POLITICS CORNER

[Tripps]

Well - for the first time in my life I've joined a political party. I am now a paid up card carrying FIPPER.

Weekends are boring and it happened last night - no alcohol was involved. File under "I shall wear purple". I had a quick response by email from Kathleen, the Leader of the party in person, who said:

Where would you like your membership card sent to, as I have noticed your address is not local and wondered how you found out about us, and why you would wish to join us when we are a Failsworth Party.

I explained briefly, trying not to sound too nerdy, and she came back this morning to welcome me, and tell me she knows my cousin, and he is

"One of the loveliest gentlemen you could wish to meet".

That's worth the joining fee alone.

PS don't google FIP - seems it also stands for Feline infectious peritonitis !

[PanBiker]

If you search FIPPER you find that it is a Malaysian rubber slipper.

However an alternative turned up this:

Failsworth Independent Party

Careful David, you may get sucked in and end up a candidate. You would then have to move I suppose to support your electorate.

[Stanley]

Wonderful! What a coincidence, her knowing your cousin..... I have a soft spot for Failsworth of course. (LINK)

Did I hear Rees Mogg correctly when he said "There are limits to what the Government can do because in an inflation, increasing public expenditure, increasing the deficit would - in and of itself - be inflationary. "But it's quite right that the support that there is has been targeted at the least well-off, as it has been."

There don't seem to be limits to promises of tax cuts and allowing businesses to export themselves to a more friendly tax regime like N Ireland.....

[plaques]

The debate about poverty has a long history. The options varied from Neo-Liberalism (no assistance whatsoever) to full social cover. The UK has long opted for a model that pays and supports less that what is required to sustain a living standard below that of the lowest paid employment. The problem with this approach is that if the overall living standard drops then the poor people fall even lower to a point where its below what's necessary to sustain life itself. Ie: people visiting food banks just to eat, people dying from hyperthermia because they can't afford to keep warm. The signs are we have now reached the point where as a rich country we should be ashamed of ourselves to be arguing that to give them more would be inflationary as though its their fault we have got into this mess in the first place.

[Stanley]

My rage levels went up even more when I heard Kit Malthouse (Who he?) defending the gove43rnment this morning and Boris Johnson. Every time someone is asked about austerity they blame it on Covid, global trends, Ukraine and past Labour mismanagement. Funny they see no role in our condition that could possible be attributed to their policies over the last twelve years or the complications of the Brexit 'Oven Ready Deal'.
(And now we have the Unionists in N Ireland refusing to power share because they don't like the compromise proposal which even though they negotiated it, the government rejects.) I see the EU have said tough.... it's what you asked for..... Over to you Johnson!

[Tripps]

The Irish situation, as I understand it, is quite simple. It is impossible for the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement and the Brexit withdrawal agreement to be met simultaneously. IMPOSSIBLE.

One or the other has to give.

[Tizer]

The Irish situation, as I understand it, is quite simple. It is impossible for the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement and the Brexit withdrawal agreement to be met simultaneously. IMPOSSIBLE.
One or the other has to give.

And Dominic Raab would say "I think I missed the significance of that".

[Stanley]

I forgot that one David, and yes you're right. That's why the Unionists are refusing to have anything to do with it.
Oh, and another thing.... I heard a Labour spokes person this morning saying that if Starmer resigned it would not be a problem as there is such a wealth of talent in the Shadow Cabinet......

[Tripps]

Thanks for the link to Th' 'at shop'. My birth certificate shows Father's occupation as 'felt hat maker'. That alone should entitle me to join the Party.

Further to my Fipping. I did a bit of 'due diligence' last night via Facebook and confirmed my idea that an independent minded candidate is attractive at local level, and that as with a plumber, no advertising is necessary if he is a good plumber - word of mouth is sufficient.

Are you listening Sally?

It will of course, - as Enoch said - all end in failure . They will fall out with each other, or be infiltrated and change their nature, but for now, I'll go along for the ride. They unseated a Council Chairman at a previous election !

PS - I heard the most wonderful true anecdote today, but for a couple of reasons can't 'share' it. That's a pity - you'd love it.

[Stanley]

Stop Teasing!

[plaques]

The war of words over the Northern Ireland protocol gets more surreal by the day. Boris Johnson's oven ready Brexit deal now an international agreement agreed that goods from the rest of the UK would be subjects to checks on entry and exit from Ireland. This became our mythical Irish Sea border. Built into the agreement was a grace period to allow for the necessary infrastructure to be installed. England has done the absolute minimum while the DUP refuse to do anything meaningful. The DUP and Liz Truss's argument is that anything they do to comply will involve more work and cause more delays than what they are doing now. Which is true because they re doing nothing and are in breach of the agreement. The EU have made offers to reduce the paperwork but this has been rejected by UK government and the DUP. We appear to be reaching a stand off point where Truss wants to cancel part of the agreement and the EU saying if she does that ALL the agreement falls. ie: full trade sanctions will apply as per a third country outside the EU. With the cost of living crisis raging in the UK this is not the time to be playing chicken with a trading block that could collapse our economy completely.

[Stanley]

Exactly Ken! Liz Truss rattling her sabre is as big a danger as Johnson's buffoonery.
The more you examine this matter the more you recognise that this is indeed a cock-up and is entirely of the UK government's making. In itself it is a complete indictment of the total mismanagement of the Tory government. As such it's beginning to wear a bit thin even within the Party. We hear voices being raised asking awkward questions about the next general election. How are these matters going to be presented to the public. Johnson swore blind there would be no paperwork and no border in the Irish Sea. He could end up being right because if and when Reunification happens (and who can doubt that it is only a matter of time with Sinn Fein predominant in the North) there will be a simple border of England's shores against the rest of the world. (I say 'England's shores' because there could also be borders with Wales and Scotland.)
Cameron's catastrophe is pretty bloody comprehensive. Can you remember when Richard Broughton first raised the Irish Question? He was way in front of the pack then and now we are all experts!

[Tripps]

Lee Anderson MP says - and I hope someone takes him up on his offer Food banks

[Stanley]

I think the DUP lady at the end of the clip might have had a point as well. Yes, he is right and many need to be taught to budget and cook but that isn't the complete answer. There are many using food banks who are in full time work, would you insult a nurse or a teacher by telling them they need to learn household economy. The need for education is best met when they are young, it used to be taught but then we decided it wasn't important.
The need for income is best met by stopping running this country like a National Sweat Shop where the weakest go to the wall.
No David, sorry, this man has not got the answer.
Later.... See THIS BBC report that the Attorney General has received legal advice that it would be legal for the government to repudiate the NI protocol. The advice has changed because it can be argued that it is causing social problems and trade difficulties.
This looks like carte blanche for Johnson and Truss to put two fingers up to the EU. The question is, what would the Union do in response?

[Stanley]

Later..... See THIS comment on Mr Anderson's comments. Note what he said about 'nuisance council house tenants. "During the 2019 general election campaign Mr Anderson was criticised for suggeting ‘nuisance’ council tenants should be forced to work ‘in the field, picking potatoes or any other seasonal vegetables – back in the tent, cold shower, lights out, six o’clock, same again the next day.’
It was also pointed out in the Mirror that he claimed £220,000 expenses last year and enjoys subsidised meals in the Commons restaurants. (LINK)

[plaques]

Later.... See THIS BBC report that the Attorney General has received legal advice that it would be legal for the government to repudiate the NI protocol. The advice has changed because it can be argued that it is causing social problems and trade difficulties.
This looks like carte blanche for Johnson and Truss to put two fingers up to the EU. The question is, what would the Union do in response?

The protocol agreement has always had provisions for dealing with disputes that may arise during the practical implementation. This is now the famous Article 16. article 16. this does not allow for the agreement to be cancelled but provides a mechanism for the disagreement areas to be discussed.

Any actions taken must be “restricted with regard to their scope and duration” and must only address the issues explicitly identified. Article 16 is not intended to allow either party to suspend provisions of the protocol permanently or in their entirety.

As always with media announcements the exact content has to be defined. I suspect the threat to cancel the agreement completely is a blurring of the Article 16.

What would the EU do in response? They will do what they threatened to do when Boris Johnson proposed this action some months ago, Cancel the existing trade deals. Both side would be losers but the UK would be the one to really suffer.

[Tripps]

There are many using food banks who are in full time work,

It's a complex subject, and I think the pressure has only just begun. Last week 'Elsie' who said she had to ride a bus to keep warm was revealed as an 'activist' , and like her the 'nurse at the foodbank' has become an iconic figure, and has been referred to many times in the media this week. I'm sceptical about both. Seems she had a successful long career in engineering, and lived in a Band F property.

Life has changed, and it seems everyone is entitled to a job which pays enough to house clothe and feed and holiday them, and anything less is 'poverty'. The Government must do something, and quickly, is the thought of the moment. The oil company 'windfall tax' may yet happen. (Bojo has avoided a denial) There is also the 'windfall' that the Revenue get to be considerd , since their take on fuel is 'ad valorem' and must have shot up - perhaps they could share the burden?

Lee Anderson has been the story of the day - seems he was a Labour Party member until quite recently. The best answer for me, is for someone (MP or journalist) to take up his offer, and go to Ashfield and put it all to the test. I remember Mathew Parris tried to live on benefit when he was an MP in the North East. I don't think that ended well.

The Covid thing seems to be over - is that due to the vaccine or the time of year? I favour the latter. It will probably come back under a different guise, next winter. I do hope some serious lessons have been learned and plans for it are being made. I doubt it.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of 'more than 50' fines issued to people in Downing Street over lockdown parties. This is not going well. No coherent statement from the buffoon as yet.
What is the state of play with Sue Gray? The leak was that it is excoriating and damaging to the government. The biggest problem that Downing Street has is that this is not going away but is a wound festering in their collective sides.

[Stanley]

I think we are all aware that Johnson goes into automatic distraction mode whenever his government encounters a problem. The latest set of fines in the Partygate saga has triggered at least two beauties. See THIS for the first one. "90,000 civil service jobs to be axed immediately to give funds for attacking the cost of living crisis." Small things like the fact that so many departments are understaffed/badly managed to the point where normal service has failed, (Tried to get a passport or HMRC decision lately?) Not to mention things like termination payments, redundancy and pension contributions.
See THIS for the next one. Quasi Kwarteng said there might be a "small effect" on bills under a new model to fund nuclear projects. But he said in the long-term, nuclear would provide cheaper power and energy security. He said financial help had been offered to reduce bills in the short-term. We are in an economic crisis and now is a good time to announce even more charges against public energy costs?
These people are not living in the real world, they are all in a parallel world called Westminster.

[Stanley]

I'm listening to Jacob Rees Mogg telling us that all is well and any suggestion that Brexit trade difficulties are affecting the UK economy or contributing 6% to food costs is 'nonsense'. He would not answer the question whether cutting staff at the Home Office would affect the issue of passports. In short, he is totally laid back and thinks we should all be grateful for Brexit and the strong hand of a Conservative government.
As I said earlier, planet Westminster.... It's a parallel universe.

[Tripps]

planet Westminster.... It's a parallel universe.

Indeed. . . .

This is from the wonderful Guardian columnist John Crace. Some words have been redacted for a family audience, but can what he says be true, and if not, should a libel action have quickly followed?

One member of the *****cracy not on view was Michael Gove. Though he should have been in the Commons to open the second day of the Queen’s speech debate on “fairness at work and power in communities”. But after his cocaine binge the day before – any minister can **** up one media interview, but it takes a certain genius to **** up all five – the Govester was lying down in a darkened room, nursing his nose and on the phone to his sponsor. “Thing is Mikey, you still haven’t quite got the hang of Step One.”

So it was the perfectly nice but wholly unremarkable junior business minister, Paul Scully, who was left to pick up the pieces of what passed for a levelling up agenda. He was looking forward to the economy growing a bit, he said hopefully. Weren’t we all, though there is little sign of it. Nor could Scully offer any clue when it might happen. He also looked forward to the UK benefiting from a flexible workforce, though not quite so flexible as P&O’s. And we’d be levelling up somehow or other at some unspecified time in the future. Thank you. I’m here.

[Stanley]

It's a puzzle isn't it David.I suspect there is lots going on we are not party to. I often think that re. stuff PE print. I mean, Mr Werrity must be sick and tired of the innuendo that appears there. But no, there is a breathless hush in the Close.....

[Tripps]

It reinforces my opinion that anyone who wants to be an MP should be barred from standing. The job attracts 'wrong 'uns' of all types.

[Stanley]

I'm listening to politics at its most convoluted and stupid. That's right, I'm listening to a succession of 'politicians' giving their reasons as to why the NI Assembly is not going to be able to start because the DUP are not only refusing to form a power-sharing government but say they won't vote to install a Speaker. This means that all government and public service management and funding is impossible.
This leads me to feel that we might modify your modest proposal David. Suppose we not only barred anybody with ambitions to be a politician from being one, we might perhaps simply ban politicians and have management committees instead. Northern Ireland needs reunification, that will solve the problem of Stormont and get it off our backs!

[PanBiker]

I reckon the DUP stance is more to do with sectarianism than the Brexit deal. I may be wrong of course but they do have a track record. Religion has a lot to answer for.