General Discussion of UK Politics

[Earnest]

Yes and I appreciate you asking.

I'm not really a fan of this government but they're tolerable when compared to the Labour Party. That said, I do have a grudging admiration for girls like Angela Rayner.

There's no party occupying the middle ground as the Lib Dems have gone pear shaped. We need a centrist party in government with a bit of common sense.

Issues: Climate change is real and caused by excess carbon dioxide and methane but no one has the balls to make the Chinese, Indians or Americans pay then get their acts together. Australia also needs to wise up (Scotty). UK is heading in the right direction as the first step is admitting you have the problem.

[stattointhailand]

"UK is heading in the right direction as the first step is admitting you have the problem."

Yep, nobody disagrees we have Boris and his Tory Mob

[caducus]

"There is no party occupying the middle ground." According to Earnest.

We have a rabid bunch of Tory backbenchers, but most of Johnson's cabinet seem to have views no more than to the right than most of the Shadow cabinet.

To my mind the last General Election was won by Johnson's three-word manifesto, 'Get Brexit Done'. And at the same time the Labour Party's declining vote was, to a large part, the responsibility of Starmer's (not Corbyn's) Brexit position. We have seen the beginning of the Brexit balls-up, Who knows what will happen next? Nothing whatsoever has been done about the climate fiasco. the World leaders all think that they will be able to solve it in Scotland next month.
Greta Thunberg was right - all the politicians have given us is 'blaa - blaa - blaa, blaa - blaa - blaa, blaa - blaa - blaa' ad infinitum. At least those who have been holding up traffic are trying to do something, however destructive many of the ruling class may think they are. "Oh, damn. I had a meeting at 10 am. and now these frightful unwashed ne'er-do - well's have made me late!"

The future of the world belongs to such people as Greta Thunberg, AOC, Naomi Klein, Clive Lewis MP, and Owen Jones.

I may not see the change, living here I am rather like a man living inside the whale. But change will have to come.

"When do we want it?"

"Now!"

[Earnest]

'We 'ave a fifth columnist in the ranks, Mr Mainwaring'.

[stattointhailand]

Its all that flat earth lots fault ........ they don't like it up 'em you know

[Earnest]

I counted four M1 service stations with no fuel between Leeds and the M25 on Wednesday, I think the problem is bigger than HMG is letting on.

And now they're saying there will be a mass cull of pigs as they haven't been moved into the food chain in a timely fashion. They will be sent to landfill sites after slaughter.

I blame the guvmint.

[GT93]

There's going to be a high price to pay when the UK has such a dope as Prime Minister. The UK seems to be falling apart.

Greta Thunberg was right - all the politicians have given us is 'blaa - blaa - blaa, blaa - blaa - blaa, blaa - blaa - blaa' ad infinitum.

I agree. The Brits however do quite a good blaa - blaa - blaa ... Johnson is pretty good at that kind of message.

[tamada]

There's going to be a high price to pay when the UK has such a dope as Prime Minister. The UK seems to be falling apart.

Greta Thunberg was right - all the politicians have given us is 'blaa - blaa - blaa, blaa - blaa - blaa, blaa - blaa - blaa' ad infinitum.

I agree. The Brits however do quite a good blaa - blaa - blaa ... Johnson is pretty good at that kind of message.

In hindsight, Boris did get Brexit done. However, I haven't forgotten that there were warnings issued by Johnson and several of his cohorts about the likelihood of supply chain disruptions and the need for up to five years of individual market-specific negotiations to deliver the complete package. Brexit wasn't just about leaving the single market. It was also about relocating the UK in the global marketplace. This was all broadly agreed by economists from all quarters including those from overseas. Nobody, not even these qualified economists saw this as a done deal and neither could they predict precisely how it would all play out. When Covid came along, that simply DELAYED what the UK is going to experience this winter, all of 2022 and the best part of 2023. The upside is that Covid has hit all the world's economies. In my opinion, this offers the newly 'independent' UK an inside track on recovery, unencumbered by needing to comply with the indecisive and increasingly irrelevant behemoth that is the EU. I can hardly wait for the new German Chancellor (whoever/whenever) and Macron getting along like a house on fire.

Of course, the media and Tory haters will focus on our PM's glib and rather ill-advised depiction of an 'oven-ready' Brexit deal. It's not the Conservatives problem that a large contingent of the dim and inattentive interpreted that as a full 5-course meal served at the Ritz-Carlton with coffee and mints served afterwards. I guess that's what shopping at Lidl does for you.

At least the Brits don't do that Zero Covid nonsense.

[Earnest]

Yes, I shop at Lidl too.

The Lefties at the Beeb have published a rather good feature on Conservative donors. JCB being the largest was a surprise for me. That some wished to remain in the background and not discuss their donations on record was not.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58721596

[tamada]

I counted four M1 service stations with no fuel between Leeds and the M25 on Wednesday, I think the problem is bigger than HMG is letting on.

And now they're saying there will be a mass cull of pigs as they haven't been moved into the food chain in a timely fashion. They will be sent to landfill sites after slaughter.

I blame the guvmint.

With the British army being mobilized from Monday to take up the slack in the tanker deliveries, it is safe to assume that the London and the southeast contagion is spreading. The popular rumor today is that BP was the ONLY petrol company facing supply chain problems and chose to go public. This triggered the dim and inattentive to decide to empty the tanks at their local Asda and Sainsbury's (first) and then empty all the smaller independent (more expensive) ones before getting really clever, buying half a dozen jerricans and hitting the motorway forecourts.

You can't educate pork and from what Earnest is saying, you apparently won't be able to eat it either.

[Earnest]

I'm shopping at Lidl this afternoon, I can send you some pork pies if you're posting from Blighty?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 09963.html

[tamada]

I'm shopping at Lidl this afternoon, I can send you some pork pies if you're posting from Blighty?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 09963.html

Your kind offer is appreciated but I will also be Lidling this afternoon and their rather excellent Melton Mowbray-ish pies are already on the list.

Due to the headline in the Independent, we can expect the following:

i The Agriculture Secy saying that there's no pork shortages and no need to panic.

ii The Trade and Industry Secy saying there's no plans to import cheap pig murderers fro the EU and no need to panic.

iii The Food Secy announcing that the army will be doing fast-track training for pig murdering (these will be he ones that failed their ADR, CPC, PDP, and HGV Class 2 licence equivalence testing) and there's no need to panic.

iv The PM confirming that there will be emergency 3-month visas for east Europeans to man the slaughterhouses.

In the meantime, Earnest and I have emptied the shelves at Lidl of all pork pies... or as many branches we can hit keeping in mind the petrol shortages.

PS: Have you got your pumpkin yet?

[the-monk]

I like pumpkin pie and pumpkin beer. Question: Given that the UK situation is not ROSY at the present, how do you explain that BOJO and his team remain fairly popular ?
Stay safe where ever you are.

[tamada]

I like pumpkin pie and pumpkin beer. Question: Given that the UK situation is not ROSY at the present, how do you explain that BOJO and his team remain fairly popular ?
Stay safe where ever you are.

Pretty much the same reason why the current leaders of the US, France, Australia, Thailand, Brazil, Canada, (soon to be) Germany and a fair few other democracies are 'popular'... there's no credible or viable opposition (at the moment).

[jackspratt]

At least the Brits don't do that Zero Covid nonsense.

That horse bolted some time ago.

I believe the expression is "making a virtue out of a necessity".

[stattointhailand]

I like pumpkin pie and pumpkin beer. Question: Given that the UK situation is not ROSY at the present, how do you explain that BOJO and his team remain fairly popular ?
Stay safe where ever you are.

They own the media

[Earnest]

I'd say they enjoy the support of the right wing rags but not ITV or ITN or the BBC.

[tamada]

I like pumpkin pie and pumpkin beer. Question: Given that the UK situation is not ROSY at the present, how do you explain that BOJO and his team remain fairly popular ?
Stay safe where ever you are.

They own the media

Really? The Guardian as well?

Someone better tell Alex.

In the meantime, all this flipping and flopping and u-turning is happening in the run-up to that huge, annual political washing machine that's called the Conservative Party Conference. Pay special attention to the new-improved spin cycle.

[jackspratt]

A Brexit perspective from the colonies - and one sure to warm statto's heart.

https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episo ... t/13569402

Was it really worth it, just to get blue passports back?

[stattointhailand]

If you really want that question answered Jack, perhaps you should phone up the new govt Brexit Helpline (In India), they couldnt even give the job of trying to help people through the nightmare to a company in Britain.
As for the Blue passports ............ now manufactured in Tczew Poland whereas the old EU style ones were made in Gateshead
I have to admit that when BOJO said that there would be major advantages I thought he was lying, but I have to hold my hands up and admit he was right ........ There have been major advantages in France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Italy, Ireland and just about all current EU member states caused by Brexit

If we talk nicely to EU they may agree to smuggle some extra Turkeys and Sprouts over the border in time for xmas (providing theres enough space amongst the rest of the contraband being sent through unchecked)