The UK Politics and EU Referendum thread - merged

[Pokerpops]

The Guardian believes that a Citizen’s Assembly is the way forward for politics in the UK.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/08/the-guardian-view-on-brexit-the-government-has-failed-its-time-to-go-back-to-the-people

Maybe we should just choose 635 randoms and replace the MPs.

The lines from Dominic Cummings at the end of the Channel 4 programme were apposite to this IMO. Our political system, in particular the way in which it is organised by two diametrically opposed groupings, is not fit for purpose.

[nirvana]

The Guardian believes that a Citizen’s Assembly is the way forward for politics in the UK.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/08/the-guardian-view-on-brexit-the-government-has-failed-its-time-to-go-back-to-the-people

Maybe we should just choose 635 randoms and replace the MPs.

The lines from Dominic Cummings at the end of the Channel 4 programme were apposite to this IMO. Our political system, in particular the way in which it is organised by two diametrically opposed groupings, is not fit for purpose.

Yah. Both parties have spent the past 2 years trying to make Brexit a party political issue and keeping their own teams aligned as if that was the most important factor in 'serving the national interest'. Japes

[RED-DOG]

The Guardian believes that a Citizen’s Assembly is the way forward for politics in the UK.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/08/the-guardian-view-on-brexit-the-government-has-failed-its-time-to-go-back-to-the-people

Maybe we should just choose 635 randoms and replace the MPs.

The lines from Dominic Cummings at the end of the Channel 4 programme were apposite to this IMO. Our political system, in particular the way in which it is organised by two diametrically opposed groupings, is not fit for purpose.

Yah. Both parties have spent the past 2 years trying to make Brexit a party political issue and keeping their own teams aligned as if that was the most important factor in 'serving the national interest'. Japes

Japes?

What a blast from the upper-crust past. It reminds me of bicycling off to wangle some spiffing tuck with Watson and Trott after Creepy has given us some extra bally oboe practice.

[Pokerpops]

The Guardian believes that a Citizen’s Assembly is the way forward for politics in the UK.

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/08/the-guardian-view-on-brexit-the-government-has-failed-its-time-to-go-back-to-the-people

Maybe we should just choose 635 randoms and replace the MPs.

The lines from Dominic Cummings at the end of the Channel 4 programme were apposite to this IMO. Our political system, in particular the way in which it is organised by two diametrically opposed groupings, is not fit for purpose.

Yah. Both parties have spent the past 2 years trying to make Brexit a party political issue and keeping their own teams aligned as if that was the most important factor in 'serving the national interest'. Japes

Japes?

What a blast from the upper-crust past. It reminds me of bicycling off to wangle some spiffing tuck with Watson and Trott after Creepy has given us some extra bally oboe practice.

What colour was Creepy’s oboe?

[Sheriff Fatman]

Remarkable row going on in the Commons at the moment about Bercow's decision to allow the new Grieve amendment.  50 minutes and counting of points of order, mainly from Tory MP's trying to stop it happening.

Leadsom has just argued that the Speaker publish the advice he received from his clerk in making the decision.  Ironic, given that it took a contempt motion to get Leadsom, on behalf of the Government, to publish their legal advice on Brexit recently.

[Longines]

Headline on the Telegraph site:

'He will end up damaging democracy' - How John Bercow overruled his staff to help hand control of Brexit to MPs

In which alternative universe is giving back control to parliament going to damage democracy?

[Pokerpops]

Headline on the Telegraph site:

'He will end up damaging democracy' - How John Bercow overruled his staff to help hand control of Brexit to MPs

In which alternative universe is giving back control to parliament going to damage democracy?

In the same universe where parliament approved a referendum without  thinking through the potential problems it would cause.
The same universe where politicians create an horrendous mess then walk away. Yes, you Cameron, and you Osborne.
The same universe where, oh sod it, you get the point. We no longer appear to live in an effective democratic state.

[nirvana]

Headline on the Telegraph site:

'He will end up damaging democracy' - How John Bercow overruled his staff to help hand control of Brexit to MPs

In which alternative universe is giving back control to parliament going to damage democracy?

I don't really have an axe to grind but it's probably reasonable to argue that you could substitute 'overriding centuries of conventions that observe our constitution' with 'giving back control to parliament' and it would be as accurate.

The Tories opportunistic (or not so) calling of a GE rather than reaching cross party to work on a non-partisan issue like this hasn't served us too well.

So hard to find any new or remotely worthwhile things to say about all this nonsense. Still, at least it's only another 11 weeks until we find out where things are headed:

a) May's deal and a blind Brexit where we disappear up our own spout discussing a trade deal for the next 20 years or
b) Delay to A50 = Remain or
c) No deal and a blind Brexit

I think one thing is almost certain, whatever contempt da people held for elites/experts/parliamentarians and London/westminster/left wing/right wing bubbles that manifested themselves in the result of the referendum, won't have softened during the time since the result was known.

[MintTrav]

Tory Brexiters are calling for his head. Bercow is in his element

"While all this was going on, the chief whip, Julian Smith, was busy punching texts into his phone and wondering what on earth he had done in a previous life to deserve his current one. He had lost a vote yesterday and he was now certain to lose another one today. He would also lose the Brexit vote next Tuesday and now the one the following week. Not least because there was no plan B to have a vote on. Come to think of it, there was barely a plan A. Whips were supposed to win votes, not lose them. He was becoming the Thinking Man’s Chris Grayling."

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/09/tory-brexiters-calling-for-his-head-john-bercow-in-his-element

[Mark_Porter]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jan/10/football-gambling-dire-consequences-young-men-bet-new-study

Young men find themselves deprived of viable routes to employment opportunities, gambling promises an alternative route to wealth, social capital and masculine affirmation, yet most end up ensnared in a cycle of indebtedness.

Labour proposed a 1% levy as opposed to the current 0.1%. A spokesperson for the Advertising Association said Labour’s proposal would “have a damaging economic effect on our UK commercial media landscape, as well as make watching live sport more expensive and less accessible for the UK public”.

[MANTIS01]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/spotlight/greece’s-great-hemorrhaging/ar-BBS3xxA?ocid=ientp

It's not all rosy when you're an EU member state.

Rather than a sole focus on doom that awaits us outside the union we should at least consider that a prosperous future isn't guaranteed within it

[Longines]

Betfair odds:

Click to see full-size image.

[MANTIS01]

Remember the quotes from Jaguar itt about how devastating Brexit would be

They announced all those job losses yesterday

In reality this was due to issues with China and diesel slow down

See what they did there. It’s like when bad news can be buried because of a bigger news story

As we’ve always been told itt....we haven’t left yet

[nirvana]

Remember the quotes from Jaguar itt about how devastating Brexit would be

They announced all those job losses yesterday

In reality this was due to issues with China and diesel slow down

See what they did there. It’s like when bad news can be buried because of a bigger news story

As we’ve always been told itt....we haven’t left yet

Obviously not good news but it's not like the first time British manufacturing has moved plants to lower cost economies. It's kind of been policy for most of the time we have been members of the EU.

[BigAdz]

Anyone see the programme yesterday called BrexitInbetweeners about kids who couldn't vote at the point of Brexit but can now?

Basically a random cross section of kids who stunned everyone by stating they all think Brexit should happen, for a variety of reasons but mainly based on democracy.

Who would have thunk it huh?

At least the millenials are honourable.