,664 for Nadine in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency, let the lies and deceit commence, :haha: plus, the dirty tricks brigade from all 3 parties will be out in force.
"TIP" if you want to know the winner before the results are confirmed just follow the blood trails from each nominee, some of them will be needing blood transfusions on a daily basis so they'd better get some battle hardened candidates in.

The upbringing of Harriet and Nadine.
In an alternative universe somewhere these two MP's have been switched at birth and have been given to the wrong families, the realisation years later by the women would make for a great Black Mirror episode written by "Charlie Brooker". he might even make an 8 to 10 part series out of the lives of these two women, hmmmm, I wonder what Charlie and his wife "Konnie Huq" could cook up with this scenario eh?.

Harriet Harman, a Labour Party MP who was brought up to be a next generation Champagne Charlotte.

Early life and career.
Harriet Ruth Harman was born at 108 Harley Street in London, and privately educated at St Paul's Girls' School. She is a daughter of John Bishop Harman, a Harley Street doctor, and his wife Anna née Spicer, a barrister, who gave up practising when she had children and who was the Liberal Party candidate for Hertford in the 1964 general election. Harman's paternal grandfather Nathaniel Bishop Harman, an ophthalmic surgeon, was a prominent Unitarian and the Spicer family were well-known Congregationalists. Her paternal aunt was Elizabeth Pakenham, Countess of Longford (née Harman), the wife of former Labour minister Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, and her cousins include the writers Lady Antonia Fraser, Lady Rachel Billington and Thomas Pakenham, Earl of Longford. Her great-grandfather was Arthur Chamberlain a industrialist. Harman is a great-great-niece of the Liberal statesman Joseph Chamberlain, and is a cousin once removed of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and former Foreign Secretary Austen Chamberlain. She is also related to Liberal politician Richard Chamberlain, MP. Through her uncle Lord Pakenham she is related by marriage to former Prime Minister David Cameron, whom she faced as Leader of the Opposition. Her cousin Rachel Billington is also godmother to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Nadine Dorries, a Conservative Party MP who was brought up as a next generation member of the Tory Party and, boy oh boy, did that out of touch Tory Party need these next gen members.

Early life and career.
Dorries was born Nadine Vanessa Bargery in Liverpool on 21 May 1957. Her father, a Catholic of Irish descent, was a bus driver who became a lift operator and had Raynaud's disease. She was brought up in the Anfield district of Liverpool, where she attended Rose Heath Primary School. She then attended Halewood Grange Comprehensive School before moving with her family to Runcorn. She grew up on a council estate and entered nursing in 1975 as a trainee at Warrington General Hospital. According to an interview with The Times in 2014, Dorries' parents divorced during her adolescence. While training to be a nurse at 21, she shared a flat with her father. He died at the age of 42. From 1978 to 1981, Dorries was a nurse in Warrington and Liverpool according to a 2009 report. Her CV when she was a parliamentary candidate in 2001 stated Liverpool and London as places where she worked as a nurse. She left the Liverpool area after she married mining engineer Paul Dorries.
As Nadine Bargery, she was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for Hazel Grove, near Manchester in spring 2000. Her candidacy split the constituency party, and she was briefly deselected in August[12] before being imposed by Conservative Central Office. Dorries worked for three years as a special adviser to Oliver Letwin, when Shadow Chancellor, to sort out his relations with the media amongst other things.

[Jimbuna]

There are whispers abounding that Zahawi may also walk.

[Moonlight]

Everyone of them from both sides of the house can walk as far as I'm concerned, those Lords can bleeding join them as well, when we used to talk of political corruption we cast our eyes upon third world countries, not anymore we don't, point at any MP and you know they're up to their eyebrows in corruption.

There needs to be radical changes made at Westminster and it needs to be done now, the entire rotten system needs replacing and that goes for the civil service as well.

[Moonlight]

What is Fishy Rishi going to do?, a full on General Election at this time would see that 80 seat majority disappear and Fishy Rishi would go down with them, he has to wait until next Autumn and hope the economic woes can be fixed in time, it won't save his premiership though as the backbenchers will see him as too much of a liability.

When will the 3 bi-elections take place, my best guess would be somewhere on or near July 13th to July 19th, will Fishy Rishi hold all 3 of them at the same time?, me thinks he will and it needs to be done before the summer recess. Get the pain over all at the same time Fishy, stretch the other parties finances out at the same time and use the "divide and conquer" tactics that the Tories are famed for, you know you have to do it, so get those knives sharpened.

Could we see a Lib-Lab pact where Labour would be free to target Bozo's old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip without any interference from the LibDems, undoubtedly, although they'll both deny it of course. That leaves the LibDems to target Nadines old rural seat of Mid-Bedfordshire without any interference from Labour, politics is a dirty old game and those Tories are masters of it, but this time they're in a room with just one door and the LibDems and Labour are guarding it.
What about the Selby and Ainsty bi-election?, probably all 3 parties will be free to get the knives out in a no holds barred back stabbing knife fight, they will need their best candidates in that bi-election as no party will be holding back. Christ almighty, these politicians have no honour anymore, I expect the Tories to hold this seat but with a reduced majority, as for the other 2 elections, if the above scenario happens then I wouldn't bet on that outcome.

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson's resignation honours list

Peerages:

Shaun Bailey - Conservative member of the London Assembly and former London mayoral candidate
Benjamin Gascoigne - Former political secretary and deputy chief of staff
Benjamin Houchen - Tees Valley Mayor
Ross Kempsell - Political director of the Conservative Party and Director of the Conservative Research Department
Charlotte Tranter Owen - Former special adviser
Kulveer Singh Ranger - Formerly Director of Transport for Boris Johnson while Mayor of London
Daniel Rosenfield - Former Downing Street Chief of Staff

Damehoods:

Andrea Jenkyns MP - Former Assistant Whip and Minister for Skills. For political and public service;
Amanda Milling MP - Former Minister without Portfolio. For political and public service;
Priti Patel MP - Former Home Secretary. For political and public service;
Ann Sindall - Personal Assistant to Boris Johnson. For political and public service;
Michelle Williams-Walker - Former Special Adviser and Head of Operations for the Prime Minister. For political and public service.

Knighthoods:

Conor Burns MP - Former Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office. For political and public service;
Simon Clarke MP - Former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Chief Secretary to the Treasury. For political and public service;
Benjamin William Elliot - Former Co-Chair of the Conservative Party. For political and public service;
Michael Fabricant MP - Conservative MP for Lichfield. For political and public service;
William John Lewis - Political Adviser to Boris Johnson MP. For political and public service;
Jacob Rees-Mogg MP - Former Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency. For political and public service.

Order of the Bath:

Martin Reynolds - Former Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. For public service.

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire:

Guto Harri - Former Director of Communications at Downing Street and London City Hall. For political and public service;
Rosemary Bate-Williams - Former Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. For political and public service;
David Joseph Blair - Former Foreign Affairs Speechwriter to the Prime Minister and Former Chief Foreign Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. For public service;
Colin Cromarty Bloom - Former Faith Engagement Adviser to the Prime Minister. For political and public service;
Henry Charles Rixar Cook - Former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister. For political and public service;
Jack Doyle - Former Downing Street Director of Communications. For political and public service;
Roisha Maria Hughes - Former Principal Private Secretary to the Mayor of London. For public service;
Ray Arthur Lewis - Former Deputy Mayor of London. For political and public service.

Officers of the Order of the British Empire:

David Bruno John Canzini - Former Political Adviser to the Prime Minister. For political and public service;
Samantha Helen Cohen CVO - Former Director of the Office of the Prime Minister. For political and public service;
Alexander Karczewski Crowley - Former Political Adviser to the Prime Minister. For political and public service;
Rebecca Rose Haggar-Kaikitis - Councillor, London Borough of Hillingdon. For political and public service;
Samantha Geraldine Harrison - Former interim Permanent Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Office of the Prime Minister. For public service;
Benjamin Robert Mallet - Former Strategy Director for the General Election and London Campaign Director. For political and public service;
Robert Mark Raymond Oxley - Former Press Secretary at Downing Street. For political and public service;
Daniel James Ritterband - Former Head of the Mayor of London Campaign. For political and public service;
Sarah Elizabeth Rebecca Vaughan-Brown - Former Personal Adviser to Carrie Johnson. For political and public service.
Dr William Gerald Winter Warr - Senior Vice President, Global Health Strategy at BioNTech, former Senior Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Health, Social Care and Life Sciences. For political and public service;
Catherine Grace Rostron OBE - Senior Parliamentary Assistant and Special Adviser to Boris Johnson. For political and public service.

Members of the Order of the British Empire:

Kelly Jo Dodge - Long-time Parliamentary hairdresser. For Parliamentary service;
Andrea Laybourne - Former Parliamentary Secretary to Boris Johnson. For political and public service;
Richard John Mark - Senior Parliamentary Assistant to Boris Johnson. For political and public service;
Gregory Alexander Munro - Senior Assistant and Adviser to Boris Johnson. For political and public service;
Alexander Joseph Bryan Simpson - Former Parliamentary and Constituency Secretary to Boris Johnson. For political and public service;
Lynda Teresa Summers - Former London Borough of Hillingdon. For public service.

[Jimbuna]

How he once mighty has fallen.

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP.

Police confirmed a 52-year-old woman was taken into custody on Sunday and is being questioned by detectives.

[Skybird]

"Der britische Gentleman schweigt und geniesst." :D

[Jimbuna]

Simply rewarding as many of those as possible who either turned a blind eye or supported him throughout all his wrongdoing over the years.

[MGR1]

How he once mighty has fallen.
Has now been released without charge:
17:52BREAKING: Nicola Sturgeon released from police custody without charge

Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge pending further investigations after being arrested by police earlier on Sunday.
Police Scotland confirmed that the former first minister had been arrested at 10:09 and then released from custody at 17:42 after being questioned by detectives.
"A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service," said the force in a statement.
"The matter remains active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media.
"As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further."

We've also been reminded that Contempt of Court is subject to much more draconian conditions under Scottish Law than what applies in England and Wales.

Mike.:hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

No pictures?

If so, was she wearing her wedding ring? :)

[Jimbuna]

Simply rewarding as many of those as possible who either turned a blind eye or supported him throughout all his wrongdoing over the years.

Looks like we might see an amended list soon.

Half of the peerages Boris Johnson submitted in his resignation honours were vetoed by the appointments committee, but Rishi Sunak had no involvement, No10 sources have insisted.

With Mr Sunak facing accusations that he meddled with the list of House of Lords nominations, a Downing Street source told i that all 16 peerages originally proposed by Mr Johnson were passed on to the independent vetting body without any changes made.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) then rejected half of them before one more voluntarily withdrew from nomination.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/eight-of-boris-johnson-s-peerages-blocked-by-committee-but-no10-insists-rishi-sunak-had-no-involvement/ar-AA1cpfMs?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=c030ef370e734dcc9e1c7e7b22ba2409&ei=10

EDIT: No, I think the list already posted is the definitive one.

[MGR1]

No pictures?

If so, was she wearing her wedding ring? :)


Probably afraid of legal consequences, even for that.:o

There's been very little discussion in the Scottish media about all of this.

Looks like the "Scottish Establishment" hasn't been shy about wielding the threat of the legal cudgel to anyone who indulges in speculation.

Mike.:hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

https://i.postimg.cc/vBKz91mR/1111.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/T2z8v1JH/2222.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Moonlight]

Fishy Rishi and his 5 pledges.

Inflation, Growing the economy, National debt falling, Falling NHS waiting lists, Illegal migration.

Ah yes Fishy, but, you're trying to use Legal Migration to grow the economy you stupid currant, as usual you've fallen back to using Tory ploys to keep wages down instead of increasing them, its all been tried before you idiot.
How's the other 4 pledges going then Fishy?, aaaah I see, later this year\early next year, me thinks you're hoping market forces around the world are going to come and rescue your premiership you idiot, dangerous times old boy.
One more thing Fishy, get rid of Jeremy Hunt, he's out of his depth as Chancellor of the Exchequer and he's the thickest man ever to wear a suit as well, his head desperately needs to meet a full bucket of water and the sooner the better.

This Bozo bollocks you political pygmies have caused is going to screw up those bi-elections his resignation has caused, on top of that there's unrest amongst your backbenchers, keep your eyes wide open and your knives sharpened because you don't want a civil war happening at this time.

That Starmer pillock has done nothing since the 2019 GE and he's leading the bloody polls, we could have a new PM next year who's done **** all but still becomes Prime Minister. Hehehe, Starmer thinks some women can have a bleeding penis as well, Jesus ******* Christ my heads hurting, why don't you all **** off and leave us peasants to fix things for you.

[Jimbuna]

It would appear the current PM and former PM are at war with each other.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

Rishi Sunak has accused Boris Johnson of asking him to "overrule" a panel vetting his resignation list appointments to the House of Lords.

But Mr Johnson has hit back in a fiery statement, accusing Mr Sunak of "talking rubbish".

The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) has confirmed it rejected eight of the former prime minister's nominations.

Earlier, Mr Sunak said Mr Johnson asked him to override their recommendations.

Mr Sunak said he refused, adding it was "something I wasn't prepared to do".

"I didn't think that was right. And if people don't like that, then tough," Mr Sunak told a tech conference in London.

A few hours later, Mr Johnson told the BBC it "was not necessary to overrule HOLAC - but simply to ask them to renew their vetting, which was a mere formality".

The intervention marks a new point in an escalating war of words over Mr Johnson's controversial resignation honours list.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65876723

[Moonlight]

Parliamentary debate on rewriting the equality law.
The purpose of the debate was to determine whether equality laws should be rewritten on the basis of biology rather than gender identity, thus ending the current muddle which allows transgender women to access female-only spaces including hospital wards, prisons and toilets.

About bloody time as well, this should take 3 to 4 hours max, afterwards they can nip into one of Westminsters bars, get pissed as a Lord and slap each other on the back for being such brainy bastards.

Oh My Giddy Aunt.
The debates barely begun and an attention-seeking thick currant called Layla Moran (Lib Dem, Oxford W) intervened to register her protest that the debate was even happening. She claimed it was likely to scare transgender people. Ms Moran, in case you hadn't noticed, is very much on the side of the snowflakes.

WTF, didn't these idiots get the memo from the public to get this sorted out and fast, apparently not.

Its Gonna Be A Long Day.
It wasn't long before tempers began to fray. Miriam Cates (Con, Penistone), who felt the difference between a man and a woman was as obvious as the difference between up and down, told a story about an NHS worker (born a man) who won a case against a hospital after it raised concerns that they had been naked from the waist down in the women's changing room. Hannah Bardell (SNP, Livingston) angrily accused Ms Cates of characterising trans people as predators. Ms Cates remained resolutely unapologetic.

On And On It Went.
Speech of the day went to Rosie Duffield (Lab, Canterbury) who of course has been a brave Parliamentarian voice in advocating the need to protect female-only spaces, much to her own personal cost. She announced she was in favour of the law being amended.'That's not exactly going to surprise people here,' she joked.
Ms Duffield described the gender identity issue as so toxic she actually 'looked back fondly' at the abuse she received during Labour's anti-Semitism saga compared to the 'spite, vitriol, trolling and daily defamation' she received nowadays.
Incidentally, last time Ms Duffield spoke out in favour of women's rights in the Commons, she was heckled aggressively by her own side. When she arrived at yesterday's debate she sat in a different section to her Labour colleagues. Deliberate? You betcha.

I Have No Idea If It Finished Or Not, It Probably Ended Up Going Down Another Government Rabbit Hole As Usual.

Update.

Setback in fight to protect key women's rights as MPs clash over the shake-up of the Equality Act

Ministers last night dashed hopes that equality law will be clarified swiftly to protect women's rights.
A heated Parliamentary debate heard that the Government wants to take its time to consider proposals to rewrite the Equality Act 2010 on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity, which would bar transgender women from female-only spaces.
Women's Minister Maria Caulfield told MPs: 'These issues under discussion today are complex, and we need to be proceeding carefully and respectfully.

All Females Should Throw Their Support Behind This Young Lady, without ladies like Rosie Duffield you would never have had the voices that you have today.
Heroine Status 8.8\10

Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who faced online abuse for standing up for women's rights, said that although the Equality Act was meant to ensure that organisations treat trans people fairly, 'this did not mean requiring other people to pretend they believe that being trans, for example someone who's born male and perhaps changes their name, their clothes, who might take hormones or even have some physical surgery, is the same as being a woman'.

Backbencher Miriam Cates (Con, Penistone) sparked uproar by saying that 'aggressive misogynistic trans activism' meant 'ordinary women are frightened to go to hospital, ordinary men fear for the safety of their daughters in public toilets' and 'ordinary children are subjected to a psychological experiment which they are told they can choose their gender'.

The SNP's Hannah Bardell intervened, saying 'trans people are being characterised as predators'. Fellow SNP MP Kirsty Blackman sparked incredulity when she claimed: 'I have no idea what my chromosomes are. I have an assumption that they are probably XY but I don't know.'

Tory backbencher Nick Fletcher said that trans inclusion could spell the end of women's sport. 'Many girls will see what is happening… and think: what's the point?' he said.

I'm going to hang my head in shame for the rest of the day for being a human being, how we got to this stage I'll probably never know, one thing I do know for a fact is that human beings are "Inherently Stupid". :haha:

[Jimbuna]

I'm sorry Nadine but it is not a nailed on certainty that every sycophant of Boris will find themselves being an automatic beneficiary.

Nadine Dorries says sinister forces stopped her peerage
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65888166

[Skybird]

Parliamentary debate on rewriting the equality law.
The purpose of the debate was to determine whether equality laws should be rewritten on the basis of biology rather than gender identity, thus ending the current muddle which allows transgender women to access female-only spaces including hospital wards, prisons and toilets.

About bloody time as well, this should take 3 to 4 hours max, afterwards they can nip into one of Westminsters bars, get pissed as a Lord and slap each other on the back for being such brainy bastards.

Oh My Giddy Aunt.
The debates barely begun and an attention-seeking thick currant called Layla Moran (Lib Dem, Oxford W) intervened to register her protest that the debate was even happening. She claimed it was likely to scare transgender people. Ms Moran, in case you hadn't noticed, is very much on the side of the snowflakes.

WTF, didn't these idiots get the memo from the public to get this sorted out and fast, apparently not.

Its Gonna Be A Long Day.
It wasn't long before tempers began to fray. Miriam Cates (Con, Penistone), who felt the difference between a man and a woman was as obvious as the difference between up and down, told a story about an NHS worker (born a man) who won a case against a hospital after it raised concerns that they had been naked from the waist down in the women's changing room. Hannah Bardell (SNP, Livingston) angrily accused Ms Cates of characterising trans people as predators. Ms Cates remained resolutely unapologetic.

On And On It Went.
Speech of the day went to Rosie Duffield (Lab, Canterbury) who of course has been a brave Parliamentarian voice in advocating the need to protect female-only spaces, much to her own personal cost. She announced she was in favour of the law being amended.'That's not exactly going to surprise people here,' she joked.
Ms Duffield described the gender identity issue as so toxic she actually 'looked back fondly' at the abuse she received during Labour's anti-Semitism saga compared to the 'spite, vitriol, trolling and daily defamation' she received nowadays.
Incidentally, last time Ms Duffield spoke out in favour of women's rights in the Commons, she was heckled aggressively by her own side. When she arrived at yesterday's debate she sat in a different section to her Labour colleagues. Deliberate? You betcha.

I Have No Idea If It Finished Or Not, It Probably Ended Up Going Down Another Government Rabbit Hole As Usual.

The author of the follwing essay describes herself as trans-woman and is a biologist. Sane reason what she says, I have no problem with it. The problem are the freaks, as I call them: activists who make noise to please their own narcissism, completely derail any discussion by raising maximum demands beyond the absurd and beyond the scientifically defendable and who think they must piss off everybody by using every opportunity to push their ideoligy down people'S throats and even abuse children still at grammar school to brainwash them and confuse them and sexualise them.

https://www-achgut-com.translate.goog/artikel/psychopathen_dummies_verirrte_gedanken_einer_trans frau?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp (https://www-achgut-com.translate.goog/artikel/psychopathen_dummies_verirrte_gedanken_einer_trans frau?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp)

[Moonlight]

Aaaahhh Nadine Dorries, they didn't call her "Mad Nad" for nothing you know, she was born a peasant but she rose through the ranks to become an MP, you have to give her some credit for that.
I always liked her for some unknown reason that I can't explain, she was always one of those MPs who I loved watching when she screwed up, the Channel 4 fiasco was "Mad Nad" at her best, or should that be her worst.

I wasn't shocked when I heard she'd thrown her Teddy out of the pram and resigned over the peerage she'd been promised by Bozo, truth be told, she never deserved one in the first place but, I do think some scores were being settled by some unknown political pygmy in the background.

Yep, and that political pygmy is, James Forsyth, Sunaks political secretary has his dirty fingerprints all over Bozo's honours list, he'd be in prime position to remove Nadine's name from it, a thoroughly dislikeable bastard even on his best day.

Bye bye Nad, you gave me some laughs over the years and some raised eyebrows as well, I did hear a couple of times that you were well worth a grope behind the bike shed as well, but that's just hearsay, did you?, ooh Nad, you little hussy.

[Moonlight]

Slow-walk protest law heads for further Lords clash

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65868314

[Jimbuna]

I give thanks I no longer have a mortgage or any debt but I did graft for the privileged position I currently find myself in.

The UK has "no alternative" but to hike interest rates in a bid to tackle rising prices, the chancellor has said.

Jeremy Hunt said inflation - the rate at which prices rise - was the "number one challenge we face".

He said the government would be "unstinting in our support" for the Bank of England "to do what it takes" to slow inflation.

Rising interest rates and mortgage costs weighed on UK economic growth in April.

Borrowing costs have been steadily rising since December 2021 to a current 4.5% in an attempt to slow consumer price inflation, which stands at 8.7%.

This is more than four times the Bank of England's 2% inflation target.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65891838

[Moonlight]

I've never lived in rented accommodation or ever needed a mortgage either so I've always been perplexed as to why the mortgage holders have to suffer these market conditions. Its always been a big business\government con in my opinion, the devastation on hard working families finances by those 2 entities above is the biggest bleeding scandal of all scandals.

Nadine Dorries keeps party waiting on by-election

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65898515

Is Nadine about to cause some mischief I wonder?, if she put her resignation in to Jeremy Hunt in the next couple of days all the bi-elections can be held at the same time. But, if she keeps her party waiting, she could force them into a potentially divisive by-election later on - for example, ahead of the autumn party conference season.

Hehehe, Mad Nad's in the driving seat with this one, I wouldn't blame her either for sticking it right into Sunak's back, he's probably already factored this in and he and his top team will be having kittens if it goes to an Autumn bi-election. You caused this Fishy, if you hadn't treated her so poorly over Bozo's honours list this Autumn bi-election nightmare would never have even surfaced, you know what they say about a woman scorned don't you you bleeding idiot, lets hope she sticks the knife in where its going to hurt the most.

I've been told that she's gone off kangaroo testicles and she fancies some testicles that are a bit richer in taste, be careful Fishy, you could end up getting "de-bollocked".

[Jimbuna]

I've tidied up those two deletions for you Sky :03:

[Jimbuna]

The government has confirmed a by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, the former constituency of ex-prime minister Boris Johnson.

Business in the House of Commons began earlier with government Chief Whip Simon Hart issuing the writs for the vacant seat.

The by-election will take place between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ.

[Jimbuna]

Well then, no surprises here then. I reckon the vast majority of the British electorate will agree with the committees findings.

A report by MPs says ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown parties at No 10

The committee says it would have recommended suspending Johnson from the House for 90 days.

It says he deliberately misled the House, the committee, impugned the committee and was “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the Committee"

It also recommends the former PM should not get a pass which allows ex-MPs to access Parliament after they leave.

Last week, Johnson stepped down as a Tory MP after being given advance sight of the Privileges Committee's report.

In an explosive statement, he called the committee a "kangaroo court" whose purpose "has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts"

Johnson has admitted his statements misled Parliament but denied doing so intentionally or recklessly.

The committee make recommendations, but it is up to the Commons to decide whether to accept them.

[Jimbuna]

I find it quite appalling that this national embarrassment is in line for so many perks at the taxpayers expense.

What perks will Boris Johnson get after quitting as an MP?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65890193?xtor=ES-211-[61898_PANUK_DIV_24_NCA_BorisMisledMPsPartygate_RET _ABC]-20230615-[bbcnews_whatperkswillborisjohnsongetafterquittinga sanmppartygate_newspolitics]

[Jimbuna]

It would appear that the Lying King has already sorted out another money spinner for himself, possibly as the new columnist on the Daily Mail.

He'll be on a very high six-figure sum salary to pen a weekly column which starts tomorrow.

This will no doubt be a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

[Jimbuna]

This guy keeps on digging a deeper and deeper grave for himself.

Boris Johnson has committed a "clear breach" of the ministerial code by not clearing a new role writing a column for the Daily Mail with the parliamentary authorities.

The committee that vets ex-ministers' appointments says he informed them only half an hour before the news emerged.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65930008

[Moonlight]

Well, we'll see what happens in the House of Commons next week, me thinks there could be some fireworks tossed into the fray, that's political talk for some truth bomb accusations being directed at certain politicians, tin helmets and body armour might also be needed. :haha:

ANDREW NEIL: How on earth have the Tories managed to enrage both Generation Rent AND Generation Mortgage?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-12204401/ANDREW-NEIL-Tories-managed-enrage-Generation-Rent-Generation-Mortgage.html

That's an easy one old boy, the Tories don't give a **** about the little people, they never have done and they never will do, that's until they need your vote. We've had nothing but incompetent buffoons running the country since the GE of 2010, it's not surprising either that the opposition parties have been an even bigger set of incompetent buffoons since the Tories have been in power.

The case for the prosecution.
The UK national debt in 2010. £1,076.6 billion
The UK national debt in 2023. £2,536.9 billion
The prosecution rests it's case.

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson has asked his supporters not to vote against a report that found he intentionally misled Parliament.

The Commons is expected to approve the Privileges Committee's recommendations - which will strip Mr Johnson of his right to a parliamentary pass.

Has he eventually come to his senses and realise just about everyone is sick to the back teeth of his shenanigans?

I'm not overly confident that is the case but time will tell.

[Moonlight]

Incompetence and the Tories.

EXCLUSIVE Albanian armed robber who was sent home after using a fake name to get UK passport is back in Britain

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12204283/Albanian-armed-robber-sent-home-using-fake-Britain.html

Oh well, I'm glad the Labour Party weren't in power at the time as they would have given him immunity from being deported in the first place.

Westminster needs to be cleansed of these incompetents and fast, 90% of them need kicking out of the House of Commons and the same should be applied to the House of Lords.

The Tories are probably going to be hit with a triple whammy at the next General Election, not only the economy and the cost of living is going to give you a kick in the backside but, the former Red Wall seats that are now Blue could turn Red, Blue or Yellow.
Meanwhile up in Scotland I expect to see the SNP support collapsing quite a bit with the Red, Blue and the Yellow colour of the LibDems making a comeback, this could be the strangest General Election I've ever witnessed, interesting times cometh.

Note to the Admins, we need some better smilies than the ones on offer, there's no rush, next week will do. :haha: :O:

[Jimbuna]

Note to the Admins, we need some better smilies than the ones on offer, there's no rush, next week will do. :haha: :O:

https://i.postimg.cc/13mpKX9j/36-5-8.gif (https://postimages.org/)

[Moonlight]

^That Smilie is not a good example of what the forum needs, look around the interweb, there are gazillions of good ones. :yep:

David Warburton quits as MP, triggering another by-election

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65941710

Bloody hell!, 4 bi-elections now, so that's four this year and another one at next years General Election, those voters are gonna be well pissed off with these political parties. The bi-elections don't matter that much as they could end up any damned colour this year, the main prize is next year and the GE, I would expect the public to give these political parties a huge Clapback of annoyance for heaping the politicians problems on to the shoulders of the voters.

If the economy wasn't in such a mess I would have expected Fishy Rishi to call an early GE but, I think if he did call one now they could lose that massive majority they have. With all the shenanigans going on in the background as well the Tories will need time to let everything settle down so they can re-assess things in the cold light of the day. :yep:

[Jimbuna]

Almost makes me physically sick when I llok at this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91CpX6pE4A

[Moonlight]

I never broke Lockdown once, I went shopping once a week as the government said to keep your shopping expeditions to the minimum, it wasn't because I was the better shopper of the two of us but, because I was the most expendable one of us, her words not mine. Oh yeah and while you're going she would say, can you get Sylvia and Margaret this and that and leave it outside of their front doors, , I'll be a dead man walking at this rate I would say.

That post above infuriates me but, and that's a big But, I saw groups of children playing sports games on a weekly basis for over 2 bloody years, no one was interested in that, neither the authorities, their parents or any kind of law enforcement either. Me thinks people should get off their high horses and admit that they broke the rules as well, was it all worth it?, No it wasn't, it was a poorly implemented up by all concerned and if it happened again I would say it and off, I'm not going to go through that bollocks again......

[Jimbuna]

For once I find myself agreeing with Sir Keir Starmer and believe the PM should "show leadership" and vote on the issue.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declined to say if he will vote on a report that found Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown parties in No 10.

A year-long inquiry from the Commons Privileges Committee said the former prime minister committed repeated offences with his Partygate denials.

It recommends he should have been suspended from the Commons for 90 days if he had remained an MP.

MPs will debate the report's findings later on Monday.

After the debate, there could be a recorded vote or MPs could simply nod the report through. If there is a vote, it is expected to pass easily.

It would be a free vote for Tory MPs, meaning party managers - known as whips - will not instruct them what to do at the vote, which is expected to take place on Monday evening after a debate.

Talking to reporters on Sunday evening, Mr Sunak was repeatedly asked how he would vote but did not answer the question directly.

He said the issue was "a matter for the House [of Commons], not for the government".

"That's an important distinction and that's why I wouldn't want to influence anyone in advance of that vote."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65945198

[Moonlight]

Top Stories of the Day.

The Mirror.
Who was at Tory HQ lockdown-busting Christmas bash exposed in Partygate video?
https://www.mirror.co.uk/

The BBC.
Ukraine war: BBC on the front line as Ukraine attacks Russian trenches
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news

The Mail.
Now even kids have had enough of Just Stop Oil: Students late to school and facing detention because of eco zealots rip banners away as they hold up traffic yet again on the morning commute.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

Most Deluded Nonsense of the day.

Senior Tories insist they can win all four upcoming by-elections after David Warburton became the fourth MP to resign in little more than a week.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12208695/Senior-Tories-insist-win-four-upcoming-elections.html
By MARTIN BECKFORD POLICY EDITOR

Dear Martin Beckford, kindly remove your head out of your ass and take a good long look at the state of this country, its no good spouting your mouth off in your ivory tower in Kensington you know, you have to get out of London and talk to the great unwashed peasants of the UK, don't be surprised when your head is forced into a bucket of water as it will be your own fault for believing such nonsense.

[mapuc]

What kind of punishment can Boris expect from the Parliament ?

Heard in the news some hours ago- British Parliament voting on punish Boris for misleading them.

Markus

[MGR1]

What kind of punishment can Boris expect from the Parliament ?

Heard in the news some hours ago- British Parliament voting on punish Boris for misleading them.

Markus
He's quitting as an MP, so not very much that will have an effect on him.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

Had he not quit as an MP it would have probably resulted in a ninety day ban from the commons.

[Jimbuna]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwOpkwU1yx4

[Jimbuna]

MPs have backed a report that found Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown parties at Downing Street.

The Commons voted overwhelmingly in support of the report, by 354 to seven.

[Skybird]

Born from lies, drowning in lies. He shouldn't have brexited - if he hadn't, he would now have a career in the EU ahead of him. :D

[Jimbuna]

History will remember him as The Lying King but don't be surprised if he returns at some time in the future.

[Jimbuna]

Here is the list of those seven who stayed loyal to Boris and voted against.


Sir Bill Cash

Heather Wheeler

Nick Fletcher

Joy Morrissey

Adam Holloway

Karl McCartney

Sir Desmond Swayne

[Jimbuna]

Heaven help those who have worked and saved to get a deposit on a house....Rishi must be very pleased his personal wealth is a paltry £700 million.

Interest rates are expected to rise again after UK inflation remained stuck at a much higher level than expected for the fourth month in a row.

Inflation, which tracks prices rises, was 8.7% in May, the same as in April.

The shock figure was driven by higher prices for flights and second-hand cars but supermarket food prices also continued to rise rapidly.

Interest rates are widely expected to rise by 0.25% to 4.75% on Thursday but some suggest they could now rise to 5%.

The Bank is tasked with keeping inflation at 2% but the current inflation rate is four times higher than this. It has been steadily raising interest rates since the end of 2021. This makes it more expensive to borrow money and theoretically encourages people to borrow less and spend less, meaning price rises should ease.

This has led to concerns over loans, particularly mortgages, with homeowners - a third of adults in the UK - facing large increases in repayments when fixed-term deals come to an end. First-time buyers are also at risk of being priced out of the market as lending conditions become tighter.

The average two-year fixed rate mortgage on Wednesday hit 6.15%, while five-year deals were 5.79%.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65966723

[Moonlight]

Are These Ministers Bleeding Brain Dead?.

Treasury minister warns Brits need to suck up mortgage pain to tackle inflation - as he tees up squeeze on 'struggling' public services with government's £2.6tn debt pile '16 times the NHS budget' and interest costs now £100bn a year.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12217991/Treasury-minister-attacks-struggling-public-services-government-debt-soars.html

Some of these backbench MPs who have small to medium majorities need to start giving these out of touch pillocks a big smack in the mouth, as it is, some of them will be fearing a similar smack come the next General Election.

[Jimbuna]

Might well be conditioning the electorates mind to accept privatisation of the NHS.

A little over a month ago I went private for dental treatment (only means of getting an appointment with the dentist of my choice within a three month period) and paid £455 for four extractions.

[Moonlight]

No10 slaps down Tory ex-chancellor Philip Hammond after he says the UK should RELAX immigration rules and bring in cheap foreign labour to avoid a recession and keep down interest rates to help homeowners with mortgages

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12222643/Ex-chancellor-Philip-Hammond-says-UK-RELAX-immigration-rules-avoid-recession.html

Asked about the idea of easing immigration rules, a No10 spokesman said: 'We have a points-based system that allows us to flex as per our needs. That system is specifically designed to for us to be able to bring in extra people with specific skills ... we will look at any other areas where there is a shortage of skills.

Oh Yeah, as far as I'm aware the Tories "Points Based System" is the most flexible in the world, it starts at Zero and ends at Zero, perhaps these journalists should name these No10 spokesmen so there's no hiding place for them when they're asked to produce this document.
The reason that won't bleeding happen is there isn't one, why these currants keep letting these political pillocks get away with such bare faced lies is beyond me, or perhaps the quote below is the real reason this lying ****ed up Media outlet constantly fails to ask for corroboration on these untruths.

Jonathan Harold Esmond Vere Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere (born 3 December 1967), is a British peer and inheritor of a newspaper and media empire founded by his great-grandfather Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere. He is the chairman and controlling shareholder of the Daily Mail and General Trust, formerly "Associated Newspapers", a media conglomerate which includes the Daily Mail.

Currants sharing their beds eh, oohhhh you're going to give me another rogering tonight sir, very good sir, I'll promise to doff my cap next time sir, may I bite the pillow this time sir, no sir?, very good sir. :O:

[Jimbuna]

"Halving inflation this year" is one of the prime minister's top five priorities.

It's currently stuck at 8.7%.

When Rishi Sunak is asked how he'll meet his goal, he points to raising interest rates.

Something the Bank of England, not the government, controls.

The truth is there are some short-term levers government could pull.

The problem is they - as well as interest rates - all involve unpalatable political choices.

[Jimbuna]

The wife and I have various forms of photo ID but there are many out there who haven't.

Time to get it sorted I reckon.

About 14,000 people were prevented from voting because they could not show an accepted form of photo ID during England's local elections, according to the Electoral Commission.

Ethnic minorities and unemployed voters were more likely to be turned away, research by the watchdog suggests.

"Significantly more" were put off voting by the requirement to show ID at polling stations, the report found.

The policy was rolled out for the first time in Britain in May's elections.

Data collected at polling station showed 0.25% of those who went to a polling station were not able to vote as a result of not being able to show ID, approximately 14,000 voters in total.

The true figure is thought to be higher as some of those who wanted to vote at polling stations might have turned away after reading the requirements at the entrance but were not formally recorded, the Commission said.

The figures are also based on incomplete data received from 226 of the 230 councils where polls were held this year.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65988959

[Jimbuna]

It looks like Nadine Dorries, one of Boris biggest sycophants is following precisely in hss footsteps.

She has missed the deadline to resign in order for a by-election to take place in her constituency before Parliament's summer recess despite the fact she previously said on 9 June she would stand down from her Mid Bedfordshire seat with immediate effect, but has not yet formally done so.

No surprises there then.

[Moonlight]

All part of the bigger plan to expose Sunak as a weak and ineffective leader.

Meanwhile, in the Migrant Capital of the World (London) we've got even more shenanigans going on as to the next London Mare oops, Mayor.

GLEN OWEN: Meet Moz Hossain, the Tory who didn't own shoes until he was 16 but who could rid London of its preening, Ulez-loving mayor Sadiq Khan

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12230365/GLEN-OWEN-Meet-Moz-Hossain-Tory-didnt-shoes-16-oust-Sadiq-Khan.html

Mr Hossain, one of three candidates on the Tory shortlist, makes Mr Khan seem like the product of privilege. Growing up in a family of ten in a mud-floored shack in Bangladesh, he didn't own a pair of shoes until he was 16.

This is like the 4 Yorkshiremen sketch by Monty Python, the Tories are using desperate measures now to try and topple Ulez Khan, will it work?, it all depends on how gullible those Londoners are. Who would have thought that the Tories could stoop so low as to use Khan's bus driver dad as a weapon of privilege, hahaha, they've taken a leaf out of the Labour Parties underprivileged book and are going to smack Khan around the head with it, I bleeding love it.

We've got some interesting political times ahead of us, but, when the dust has settled and all the blood is washed away we can expect the pain to continue for the middle classes and below. I expect the metropolitan elite to whitewash everything over again and try and convince us gullible idiots "That We've Never Had It So Good", hmmmm, who said that first? Aaaah yes, Harold MacMillan, and he said that around the time of the Cuban Nuclear Missile sabre rattling fiasco, so he must have been right, right?.

[Moonlight]

'Are you living in a parallel universe?' Rishi Sunak is battered over mortgage meltdown as he pleads with Brits to 'hold our nerve' and focus on inflation 'enemy' - and warns unions he WON'T bow to demands for more huge public sector pay rises this year

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12231413/Rishi-Sunak-battered-mortgage-meltdown-pleads-Brits-hold-nerve.html#comments

For someone whose wife wasn't paying their due taxes and has probably got some offshore accounts somewhere I find Sunaks answer to be unpalatable, this pillock is living the life of a multi millionaire and he wants the little people to keep voting for being screwed year in year out.
Here's a novel idea Rishi, pay your fair share and that goes for every multi millionaire and corporation as well, let's not forget that if anyone has a tax accountant, they are avoiding paying their fair share too, taxes shouldn't just be for the little people you useless currant, they're for you pillocks as well.

More Bad News.
After the recent rate rise the pound suddenly fell on the international money markets, usually when interest rates go up the opposite happens, this is a very bad sign which could lead to an enormous housing crash in the near future.

The fate of the country and the Tories are in this useless pillocks hands, the country will survive but the Tories probably wont, as it stands now they are on the edge of the precipice, even if they can turn this mess around they're going to shed a huge amount of voters.
An 80 seat majority and they've achieved nothing with it, when they lose it next year they could also lose the General Election as well, serves them right as well.

What would a Labour and LibDem coalition do if they are victorious, I look back to the 1970s and think that chaos will be the political norm again.

[Jimbuna]

Just keep raising the interest rate on savings thank you :yeah:

[Jimbuna]

I'm not sure what this guy is on but I wouldn't mind trying some :o

Humza Yousaf's new independence plan 'like Sturgeon's on steroids'

The SNP could get a mandate at the next general election for another independence referendum even if it loses seats and attracts only a third of the popular vote in Scotland, Humza Yousaf has insisted.

Opinion polls show the Nationalists are on course to lose more than half the 48 seats they won at the 2019 election, with voter support in a Westminster election dropping to 34 per cent.

But the First Minister argued that the “rules of a general election” mean the SNP would be victorious if it won more seats than any other party north of the border.

Even if the SNP did not win a majority of Scottish seats, Mr Yousaf said this would still give him the mandate to “seek negotiations with the UK Government” for another referendum to be held “as soon as we possibly can”.

In an extraordinary intervention, he also claimed that winning the most seats would mean he had a mandate to “lay the foundations of a newly independent state” and to draw up a draft divorce agreement to leave the UK.

But Mr Yousaf admitted that voters who had backed the party in previous elections “probably won’t” continue doing so if they did not want another referendum in the near future.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/humza-yousaf-s-new-independence-plan-like-sturgeon-s-on-steroids/ar-AA1d0sEb?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f3795c3752554ea5a742e6c84f09a02c&ei=18

[Moonlight]

Why do I think of Gonzo from The Muppet Show every time I see this buffoon, me thinks he's hypnotized himself again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpjDZy_IuO8

[Moonlight]

Now a pupil tells their teacher they identify as a FOX: Union leaders warn staff are fearing disciplinary action and schools are a 'toxic' environment for them

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12232799/Teachers-fear-disciplinary-action-self-identity-pupil-tells-school-Im-fox.html

Parenting skills are declining rapidly. :O:

The Head Teacher should have stated to all pupils that this school only teaches humans, any child that identifies as an animal or an object must leave the school premises immediately and go straight home.
A letter or text can be sent to the parents informing them that their child is not in attendance at school and that they will be fined for their child not attending any school lessons in the future.

The onus is on the parents to sort it out, not the school.

[Jimbuna]

I am so very glad I am no longer a public sector employee.

Rishi Sunak has said he would make the "responsible" decision on pay increases for public sector workers, in order to control inflation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66020261

[Jimbuna]

Looks like Humza is determined to continue with Nicola Sturgeon’s “progressive” taxation policy and have a ‘Liz Truss moment’

Wealthy Scots are facing a new council tax raid after it emerged Humza Yousaf is planning to hike bills by almost 25 per cent.

Under proposals branded “brutal” by the Scottish Tories, SNP ministers and council chiefs are considering steep rises for those living in more expensive properties.

The plans to change the “multiplier” for council tax bills would see those in the top four of eight bands see bills rise by between 7.5 per cent and 22.5 per cent.

Higher earning Scots already pay far more income tax than they would if they lived elsewhere in the UK, with those on a salary of £50,000 paying £1,552 more, rising to £2,606 for those earning £100,000.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/humza-yousaf-plans-council-tax-hike-for-most-expensive-homes/ar-AA1d7dtP?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=1e424d48cd514b27bbb28366148dea73&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

The High Court have ruled against the UK Government therefore preventing them from sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda.

The ruling by the three judges was 2-1 so the government will probably seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court I reckon.

[Jimbuna]

SNP auditors say some financial records are missing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-66065164

[Jimbuna]

And not a moment too soon.

New measures aimed at curbing protest methods often used by environmental groups have come into effect.

Police in England and Wales now have powers to move protesters who disrupt transport, while offenders could face three years in jail for tunnelling.

The Home Office says the Public Order Act 2023 will target "a selfish minority" but critics argue they threaten the right to protest.

Groups such as Just Stop Oil have continued with high-profile protests.

Under the new laws, those found guilty of tunnelling or "being present in a tunnel to cause serious disruption" could be jailed for up to three years.

Taking equipment to a tunnel carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, as will obstructing major transport works.

The digging of makeshift tunnels has been used for many years as a form of protest, against projects such as the building of the HS2 rail project, as well as by groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.

The British Transport Police and the Ministry of Defence Police will now have powers to move static protests, a common tactic of campaign groups.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the heightened measures will target "selfish protesters" who cause "mayhem" on the streets.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66079436