POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

See THIS report. The question is will there be a vote? Johnson would rather there wasn't because he doesn't want to expose the possible fact that he hasn't got many supporters.
I see Gove says that a 90 day suspension isn't merited. I wonder what he would see as warranting that punishment. Let's not forget that this man tried to prorogue Parliament to suit his own ends and went on to repeatedly lie to the country, never mind Parliament!. I am expecting Mad Nad to try to speak and make a bigger fool of herself than she already is. If there is a debate, a lot of cards will get marked today!

[plaques]

Has there been a conspiracy to keep the actual Partygate video quiet. Lots of write ups but I've only seen the one video (BBC)

Party video

[Tripps]

Has there been a conspiracy to keep the actual Partygate video quiet

I wouldn't say so - from where I'm viewing. The Mirror is giving it plenty - it's almost as if they don't like Tories.

Party Time

PS - This child had Boris (actually his family call him Al) bang to rights - a long time ago . This video just gets better and better.

J. O'B said he is getting £500k for his Mail column, and a private precription for Semaglutide seems to cost about £70 per injection. (required daily). Can there be a connection? I know a lot about pushing drugs in the media. This has all the classic ingredients.

[PanBiker]

Has there been a conspiracy to keep the actual Partygate video quiet. Lots of write ups but I've only seen the one video (BBC)

Party video

One thing that stuck out a mile in the video was that the bloke had no idea how to Jive. Apart from the fact that there is no forgiveness for his moves, (or supposed lead) it looked like he was fairly well cooked. Not even up to really bad Dad dancing.

[Tripps]

The Ayes to the right 354 - the Noes to the left 7.(That'll be Jacob Rees Mogg, Bill Cash, Lia Nici and four others.)

The whole day has been largely a waste of time - there are some world class windbags in there - more fool me for watching most of it.

The Ayes have it the Ayes have it. Not half. . . Now get the wooden stake and the garlic- best make sure.

[Stanley]

I watched quite a lot of it David and was glad I did when I heard Theresa May and Harriet Harman speak.
I thought Harriet Harman put Rees Mogg down very efficiently when he raised his convoluted objection to her right to chair the committee using a spurious 'precedent ' in the Lords. I note the scale of the vote endorsing the work of the Privileges Committee but am more interested in the 200+ Tories who abstained or absented themselves from the debate.
See THIS BBC report.
"it is mighty useful for opposition parties to be able to directly label individual Conservative MPs on how they chose to vote and whether they chose to vote. 118 Conservative MPs backed the Privileges Committee report. Among them, Chief Whip Simon Hart and the education secretary for England, Gillian Keegan. Seven voted against it. But that means more than 200 Tory MPs - the prime minister, the deputy prime minister, the home secretary and the foreign secretary among them - did not vote at all."
Why does this matter? May and Harman both spelled out how important this vote was because it put down a marker in support of honesty and started to repair the damage done to trust in politics done by the liars. 200 Tory MPs didn't see it like this and there were even deluded ones who stood up in the debate and denied that Johnson lied. We need to mark their cards and never let them forget where they stood.
Sunak's defence for not voting, that he didn't want to influence others, sounds plausible but doesn't stand close scrutiny. On the contrary, he should have been influencing others, to vote in support of the House Committee. He forgets that the Committee is there to defend the rights of MPs and they should be the first to stand up for it.

[plaques]

The ayes have it.

Not me gov..I was only following orders. Why should I sit there taking a bollocking when those at the top have slithered back into their bolt holes as though nothing had happened. I will creep out again when the tide is turning on the turd strewn beach and make out its all Sue Gray's fault for encouraging the partying atmosphere.

For he's a jolly good liar.

[Tripps]

I'm not clever enough to take it all in on first listening. I got it wrong on who supported Boris - seems that even if they did, they were under instructions to abstain. Do none of them think and act for themselves?

The contributions from Sir William Cash (Head Gargoyle, and Westminster's answer to the almost ubiquitous David Whipp) seemed incoherent and close to hysteria. He spent ages emphasising the word 'knowingly' as if that was an escape clause. Someone pointed out that 'deliberately' would necessarily include 'knowingly' and that's what the Committee had concluded many times over. He's well over 80 and should really find something better to do with his remaining years.

Sir Jacob Rees - Mogg said thanks for the knighthood by raising arcane precedents. Not sure why - since even Boris had told them all not to oppose the report. A total waste of an afternoon's business I'd say.

Time for a clear out. Bring on a General Election. We can't wait another year and a half.

[Stanley]

" Time for a clear out. Bring on a General Election. We can't wait another year and a half."
I'll second that motion David.....
Despite what Parliament has been doing of late, the most pressing political and economic matter facing the country at the moment is the dire state of the economy, it is flat-lining and inflation continues to roar ahead. In particular the plight of the couples who were seduced by the Tory drive to increase home ownership (They believe all home owners are automatically Tory voters!) and encouraged by low interest rates, are in trouble as mortgage rates head North and are expected to increase again this week as the Bank of England is almost certain to raise the Bank Interest Rate again on Thursday. See THIS for the response of Jeremy Hunt.....
The government has ruled out introducing major financial support to mortgage holders over fears it would drive the cost of living higher. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said offering mortgage relief schemes would "make inflation worse, not better".
In other words, tough, you have to live with it. The usual disclaimers about financial help that has been given to families to meet cost of living pressures but of course these are vacuous as that money has already been spent. What is coming in the mortgage market is being described as a 'mortgage bomb'. The present going rate of about 6% is going to look cheap by the end of the year according to the experts in the industry. Hands up anyone who believes that the inflation rate will be halved before the end of this year.... That is what Sunak and Hunt are still predicting....
I see that questions are being asked about why Sunak is sitting on the fence on the Partygate verdict. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has taken notice of his rise and progress so far at Number Ten. He never takes a stand on anything that could possibly backfire and agreeing with the sanctions against Johnson certainly comes under that heading. He is afraid of what Johnson will write in his articles at the Daily Mail. Johnson knows that the more controversial he is the better his bosses will like it. He needs the money.
See THIS for a Labour initiative I support 100%.
The RSPCA is backing Labour's plan to force the government to revive its flagship animal welfare bill. In May, the government quietly dropped its Kept Animals Bill which aimed to crack down on dog thefts and ban the live exports of farm animals. The government is still pursuing plans to ban keeping primates as pets - a 2019 Tory manifesto pledge and a central tenet of the previous bill. But campaigners accused the government of betraying its animal welfare agenda. David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said: "We fear that without quick, meaningful action on the Kept Animals Bill, the UK government's policy agenda for animal welfare is merely smoke and mirrors."
Labour has tabled a motion in the Commons to force the bill back into Parliament, in defiance of the government's plans. If passed, the motion would allocate 12 July to try to pass the bill through its final legislative steps in the House of Commons. Mr Bowles said the vote is "crunch-time for animals in England and will be a litmus test of this government's genuine commitment to animal welfare, its manifesto promises and the policy commitments it put at risk when binning the Kept Animals Bill". "The Kept Animals Bill must be revived so that practices such as the live exports of animals for slaughter and the cruel puppy import trade become consigned to history as soon as possible."

[plaques]

Covid-19 inquiry, George Osbourne didn't factor in the possibility of a lockdown because nobody else had done so. What's all this Sovereignty about then.? The logic doesn't appear to apply to recessions. The UK is quite happy to engineer a recession when 90% of the world is steaming ahead.
You can almost hear him saying to his pal Cameron. "I think we've got away with that one".

[Stanley]

Today we are going to see the B0fE raise the base rate of interest again, some believe it could possibly be by half a percentage point, to the highest since the 1950s. The political reporting is full of accusations and fancy ways of alleviating the stress on people but nobody is telling us what seems to me to be obvious. First, the major reason why we are going down when others are doing so much better is the malign influence of Brexit on trade. We have been told precisely what the penalties are in terms of volumes of trade and terms of trade but nobody is mentioning them. Second, the policy of Austerity was warned against over ten years ago by respected economists like Stiglitz but our Tory government ignored all the warnings and is still pursuing that policy now.
Remember the old Tory slogan; 'Good with money!', we can see just how good after 13 years of their expert management.
Have a read of THIS and note in particular....
The response of Karen Ward, a respected City economist who serves on the chancellor's council of advisers that the Bank of England "has to create a recession" partly to "nip in the bud" a spiral of wages going up and in turn pushing up prices, and then pushing up wages again. "It's only when companies feel nervous about the future that they will think 'Well, maybe I won't put through that price rise', or workers, when they're a little bit less confident about their job, think 'Oh, I won't push my boss for that higher pay,'" she told the BBC's Today programme.
That's right, create a recession to help cure inflation..... Now tell me that we aren't in the s**t!

[plaques]

Listened to Kitty Ussher the economist to the institute of directors. Ex Burnley Labour MP. I can't say I followed her logic about the causes of inflation but profit motive didn't seem to come into it. Asked about the affect of Brexit all we heard was some convoluted answer that drifted away from the subject making it sound like the sort of answer you hear on Prime Ministers question time. Don't rock the boat if your job depends on it.

[Stanley]

Well, the economists who predicted .5% increase in base rate were right. We now have 5% the highest since 2008 and the same experts who forecast today's rate rise are forecasting at least two more increases this year. It's your bet as to where mortgage rates will go now. Certainly higher than 6%. Deep Joy!

[Tripps]

Listened to Kitty Ussher the economist to the institute of directors. Ex Burnley Labour MP.

I just saw her on Newsnight BBC 2. She used the expression 'least worst'.

I reckon that there can only be one 'worst' of anything. If it's not as bad, then it isn't the worst, and if it is more bad. then it is the worst.

I contend that she should have said 'least bad'.

[Stanley]

Agreed David. Pedants of the world, unite!
See THIS BBC report for the latest 'intelligence'(!) from the BofE.
The Bank of England boss has denied trying to create an economic slump after it put up interest rates by more than expected to slow soaring prices. The Bank raised rates to 5% from 4.5%, the highest level for 15 years. Many analysts had expected a smaller rise. It will lead to higher repayments for people with loans and many mortgage holders, but it should benefit savers. Bank governor Andrew Bailey said that if it did not raise rates now, "it could be worse later". "I understand the difficulty and the pain that causes for many people," he added of the shock interest rate decision. On Wednesday, Karen Ward, a member of chancellor Jeremy Hunt's economic advisory council, said the Bank had "been too hesitant" in its interest rate rises so far and called on it to "create a recession" to curb soaring prices. She told the BBC that if companies felt "nervous" because of higher interest rates, they would be less likely to put up prices. Employees would also be less inclined to ask for pay rises - another driver of inflation.
Wonderful isn't it how the 'experts' come out of the woodwork after the event and tell us exactly what should have been done.I find myself in the invidious position of agreeing with one of the most swivel-eyed rabid Tories, John Redwood, who said yesterday that anyone could see that the practice of quantitative easing; throwing money at the economy to rescue it, was bound to cause inflation as it is,in effect, devaluation of the currency by another means.
The recent flat-lining of the economy may not have been technically a recession but it is the same in real life and of course is a result of actions taken by the Bank. Later this year we shall hear phrases like 'negative equity' being used as people get crushed in the jaws of a market dominated by lack of demand and falling house values. Believe me, they will be experiencing 'recession' if not depression! In effect, by employing QE as a tactic, reinforced by a policy of austerity, the government postponed the effects of the expense of dealing with the pandemic but they are now going to hit us with renewed force. Tin hats on lads..... you ain't seen nothing yet!

[Stanley]

The big story is inflation. See THIS for a precis of various palliative measures none of which can make any real difference. The bottom line is that the government has managed the economy so badly that most people can't afford to pay for all the necessities of modern living so some of them have to be abandoned. That means that there is less money in the economy and therefore the position gets worse. The government's answer is to tell us that the discipline of being poor is good for us and will eventually mean a brighter future for all. So their answer is to let inflation lower our wages and to continue with a basic policy of austerity. (Except of course for the most wealthy.... )
Does that make you feel any better?

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report. They tell us that 'Rishi Sunak is concerned over the volatile Russia situation'.
Really! He should be more concerned about the fact that 90% of the population are looking at the worst economic situation since the 1950s, many are going to lose their homes and the social services are in total melt down because of one thing, being starved of money by a government who for 13 years have implemented austerity and spent the money 'saved' on vanity projects like HS2, Cross Rail and white elephant aircraft carriers. At the same time the wealth of their best friends has increased and the gap between rich and poor in this green and blessed land is worse than it has been since the 19th century.
Do I sound a trifle depressed???? I have never seen worse political conditions than this.....

[plaques]

Remember the election promises of high wage high skilled economy? Forgotten about it? Good. We are now being told that because of the government's induced rampant inflation the public sector are to suffer a wage freeze. That equates to a loss of living standards. But aren't these workers, Doctors, nurses, teachers part of the high skilled section. Yes, and they deserve a wage rise but this may encourage those in in private sector to ask for a rise. So to stop this possibility we want EVERYBODY to become poorer.

Remember the election promises of high wage high....... Ah, that was one of Boris Johnson's promises and we all know he told lies. Cunning plan Sunak was only Boris's Chancellor so it was nothing to do with him.

[Stanley]

Long term I have held that the Rabid Tory Grand Plan was to return this country to its condition in the 19th century when laisser faire politics ruled and the lower orders knew their place. I see nothing in the present situation to alter this. The capital holders are seeing the comparative wealth of the workers and even the middle class, decline while their assets increase in value. Sunak plays lip-service to the plight of the poorest in society but doesn't actually do anything about it. He is still talking about recovery before the next election and tax breaks to bribe the voters. They cut down on the number of plebs who vote by insisting on voter identification and hope that the boundary changes they have made increase their vote. He talks about his five targets but actively attacks health workers by refusing to negotiate with them. Stop the boats is a bad joke. The Tories only response is to reinstate prison hulks and transportation, both 19th century tactics that had to be abandoned. As for the economy, his promise to halve inflation this year looks increasing ly like a sick joke. He and Hunt are so far out of control that Core Inflation is actually rising and food inflation is higher than it has been since the 1960s. Do I need to go on? This is a failed government and for some reason our system can't deal with the problem.

[Stanley]

See THIS for the comforting news that Sunak is to be 'responsible' about inflation-causing public sector wage increases.
Rishi Sunak has said he would make the "responsible" decision on pay increases for public sector workers, in order to control inflation. Ministers have confirmed they are now considering next year's pay deal, after several independent pay review bodies reported their findings. Mr Sunak said he was going to make the "right" decisions "for the country". But government sources warn ministers would not be prepared to increase borrowing to fund generous awards.
This despite the fact that leading economists have stated definitely that public sector wages aren't a significant factor in causing inflation.
Sunak must know this and is therefore guilty of simply using a form of words that does not do him or his party any damage. In other words, this is just flim flam but still means that there will be no negotiations and essential services will continue to deteriorate. He sees this as 'best for the country'!
On another front, see THIS BBC report ....
t could cost an estimated £63,000 more to send a migrant to a "safe country" such as Rwanda than to keep them in the UK, the government has said. An economic impact assessment of the Illegal Migration Bill, which is going through Parliament, found a gross cost of £169,000 to relocate an individual. But the estimated £106,000 spent on housing support if they remained in the UK would be avoided. The government said the policy would also have a deterrent impact. The Home Office assessment said no cost would be incurred if an individual was deterred from entering the UK illegally. However, it said it was "uncertain" what level of deterrence impact the policy would have because the bill was "novel and untested". It also said the potential savings were "highly uncertain" but gave an estimated figure of between £106,000 and £165,000 per individual. The higher figure takes into the account the possibility of housing costs continuing to increase. Other additional savings beyond accommodation costs include those associated with resettling a migrant in the UK such as benefits, social housing and healthcare.
It seems to be OK to throw our money at a Tory core strategy like this but not at essential services. Common sense measures like granting temporary visas and work permits to the migrants would enable them to work and support themselves and at the same time help alleviate the chronic labour shortages our economy is labouring under.
Do you get the feeling that our leaders have a different agenda than us?

[plaques]

Just musing about recent major events that have hit the UK. Using media headlines for these momentous events that are supposed to have changed our lives. My quick list is ...

The Queen Elizabeth dies.
Charles becomes King Charles III
Prince Harry and Megan still in the bad books.
Three Prime Ministers in quick succession.
Manchester United won FA cup.
Glastonbury and Elton John.
Food and Fuel bills continue to rise.
Doctors and Nurses and public sector on strike.
NHS still underfunded. Waiting list continue to rise.

Question which of the above list affected your life the most????

[Tripps]

Channel 4 "Boris, The Lord, and the Russian spy.

Remarkable story. Boris, and Alexander and Lord Evgeny Lebedev.

His full title will be Baron Lebedev, of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond on Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation.


Will anything come of the revelations - I doubt it - but it should.

[Stanley]

The last two Ken.....
The elevation of the Russian to the peerage must be one of the strangest ever. I haven't seen the programme but heard the news item yesterday querying how it ever got past the vetting committee. If they let him in, why not Mad Nad?
I agree with you David, nothing will be done.

[plaques]

Matt Hancock giving evidence to the Covid-19 committee. Here's my assessment of what the behind closed doors participants would be saying.....

Well done Matt you kept to the 'wrong' pandemic script to the letter but drifted a bit when you mentioned Brexit as one of the reasons for lack of funds. You should have just left it at austerity like the rest of us. That was a nice touch apologising for the deaths but the Cygnus investigation answer.... "We didn't use it because it had been cancelled and it didn't identify a particular type of pandemic" may have been accepted by some people but continuing with "If I had looked at Cygnus it wouldn't have helped with the situation we had got ourselves in" . It made it sound as though Cygnus had been a waist of time and money and that the government only commissioned it as a smokescreen for doing something.

[Tripps]

The elevation of the Russian to the peerage must be one of the strangest ever

James O Brien on LBC has just spent a full hour on the topic. I'm not his biggest fan and his visceral hatred for Boris has been obvious (and frankly a bit boring) for years. Looks like he had good cause for it. He added more evidence to the case. Seems that Joan Collins and Katey Price were at the Lebedev (pere et fils) Italian gatherings, and Jordan 'did her party piece' for the entertainment of the guests.

Boris, who was Foreign Secretary at the time, had dropped his civil servants and security imediately after he left the NATO meeting. He was even more dishevelled than usual (wrecked) at the airport on his way home. Boris was questioned about it all at a committe in 2022 but as usual waffled his way to safety.

I don't think 'treason' would be too strong a word to describe it all. Where it all goes now remains to be seen.

PS The matter was raised in the final question of PMQ's. Sunak said some meaningless general words in reply.