The Optics of Sunak's "New Improved" NI/EU/RoI Brexit 'deal' are not great for the Tories. If it's rejected (and that's looking very likely) then the scrutiny of de Pefffel's "...oven ready deal..." will come back and haunt the Tories (and I think Sunak's days are numbered). If it's accepted and needs Labour support the Sunak's day are numbered. https://www.theguardian.com/politic...-rishi-sunaks-bid-to-end-deadlock-over-brexit
I can't see the DUP accepting any deal. If they did then they would have to return to Stormont as junior partners to Sinn Fein. They will do anything and everything to avoid that. I suspect your analysis will be spot on. Brexit will claim yet another PM and continue to consume the Tories from within.
Sunak appears to be more worried about shutting up/down de Pfeffel and his supporters: They're literally briefing against each other - it's like 2017 all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Meh. The Leader of the Opposition may be a bit of a *****, but he’s not spent his whole lifetime in politics and was a success in that other career. Also, the Tories have had their very own style of ideological failure. Doesn’t have to be the same for everyone, though no doubt whoever leads the Spectator and Telegraph will mire them in irrelevant shyte.
While I think a lot of the current Labour MPs leave a lot to be desired, I don't think they're equally useless to the current crop of Tories. The latter have doused the country in petrol and are lunging for the matchbox. I've yet to see any indication Labour will do the same, even if they don't exactly fill me with enthusiasm.
Just to pick a few examples - I doubt these shadow cabinet members will be "equally useless". Yvette Cooper v. Suella Braverman Wes Streeting v. Steve Barclay Ed Miliband v. Grant Shapps Rachel Reeves v. Jeremy Hunt
I agree with you completely re Wes Streeting but I'd call Cooper v Braverman and Reeves v Hunt draws and, frankly, my dog would do a better job than Shapps so that's not fair
In effect you're saying 'they couldn't be any worse' - which is sort of my point. This isn't a criticism of the Labour Party - rather the whole politics industry in the UK
Not just the UK to be fair. It's a problem that seems to be mirrored around the world at the moment. Or maybe it was always this bad, and we're simply becoming aware of it for the first time due to social media. I don't think that's the case, but I suppose it's possible.
What a prime example from the gaggle of c**ts who make up the Tory front bench: only "hints" as she hasn't got the spine or nous to say what she means. Suella Braverman hints at opposition to ditching Northern Ireland protocol bill https://www.theguardian.com/politic...deal-unlikely-this-week-says-dup-spokesperson only "hints" as she hasn't got the spine or nous to say what she means or thinks.
Simple but useful thread on the NI Protocol. https://twitter.com/mdouganlpool/status/1627718687028281348?s=46&t=GkuvIOx5ph5Mwp43LUr1hw
I remember having a discussion immediately after the Brexit vote with someone who voted for Brexit and who also lived through the 1960s and 1970s and the peak of the Troubles, hailed the Good Friday Agreement as a tremendous achievement, felt strongly that Northern Ireland was 'British' (I didn't get into the semantics of the UK being the United Kingdom of Great Britain AND Northern Ireland) and could not see the problem with having a trade border between Ireland and Northern Ireland or, indeed, any border on the island of Ireland. He wouldn't 'accept' a border in the sea that might, potentially, unite Ireland. We owed it to the Northern Irish who wanted to be part of Great Britain [sic], especially after the bombs and bloodshed, to stick up for them. It simply didn't register that it would upset the hard-won and delicately-poised peace, reopen old woulds, divide healed communities and generally cause havoc. He just oozed the British exceptionalism that whatever was best (in his mind) for Britain would be best for everyone else and they'd simply accept it with a pat on the head. Or that the trifling details were for someone else to sort out. He was a big believer in sovereignty and autonomy too. His, of course, not anyone else's. It struck me that his knowledge of the history of Ireland was entirely one-sided, hence he couldn't see why anyone else would think differently.
Part of the problem, imho, is the unionists (and the DUP in particular) are used to being in power. That is why the DUP was always against the GFA. They never wanted a power sharing arrangement. But they accepted in the end as they were the biggest party in Stormont and, although the power sharing agreement gave Sinn Fein an effective veto, the DUP were still the senior partners. Brexit was always going to be bad news for the north of Ireland (and the rest of the UK tbh) it's timing could not be worse. The NI population was always going to shift away from unionism because of the differing birth rates between the communities. I, and my relatives that live there, hoped that the shift would move to the centre ground and parties like the Alliance party. But unfortunately the shift hasn't happened (yet) and the largest parties are still Sinn Fein and the DUP (although neither get more than 30% of the vote). I suspect the DUP will never work with Sinn Fein as a junior partner. I am convinced they will not be happy unless the GFA goes or there is a border in Ireland (or both). I hope I am wrong!
There's a re very good reply to all of the points you've raised in that twitter thread: https://twitter.com/JibbaJabb/status/1626553000075354117 Am I having a senior moment when I remember the Maybot 'announcing' a multibillion bribe[/s] funding package to the DUP NI during the early days of Brexit?
And the Tory Civil War over Europe appears over the Horizon again: Rees-Mogg attacks Sunak's handling of NI protocol talks, saying it's 'very similar to Theresa May' Remember, Mogg is talking about the NIP that he originally championed and the DUP that he sold down the river in 2019:
Crucial time for Sunak now. If he were a strong leader he would threaten the ERG and DUP with a general election if they don't accept whatever deal he makes with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Many of the ERG MPs would not survive and the Tories would be decimated. The DUP, already losing popularity by the day, would also likely suffer more losses as the ever suffering NI citizens lose more patience with them. If he doesn't fight for any deal he makes (and support the majority in NI) then he will prove that the Tory party are still in the control of the loons in the ERG. Whichever way he goes, there will be more infighting and backstabbing to come inside the Tory party. They will lose the next election whatever happens now. I hope Sunak sees this as an opportunity to leave some kind of legacy in his short tenure rather than create more uncertainty for NI, just to pacify the DUP and ERG and give himself another 2 years of chaotic "power".
I think this is going to work out fine for Sunak. It seems likely that the EU has made concessions and he can propose the deal as an improvement. That will be enough for most Tory MPs to vote for it and avoid giving Starmer the win of Labour putting it through. The most obdurate and stupid Brexiteers will be happy too. As much as they will rave that the NI must still follow some SM rules, the fact is, if they won everything they would have to disband their silly little club. The fire breathers must have fire to keep them relevant. They are simply a bizarre bunch of Little Englander backbenchers without the EU.
My primary fear is that the DUP will up the rhetoric even more and stoke the militant unionists. UVF "sources" have already threatened to "wreck the place": It still makes me angry that, despite so many warnings, those that championed Brexit never considered the enormous threat to NI peace it would bring. Speaking to my relatives over there, the hope is that peace is now so deeply ingrained that "the troubles" could never return now. The shooting of the PSNI officer shows that there are still terrorists over there but the response of communities, from both "sides of the fence", gives me hope that they could be right.
Also, I love the fact that Steve "Looney" Baker, NI minister and ERG stalwart has been excluded from these talks...
You're being far too charitable to them. They did consider it, because it was explicitly discussed ahead of the referendum on many occasions. They just dismissed it without paying it any regard, as they simply didn't care.
Nah mate. It was an issue that should not have been used as an excuse to prevent Brexit. It will sort itself out one way or the other. If the EU wants to maximise the impact, that is their choice. One should never under estimate the rancour of a former lover scorned, and as in so many cases, if they can keep custody of the kids, they will do so. If Ireland becomes reunited because that is what the majority want, that has always been the intention, what is the problem? If it is because of EU conniving, against the will of the majority, then the EU must take full credit for that and sny fall out. They know that what they signed was not compatible with everything that went before, therefore there is an inherant commitment in their consent to rectify that.
Hey Pointdexter . I'm lucky , or privileged if you are a race baiter ?, I can go away on holiday , like I do , several times a year to EUland. Guess what tho ? It doesn't matter if the Tories or the Labour mob are in power or if we are in or out of the the EU cartel. Foreign sojourns is something the poor do not have to worry about . My advice ? Stop being a fake socialist.
Any thoughts about His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith meeting with Ursula for a WEF catch up? Seems to have driven the ERG types round the bend but feels like a dead cat if ever I've seen one.
I imagine they are peeling back their human masks to reveal their alien lizardy features even as we speak. Probably communicating telepathically all this time anyway FML.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah bless... She's loyal to the last: https://twitter.com/NadineDorries/status/1630206042662371329
I recently strayed away from the footie pages and found this thread. "That's something I'm very interested in," thought I. Well, I have just finished reading through it all, adding my remainer likes as I went. The whole business still leaves me feeling angry - for a whole lot of reasons. Not least of these is the effect of leaving on my children and grandchildren. Anyway I'm so glad there are those who still have the energy to argue against the selfishness, stupidity and lies of the Tory loons and others who perpetrated this act of gross...... words fail me. Words also failed me the day after the referendum. I was living next door to two highly qualified engineers from Italy. All I could think to say was "I didn't want this, and neither did nearly half my fellow countrymen." They left within weeks, taking their skills to new employers in Germany. I take my hat off to you Moose, GOBE, Sydney Orn and others. I would have given up ages ago. A special mention too for Filbert for "I've adapted my house to run on sovereignty." Brilliant! I may now skulk off back to the footie threads. Following WFC can be depressing at times but, at the end of the day, it's just a game. The B word is serious.
All you need to know about Brexit is the vast amount of time and resources it's taking up in the Government and Whitehall. Just a colossal waste of time and money that could be spent doing better things. Now the Tories' latest three-word slogan, stolen from Labour, admits the whole thing was a terrible idea. 'Make Brexit Work.' If it's so good, why do they need to make it work? Surely the opportunities would be obvious to everyone. The best the hardcore Brexiters can do now, after years of adjusting their thinking to explain away the latest mess, is to say that the disruption, the loss of wealth and influence, the diminishing of Britain's place in the world was worth it. Worth it for what, they can never quite explain. Some old guff about making our own laws, or something. Things we did inside the old system anyway. I always use the fervent Brexiter of my acquaintance as the bellweather. The way he has twisted and contorted his views to justify his vote, in spite of mountains of evidence, and even a few things that have directly impeded him and his loved ones, was for a few years an absolute marvel to witness. The lies people tell themselves! But lately even he has conceded there's nothing behind the curtain. Nothing at all. Today's nonsense – the Windsor Hoodwink or whatever they're calling it – laced with lashings of King Charles sovereignty, is further evidence that the people in power will try to maintain the illusion of Brexit for the real headbangers while quietly shifting ground knowing that no one normal will actually notice or care.
Lol at all the Brexiteer MPs who are desperate not to be seen to favour the deal, but can’t think of a coherent reason to oppose it, so say we’ll be examining the fine print closely. This from people who come nearest to reading when listening to a Jeremy Clarkson audiobook.
Yes, even "the hard man of Brexit" Steve Baker has hailed it as a unique opportunity for NI to have unrestricted access to the EU and UK markets. He obviously believes that such access is a good thing. You know, the access we all had in the UK before Brexit. It's beyond parody now.
He was all teary eyed on the news last night saying it was all brilliant and closes a chapter. Not happening Steve. You’re out on your ear at the next GE.
