POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

I agree Ken, they are getting away with murder. See THIS Evening Standard report of a statement by Damian Hinds whose brief covers security and borders, which defended the Prime Minister’s letter to the French leader as “exceptionally supportive and collaborative” after Paris was enraged by Mr Johnson making it public.
In other words the direct opposite of the situation is being reported by the government to the voters.
What is really creepy is that they see this as quite normal......

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on Johnson's announcement about wearing masks in shops and on public transport. (while not wearing a mask).
Note what he says about Xmas.... Asked by the BBC's Iain Watson if the prime minister could say with any confidence whether or not people could keep their Christmas plans this year, Mr Johnson replied: "We continue to be in a strong position largely thanks to the speed of the vaccine rollout, another booster rollout, and... I'm pretty confident to absolutely confident this Christmas will be considerably better than last Christmas."
That's not saying much, as I remember it last Xmas we were in lockdown or very close to it.

[Big Kev]

I can't see how he could even answer the question, the new variant has a number of unknowns and I doubt there is enough data for anyone to answer with any level of confidence.

[Stanley]

I agree, but would he ever admit that he didn't know? After all, that would be telling the truth and today politicians seem to regard this as dangerous..... Far better to be like the Oracle at Delphi and answer in riddles......

[plaques]

Peddling misinformation in todays politics is not considered as lying. If the public draw the wrong conclusions then that's their fault. The twin attacks by the Buffoon and Priti Horrible on the asylum seekers entering the UK in tiny boats is typical of their smokescreens to deflect the argument away from themselves.
The Buffoon's generalisation to send them all back to France, ie: its your fault they are here. Is met by Macron's reply, These migrants want to get to the UK they don't want to stop in France. Since you left the EU your borders became your responsibility that's the reason you left.
Priti Horrible blames the people smugglers and its down to France to crack down on these gangs. The asylum seekers say that in general they are groups of like minded people who are willing to club together to buy small boats and take the risks. Ie: not people smuggling gangs. PH then makes the comment...
The UK cannot tackle this issue alone, and across Europe we all need to step up, take responsibility, and work together in a time of crisis," Ms Patel said in a statement.
But on invoking Brexit we left to take back control and now we are pleading for their help. Can't have it both ways. Just to add to all this 'Crisis' nonsense is the fact that once they have claimed asylum the UK can reject their claim and return them. So far this year the reported number of false claims is 5. Its about time that the UK pulled its weight and accepted that once you cause wars or dissent in countries you create asylum seekers.

[Tizer]

I agree with you Plaques, but I'll add to your sentence `Peddling misinformation in today's politics is not considered as lying' by pointing out that the statement also applies to business and most other areas of modern life. It's become a normal part of life.

Asked by the BBC's Iain Watson if the prime minister could say with any confidence whether or not people could keep their Christmas plans this year, Mr Johnson replied: [Some text cut here] "...I'm pretty confident to absolutely confident this Christmas will be considerably better than last Christmas."

I've had to strike through `Christmas' - the Civil Service (now called The Blob) deems the word to be offensive to other religions and says it shouldn't be used by our government ministers. Perhaps they'll have to use the Old English, Gēola (Yule).

[plaques]

I've had to strike through `Christmas' - the Civil Service (now called The Blob) deems the word to be offensive to other religions and says it shouldn't be used by our government ministers. Perhaps they'll have to use the Old English, Gēola (Yule).

Why are we concerned what other people think of our festivals. Personally I think some of the Pagan celebrations are a lot more interesting.

Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ's day”) is of fairly recent origin. The earlier term Yule may have derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the feast of the winter solstice.

[Stanley]

You're all right Ken, Xmas is a Pagan festival retreaded by the Catholic church. If you want me to drone on for a while about this I can do.
There are more important matters to attend to than whether 'Christmas' is permissible or not. We are moving into melt down as Brexit bites in all matters of governance and economics and they are nitpicking about the name of a holiday.

[Tripps]

If you want me to drone on for a while about this I can do

Please do so - and perhaps a bit on Druids too. I need my prejudices reinforcing.

[Stanley]

Look for some meaty posts away from this topic David. I would be definitely off piste.
Done, look for Pagan/Druid timeline.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the Labour Shadow Cabinet reshuffle. I look forward to Yvette Cooper v. Priti Patel.

[PanBiker]

It would have been a lot better if Starmer had shuffled himself. Shouldn't have to say that as a Labour member but he is about as much good as chocolate teapot. He actually reminds me of the grey man who was described as like being worried by a sheep in his demeanour. No fire or passion whatsoever in his presentation.

[Tripps]

From memory - I think 'the grey man' was John Major, and it was Dennis Healey who described debating with Geoffrey Howe as 'Like being savaged by a dead sheep.”

Starmer's treatment yesterday of his deputy leader Angela Rayner, was imaginatively described by one commentator as a 'drive by shooting' . Plenty of 'fire and passion' there I'd say. Maybe better to direct it at the Government though.

[plaques]

Keir Starmer appears to be clearing the decks in readiness for the next general election. Remembering how the right-wing media magnified every small nuance of decent into a full blown crisis he looks as though he is distancing himself from everything that gave Corbyn such a negative press including Corbyn himself. Anti-Semitism, Momentum, Communism and all things left-wing are being hit on the head. At the despatch box he has little fire but in a quiet way obtained replies that can be used against the Tories in the election rough and tumble. The whole plan is to set the ground work to get elected in what is predominantly a Conservative country. Whether he will turn out to be another blue rinse Tony Blair its hard to say. Unfortunately replacing him with an in your face old style Labour will not get the party re-elected.

[Stanley]

That's my memory as well David. Starmer's problem with Angela Rayner (Another Stopfordian.) is that he can't control her, she's elected by the party.
Just seen your interpretation Ken and I think you are very close to the truth.

[Stanley]

Johnson has said that "it is overwhelmingly likely that the existing vaccines will be effective against Omicron".
How can he say that?

[PanBiker]

I was wondering exactly the same Stanley. All the various medics said yesterday that it would take at least three weeks to build up the data required to see if the present vaccines are doing the job against this variant.

[Whyperion]

It would have been a lot better if Starmer had shuffled himself. Shouldn't have to say that as a Labour member but he is about as much good as chocolate teapot. No fire or passion whatsoever in his presentation.

Apparently writing or saying somewhere recently that Johnson... should cut the bullshit.

seems fire enough

[Whyperion]

I've had to strike through `Christmas' - the Civil Service (now called The Blob) deems the word to be offensive to other religions and says it shouldn't be used by our government ministers. Perhaps they'll have to use the Old English, Gēola (Yule).

Why are we concerned what other people think of our festivals. Personally I think some of the Pagan celebrations are a lot more interesting.

Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ's day”) is of fairly recent origin. The earlier term Yule may have derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the feast of the winter solstice.

I suspect that most Jewish people have no significant worries of the UK celebrating Christmas - In Leeds the Jewish Community as it was a public holiday drove in a number of folk to one of our OAP Christmas Lunch days, and delivered food parcels out to those that were unable to leave their homes (dont know what happened if Christmas Day fell on a Saturday, like it does this year), and it falls accross the festival of light that is from the old testament, either by design or otherwise. Islam takes Jesus at least in the line of prophets of God, but considers inferiors at least those whom do not accept the greater teaching of their last and final prophet. Sikhs share much of the same philosophy of One God as Christians ( aside for being a single united tribe that Sikhs are). Hindus tend to have a fairly wide interpretation of the entire pantheon and could easily incorporate as yet another tale of the gods. Buddists tend to extol to a greater extent the teachings and life of Buddha ( and in terms of external life there are variations as to if one sees life as a circular one with a return to start after the end of one, or a linearity). Interesting that many of the 'multicultural' lights depict angels. I suspect all do not at their fundamentals care for the commercialisation and excess of drinking at this time of year. So onwards for those that enjoy their viking roots (skol !). I note the Regent Street Lights in London for many years have never had a religious depiction - often having scenes from the latest Disney movie or whichever sponser is behind the lights for the year. Many of the 'Carols' I had in books (now sold) half probably never mentioned the christmas story, plenty of Wassailing and Yule in them. Its less about the solstice as such and more a celebration of the days starting to lengthen again. Where did the 12 days of Christmas come from though (it was Industry that wanted the long holiday cut back, as so far as land workers went , frozen ground etc meant less work other than feeding and cleaning out the sheep and cattle- were markets suspended until after new year or was the idea of the Boxing Day sale (or hunt / shooting ones deer) a tradition longer than the mid C19th?

[Stanley]

Read THIS BBC report on migration and then ponder on Priti 'Orrible's statement that the migrant5s will be 'pushed back' to France by Border Force boats. Anyone who knows anything about small boats in a seaway knows that this is so dangerous only desperate people would attempt it. And all the migrants have to do is sink or threaten to sink, their boat.
You could be forgiven for thinking that she is desperate and will say anything to give the impression she is taking action on migrants. Could she perhaps be noting reports that Johnson has lost patience with her and her tenure at the Home Office could be coming to an end?

[Tizer]

A letter in The Times from a former master marina and channel pilot says how dependent on radar the big ships are for navigation, especially in fog and at night but radar can't detect the little fragile inflatables and in a big ship you can't tell if you've hit one. His view is that the French authorities are in the wrong for allowing such boats to be used in the Channel, the busiest sea lane in the world.

[Stanley]

See THIS for a BBC report on the Sidcup by-election. The Tories have held it but with a much reduced majority on a very low turnout. Generally accepted that this is the Johnson effect.

[plaques]

I think people are gradually getting the measure of Johnson (the Buffoon) and his duplicity behavior. At the moment he is pushing the vaccine boost hoping to regain some of the surge he got from the first vaccine rollout. Unfortunately for Johnson his broken promises, one rule for him etc. has overridden his entertainment value to a point where people don't trust him any longer. An example of this was highlighted on Jeremy Vine the other day when a lady commented " we need someone in charge of the vaccine programme who we can trust, obviously not Boris Johnson but someone we can trust". A year ago this statement would have been limited to OG pundits but now its becoming common currency.

[Tizer]

Bexley & Sidcup - 34% turnout, the lowest at a by-election since 2018. How can this be democratic when two-thirds of the electorate don't take part? How low can we go? The lower the turnout the easier it is for an extremist group or even a criminal group to get their man or woman elected.

[PanBiker]

General apathy about politics Peter. Turnout numbers have been dropping for years and it's not much better at Borough, County and even National level on average. Time we had a total shake up of the electoral system. Ideally we need a new chamber in the round, some kind of PR and compulsory voting in my view. Gladiatorial two party politics across the house has had it's day. It was OK when there was only the Whigs and the Tories but it is no longer relevant to a multi-party society and electorate.