UK Politics #6

[Moley1]

What a nasty bunch of people the current Tory Party are. Even when defending Diane Abbott, Kemi Badenoch called her “Abbott”. Why not call her by her name, Diane Abbott. It sounded like she was being deliberately demeaning.
It looks like Badenoch was playing politics anyway and was deliberately posting to undermine Sunak, who was then given no option but to come out and call the remark as racist, as it clearly was. As Minister for Women and Equalities she took her time to make a comment about Hester’s remarks, but why was Sunak so slow to call Hester out? He is very weak and does nothing for the minority groups in this country despite his heritage.
The next election cannot come soon enough. We need to put this government out of their, and our, misery!
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Do you not think everyone deserves to live in peace?

You point sounds like those who, when responding to the phrase “Blacks lives matter” say “white lives matter too”. But yes, as you found it necessary to ask, everyone deserves to live in peace, which includes Muslims for avoidance of doubt.
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Do you not think everyone deserves to live in peace?

Your comment reminds of those who used to say in response to “Blacks lives matter” that “white lives matter too”.
It is a great shame that in what is supposed to be a tolerant country, religious buildings need to be given protection. And yes, everyone deserves to live in peace, including Muslims.

 

[Ndrangheta]

Just watching Matt Hancock at the COVID inquiry, he's been to the Blair school of hand gestures. I have my own hand gesture for Him.

 

[Moth]

With all this war-mongering going-on you'd think there were some big elections coming-up in large Western Democracies.

If the public knew the true state of our existing military they wouldn't take any notice all the talk about conscription; unless the intention is that these new forces copy the tactics of the Home Guard and tie kitchen knives to broom handles

 

[Moley1]

The streets of London have not been “safe” for some time. Have you seen the growing knife crime figures? It doesn’t help to jump on the culture war bandwagon that the Tories and Reform are trying to whip up to deflect from the dreadful state of the country’s finances, services and infrastructure.
Another pathetic performance from Sunak in PMQs today. He is a lame duck PM leading a lame duck party into an election in which his poor excuse for a political party will be wiped out at the polls. Sadly, in the meantime there will be more of this deflection and pouring fuel on the culture wars fire. Minority groups deserve better than to be used as a political footballs.

 

[Miss Begotten]

Anderson didn’t even have the whip removed for being a disgusting racist scumbag, it was for refusing to apologise for what he said. So you can be as racist as you like as long as you pretend you’re sorry afterwards?

 

[HelloStereo]

So according to the Covid enquiry Johnson is a complete moron who didn’t understand the science, let alone follow it, Sunak’s Eat Out to Help out was an unmitigated disaster which drove the second wave of Covid and we still don’t know the contents of Johnson’s phone or the location of Sunak’s. I mean who would have guessed?

Imagine attending a 50k a year school only to think you can get rid of Covid by pointing a hairdryer up your nose.

 

[Moth]

... They also like to bring up the last Labour government for why it will go horribly wrong ...

Well we definitely don't want anything like this again do we?

 

[Ndrangheta]

Anderson didn’t even have the whip removed for being a disgusting racist scumbag, it was for refusing to apologise for what he said. So you can be as racist as you like as long as you pretend you’re sorry afterwards?

If I had said what he had on Twitter I'd get a knock on the door. Part of me thinks he just does it for attention. Another white man in his fifties who can't get a hard-on. They are everywhere right now. And as a white man almost 50 I feel I can call the cunts out! Vile. VILE.

 

[Reverend]

I read people comment about the American election with stuff like 'There is 350 million of them and the best they can do is Biden and Trump?' .... I don't think we're any better. Sunak and Starmer ? If Starmer wins it will just be because he's the only viable alternative to Sunak not because he's some dynamic powerhouse with tons of charisma. He's like Labours John major.

I see another decent Tory has left the building .... Tracy Crouch is standing down at the next election.
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This is me in a nutshell.

We've had Johnson who was charismatic. I think I'd prefer someone dull but competent like Starmer.

 

[kev1974]

A post in the Memes thread made me check the Conservatives twatter account. It's hilarious! It's like they're announcing contestants on Gladiators, or handing out Top Trumps cards.

Definitely handed the keys to the Twatter account to the youngsters today.

https://twitter.com/Conservatives

 

[Moth]

Do I have this right? Sunak plans to bring in legislation that says that Rwanda is a safe country to send migrants to?

It is more than a little confusing. The most 'sensible' explanation I've seen is that the government will make a new agreement with Rwanda so that people not granted asylum in Rwanda will not be returned to their home country or any other that puts them at risk. That was the key problem identified by the Supreme Court. Now I have also seen it suggested that people unsuccessful in claiming asylum in Rwanda would be returned to the UK in order to avoid that risk. That hardly seems credible but I think the government are prepared to do almost anything to enable a plane to Rwanda to take off before the election.

The situation isn't helped by morons such as Lee Anderson suggesting that the UK simply ignores the law and starts deporting people immediately. I'm sure there are a few more loons in the Tory party and plenty of their supporters who would agree with this.

 

[Reverend]

I remember him ...My parents must have watched Weekend World.

The problem with ITV political shows, as you say, are the ad breaks. Political programmes generally are very weak these days. Where's the Paxman's and Neil's (before he went all right wing) ? Peston's show is like a political version of This Morning and Question Time needs someone with more bite than Fiona Bruce.

The problem is that most government MP's won't go on shows with presenters like Neil or Paxman. Johnson boycotted it because he knew he'd look stupid, and the rest have followed.

 

[Piff paff puff]

FFS some loony hollering through Rishi's statement, so ironic.

 

[inyo]

That map is very red! Do the Cons have enough MPs to still have a majority in the House of Commons?

They have 352 right now so yes, but this is down from the 365 they won in 2019.

Looking back, it's funny that the 2019 election was seen as such a big win/landslide for them when I'd say 365 is more of a comfortable majority than anything exceptional. Especially when you consider Labour won 418 and 412 seats in 1997 and 2001 respectively, and then falling down to 355 in 2005 was seen as a huge disappointment.

 

[HelloStereo]

In my area it’s only council tenants have the option to buy …I know people have made huge profits on their council home and allowed them to move up the property ladder as opposed to renting their entire lives..Why should investment only belong to the rich

It is only council tenants who have the right to buy but then they sell to private landlords.

I find it morally reprehensible to make money off something that was designed for social good. Almost the attitude of "I'm alright Jack so I don't care about anyone else and other people who are in the situation I was in." Maybe some people think it's okay to take advantage and make money out of the system and those less fortunate.

 

[Ndrangheta]

And that a lot of the extremism comes from within his own party that he fails to address. Galloway isn't the only one galvanising support by being divisive.

I think what also scares the political class is that whilst a section of the polity has no doubt turned-off and tuned-out of politics another group is very much actively engaged in politics, especially international politics. Last thing any government want is an educated and informed population holding them to account!

 

[kev1974]

I bet they've been waiting MONTHS for the chance to put the word STARMERGEDDON in print

 

[Moth]

I don't understand why they didn't just put that money into recruiting and training more staff to process asylum applications. Surely if they get really quick at turning applications around, they'll be able to deport all the people who are supposedly economic migrants fairly swiftly, which will in turn stop others coming over. After all, why risk life and limb getting here as an economic migrant if you know you'll get deported a few weeks later?

The whole thing is just trying to play with the stats. By sending people to Rwanda while their claims are processed, the government will say: "See, so many applicants have left the country!" But it's not the same as leaving the country because their application has been rejected.

....and ignores the fact that they'll come straight back*** if and when their application is approved. The majority are, so it's just an expensive shuttle service.

***Well, they come back in theory. I wouldn't put it past the government to find some administrative hurdle as to why they'd get stuck in Rwanda or even somewhere else.

People won't be sent to Rwanda "while their claims are processed" and they won't "come straight back if and when their application is approved". They will be expected to apply for asylum in Rwanda and if it's approved that is where they will stay.

The government doesn't want anybody arriving by 'irregular routes" for example (but not exclusively) by boats across the channel. It doesn't want to give any of them refugee status however genuine they are or want the hassle of trying to negotiate and manage returns agreement for people whose asylum claim is rejected. They think the easiest thing is to declare all asylum seekers ('genuine' or otherwise) to be 'illegal' and use the threat of deportation to other countries as a deterrent for any asylum seekers coming to the UK in the first place.

Leaving aside the question of whether it's legal (and I still don't understand how we can have a treaty which on the one hand states that Rwanda is a safe country and at the same time agrees that we will take refugees from Rwanda who presumably are in fear of persecution if they stay there), the issue is whether Rwanda would ever have the capacity to accept enough people so that asylum seekers would think being sent there from the UK is anything other than a remote possibility.

 

[thegirlscout]

@thegirlscout Re Bibby Stockholm, 2 weeks ago it was apparently given the all clear from Legionella and the plan was put migrants back in.

Personally I think it a disgrace. It's performative and insulting to the majority of us with half a brain. It's more expensive than putting them in hotels and gives an imagery of putting them in jail. I can just imagine how it got signed off.

They just seem to be having these hairbrained schemes (Bibby, Rwanda) which cost a lot of money and don’t actually do anything of value. It’s really frustrating because it’s not doing anything to reduce the boats coming over and reduce the human trafficking. More people get hurt, more money gets wasted and what is there to show for it? So when any politician says they are going to reduce the number of boats I’m very interested in how because they are all just throwing money they don’t really have at the problem.

 

[Moley1]

It is no surprise that she has been sacked. The surprise is that it took Sunak so long to do it and that he gave her the job back in the first place.