POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

I have just listened to our leader 'explaining' his view of what is happening and whet needs to be done and I can tell you that it's a master class in denial and obfuscation. The man is mentally challenged if he believes what he is saying. He is going to waffle his way through the next few months if nobody stops him.
If the country falls for this they deserve all they get.

[plaques]

The last two disastrous byelections have produced more theories about why people voted like they did than you can shake a stick at. Boris's election was built on promises along with the premise that things couldn't get worse. And Lo things did get worse. Perhaps not notice too much other than the political strategists was the fact than long standing single party voters were willing to change their allegiance in the hope of getting something better. Ie: The Red Wall. Are we now seeing a move towards more pragmatic voting that accepts anything is better than what we've got and is willing to join forces to vote for the party most likely to beat the Conservatives irrespective if whether it was their first choice or not. Ultimately a move to proportional representation rather than first past the post where to quote Rees-Mogg 'one vote is good enough'.

[Stanley]

"Are we now seeing a move towards more pragmatic voting"
On the evidence of the by elections I think you are correct Ken. I remember well that for years I was trapped in the Skipton Constituency where we had a sitting Tory MP, Burnaby Drayson who got in in 1945 and was famous for being the least active Member in the House. The boundary changes saved my sanity and at last my vote counted in Pendle until now. So yes, I would vote tactically if I thought I had a better chance of ditching the Tories.
See THIS BBC report that Johnson 'is actively thinking about a third term'. What he is actually 'actively thinking about' is any strategy or distraction that can get him into the summer recess without a direct challenge and then time to get the 'move on, nothing to see here' message across. I know it sounds incredible but there's a good chance he will get away with it. We are being taken for a ride in so many senses. Let's hope that when we finally reach open country we are not taken out and shot.....

[plaques]

Another dead cat hits the table. A £150,000 tree house in Chequers which he is not allowed to build to be paid for by a Tory donor? thank God for that it could have been the tax payer.

Party co-chairman Oliver Dowden resigns. See as a honourable man taking responsibility for someone else's actions. Yet only 18 days previously he had voted to keep Johnson as Prime Minister saying everything he had done was what we needed doing. Looks more like a getting in the lifeboat action.

A search is on for Johnson's and Sunak's cost of living crisis tool bag. We are taking all necessary action if only we could find the plan we drew up that we said we would never need because inflation wasn't going to be a problem.

There are Known knowns, known unknowns, unknown unknowns. Boris's plans fit in the last category.

[Tripps]

I saw Sir Paul McCartney swirling the Ukrainian flag round his head, after his turn at Glastonbury last night, and wondered why he didn't take the opportunity to sing 'Give Peace a Chance'. ( Maybe he did?- I didn't see the full set.)

I then read this in the 'comments' somewhere and sanitised it for this site - I'd already had vague thoughts along these lines.

"When Russia went into Georgia in 2008 the World did not care at all. So why is Ukraine taking centre stage now?
It neans that UK/EU/USA have a lots of assets in that country, lots of illegal enterprises and corrupt practices that cannot be brought out into the open, and Russia winning will reveal all the corruption hence the push to keep the War going and to get shut of the evidence."

I googled this - Post Soviet conflicts.

I don't recall the PM flying out - on more than one occasion, and the victims of Russian aggression being supported by finance and arms following any previous Russian invasion. I don't recall inviting any Chechens, for example, here as refugees.

I have heard reference made to huge investments by Westerners in Ukraine - right up to close to the US President. There is definitely something different about this conflict.

[Stanley]

As I have said here before David, I don't believe everything I hear about the Ukraine. Yes Putin is wrong but are the Ukrainians as 'right' as they are portrayed to be? People are getting killed and people who make arms are getting new contracts.... in that respect it's the old, old story.

[plaques]

Boris has upset the Conservative party by saying he will be leading it for another two terms. A good bravado statement meant to go down well with the public. OK as long as you don't think about the disastrous implications for the country. The normal procedure is for the election winning party to select there own Prime Minister not for the previous PM to dictate he will continue because he says so. The Conservatives would dearly like to ditch Boris but anyone taking the job for the remaining parliament is on a hiding to nothing. Meanwhile Boris is making sure that any of the prospective candidates are quietly committing suicide 'Grant Shapps' is the latest.

If it wasn't so serious it would be funny.

[Tripps]

This is lively Andy Burnham is present. probably be national tomorrow - it should be. The natives are restless. . . .


Oldham Live CSE meeting


9.45 pm. PS - They've all gone home now. That was a zinger. The elephant in the room kept a very low profile. . Odd that.

[Stanley]

Ken is quite right and as I predicted, there is no concerted move to get rid of him by the backbenchers. Their calculation is as always based on job security and they can't see any better prospect than the Teflon Buffoon. Sure, he's a crook but he is also seen as a meal ticket......
I see that the latest piece of Brexit madness was approved by the Tory government last night. Read THIS and consider the possible consequences of falling out with the EU as we slide into recession and economic crisis. Deep Joy!

[plaques]

A meal ticket with bells on. Normally a government has about 100 appointed positions to carry out all the departmental administration. All extra money added to their basic MPs salary. No problem with this since they are undertaking extra work. Boris has 170 people on his government list. Why?

NI bill. from Stanley's link.

Ms Truss added that the bill was justified by the "worsening situation" in Northern Ireland, and the UK had been left with "no other choice" because the EU had ruled out changes to the text of the 2019 agreement the UK had signed.

This statement is designed to make it look like the EU drew up the agreement and the UK reluctantly signed it. The fact is as everyone knows Johnson wrote the agreement and the EU signed it as his solution. Johnson's excuse is that he never expected the EU to take any notice of what he had written and thought they would ignore it like he wants to do.

He now (Johnson) spews out that he will take care of the cost of living crisis. Does anyone believe him?

[Stanley]

That's a good point about the number of Johnson appointees who will be indebted to him. All PMs use patronage, it seems some do more than others.
Liz Truss spinning the announcements about the proposed changes to the NI Protocol is, as you say Ken, a blatant attempt to pin the blame on the EU instead of letting it lie where it belongs, with Johnson. Then as now he was winging it to get his preferred outcome without spending too much time on analysing what the consequences might be. He knows now because it has all come back to bite him.
It's more damaging than they admit. We heard the other day that the continuing delay in decisions about UK participation in the Horizon Scheme of scientific cooperation is because of indirect matters affected by the dispute over Northern Ireland. I admit to not understanding this fully but then that must apply to the government otherwise they would do something about it... (Wouldn't they?)
The emphasis on the UK as a major supporter of Ukraine is another part of Johnson's plan to divert attention from home politics. Trouble is he has now found that his sabre rattling means he now has to face up to the fact that like so many other p[arts of the British social fabric, defence has been under-funded and badly managed for years. There are ongoing plans to reduce numbers in all three services and defence procurement is a joke, we can't even design a new armoured fighting vehicle.
Remember the vow that was made to replace 'soft' Land Rovers with modern vehicles? Then look at THIS Guardian article and note statements like The Ministry of Defence should fix or scrap its troubled Ajax armoured vehicle programme this year or risk compromising national security, an influential parliamentary committee has said. The Ajax programme, intended to provide a state-of-the-art reconnaissance vehicle for the army, has already been running for 12 years and cost £3.2bn but has so far failed to deliver a single deployable vehicle. Originally intended to enter service in 2017, Ajax has been repeatedly delayed due to what the House of Commons public accounts committee (PAC) has described as “a litany of failures” including noise and vibration problems that injured soldiers testing the vehicles.
Then ask yourself how we can be a world leader in aiding Ukraine when we can't efficiently manage our own defence? If Johnson wants to use Ukraine as a shield he had better have a word with Sunak and shake the money tree.....

[plaques]

The NI shenanigans are off again. The bill going through the Commons has had a number of prominent Conservatives speaking out against it. However all those Conservatives in the chamber voted for it. Even if it gets though the Commons which it undoubtedly will it could face a turbulent time in the House of Lords especially since its not clear it was a manifesto promise. Even then it may never get used in anger but used as a threat to make the EU more flexible. The problem with this approach is that it's saying to the outside world that the UK is prepared to break international treatise and can't be trusted. 'My word is my bond' out of the window to suit the ERG ( The European Research Group (ERG) is a research support group of Eurosceptic Conservative Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom). Well done lads.

[Tizer]

Ajax....` In June 2021 it was revealed that trials of Ajax variants were halted from November 2020 to March 2021 due to excessive vibration and noise, leaving crews suffering from nausea, swollen joints and tinnitus. Test crews were then limited to 105 minutes inside and 20 miles per hour (32 km/h). The excessive vibration while moving was also damaging electronic systems and preventing armament from stabilising. Suspension issues on the Ajax variant meant turrets could not fire while moving. The hulls were of inconsistent lengths, and had non-parallel sides, which means the vibration problems do not manifest in a uniform manner making it exceedingly difficult to determine if vibration is from a fundamental design problem or build quality failures.' (From Wikipdia)

[Tripps]

Barlick Town Council are in session. Town Council

There are ony 4 people watching.

Perhaps the rest of the Town prefers watching Sir Andrew Murray getting beat at Wimbledon.

Surely not. . . .

[Stanley]

I saw a bit of 'Come On Andy!!!' and he was 2 sets down. Sorry but I have no interest in whether he won or not....
I didn't watch the Council either....
I see Johnson's world avoidance tour continues and he has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he were a woman and he is an example of 'toxic masculinity'. He should know, the Bullingdon Club was a perfect example of this..... (I'm expecting him to come home as soon as Parliament goes into Recess for the Summer.)

[plaques]

A small item not too widely seen in the media. Steve Bray, who's he? the guy who stands on the corner of parliament square blasting out anti Brexit slogans, Link arrested on the first day of Prity (Putin) Patel's policing bill where protesters can be arrested for protesting. It would appear that the police appeared mob handed confiscated his sound equipment and arrested him for being within the prohibited area for protesting. At first sight this looks like a trial case to test the new legislation and act as a warning shot to other protesters. The start of a police state or a dictatorship? take your pick.

[Stanley]

It's a retrograde step Ken, but not surprising as far as I am concerned. You know what I think the sub-plot is, the age old Tory desire to get back to the good old days where the proles went to church on Sunday and sang "All things bright and beautiful...." (Remember the line... 'The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, And ordered their estate.')
Remember Thatcher saying that protest was not the British Way? She was wrong of course but spent much of the bonus from North Sea Oil financing a war against the unions and a large pool of unemployed. The latter is where the current Tory Project is failing, too few are destitute and on the dole. This is mitigated by the fact that wages are so low and conditions so onerous that many working families have to resort to benefits, food banks and hand outs from charities.
I don't think we have a choice Ken. We either come to our senses and actually oppose the gang in Downing Street who are intent on dragging us down while they massage their retirement funds, or we give in to them and get submerged in a second glorious burst of laisser faire elitist empire building based on England. Why bother with the world when all they want is here?
I really do believe it is that bad.
Later... see THIS Report of the resignation of Tory Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher (!) after a newspaper alleged he groped two men at a private members' club.
Just how broken is the culture inside the top ranks of the Tory Party? Evidently Johnson was warned against appointing him after previous problems but ignored this.

[plaques]

Later... see THIS Report of the resignation of Tory Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher (!) after a newspaper alleged he groped two men at a private members' club.

Taking the spread of human nature events like this were the main fodder for the 'News of the World'. What dismays me is that some MPs who should be more savvy in maintaining a high public standards especially where their own image is concerned act in a totally inappropriate way. In defence of the Conservative Party I don't think there is a systemic bad apple culture but I do think that Johnson's own behaviour is certainly lowering the standard.

Tesco appears to be at war with 'Kraft Heinz over price rises. The American owned firm is pushing them up at a rate that Tesco think is unjustified. This may be that Heinze see the UK as a soft touch to avoid being blamed for American inflation while Tesco see it as good PR fighting to keep prices down.
Who knows what the truth is.

[Tizer]

`UK trade performance falls to worst level on record in first quarter: Official figures corroborate academic studies showing sharp drop in exports since Brexit' FT
`The UK’s trade performance this year fell to its worst level since records began, heaping more pressure on sterling in international currency markets. The country’s current account deficit was calculated at 8.3 per cent of gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2022, a deterioration from an average of 2.6 per cent across all of 2021. It was the worst figure on record since quarterly balance of payments data was first published in 1955. The weak performance of UK exports and a surge in imports highlight the economic effects of Brexit. The figures tally with academic studies that show a decline in exports since 2021, when the UK left the EU single market and new border controls were introduced.'...

[Stanley]

I too heard that report Peter and remembered the number of times we were told that it wasn't Brexit but a global problem.
Also, I heard a former inspector general of police forces saying on Today this morning that part of the failure of police forces is the fall in community policing after funding cuts. We can all remember being told that local bobbies on the street weren't the answer to problems like the rise in knife crime. This lady says that we now know that this wasn't true and the funding cuts and taking bobbies out of the community was indeed a retrograde step.
Funny thing is I can't find a report anywhere of what she said which was damning on the cuts....

[Stanley]

Johnson's Cunning Plan to avoid facing his critics in Parliament until the Summer Recess had started seems to have worked. If any additional distraction was needed it has been provided by a drunk who, it is alleged, sexually abused two men at the Carlton Club. (I thought that this was a Gentleman's Club but evidently not if that sort of behaviour happens there....)
However the 'Save The Big Dog' Committee in Downing Street must be looking for the next misdirection. You'd think that the massive defeats of the by-elections had never happened. Are salaries and pension entitlements the only matters that really count at Westminster?
Meanwhile what is actually happening. Rees Mogg is reported as still pursuing his cull of civil servants despite the severe understaffing which is severely hampering many government functions (Especially in HMRC and the Home Office) and what is Sunak doing? No word has come out of the Treasury over further measures to combat the coming October shock.
In short, are we being governed or just sliding towards an inevitable recession?
(Just a thought.... Could the Pincher affair lead to another by-election?)

[plaques]

I think we are still following the unpublished plan of smaller government. This is exactly what Trump and the Republicans has been pushing for years. Less government allows those at the top, the 0.1%, to take control and govern the country as they think fit. Democracy goes out of the window. What's the point of voting to control the government if you give it away to private concerns? All Boris Johnson's promises turned out to be lies. Everything he says has a promise date at some far off point in the future. No plans how to get there just some vague aspiration that can be forgotten in the mist of time. As the sign says on the Cross Gaits pub 'Free Ale Tomorrow'.

(Just a thought.... Could the Pincher affair lead to another by-election?)
Not unless the Express and Telegraph start making it a front page issue. Then you will know its curtains for Johnson.

[Stanley]

Ken, smaller government and less responsibility is part of the drive towards Laisser Faire .......

[Stanley]

I note that Pincher is saying he looks forwards to returning to 'constituency duties' after he seeks medical attention.
Has anybody asked his constituents about this ambition? As for 'medical attention'..... in another part of the forest 'treating' homosexuals to 'cure' them is under attack. How does this 'medical attention' fit into this?
Give us a break Mr Pincher, go away and find a new career.....
Later, 6 new allegations have been made in the Sunday papers. These are complaints of his behaviour made by fellow MPs. New questions are being asked about the process of appointing him despite complaints which were said to be not formal and therefore were not taken into account.

[plaques]

These are complaints of his behaviour made by fellow MPs. New questions are being asked about the process of appointing him despite complaints which were said to be not formal and therefore were not taken into account.

Starter for 10. Who said " I wasn't aware of these allegations and I was assured that all rules had been followed."

Strikes, picket lines and pay cuts.

I've been in the opinion that Starmer was distancing himself from any 'left wing' actions that could possibly be related to Corbynism. I can understand that come the general election the right-wing press and media in general will flood their pages with negative images and innuendoes. Unfortunately he is now carrying this stance a little too far. To deny the lowest paid their only option of strike action and accept in the face of the current inflation a wage cut is wrong. Its becoming obvious that those at the top and businesses with a monopoly position and I include some of the bigger landlords in this, can raise prices and profits in excess of the current inflation rate without a murmur being made. The mantra is now, wage rises to the public sector would create a wage/inflation spiral but the inflation was there without any wage rises so this statement is mathematical speculation. With virtually all political parties now saying the country must take a wage cut and a massive drop in the standard of living which will hit the poorest the hardest its tantamount to saying the country must learn to live with a higher level of poverty.
Starmer must change tack and start supporting those with a genuine grievance even if it means being exposed to the wrath of the right-wing press.