Brexit and General UK politics thread

[The Romulan Republic]

Oh, it gets better. The Gamergate conspiracy nutbar, fascist-adjacent polemicist and overall disgrace to the good name of Swindon who calls himself "Sargon of Akkad" is running for office in the European elections, on the UKIP ticket.

Well if a substitute drama teacher can become leader of Canada, I guess a failed video game developer can become a member of Parliament. I mean its not like Sargon does a lot of research for his videos, ie I question how well he understands the issues. The only thing going for him is his British accent (but then I am Australian and we do perceive British accents as upper class), but that won't help where everyone speaks with a cool accent.

Don't forget the reality TV host/real estate dealer who became PotUS.

[GrosseAdmiralFox]

Don't forget the reality TV host/real estate dealer who became PotUS.

Who, from what little has been coming out of the 16 other investigations that involve Trump or his posse, got installed into the office...

... and the fact that British Intelligence is now been investigating Brexit as well...

[SpottedKitty]

Don't forget we'll apparently also have no way to avoid being part of the European Parliamentary elections next month.

I'm at least halfway tempted to vote for the most ridiculous minority party I can find on the local ballot that isn't actually BNP or their ilk.

[Zaune]

Don't forget we'll apparently also have no way to avoid being part of the European Parliamentary elections next month.

I'm at least halfway tempted to vote for the most ridiculous minority party I can find on the local ballot that isn't actually BNP or their ilk.

That would be the Tories at this point.

[The Romulan Republic]

Don't forget we'll apparently also have no way to avoid being part of the European Parliamentary elections next month.

I'm at least halfway tempted to vote for the most ridiculous minority party I can find on the local ballot that isn't actually BNP or their ilk.

That would be the Tories at this point.

Eh, I'm not sure there's much difference between the Tories and BNP at this point, except for an outer veneer, perhaps. Tories (particularly the hard line no-deal Brexit wing) are sure doing their best to fuck over Britain in the name of nationalism and keeping brown people and Muslims out.

[His Divine Shadow]

They tried to delete this article. But too late!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/26357879

The hard-centre is racist
This article was initially commissioned and published by the Independent. It was spiked within hours.

Within twenty-four hours, Change UK racked up more racism scandals than the Brexit Party, Farage’s shifty bunch of ghouls. How?

It is partly amateurism. Two candidates were caught out by old, casually racist, social media posts. Ali Sajdady, who was to represent the group in London, had said: “When I hear that 70% of pick pockets caught on the London Underground are Romanian it kind makes me want Brexit.” Joseph Russo, the top candidate in Scotland, had put his fear of black women down to having been “chased through Amsterdam by a crazy black whore”.

They had probably forgotten about this offhand racism. Any professional party would have warned them that old tweets could become an issue. No matter how small the audience for something posted seven years ago, the potential audience for it is in the entire internet. That’s the corollary of Twitter’s microcelebrity lotto. And even if your candidates aren’t racist, no one is so squeaky-clean as to be invulnerable. Anyone aspiring to be a candidate should surely be begged to scrub or delete their old accounts.

So if Change UK didn’t do this, they might not be tactical geniuses. They may also complacently assume that racism is a nasty attitude displayed only on the ‘extremes’, to which ‘moderates’ are immune. For example, when Chuka Umunna’s old Blue Labour-inflected anti-immigration tweets are brought up, the prevalent assumption appears to be that this can’t be racist because he is a moderate, professional politician. This logic is exemplified by the dubious Anna Soubry. The second she attacked Theresa May’s racism on immigration, the smart bet was that her voting record would show that she had consistently voted to make life harder for immigrants and refugees. For, Soubry had been careful to impugn May’s “personal” attitude to immigrants, as though the issue were individual prejudice. Soubry could thus defend her record by insisting that she doesn’t have a “personal” problem with immigrants. After all, she voted to make life harder for almost everyone, particularly the most vulnerable, sick, disabled and jobless.

Perhaps more worrying, though, is the niche obsession that leading members of Change UK militantly defend. Who would die in a ditch for the right of Nora Mulready, a right-wing exile from Haringey Labour, to be a self-appointed hammer of Islam? Why should a small party struggling for progressive support rally for her right to define, against the Muslim Council of Britain and Tell MAMA, what is ‘Koranically justified’? Whence her theological authority? Why do they need a candidate whose reaction to right-wing protests in Pakistan is to panic about immigration, or who thinks that Tommy Robinson “touched a societal raw nerve”? What part of the Remain constituency is going to be set alight by this sort of Islam-baiting edgelordism. Yet Mike Gapes, Joan Ryan and Ann Coffey, all of whom resigned from the Labour Party citing allegations of institutional racism, have all lined up with Mulready on Twitter. And they are doing so with that soul-wearying, petty, sanctimonious belligerence that politicians have begun to display on social media.

That’s because Gapes and company are unreformed relics of New Labour, defending a legacy they ought to be burying. Beginning with Jack Straw accusing gypsies of shitting in shop doorways, and reaching its apex when Tony Blair blamed “black culture” for a wave of knife-crime in London, New Labour jolted the language on race to the right. Intellectuals and politicians of the hard-centre adopted a neo-Powellite, culturalist language on race. They complained that Britain’s minorities, particularly Muslims, were ‘self-segregating’, refusing to ‘integrate’, a threat to ‘Britishness’, in need of surveillance and policing. They claimed that immigration was a threat to the welfare state and community cohesion. On the neocon-curious end of this tendency, this bled into a nerdy, hyperventilating fixation on tendentious readings of the Koran and Muslim history. This was all congruent with policy: militarism abroad, internment, surveillance and police shootings at home. By 2006, when Jack Straw was a Home Secretary berating Muslim women for wearing the niqab, a congenial Blairite columnist could write: “I try to imagine how I would feel if this rainstorm of headlines substituted the word ‘Jew’ for ‘Muslim’ … I would be looking for my passport.”

As the Blairite Dan Hodges once put it, Labour’s language drove the BNP’s obsessions up the agenda. It propelled the nationalist-right to years of success. Blair, the patron saint of this tendency, is still at it, blaming migrants and multiculturalism for the far-right. Thankfully, that era of Labour’s history has passed. The Labour Party the Tiggers left is far less racist than the Labour Party the Tiggers loved. That’s the stark truth about Change UK. Just because they’re pro-European doesn’t mean they’re anti-racist.

[SpottedKitty]

I'm at least halfway tempted to vote for the most ridiculous minority party I can find on the local ballot that isn't actually BNP or their ilk.

That would be the Tories at this point.

Eh, I'm not sure there's much difference between the Tories and BNP at this point, except for an outer veneer, perhaps. Tories (particularly the hard line no-deal Brexit wing) are sure doing their best to fuck over Britain in the name of nationalism and keeping brown people and Muslims out.

Only just noticed this reply due to the ongoing failure of the forum's e-mail notification system.

I'm not sure if this narrows my choice any — IIRC I've voted Tory exactly once, about 40 years ago. I wonder if the Monster Raving Loony Party is still a going concern...? (They were the ones wearing massive hats and even more massive big-enough-to-hide-behind rosettes.)

[His Divine Shadow]

Found the Tory manifesto

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson sacked over 'compelling evidence' he leaked Huawei security meeting details

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has been sacked by the Prime Minister, it has been revealed.

Theresa May acted following the leak of secret discussions surrounding the Huawei 5G contract.

In her letter detailing why he was being removed from office, Mrs May said there was "compelling evidence" he was responsible for leaking details.

ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston tweeted: "This is the first time in my memory a cabinet minister has been sacked following a leak investigation. Extraordinary."

[Crazedwraith]

Local council results are coming. Big falls for Conservatives and Labour, big rise for Lib Dems and independents.

Big 2 believe they are being punished for their handling of Brexit and they probably are by both sides so I don't know what they'll do about it.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Tories really got hammered this time, UKIP also suffered. Greens made gains also.

[SpottedKitty]

Big 2 believe they are being punished for their handling of Brexit and they probably are by both sides so I don't know what they'll do about it.

That's all right, going by what I've heard on the news today, they don't know what they'll do about it either.

[madd0ct0r]

Not sure i agree with big falls for labour. Failure to gain ground yes. But comparing loosing 1300 seats and 82 seeems disengeous

[Crazedwraith]

Not sure i agree with big falls for labour. Failure to gain ground yes. But comparing loosing 1300 seats and 82 seeems disengeous

I concede the result is not on the same scale, but it's hardly good news for them either.

[The Romulan Republic]

Tories really got hammered this time, UKIP also suffered. Greens made gains also.

This seems like its all for the best, but let's be honest, there really is no solution to Brexit except to declare the Referendum tainted (for which there's pretty good grounds) and either declare it invalid or do a do-over.

[His Divine Shadow]

The tigs, cuks or whatever they call themselves changed their twitter handlethen they didn't even make sure their old twitter handle wasn't able to get reregistered and it got taken by some trolls:
https://twitter.com/TheIndGroup

Reality and parody keeps getting harder to tell apart.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Well Theresa May is on her way out at last, and Boris Johnson of course has said he's going to run for the top job.
Link.

Boris Johnson has said he will run for leader of the Conservative Party after Theresa May stands down.

The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip made the comments during a conversation at the BIBA 2019 business conference in Manchester.

Asked if he was interested in taking Mrs May's job, the former foreign secretary responded: "I'm going to go for it. Of course I'm going to go for it."

Before May goes she's going to have a fourth go at polishing that turd getting her deal through. Not that it's going to turn out any different this time.

[Crazedwraith]

Fuuuuck

Why does anyone want the job at this point? They've not even let May get it through so they can blame her later.

It's an omnishambles.

[SpottedKitty]

Well Theresa May is on her way out at last, and Boris Johnson of course has said he's going to run for the top job.

What's that quote, again? "Anyone who actually wants the job should on no account be allowed to get it"...? I first came across it in an Arthur C. Clarke book, but it seems to be a lot older.

Still not sure who I'll vote for, I just know who I'll vote against.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

There seems to be some confusion on this matter. Some papers this morning were at least implying that the 'grey men' had already forced the issue. But the latest Guardian and Independent articles are only saying that she is under pressure to name the date. The date named for the next vote is June 3rd, and it looks like when the vote fails (as it almost certainly will) then she'll be forced out.

In other news, the Labour/Tory Brexit talks are confirmed to have broken down.

Brexit talks between Theresa May and Labour have collapsed, Corbyn announces

'The increasing weakness and instability of your government means there cannot be confidence in securing whatever might be agreed between us'

Rob Merrick
Deputy Political Editor @Rob_Merrick
2 hours ago

Talks between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May to rescue Brexit have collapsed, making defeat for her withdrawal agreement bill next month near-certain.

The Labour leader made the long-expected announcement, saying: “We have been unable to bridge important policy gaps between us.”

Without Labour support, the bill is heading for a crushing rejection by 100-plus MPs in the first week of June – paving the way for Ms May to announce her resignation.

However, the prime minister could yet make an attempt to break the impasse by staging further “indicative votes” in the Commons, in a final bid to reach a compromise.

A leaked document revealed the government has put to Labour a series of options, including a commitment to leave the EU by the end of July and a free vote on a Final Say referendum.

But Labour insisted it had not signed up the plan – which laid bare the failure to reach agreement on the crucial issue of a customs union.

The talks had been expected to break down since the start of the week, as pressure grew on both sides to accept – after six weeks of trying – that an agreement was impossible.

In a letter to the prime minister, Mr Corbyn pointed to her likely replacement by Boris Johnson, or another Brexiteer leader. as a key reason for pulling the plug.

“I am writing to let you know that I believe the talks between us about finding a compromise agreement on leaving the European Union have now gone as far as they can,” he said.

“It has become clear that, while there are some areas where compromise has been possible, we have been unable to bridge important policy gaps between us.

“Even more crucially, the increasing weakness and instability of your government means there cannot be confidence in securing whatever might be agreed between us.”

Mr Corbyn also referred to Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, suggesting “importing chlorinated chicken as part of a US trade deal remains on the table”.

“Without significant changes, we will continue to oppose the government’s deal as we do not believe it safeguards jobs, living standards and manufacturing industry in Britain.”

The prime minister's spokesman confirmed the talks were over, saying: “It was clear to the government last night that the talks were not going to reach a conclusion.”

“We have made real progress on some issues such as workers' rights and environmental protections, but it is clear that we are not going to be able to reach a complete agreement.

“In particular, there have been very challenging discussions in respect of the different positions of the two sides on customs and the holding of a second referendum.”

The spokesman said Ms May “continues to believe it is the duty of elected politicians to deliver on the result of the referendum”.

“She continues to work hard on securing the passage of the withdrawal agreement bill, so that the UK can leave the EU with a deal as soon as possible,” he added.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

And for a bit of light entertainment in the meantime;

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -newcastle

Nigel Farage doused with milkshake in Newcastle

Man arrested after Brexit party leader is latest EU elections candidate to be soaked

Matthew Weaver

Mon 20 May 2019 14.07 BST
Last modified on Mon 20 May 2019 17.09 BST

Nigel Farage has been hit by a milkshake in Newcastle city centre, after a spate of similar incidents against far-right candidates in the European elections campaign.

The Brexit party leader appeared to be furious after the incident and was heard to mutter, “it’s a complete failure, you could have spotted that a mile off” as his security team led him away.

A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of common assault, Northumbria police said.

Paul Crowther, who was dragged away and handcuffed, said: “It’s a right of protest against people like him.” Standing in handcuffs outside a Waterstones bookshop in Newcastle city centre, Crowther said he did not regret his actions.

He told reporters it was a banana and salted caramel milkshake bought from Five Guys. “I was quite looking forward to it, but I think it went on a better purpose,” he said.

Sean Seddon a reporter from the Newcastle Chronicle filmed the aftermath of the incident when passersby could be heard laughing at Farage. He reported that Farage asked his security team: “How did that happen?”

Sean Seddon (@seddonnews)

Chaotic scenes in Newcastle city centre as Nigel Farage hit by a milkshake. He’s been whisked away by his security. This is the aftermath. pic.twitter.com/qxz8yay492
May 20, 2019

Farage blamed remainers. He tweeted: “Sadly some remainers have become radicalised, to the extent that normal campaigning is becoming impossible.

“For a civilised democracy to work you need the losers’ consent. Politicians not accepting the referendum result have led us to this.”

Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage)

Sadly some remainers have become radicalised, to the extent that normal campaigning is becoming impossible.

For a civilised democracy to work you need the losers consent, politicians not accepting the referendum result have led us to this.
May 20, 2019

Theresa May’s spokesman said: “The prime minister has been clear that politicians should be able to go about their work and campaign without harassment, intimidation, or abuse.

“In this case, I understand, an arrest has already been made, so I can’t comment further.

“But, the prime minister supports efforts to stamp out unacceptable and unlawful behaviour, and where incidents of harassment and abuse constitute a criminal offence this should be taken seriously by the police.”

Last week police asked a McDonald’s restaurant near an Edinburgh venue where Farage was speaking not to sell milkshakes because of concerns protesters might throw them.

The request followed a series of incidents in the campaign in which far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson and the Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin have had milkshakes and other food thrown at them by protesters.

Benjamin, who is under police investigation for comments he made about raping the Labour MP Jess Phillips, has been doused in milkshake at least four times during the campaign.

Exeter Cathedral banned Benjamin from taking part in hustings saying he might be a risk to public order after he was hit by a milkshake in Salisbury.

Brendan Cox, the widower of Jo Cox who was murdered in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016, condemned the incident.

He tweeted that he disliked Farage’s politics profoundly, but said: “I don’t think throwing stuff at politicians you disagree with is a good idea. It normalises violence and intimidation and we should consistently stand again it.”

[EnterpriseSovereign]

He was lucky it wasn't something corrosive, the UK has a real problem with acid attacks.

[mr friendly guy]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/busi ... 24821.html

British Steel has collapsed, putting more than 4,000 jobs directly at risk and threatening a further 20,000 in the company’s supply chain.

The company has been put into compulsory liquidation after talks broke down between the government and British Steel’s private equity owners Greybull Capital.

Greg Clark, the business secretary, said the government had worked “tirelessly” to try to save the company but had no remaining legal options to provide financial support.

Insolvency experts labelled British Steel’s demise as the “first heavyweight casualty of Brexit” and warned of a “tsunami effect” that would result in taxpayers footing a significant bill.

It has begun. Cue Mortal Kombat music.

[Lost Soal]

This is being labeled as a Brexit casualty however I can't help but notice the words "Private Equity". Multiple successful companies have been killed because private equity companies dump millions in debt on them once they bought them out. I would be astonished if that hasn't played a role in the collapse, its the vary business model of private equity firms.

[Crazedwraith]

Well I've done my bit. Only Brexit Party, UKIP, Labour, the Greens and Tommy Robinson send us info. The others apparently didn't care enough to campaign.