POLITICS CORNER

[Tizer]

I am getting very angry with Useless Eustice as he starts almost every answer by saying 'Well, look here'.

It annoyed me too. Very impolite, demanding and pompous.

But what really matters is we showed the French who was boss.

And gave the right-wing newspapers and social media plenty of aggressive material to feed to their attack dogs.

[Tripps]

Or perhaps Andrew Neil has got a bit closer to the truth when he says

" Britain agreed fishing permits for 98% of boats that applied, as per post-Brexit trade deal; 55 French boats not given access to Channel Isles waters because they failed to provide any evidence they’d ever fished in these waters. And for that Macron threatens a trade war.

So why were boats refused licenses unable/unwilling to provide any evidence of previous fishing in Channel Isles waters, given EU and national requirements to log fishing activities? "


PS George Eustice actually prefaces his replies with "well look" rather than "well look here" - which is a lot less agressive. The practice has become quite common in interviews recently. It seems to have almost replaced "so" in that context. I've noticed it's very common in interviews with jockeys, and the trainer Aidan O'Brien is the chief culprit.

[Stanley]

You're right David and I thought that when I originally posted but I wasn't sure. I hate it with the same passion I use for 'kind of'!!!
I agree with Ken, and said so a couple of days ago. Johnson needs the French to act badly towards us to bolster his 'all EU states are villains and against us' message that will explain or economic difficulties come election time. (He also has to avoid an official investigation into Covid at any cost. Catch Private eye a week on Thursday, it's a special edition looking at the profits made by the government's friends....)
Looking at COP26 I have to agree once more with James Lovelock. "In his new book, The Vanishing Face Of Gaia, as in his previous The Revenge of Gaia (Allen Lane, 2006), she is old, vengeful and dangerous — Medusa, perhaps, rather than Ceres. And her anger is directed at us, the plague of apes who have appropriated Earth's resources to satisfy our endless greed". I think I am going to have to read that one.
As far as Johnson is concerned COP26 is all about politics and the UK 'punching above its weight'. In truth it is not doing anything of the sort. We run the biggest CO2 scam in the world at Drax and subsidise it with public money. Our latest get rich scheme is plant good agricultural land with trees and call them carbon credits because they absorb CO2 as they grow and at the same time import over 60% of our food from a world that is struggling.
Later....See THIS BBC report on the Tory reaction to the sanctions against Owen Paterson imposed by the Commons Standards Committee. Simples, abolish the committee and replace it with another body that can be overruled or appealed against. I note that the egregious Andrea Leadsom is at the forefront of this action.

[Tripps]

Johnson needs the French to act badly towards us

Yes and looking through the other end of the telescope - the French need to treat us harshly to remind any upstarts that it's not good to leave. "Pour encourager les autres" to coin a phrase.

It'll be reet.

[Tripps]

Tory reaction to the sanctions against Owen Paterson imposed by the Commons Standards Committee. Simples, abolish the committee and replace it with another body that can be overruled or appealed against. I note that the egregious Andrea Leadsom is at the forefront of this action.

Remember Elizabeth Filkin?

Disgraceful. Google each, then combinations of Owen Paterson - Rose Paterson - Randox Health - Aintree.

I have seen it suggested that MP's pay should be reduced for every pound they earn outside Parliament. Like Universal Credit - though I doubt whether that would stop anything. Their pay is trivial compared to the bribes.

Obi - Wan Kenobi was on the money. . .

[plaques]

Good news for the pig farmers the shortage of butchers has been solved. The remedy is unbelievably simple. We kill the pigs here in the UK. Put the carcases in a wagon and ship them to the EU where they will be butchered then returned by wagon back to the UK. The estimated cost of all this pigging about will be around £1500 per wagon. Pigexit The relative cost of butchering them in the UK is not given. Perhaps its a good job that COP26 is out of the way because we have just gone 6 nil down against the Buffoon's original 5 on the carbon footprint stakes. Unfortunately nobody seems to have considered that this cunning plan will create a bigger demand for butchers in the EU and make it harder for us to convince the 800 potential visa applicants that it is better to work here than at home. Not withstanding we need nearer 10,000 butchers against the 800 allowed. But at least your Christmas pigs in a blanket may have been saved.

[Stanley]

Thanks David. Yes I had forgotten Elizabeth but remember it well.
Ken, whoever dreamed that one up knows nothing about slaughtering or butchering. It can't work.
I have a better idea, remove the unbelievably complicated regulations on small local slaughter houses and let's get back to local services. These make more attractive jobs and existing butchers can easily qualify as slaughterers. It will help with the shortage of vets as well, good butchers are just as capable as vets when it comes to examining a carcass.
I see the Tories went ahead with their whitewash of Owen Patterson. (LINK)
I know the question has been asked before but what does a Tory have to do to be sanctioned? If Paterson had been in any other party would the vote have happened?

[plaques]

Another little snippet on the fishing dispute where we won hands down and the French went away with their tails between their legs. Its been reprted that during the afternoon full licences were given to the french boats then in the evening the french released our boat. Common sense prevailed but both sides claimed victory. I can't find any reference to it in our great british press so it must be true.

[Tizer]

Judging by the latest news from the USA we're probably going to see the Republican Party voted in at the next election with Trump as President or someone who cunningly `channels' Trump politics without overt reference to the Donald.
`Glenn Youngkin: Win for Republican in Virginia governor vote' LINK

[Stanley]

We've got enough problems here Peter without worrying about Republicans.
Ken, as usual with laser like precision you nail the heart of the matter.
I have just heard that yesterday's Tory triumph for fair play and freedom to lobby has been dropped and the Tories will go away and think about it. Rees Mogg says that there wasn't cross party support.... I think we noticed that. There will now be a vote on whether Paterson serves his 30 days. I think you know what my opinion is!
By the way, did you hear Quasi Kwarteng on Today saying that the lady who chairs the committee should 'consider her position'. Not Paterson or anyone else but the person in charge. You couldn't make it up.

[PanBiker]

Not a single word on the news yet about Boris's defeat in the Lords on his attack on the triple lock on the state pension. Probably because it only concerns the crumblies who I suppose are no longer newsworthy.

[Stanley]

Later yesterday, the U turn to end all U turns. Rees Mogg stands up and announces that despite 'winning' the vote yesterday to re-examine the Standards committee and reprieve Paterson the government was recognising that there wasn't cross party support and so was withdrawing the motion. This had the effect of throwing the exultant Paterson and his friends overboard and reinstating the vote in the House on his suspension scheduled for today. It must have dawned on someone that this was going to be a landslide but miraculously, Paterson saved the day by resigning as an MP. No need for a vote, no sanction against him and no defeat for the Tories. With one bound Jack was free and they could all go off for the weekend without a care in the world.
If you believe in fairy tales that is it but this old cynic thinks there could have been a conversation along the lines, resign, keep stum for a while and we'll throw you a nice little earner in public life when things have calmed down. It's all too tidy.
I stand to be corrected of course....

[PanBiker]

f you believe in fairy tales that is it but this old cynic thinks there could have been a conversation along the lines, resign, keep stum for a while and we'll throw you a nice little earner in public life when things have calmed down. It's all too tidy.
I stand to be corrected of course....

I don't think any correction will be necessary Stanley. Smelling of roses, jobs for the boys, s..t floats and Lords of the bloody Universe all come to mind, take your pick. When will the rank and file realise they are being shafted?

[Tizer]

When will the rank and file realise they are being shafted?

We'll know when they start shouting `Drain the swamp' and turning to the likes of QAnon, then we'll be going down the same path as America.

[Stanley]

See THIS for a balanced BBC report on the affair. The bottom line is that Johnson has been clearly implicated and the Party is outraged by what has happened. Will it damage Johnson? Yes, but not permanently, the Tories need him to do his comedy acts to give the illusion of being in control.

[Tizer]

It was good to hear John Major this morning on the Today programme...
`Ex-PM John Major: Government handling of Paterson case shameful' LINK

[plaques]

Another bit of 'One rule for me and another rule for others' is about to break the surface. Buffoon Johnson's nice little holiday in his pal's Zac Goldsmith's villa has been registered as an event but without registering any costs to it. Zac has previously hired the villa out at £25,000 per week. Buffoon appears to have got it at mates rate of Zero cost per week. If Buffoon registered it as its true cost he would have to pay tax on it. Can't be doing anything like that can we.

[Stanley]

And his decorating costs haven't gone away Ken. They are up for scrutiny as well.
I listened to John Major and wondered how bad things can get. We have an ex Tory PM saying that the current one is running a corrupt government. It was made worse for me when up pops one of the current lightweights, 'Useless' Eustice who trashed everything that John Major said. Are we supposed to take notice of a man who is supervising the destruction of agriculture and is ridiculed by his own colleagues?
m I exaggerating if I say that this is surreal? It is far worse then anything I could have imagined and we all know that if and when the dams holding back knowledge of the scale and effects of Tory 'Fraternalism' especially when doling out lucrative contracts break, there is going to be a flood of sleaze and corruption.
On top of all this I fear we are in for a miserable winter.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the continuing row over standards after the Paterson affair. Despite George Eustice assuring us that it was 'a storm in a teacup' it would appear that Johnson has taken a step too far in his cavalier attitude to Parliament.
See THIS as well. Global Witness says that there are more delegates from fossil fuel interests at COP26 than any individual country. Reminiscent of the way the tobacco interests fought to protect their industry.

[Stanley]

THIS is worth reading, Laura Kuenssberg's take on the current problem with Parliamentary standards.
It's getting complicated and dangerous.

[Tizer]

I like the quote at the end: One frustrated serving minister who is not a fan of Mr Johnson told me "we're all stuffed until he implodes". Unfortunately we are all probably in the same situation! Too much of the British public has lost its interest in politics and its motivation to take action and we end up stuck with a rubbish Prime Minister. Where are all those `social media warriors' when they're needed? We keep being told that social media platforms are needed so that the voice of the people can be heard. They're too busy fighting over ridiculous culture wars and ignoring the most important issue.

[Stanley]

Well said Peter! I think you're spot on.
I was listening to Dominic Raab, Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice being asked to defend the indefensible this morning on Today. He repeatedly avoided any apology or explanation for the absence of the Prime Minister from the debate yesterday. It was pathetic and repetitious and nothing he said answered any of the questions but simply parroted the Party Line.
Can you imagine PM Johnson in a direct confrontation by a determined questioner being pressed to explain himself? The usual buffoonery and laboured sporting similes couldn't be used because the subject is so serious. He is incapable of reasoned logic and so would be reduced to spluttering unfinished sentences and gibberish. Did you hear him yesterday at the hospital? In any serious forum this would immediately expose him to crippling ridicule as he demonstrated why he is unfit for office.
That's why he is avoiding having to explain. Question is, how long will he be allowed to do this? As Peter says, now is the time for a concerted effort by the armchair politicians in the social media (Like us!) to demand that he resign and put the matter to the forum of a ballot.

[Big Kev]

The question 'should MPs have a second job?' that's been mentioned on the news. If they were carrying out their ministerial duties surely they wouldn't have time to do another job...

[Stanley]

Quite. And that cuts through all the arguments Kev.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report of news that the Tories seem to have hung ex Attorney General Cox out to dry. Never mind the money or the absence, using his commons office seems to be a bigger crime!
Meanwhile many are asking where PM Johnson is. I get the impression that other matters like this and compulsory vaccination are being pushed to the front as cover to avoid Johnson being asked to answer awkward questions.