Well i didn't vote for her anyway, and i won't be in the future. Seems Douglass Ross was the only one with a spine
Taken from the Johnson thread, probably bullshit from the bullshitter but raises all sorts of questions. I think the bit about weakening Cummings' influence is just a sound bite.
https://twitter.com/afneil/status/1267932789162348545?s=19
Talking of 'Yes-Man' Argar...
He was just ripped a new one on R4 when he did the old tricks of either just answering a totally different question to the one actually asked and/or trotting out the party line whatever.
My initial thought was that it was no wonder he couldn't reply to my emails either promptly or properly because he was too busy fluffing himself for his big interview.
But then I thought, what actual prep would be necessary? No need to research around to be able to answer questions when you have no intention of actually doing so.
****.
Glad to see the Tories are offering up their big hitters for a grilling on the Today programme. Sorry, 'grilling'
I have a Tory MP, a Brexy, that I have never had much time for previously. And have fallen out with in previous email exchanges.
I got a clearly personal email back.
And he’s called for Cummings removal.
I doubt we’re ever going to agree on a huge range of things (I’m metropolitan, educated, affluent, centre-left type, hill-Walker and mountain-biker, he’s a Brexy, Tory, farmer), but praise where it’s due.
I got a clearly personal email back.
And he’s called for Cummings removal.
I doubt we’re ever going to agree on a huge range of things (I’m metropolitan, educated, affluent, centre-left type, hill-Walker and mountain-biker, he’s a Brexy, Tory, farmer), but praise where it’s due.
Maybe he actually gives a shit about his constituency, albeit in a misguided way?
Argar is someone who had decided politics is his career. If Labour had been in government for the last ten years he would have stood for them. He just parrots what his bosses want him to.
That R4 Argar interview did not go at all well. Is that the best of their media arsenal or are these minions acceptable little sacrifices whilst their boss is still sleeping it off in bed farting, getting a grip and having Churchillian thoughts.
To be fair, he did sound like a boy so we shouldn't be too harsh.
Quite a relief to hear him really, I was convinced that Argar had been kidnapped and killed
I'm sure spaffa is being vigorously coached for this arvos PMQs as we speak. Or he's writing some snappy zingers or soundbites on his forearm
I have a Tory MP, a Brexy, that I have never had much time for previously. And have fallen out with in previous email exchanges.
I got a clearly personal email back.
And he’s called for Cummings removal.
You have to remember that Cummings openly described ERG members as 'useful idiots' during the referendum campaign. This is just them trying to settle scores.
You have to remember that Cummings openly described ERG members as ‘useful idiots’ during the referendum campaign. This is just them trying to settle scores.
This. My MP is a Steve Baker enthusiast, so has been calling for Cummings to go from the start.
Lots of politics threads at the moment so I thought I'd post in this one.
I didn't really follow politics until a few years ago when I started listening to R4 on my commute to and from work. This subsequently led to me taking an interest and even voting for the first time at 27 (shame on me I know) and in the few years I've been following events, they seem to be going from bad to worse and seem completely farcical at times. I am simultaneously fascinated and horrified by the way it all works.
So, my question to folks who have been following politics for far longer than me, has it always been like this? Will things pick up again? Will things get worse?
Either way PMQs will be interesting today.
No.
Possibly.
Possibly.
Social media in its current form is a big problem. It has provided an unregulated platform for politicos to spew all sorts of crap. A platform that many folks are both addicted to, and have made their only source of "news". Toxic mix.
That R4 Argar interview did not go at all well. Is that the best of their media arsenal or are these minions acceptable little sacrifices whilst their boss is still sleeping it off in bed farting, getting a grip and having Churchillian thoughts.
To be fair, he did sound like a boy so we shouldn’t be too harsh.
He's done well to dodge this 'duty' up until now.
He is a boy, he was born the day after me!
Social media in its current form is a big problem. It has provided an unregulated platform for politicos to spew all sorts of crap. A platform that many folks are both addicted to, and have made their only source of “news”. Toxic mix.
A million times this. I guess 'we' on here like to think we have a degree of awareness. Millions of people have been led into using FB notifications (which are obviously targeted to pander to certain existing prejudices) as their source of 'news'.
We used to worry about the North Koreans employing brainwashing...
So, my question to folks who have been following politics for far longer than me, has it always been like this? Will things pick up again? Will things get worse?
Most folk will try to tell you years ago that politicians of previous generation were more public minded, had more integrity, were more honest, but that's mostly horseshit. You only have to look at a Hogarth or Gillray to understand that, the only time in the modern era there has been much consensus was the 20 years or so post WW2, so to answer your questions
Yes.
What d'you mean by pick up? Get better? It's interesting that in the Blair years, the common complaint was that the two main parties policies had just the merest hint of a difference between them, and folk complained about that as much as they about the "culture war" that we're currently enjoying. so no, I don't think it'll get "better", just different
Yes, undoubtedly. We're running into a series of issues that previous generation(s) kicked down the road, disparity of wealth, industrial pollution, mass migration, climate change etc, that just need to be dealt with now, and our political structure are simply not set up well enough to deal with these monumental issues.
Social media in its current form is a big problem. It has provided an unregulated platform for politicos to spew all sorts of crap. A platform that many folks are both addicted to, and have made their only source of “news”. Toxic mix.
Maybe so, or maybe it has exposed the reality of the situation, that the established and embedded mwdia failed to reveal. Populism has gamed social media in many ways, but only because the establishment has left a moral vacuum for the populists to fill.
We have had 40+ years of lies that the elites were special, hard working geniuses that rewarding them benefited us all. Now it has been revealed that luck and opportunity is the major difference between success and failure. the "special ones" are actually of low intelligence, narcissistic, cowardly sociopaths who largely haven't ever worked hard a day in their lives. Trunp and Bojo are normal for the city and wall street, they are not the outliers, educated beyond their intelligence, advanced because of family contacts, the old school tie and a few words of Latin, there is no meritocracy involved. They buy power and influence because they already have it.
What we need to now realise is that society works better together instead of leaning into the propaganda we have been brainwashed with all our lives, it is the majority that counts, that keeps it running and pushes us onward, not a few "special ones" (as proved by the shutdown). Working for the benefit of all was the success of the post war years, and the failure from Thatcherism onward. unfortunately they dismantled the mechanisms for unity and now we need to fight for its return.
Either way PMQs will be interesting today.
To paraphrase… “I really think that the honourable member opposite should stop asking the Prime Minister Questions”.
MSP pretty much covered it - 'working class solidarity' was never as monolithic as some would like to paint it, but it certainly felt like my grandparents; the adults during WW2 generation, had a sense of 'pulling together for the common good' that has substantially evaporated. One of the positives coming out of the current Covid19 sh*tshow is the opportunity to see a fair proportion of people being prepared to help each other out in an attempt to get through it. There will be an opportunity to build on that as we emerge from lockdown, but I don't doubt forces will be at work to close down as many avenues for a 'new way' as possible.
Responce from my MP....
Thank you for contacting me about Dominic Cummings.
Over the last few days, I have received a large number of emails, many understandably angry and upset, about Mr Cummings’ travel during lockdown. I want you to know that I have taken the time to read all of them before responding and have considered your views carefully.
This is an incredibly difficult time where we have all had to make huge sacrifices, and it does not come without its challenges. Over the last few weeks I have assisted many people in need of urgent help, clarification of the guidelines, or to access support for families and businesses.
I feel strongly that this is a new experience for all of us and that each and everyone’s circumstances will be different, and for those exceptional circumstances, there are allowances within the guidelines, providing that there is a medical or clinical need.
Though I appreciate and empathise with the sincere anger and upset caused, I strongly oppose the behaviour of some who have sought to harass Mr Cummings and his family outside of their family home.
That is why it is now important to move forward as a country and focus our efforts on overcoming this crisis. I will be continuing to ensure that Derby North has a strong recovery from COVID-19 and that my constituents are supported throughout these unprecedented times.
Almost the same as mine Alcolepone. I'm glad she has taken the time to reply though.
Thank you for your email about the Prime Minister's adviser, Dominic Cummings. Please forgive me for taking longer than usual to reply. As you can imagine, I have received a very large number of emails about this issue. I have already made my own position clear to the Prime Minister and have also made sure that he is aware of the strength of feeling of many people who live in my Epping Forest constituency.
I share your concerns about the importance of observing the very restrictive rules under which we have all had to live during this unprecedented crisis. It would have been better if Mr Cummings had stuck more rigidly to those rules and set an example for the rest of the country.
My heart goes out to the many, many families who have not been able to be with their loved ones at their time of need and sometimes, tragically, in their last hours.
Whether Mr Cummings was right or wrong, I had hoped that he would apologise for the consternation that his course of action has caused. I am disappointed that he has not done so.
I hope that, looking forward, we can now all concentrate on doing our best to continue to combat the effects of the Virus and to help each other to get through this very stressful time. The vast majority of people throughout our country have worked with dedication and behaved with good sense during these difficult and disturbing weeks. We have achieved the first goal, to protect the NHS. I hope we can now go on working together to look after people who are vulnerable and to get our country moving again.
I appreciate your taking the time to contact me about this controversial and sensitive matter. As ever, your views and opinions are important to me.
So the message appears to be "move on, forget about it"
It was unlikely to be otherwise really. It was decided to compromise the messaging and keep Cummings in place. Political capital spent - Starmer didn't even need to name Cummings in PMQ, just pointed to the massive drop in trust for the Government. No doubt it'll come up in the analysis/inquest.
No doubt it’ll come up in the analysis/inquest.
That's a sweet notion - inquest.
Shouldn't we have heard the findings of the one into Russian interference in the Brexit vote by now?
Shouldn’t we have heard the findings of the one into Russian interference in the Brexit vote by now?
How the hell can they legally sit on this still?
Easy, Putin doesn't want it released yet 🙂
“Endless attacks” - newspeak for asking questions of the Prime Minister during the very short time designated for the Prime Minister to answer questions. Johnson thinks scrutiny shouldn’t be applied to him or Cummings.
I emailed my MP to ask him to write to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to express my disappointment that he would not say, when interviewed on the R4 Today programme, that the PM's senior advisor had done anything wrong. (Referring to the 300 mile trip to Durham, carrying covid-19 from London to a region of lower infectivity and into a local hospital - line borrowed from British Medical Journal: https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2102). And the 60 mile Barnard Castle eye-test noted by local police as a breach.)
Reply was a page and a half of semi-literate waffle on House of Commons paper, sent through the actual mail, telling me my MP's uninteresting opinions on these facts.
I've emailed briefly again to ask that he write to the Sec of State to convey his constituent's dismay in the behaviour of Cummings. It's a clear ask. I don't want a debate.
I really need a wee…
Quick question… when my kids were young, a 250 mile journey would have required a few toilet stops. Now… Cummings’ kids managed that longer journey without stopping, twice, but needed a wee stop when they went on their short family eye test drive (not a birthday day out, honest). Seems odd.
Looks like it's not all going away, his home from home is going to be looked at with some scrutiny... 😁
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52911605
I bet he will have pissed some people off in his family if he is bringing some planning heat to an unauthorised dwelling.
In the end, "Lessons will have been learned"
Also, they changed the laws so that travelling to get family to provide childcare is now illegal. So the lessons learned is that Dom was wrong and it was very good of him to figure that out for us, so now none of the rest of us can do what he was doing. And obviously because what he didn't wasn't illegal at the time he's free and clear. So don't do what he did because it's wrong. Now. But not then. Remember, Dom is ahead of the curve. He's the smartest.
X
I got a reply from my MP, a certain Mr Hancock! I've tried communicating with him a few times before ..... it's a pretty futile game!
Dear Martin,
Thank you for writing to me about Dominic Cummings. I understand that this is a sensitive issue, and I want to assure you that I continue to put all of my efforts as Health Secretary, and as your MP, into stopping the devastating effects of coronavirus so that we can get life back to normal as soon as possible.
Mr. Cummings gave a full and detailed statement on Monday 25th May in which he outlined the reasons that led to his journey to Durham. Journalists were immediately given the opportunity to question him, and I am satisfied with Mr. Cummings’ account. While I believe Mr. Cummings was correct to find childcare for his toddler when both he and his wife were getting ill, I completely understand that others do not share this view.
I am so proud at how the country has come together during this difficult time and how communities across West Suffolk have rallied in support of the social distancing and lockdown rules, and in particular of our wonderful carers. We have done so much to stop the spread of coronavirus, and it is vital we now come together in the next phase, to get our country back on her feet.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.
Regards,
Matt
The Daily Mash is an unerringly accurate social barometer
Newsthump is also pretty good:
Still no reply from Antony Higginbotham, MP for Burnley.
The sheer arrogance is what really hurts.
I don't expect one from my MP, Jake Berry - Rossendale with Darwen.
He buggered off to his holiday home on Anglesey just before lock down and has hidden there since.
Surprised that the Led by Donkeys poster never went for " Herd Impunity"
Chapeau perchy!
I got a reply from my esteemed MP, Nigel Evans. I won't bother pasting it here as it was just a copy n paste job with the "I have contacted the PM to convey the great strength of feeling"
I think it was the template reply that was probably shared on the Tory MP whatsap group
Anyway, here's a photo or Mr Evans in his MAGA hat. A white one no less for 'special' supporters or possibly white supremacists. Who knows?/ Gives a ****?
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Bellend .... why would you wear MAGA cap in the Ribble Valley?
Making America grate again.
Not only did my usual dozing Tory lapdog if an MP break ranks to say that Cummings should go, she was also one of the rebels on the first reading of the Agriculture Bill.
Fair play, Pauline Latham.
