POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

"Johnson learned at school to defeat opponents whose arguments were better simply by ignoring their arguments. He discovered how to win elections and debates not by boring the audience with detail, but with carefully timed jokes, calculated lowerings of voice, and ad hominem jibes."
That was what caught my attention in a long read but all of it is pertinent and as you say David, explains a lot. The chumocracy is at work now protecting Johnson because he is 'one of theirs'. This is a rotten way to run a student club in a back street; to transfer the model lock stock and barrel to Parliament is grotesque and an insult to the ordinary people of this country who make it function. I hate undeserved privilege and this is exactly what this article portrays, a bunch of spoiled kids who believe they are the only ones entitled to anything. I shall go and chew the carpet......

[plaques]

Today should see a vote in the Commons whether there should be an investigation into the Partygate shenanigans, The Conservatives have added an amendment to delay the investigation until all the facts are in or in the 'round' in popular currency'
Another can kicked down the road
But ministers now say that vote should wait until probes by the Met Police and civil servant Sue Gray have finished.

Compare this with the Rwanda people trafficking bill. No costing. No projected outcome, possibly illegal and no guarantee it will stop the illegal people trafficking. Shouldn't this be put on the backburner until the Partygate facts are in. After all its only a Partygate smokescreen.

[Stanley]

Later.... Johnson has backed down and given his MPs a free vote.
I suspect they have done this because too many backbenchers were going to ignore the 3 line whip and abstain. It would have made the Whips look foolish.

[Tripps]

In the event they didn't need a vote - just "the (very vocal) ayes have it, the ayes have it". The noes didn't seem to be there. Quite an anti climax really. Saves the rebel Tories from going on the record though. They can now freely lie about their actions.

Meanwhile the Clown in Chief is in India- first shown on the floor spinning cotton thread by hand - he must have googled Ghandi before his trip. Later shown having a second fitting for a turban by a local chap. That photo can go next to his 'stranded on a zip wire' masterpiece.

Meanwhile if you follow Simon Bell at all - and you should - he says the 'trade deal' will involve unlimited access to UK of Indian students and IT professionals, and that the Rwanda schene was just a diversion. He suggests many hundreds of thousands, maybe millions will come. Quite why programers need to physically be here, quickly followed by their families, and not do their work from home isn't clear.

Just as well Rishi Sunak isn't PM as being big in his wife's father's IT company Infosys, there might have been a fairly obvious conflict of interest.

Boris's time is over - nearly anyone else would be preferable - however the man who sees himself as the second coming of Winston Churchill will not want to be remembered as the PM who left because he went to a birthday party, and it's devilish hard to get rid of a Tory leader who doesn't want to go. I think the only action I can take is to help to wipe them out at the local elections. When they realise he isn't an electoral asset someone will 'have a word'.

[PanBiker]

Have you noticed and this is not just a cheap political jibe at the opposition. Whenever Boris goes on a visit, be it a factory, building site or indeed it would seem a continent. I honestly believe that the hosts are in a competition to see who can make him look the biggest plonker! I have noticed that he always gets issued with HiVis which is a tad too small and on construction sites hard hats which don't fit. The India visit takes some beating though in the head! Or is it that he is just the wrong shape to fit up correctly?

[Stanley]

"Later shown having a second fitting for a turban by a local chap. That photo can go next to his 'stranded on a zip wire' masterpiece."
I had exactly the same thought when I saw it David. Did you notice that it was far bigger than his host's head-dress? I think Ian may be right, they were taking the piss.
See THIS BBC review of the papers led by the Telegraph, 'Johnson buckles, the gig is up.' The general tone is that he has reached his sell by date. We shall see how long bluster can keep this farce going.

[plaques]

Conservative voters are faced with an impossible dilemma do they vote for a party whose leader in a known criminal and a serial liar or do they hold their noses and pretend that the local candidate has no attachment to the national party even though his local party endorses headquarters actions. ie: back to Boris Johnson.

The Metropolitan Police have said that they will not issue any more Partygate fines until after the local elections on 5th May. The reason being is that they don't want to influence voters drawing attention to wrong doing by the Conservative administration. Surely by NOT issuing fines they are influencing voting in favour of the Conservatives by hiding their criminality.

What happened to .. Without fear or favour?

[Tripps]

Posting from the hip here - Indulge me - again. . . .

a party whose leader in a known criminal

"Payment of a penalty notice does not require an admission of guilt and will not result in a criminal record. A record that you have been issued with a penalty notice will be kept, and that information may be used to decide if you are eligible to receive another penalty notice in the future."

I'm guessing that most of the other 80,00 recipients haven't even admitted the fact, let alone been threatened with their P45..

***************************************

Since he is in India, and does not seem at all comfortable with his surroundings, I immediately thought of Kiplings poem Pagett MP.



"Pagett, M.P., was a liar, and a fluent liar therewith. . ." “Skittles!” said Pagett, M.P.

Pagett, M.P.

The toad beneath the harrow knows
Exactly where each tooth-point goes.
The butterfly upon the road
Preaches contentment to that toad.


Pagett, M.P., was a liar, and a fluent liar therewith —
He spoke of the heat of India as the “Asian Solar Myth”;
Came on a four months’ visit, to “study the East,” in November,
And I got him to sign an agreement vowing to stay till September.

March came in with the koil. Pagett was cool and gay,
Called me a “bloated Brahmin,” talked of my “princely pay.”
March went out with the roses. “Where is your heat?” said he.
“Coming,” said I to Pagett, “Skittles!” said Pagett, M.P.

April began with the punkah, coolies, and prickly—heat, —
Pagett was dear to mosquitoes, sandflies found him a treat.
He grew speckled and mumpy—hammered, I grieve to say,
Aryan brothers who fanned him, in an illiberal way.

May set in with a dust—storm,– Pagett went down with the sun.
All the delights of the season tickled him one by one.
Imprimis– ten day’s “liver”– due to his drinking beer;
Later, a dose of fever– slight, but he called it severe.

Dysent’ry touched him in June, after the Chota Bursat –
Lowered his portly person– made him yearn to depart.
He didn’t call me a “Brahmin,” or “bloated,” or “overpaid,”
But seemed to think it a wonder that any one stayed.

July was a trifle unhealthy, —Pagett was ill with fear.
'Called it the “Cholera Morbus,” hinted that life was dear.
He babbled of “Eastern Exile,” and mentioned his home with tears;
But I haven’t seen my children for close upon seven years.

We reached a hundred and twenty once in the Court at noon,
(I’ve mentioned Pagett was portly) Pagett, went off in a swoon.
That was an end to the business; Pagett, the perjured, fled
With a practical, working knowledge of “Solar Myths” in his head.

And I laughed as I drove from the station, but the mirth died out on my lips
As I thought of the fools like Pagett who write of their “Eastern trips,”
And the sneers of the travelled idiots who duly misgovern the land,
And I prayed to the Lord to deliver another one into my hand.

[Stanley]

Wonderful David and if I knew that poem I'd forgotten it.
One thing that strikes me is that Johnson keeps saying that the country wants to get on with the job in hand. How does he know what the country wants? I have news for the portly one, this bit of the country wants rid of this rotten Parliament and a return to Cabinet Government and democracy.
It seems to me that even the Tories are fed up with the turmoil and chaos that Johnson leaves in his wake. His Brexit ship of state is heading for the rocks in Ireland, the economy is far from being the economic miracle Sunak once boated of (Where is he?) and Parliament stumbles on from one row to another while economic and social crisis develops in all walks of life. The outlook for next winter is dire in so many ways but we do not hear MPs debating this. They appear to be content to wait until reports of cold hungry children start to come in.

[plaques]

Watched a 3-way YouTube discussion on politics mainly attracted by Andrew Marr being one of the participants. The whole ten minutes seemed to be about point scoring in the Westminster bubble. Who said what and did it trump the reply given by XYZ. Was Starmer right in commenting on the BBC based on hearsay? (exactly what Johnson had done with his Partygate "no rules were broken") Result Starmer minus two points. Sadly it went on and on, nothing to do with real life. No cost of living crisis, no reduction in health services, no reduction in living standards all taken over by philosophical debates that evaded the answer to anything that ordinary people cared about. No wonder that todays politics has got a bad name. Everything is now spun to a point that is deigned to mislead and give impressions that are far from the truth.

[Tizer]

I didn't know the Disney empire had this amount of self-governing power. Don't tell Musk and Bezos or they'll want it too!...
`Florida's governor signs law revoking Disney powers' LINK
`Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a controversial bill dissolving Walt Disney World's self-governing status in the state. The move is seen as retribution for Disney's opposition to the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill. The company's status in the state in effect allowed Disney to operate as its own municipal government. It included the ability to levy tax, build roads, control utilities and operate its own fire department. The Florida bill will eliminate Disney's Reedy Creek Improvement District and several others. The measure, however, allows for districts to be re-established in the future.'...

[Stanley]

Peter, I was surprised to learn that the granting of autonomous regulatory powers to a township is common in the US. I came across it in Minnesota and in that case it was a small 'town' built by a developer and run as a gated community. Evidently it goes back to the days of the Frontier when new towns sprang up like mushrooms and had their own local laws.
So the Disney case is not uncommon.

[Tizer]

I'm surprised Trump hasn't taken advantage of that - or perhaps he has?

The Observer this morning has quotes from a whistle-blower working in the Homes for Ukraine scheme saying they don't know what they are doing and that the scheme is designed to fail so that it keeps out immigrants. He works for the private business running the scheme and say he's had barristers and lawyers calling saying they couldn't understand the system.

On the Sunday Times front page is the claim that successive UK prime ministers over the last 7 years ignored calls from ministers and the army to provide weapons to Ukraine for fear of provoking Putin.

[Stanley]

I heard that report on Home Office procedures designed to fail and wasn't surprised. Exactly the same tactics were used against the Windrush victims and you can see examples of the same inertia being used to manage progress of other matters throughout the government systems. Look at how long it takes to get results in cases as varied as Grenfell or the Horizon scandal at the Post Office. The common ethos is protection of the status quo on the grounds that all change is dangerous.
This is why we still have men in the commons wearing tights and carrying swords, it's why we don't have electronic vo9ting and still keep to an adversarial tradition of debate. The establishment say that it is 'traditional' but this is a smokescreen, most of the 'traditions' are Victorian inventions to protect the Monarchy and the Honours System which works well fro some and badly for the majority. We need deep and serial change on our political systems. At the moment the systems are supporting Right Wing politicians who are trashing democracy and presiding over a regression to the 19th century instead of going forward.
Oh...by the way, Macron has been re-elected as French President but it's worth noting that 40% of the vote went to the Right Wing Marine Le Pen.

[Tizer]

I've been holding my breath waiting for the French election result - thank goodness Le Pen failed to get in, we have enough far right leaders in Europe already.

This morning's papers have headlines like this one in The Times...
`Sue Gray report ‘so damning Boris Johnson will have to quit’' LINK
`A Whitehall report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street is so damning that senior officials believe it could leave Boris Johnson with no choice but to resign as prime minister, The Times has been told. The report by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, is understood to be highly critical of Johnson both for attending some of the events and the culture in No 10 under his leadership. The report has been put on hold until Scotland Yard has completed its own investigations, but a senior official familiar with its contents said the findings are “damning” for Johnson. “Sue’s report is excoriating. It will make things incredibly difficult for the prime minister,” the official said.
The same story is in the Mail and the Metro.

[Stanley]

I heard that report as well Peter. Question is if it is so bad will Johnson allow it to see the light of day? He's got enough brass neck to sink it. (Did he ever allow the report on Russia to be published?)
I note that Priti 'Orrible has been dragged kicking and screaming into reality by the lawyers. See THIS BBC report that the push back policy she has been advocating as one of the main weapons the Home Office has against immigrants in small boats is illegal as well as being impractical. I suppose this means that the Special Boat Service adviser will lose his job.....

[Tizer]

Well what a surprise...
`UK-EU trade relationships tumble after Brexit: Red tape, customs controls and taxes cause many small businesses to stop trading with Europe' FT
`The UK’s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU has caused a “steep decline” in the number of trading relationships Britain has with the bloc as red tape at the border curbs the ability of smaller firms to export, new research has found. Although UK exports to the EU have now recovered to pre-pandemic levels, analysis of trading data shows the number of relationships between buyers and sellers tumbled by a third after the introduction of the EU-UK trade deal in January 2021. The findings from the LSE Centre for Economic Performance chime with warnings from business groups that smaller firms have struggled to absorb customs controls, VAT and regulatory red tape, with many quitting exporting altogether. '...

[Stanley]

We notice the same things Peter. Every time a difficult circumstance is raised, congestion at Dover, waiting lists in the NHS or the Northern Island problem we are told that the cause is Covid, the intransigence of the EU or global causes, never a mention of Cameron's Catastrophe. We forecast a disaster and we were right but the Brexiteers are not going to admit it until it is forced on them and that time is coming.
One thing in particular has been noticeable for the last couple of weeks, that nice Mr Sunak who was forever smiling at us on TV screens and telling us we were the best G2 economy and that he was with us in the fuel price crisis has vanished. His plans for leadership in tatters and he and his wife's tax affairs laid bare, I am expecting a resignation note any day now.
Everything might hang on the mood music after May 5th.

[plaques]

The ramifications of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine get more complicated by the day. Russia is/has shut off the gas supply to Poland and Bulgaria unless they pay in Rubles. This is seen as an attempt to shore up the Ruble on the international markets by making countries trade in rubbles and possibly do a bit of sanction busting at the same time. The UK is on the hit list for this type of payment while still buying 4% of our gas from Russia. It makes one wonder if we have a contingency plan to cover this possible shortfall or will the prices just continue to rise and let the poor take up the slack?

The Ukraine has been asking for more heavy weapons and armoured vehicles especially tanks. The West had resisted this move but is now offering to supply tanks to help defend the Donbas region. The question must be asked if NATO realizes that against modern rocket firing and Kamikazi drones plus hand held smart missiles that tanks have become outdated in modern warfare, other than the quell civil unrest, they are of little practical value so why keep them.
Not an expert, just a thought.

[Stanley]

The High Court has ruled that the government acted unlawfully when it moved patients from hospital to care homes at the beginning of the pandemic.

[Tizer]

The Ukraine has been asking for more heavy weapons and armoured vehicles especially tanks. The West had resisted this move but is now offering to supply tanks to help defend the Donbas region. The question must be asked if NATO realizes that against modern rocket firing and Kamikazi drones plus hand held smart missiles that tanks have become outdated in modern warfare, other than the quell civil unrest, they are of little practical value so why keep them.
Not an expert, just a thought.

Modern weaponry can deal with the threat to tanks from drones and missiles and the Russians either do not have such weapons or haven't deployed them to any extent, hence the loss of so many of their tanks to Ukrainian attacks. The tanks that Germany has promised to supply are actually mobile armoured anti-aircraft vehicles which will help defend the Ukrainians against Russian planes and missiles.

[Stanley]

One of the truisms most quoted by military historians is that generals tend to fight former wars again. This is what leads to nations building huge aircraft carriers and in this case getting ready for a second Battle of Kursk a la WW2. Even at the end of WW2 German schoolboys kitted out with uniforms and the highly efficient Panzerfaust shoulder launched anti-tank grenade were highly effective in urban, short range warfare where the ambush was a favourite tactic. How much easier and more effective now with modern missiles and drones.
On another matter.... In the late 1930s the UK dragged itself out of the inter-war depression by using deficit financing to pay for military production. This eventually won the war and made the US the major world economy. This will not have escaped the notice of the Treasury and you can bet your bottom dollar that juicy contracts are being handed out. Let's hope they are given to British firms and not put out to global tender.

[plaques]

Another right-wing ploy is the 'all as bad as each other'. For those who can cast their minds back during the lockdown time may remember picture of Starmer having a beer with his working colleagues after delivering Labour party leaflets. This type of 'gathering' was specifically covered as permissible within the rules. The police were informed and they dismissed the event as not actionable. We now see a Freedom of information request raking up an old story with a promise from the police they will send the official reply. So there we have it. A none event that remains a none event but with the underlying inference that 'He' got away with it while Boris didn't. The overall plan is clear if you can't defend your own man try to paint the opposition as being equally bad.

[Tizer]

One of the topics in this week's Radio 4 Inside Science programme was on tidal power and this is the note on the web site: With a huge tidal range, Wales and the west coast of England have become the focal point for a new generation of tidal power plans. So, is the tidal energy revolution finally happening? Roger Falconer, Emeritus Professor of Water and Environmental Engineering at Cardiff University, and Andrew Scott, CEO of Orbital Marine power, share their insights. LINK
It was very good and Falconer spoke more sense than I've ever heard before on tidal power. The government should put him in charge of getting the projects up and running and give him a big budget. We'd get lots of energy and jobs for many more people. He'd be another Admiral Jackie Fisher: `No more ten years to build a dreadnought, I want them in a year' - and he got them in a year. Falconer points out what others seem to forget or don't know. Detractors say you'll only get power twice a day - Falconer says no, the tide times are different around the British coast so you can locate the units to get the best coverage.

[Stanley]

Energy policy is a good example of how bad our political systems are at dealing with practical matters. So many other matters if you start to dig into them. You only need look at Defence Procurement and PPE contracts to realise how bad the government is when contracts have to be awarded. Even our tax gathering and finance regulation are judged not fit for purpose. Then look at the administration of public services. The list goes on and on. I suppose government has always been bad at these things and the difference today is the massive sums of money involved.
I heard someone ask the question yesterday about what do we actually get for the almost £800billion in tax we pay each year...... A good question......