British politics

[CheckMyPecs]

Re: Re:

Why in the hell would I want to live under EU rule when I've got the brilliant governance here in the good ol' US of A?

California's ungovernable.

You have no idea.....

I know the minority party can block budgets with as little as 33.4% of the seats... How very democratic.

 

[wrinklyvet]

It is rather interesting how concerned the powerful are over the prospects of further break up. I wonder why?

By the measure of some here on this thread the EU managed to ditch a bad seed. Things should be great now.

I believe you are correct, Scott SoCal, that the other members are very concerned, and it's not on behalf of the Brits but themselves and their future. I think it is said the British economy is the third largest in the EU and the membership of Britain has also balanced the power and ambitions of Germany and France. It is rocking their jolly ship. As a reaction some call for ever closer political union and for others that is the last thing they want.

 

[Scott SoCal]

Re: Re:

Why in the hell would I want to live under EU rule when I've got the brilliant governance here in the good ol' US of A?

California's ungovernable.

You have no idea.....

I know the minority party can block budgets with as little as 33.4% of the seats... How very democratic.

I was agreeing with you. We do stuff like retroactive taxation. It's great.

 

[blutto]

.....this is a little above my pay grade but it certainly names names , lots of them and outlines connections ( read doesn't hide behind , uhhh, "sources" ...)....a smoking gun, maybe ?....

An exclusive investigation by The Canary can reveal that the current Labour ‘coup’ being instigated against Jeremy Corbyn appears to have been orchestrated by a PR company where Tony Blair’s arch spin-doctor, Alastair Campbell, is a senior advisor.

He sits alongside several other figures, all of whom have direct links to the centre-right of the Labour party, and the Fabians at Portland Communications.

Portland Communications is a political consultancy and public relations agency set up in 2001 by Tim Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair and director of communications at BSkyB.

The firm works globally on campaigns for numerous companies, institutions and governments, and describes its activities by saying:

‘
we help our clients find their way through this new faster, noisier and contested landscape. We design and deliver communications strategies – and are trusted by some of the highest profile organisations, governments and individuals in the world.
’
Its corporate clients include Barclays, Morrisons and Nestle, and it say their team is made up of “former senior advisors from the highest level of British government and politics, the EU, the UN and the World Economic Forum”.

However, Portland came to The Canary’s attention after an incident surrounding abuse being thrown at Jeremy Corbyn, while he supported Pride in London on 25 June

.

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/06/28/truth-behind-labour-coup-really-began-manufactured-exclusive/

Cheers

 

[rhubroma]

Re: Re:

A small taste of what the Brits have been getting from the EU for some time now.

What exactly are you talking about? Source(s)?

Hey man, directives coming down from Brussels banning hair dyers and vacuum cleaners are just the beginning. Light bulbs, overly curvaceous bananas, water really doesn't hydrate, prunes don't make you regular, driving while diabetic, Danish pastries with cinnamon content....

Paternalism. Apparently the Brits have had enough.

You are right, Brussels has got it all wrong. They are thinking market instead of CULTURE, got it?

 

[Scott SoCal]

Re: Re:

A small taste of what the Brits have been getting from the EU for some time now.

What exactly are you talking about? Source(s)?

Hey man, directives coming down from Brussels banning hair dyers and vacuum cleaners are just the beginning. Light bulbs, overly curvaceous bananas, water really doesn't hydrate, prunes don't make you regular, driving while diabetic, Danish pastries with cinnamon content....

Paternalism. Apparently the Brits have had enough.

You are right, Brussels has got it all wrong. They are thinking market instead of CULTURE, got it?

You know what they call the political class of folk desperately clinging on to the way things used to be, right?

 

[Archibald]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpS-yBj7gY
This is all you need to know...

i think that joke while still funny is based on more than a bit of historic truth...

30 years old and completely pertinent today

 

[blutto]

.....can't get behind the paywall at FT so haven't seen the original article....so the question is does the following have legs....?....

The migration issue has come to the forefront once again. Four countries blame Jean-Claude Juncker for Brexit and two seek his ouster.

The Financial Times reports Eastern Europeans Bemoan Brexit and Shun Closer EU Integration.

Key Ideas

•Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic issued a joint statement “The genuine concerns of our citizens need to be better reflected. National parliaments have to be heard.“
•Poland and the Czech republic want Juncker booted.
•Governments in Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Bratislava say powers should be repatriated to national capitals to make the EU more democratically accountable.
•“No one believes in the United States of Europe” said Poland’s deputy prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
•“Our voice is the voice of reason,” said Morawiecki, “as for many years the British voice was the voice of reason.”
•Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka has said the overall functioning of the EU and the commission should change.
•Robert Fico, the Eurosceptic premier of Slovakia — which takes over the EU’s rotating presidency this week — has offered to host an exceptional summit to discuss the bloc’s future shape. “If somebody thinks we can offer to the European public what we give it now after Brexit, they are mistaken,” said Fico.

Cheers

 

[blutto]

....the recent attacks on Corbyn ?....is this possibly a reason ( in addition to his already noted very luke warm support of Israel...) ?

The Great Unwashed

The truth is that Corbyn’s election woke up a sleeping giant – not just those few percent who tipped the balance in favour of Brexit, but the millions of working people who have had enough of austerity while the richest one percent get even richer.

They voted not so much about leaving the EU as in giving the government a black eye in the only way they could (what does this tell us about the current state of of the Labour Party, never mind the Tories?).

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45013.htm

Cheers

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

They voted not so much about leaving the EU as in giving the government a black eye in the only way they could (what does this tell us about the current state of of the Labour Party, never mind the Tories?)

That's one of the saddest parts: the same people who voted Leave to "punish" the government will feel the full brunt of the negative consequences of Brexit, while wealthy Tories in government will get away relatively scot-free.

 

[wrinklyvet]

Re: Re:

They voted not so much about leaving the EU as in giving the government a black eye in the only way they could (what does this tell us about the current state of of the Labour Party, never mind the Tories?)

That's one of the saddest parts: the same people who voted Leave to "punish" the government will feel the full brunt of the negative consequences of Brexit, while wealthy Tories in government will get away relatively scot-free.

There are, of course, other more optimistic ways of looking at the situation, including this:-

I’d predict a similar bounce-back once politics becomes less febrile and traders realise Brexit is unlikely before 2018. On top of that, now Project Fear is relenting, more economists are arguing Britain could benefit from being outside the EU – given less regulation, our leverage in talks over the single market and scope to do trade deals further afield.

See more in the pro-Brexit commentary http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/07/02/when-it-comes-to-a-brexit-deal-the-uk-can-call-the-shots/
Of course people will take sides, but it should not be assumed that a disaster is in the offing. It could equally well turn out the other way for GB, including the less well-off people who you rightly worry about.

 

[Jagartrott]

Re: Re:

See more in the pro-Brexit commentary http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/07/02/when-it-comes-to-a-brexit-deal-the-uk-can-call-the-shots/
Of course people will take sides, but it should not be assumed that a disaster is in the offing. It could equally well turn out the other way for GB, including the less well-off people who you rightly worry about.

'Naieve' doesn't even begin to cover this.
The market now actually factors in Brexit will probably not happen, by the way.

 

[wrinklyvet]

Re: Re:

See more in the pro-Brexit commentary http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/07/02/when-it-comes-to-a-brexit-deal-the-uk-can-call-the-shots/
Of course people will take sides, but it should not be assumed that a disaster is in the offing. It could equally well turn out the other way for GB, including the less well-off people who you rightly worry about.

'Naieve' doesn't even begin to cover this.
The market now actually factors in Brexit will probably not happen, by the way.

Don't you believe it. And if I am the one described as naiive please try not to be personal. If it's the journalist Liam Halligan I suppose it may be that that his record is less impressive than yours - between 2007 and 2013, he was Chief Economist at Prosperity Capital Management, the world’s largest Russia/CIS-focused asset manager, controlling investments worth over $4bn for a range of institutional clients from Europe, the US and the Middle East, including pension funds, insurance companies, charities and sovereign wealth funds.

 

[Jagartrott]

I can link you to a dozen articles that claim the opposite.
Purely logically, the negotiation position of the UK is not too good for several reasons, the most important being that the EU will not want to be lenient to disuade others pondering leaving. In an environment which will see lower investment in the UK by foreign firms (because they hate insecurity) while the UK will still have to pay all the EU dues, and hence budget concerns, this is not the best position to be in.

 

[wrinklyvet]

Re:

I can link you to a dozen articles that claim the opposite.
Purely logically, the negotiation position of the UK is not too good for several reasons, the most important being that the EU will not want to be lenient to disuade others pondering leaving. In an environment which will see lower investment in the UK by foreign firms (because they hate insecurity) while the UK will still have to pay all the EU dues, and hence budget concerns, this is not the best position to be in.

Yes, so could I. It doesn't make any such argument better than another as the situation is entirely novel and at this stage only an opinion can be given. i have deliberately drawn attention to one on one side of the argument to give balance to situation. It's reasonable to do that. You can think what you like of it. I didn't write the article - someone far better informed than I am did so. Dismiss it by all means. if it does not reinforce your opinion you are likely to give it little weight. But we shall see.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

International Criminal Court says it will not investigate Tony Blair – but might prosecute soldiers

Tony Blair will not be put on trial for war crimes but British soldiers could be, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have said.

Ahead of the long-awaited publication of the Chilcot report on Wednesday, lawyers at the court have ruled out prosecuting the former prime minister for war crimes because it says the decision to go to war is outside its remit.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tony-blair-chilcot-iraq-war-soldiers-international-criminal-court-human-rights-saddam-hussein-a7116696.html

 

[python]

here's another informative article on the subject:

What are the odds of putting Blair in the Hague for what he did to Iraq?
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/will-tony-blair-end-hague-what-he-did-iraq-899592101

i believe wholeheartedly that if politicians(any politicians, particularly the hot heads from the western societies basking themselves in a superiority complex) were involved in illegal war crimes, the MUST face a criminal prosecution.

so far, we mostly see some small fish and few careless dictators among the convicts, but it would spare a great deal of human lives if the lapdog, and better yet, his monkey-faced master went into a dungeon.

hundreds of young brits, thousands of young americans, millions of middle easterners would not die and perhaps many more will be saved if the politician KNOW it could be a crime. but as long as america and its lapdogs will be acting with impunity, the crimes will go on...

 

[Irondan]

Re:

here's another informative article on the subject:

What are the odds of putting Blair in the Hague for what he did to Iraq?
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/will-tony-blair-end-hague-what-he-did-iraq-899592101

i believe wholeheartedly that if politicians(any politicians, particularly the hot heads from the western societies basking themselves in a superiority complex) were involved in illegal war crimes, the MUST face a criminal prosecution.

so far, we mostly see some small fish and few careless dictators among the convicts, but it would spare a great deal of human lives if the lapdog, and better yet, his monkey-faced master went into a dungeon.

hundreds of young brits, thousands of young americans, millions of middle easterners would not die and perhaps many more will be saved if the politician KNOW it could be a crime. but as long as america and its lapdogs will be acting with impunity, the crimes will go on...

While they're at it, how about dragging Bush and Cheney along for the ride...

 

[Singer01]

Re: Re:

I can link you to a dozen articles that claim the opposite.
Purely logically, the negotiation position of the UK is not too good for several reasons, the most important being that the EU will not want to be lenient to disuade others pondering leaving. In an environment which will see lower investment in the UK by foreign firms (because they hate insecurity) while the UK will still have to pay all the EU dues, and hence budget concerns, this is not the best position to be in.

Yes, so could I. It doesn't make any such argument better than another as the situation is entirely novel and at this stage only an opinion can be given. i have deliberately drawn attention to one on one side of the argument to give balance to situation. It's reasonable to do that. You can think what you like of it. I didn't write the article - someone far better informed than I am did so. Dismiss it by all means. if it does not reinforce your opinion you are likely to give it little weight. But we shall see.

90% of economists, the world bank and the IMF think that brexit will have negative consequences.

 

[kwikki]

Quite.

Just this morning the Bank of England has talked about how the damage to the UK economy through Brexit is now beginning to "crystallize"

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Re: Re:

here's another informative article on the subject:

What are the odds of putting Blair in the Hague for what he did to Iraq?
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/will-tony-blair-end-hague-what-he-did-iraq-899592101

i believe wholeheartedly that if politicians(any politicians, particularly the hot heads from the western societies basking themselves in a superiority complex) were involved in illegal war crimes, the MUST face a criminal prosecution.

so far, we mostly see some small fish and few careless dictators among the convicts, but it would spare a great deal of human lives if the lapdog, and better yet, his monkey-faced master went into a dungeon.

hundreds of young brits, thousands of young americans, millions of middle easterners would not die and perhaps many more will be saved if the politician KNOW it could be a crime. but as long as america and its lapdogs will be acting with impunity, the crimes will go on...

While they're at it, how about dragging Bush and Cheney along for the ride...

And Wolfowitz..3 stooges. W/O these 3 criminals, Blair wouldn't have been in Iraq at all.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

BAD NEWS ABOUT PRICE CHANGES:

Because of the fall in the value of Sterling against the Dollar following the vote to leave the EU, the large game importers, who pay for their games in dollars, have already increased the trade and retail prices of many games across their whole ranges by around ten to twenty percent.

We will keep the prices on our existing stock at pre Brexit levels while stocks last but when we have to order new stock in our prices will have to go up in line with the new retail prices.

It is expected that prices will also rise on European games as the pound has also fallen against the Euro.

If you are thinking of buying a game it may be a good idea to get it now before prices inevitably rise over the next few weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1230019007017742&id=160734413946212

That's it. Britain, we screwed up!

 

[kwikki]

Almost certainly true.

It looks like Blair tried, and failed, to persuade Bush to wait for a second UN resolution.

Tomorrow we might find out why he still went along with Bush's madness.

 

[SeriousSam]

Some commentators (eg Salmond) conjectured that the urgency and desperation of the PLP coup against Corbyn was, in part, an attempt to remove him before he can condemn Blair and his minions in the strongest possible terms whilst leader of the opposition.

Tomorrow will be good. I plan to read all 2.5 million words. Either that or a summary.

Blair's PR response will be interesting to, he's had a long time to prepare for this and must be familiar with the contents of the report.

 

[kwikki]

There might be several motivating factors, Chilcot being just one. Last week's Brexit vote left a massive open goal for an opposition leader.

He didn't even turn up on the pitch.