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Theresa May 3

(1001 Posts)
MaizieD Mon 31-Oct-16 11:17:50

Very interesting article about T May. Forgive me if it's been posted before.

I think that the author is proposing that the Murdoch media have been superseded by the Daily Mail in setting the agenda for 'British' and that Theresa May is a product and perpetrator of its agenda.

www.opendemocracy.net/uk/anthony-barnett/daily-mail-takes-power-0

The Daily Mail takes power
Anthony Barnett 5 October 2016

After 25 years in politics Theresa May has no obvious connections to any think tank. She shows no interest in ideas. Asked by Conservative Home in a Quick Quiz session to choose between Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France” or Louise Bagshawe’s “Desire”, she replied, “I wouldn’t read either of them, sorry.” The prime minister who faces arguably the Kingdom’s deepest constitutional predicament since George III was driven from the Cabinet by the loss of the American colonies dismissed out of hand the idea that she might ever turn to the pages of Burke, even though as a student she had chaired a society named after him.

As the country faces an unprecedented concatenation of economic, strategic, diplomatic and constitutional uncertainty, the woman at the helm seems devoid of intellectual resources. The one decision she has definitely taken is to give the go ahead to Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, a boondoggle incapable of justification by any criteria of integrity. The Pharaohs built their own pyramids, Theodoric built his own mausoleum. But these were designed as monuments to generate the admiration of posterity. Surely only an idiot would make their first decision the go-ahead for a colossal radioactive tombstone to her regime.

But Theresa May should not be dismissed as an idiot. There is a striking and potentially formidable coherence to the general direction she has set for her new government, evidenced by the self-confidence of her ministers who remarkably quickly are singing from the same song-sheet. She does seem to have a clear ideology refreshingly different from her predecessors. Where has it come from?

The answer is The Daily Mail. On Sunday in her first speech to her party as its leader, she set out her view of Brexit and announced that she intends to trigger Article 50 to start the UK’s withdrawal from the EU before March. This was a moment of upmost gravity, to recognise and measure the immense divisions that have been opened up within the country, and consider the implications for the entire continent that Britain once helped liberate from fascism. Instead, her tone, brevity and apparent practicality were drawn as if directly from a Daily Mail editorial.

Intelligent comments section, too.

Jalima Thu 26-Jan-17 11:51:52

Or is it just another backlog because they are inundated with applications and renewals?

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 12:01:51

May is on record as saying she doesn't want to make guarantees to EU citizens already here, because she doesn't want an influx of people before any deadline.

Sensible woman.

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 12:10:39

Daphne surely you can do better than that sole isolated case of the murder of a Polish man, with no apparent link to Brexit.

On the other side, you choose to ignore the violence of a crazed Bremain extremist who murdered his Brexit voting neighbour.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-supporter-attack-eu-referendum-european-union-remain-manchester-a7362956.html

Yes Brexit has divided Britain, but its the Bremain side who are in a violent rage

Elegran Thu 26-Jan-17 12:16:47

Could you give a reference for that "Home Office taking away passports for ten weeks" comment? All I can find is this on a Tripadvisor page at www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k7423050-Problems_and_delays_in_the_UK_passport_office_from_overseas-Air_Travel.html (date 13 May 2014, 09:46)

^". Re: Problems and delays in the UK passport office from overseas
13 May 2014, 09:46

"Hi,"

"I already wanted to travel but now I am running out of time as I only have a few more weeks in which I can fly."

"I just spoke to the passport office this morning who have now had the passport 7 weeks, it has moved to the examination floor but due to backlogs it could take another 3 weeks to pass the examination floor, then it still has to be printed checked and sent back so I could be waiting another month yet."

"Basically they are too busy, they cant cope and they don't care how long it takes as they do not have a max time for overseas passport applications. (and have said this much)"

"^So all in all if they allow the truth out they are now on a 10 week min service but they are doing their dam hardest not to admit that's how bad it is."^

This is three years old, has no connection with EU nationals and Brexit, and is exactly confiscating people's existing passports, as you imply.

whitewave Thu 26-Jan-17 12:16:56

mair

And Mair doesn't count? Wasn't he found guilty?

Elegran Thu 26-Jan-17 12:17:25

All-important NOT missing before "exactly" !

Jalima Thu 26-Jan-17 12:20:07

I remember it well Elegran

durhamjen Thu 26-Jan-17 12:52:50

I remember Theresa May saying last year that if you think you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere.
This year she wants the US and UK to lead the world. She wants the UK to be a global leader.
There seems to be something contradictory there.

Welshwife Thu 26-Jan-17 12:54:06

If you read the widely reported case of the Dutch lady - married for years to a Brit and a family with British passports - she was given permission to remain but told she did not need a permenant visa as all in the EU. - decided to apply recently to have the visa issued and was told amongst all the other paperwork she needed to send her passport. She rang and explained she had an ill mother in Holland and needed to make trips back frequently and often at short notice. She asked if she could get a solicitors authorised copy or take it to a designated office to show it - that was refused - and she was told they may need to keep it for up to six months.
The length of time of renewal of British passports for UK citizens abroad now seems to have been sorted and the turn around is a couple of weeks.

durhamjen Thu 26-Jan-17 13:02:35

There was a German engineer, too.
Both of them couldn't hand their passports over, but sent in certified copies, which were not accepted. They were both sent letters telling them to prepare to leave the UK.
These have been on before. It's surprising what short memories some people have.

durhamjen Thu 26-Jan-17 13:09:29

This is what global citizens are concerned about.

www.globalcitizen.org/en/action/petition-no-hunger-2030-g7/

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 13:20:56

Both of them couldn't hand their passports over, but sent in certified copies, which were not accepted. They were both sent letters telling them to prepare to leave the UK

Clearly administrative issues only.

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 13:25:51

WW
To my knowledge the murder of Jo Cox was not about Brexit, but to do with Thomas Mairs belief that the council were pressurizing him to downsize from his council house because they wanted it for refugees, a group on which Cox focused much of her energy. He was a Brexiter but that wasnt the cause of his rage against the MP.

varian Thu 26-Jan-17 14:32:09

Mair was a far right extremist who shouted "Britain First" as he killed Jo Cox.

The story about him worrying that he would lose his counbcil house to immigrants was concocted by his apologists in the right wing press.

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 14:39:05

Kindly refer to Thomas Mair by his full name Varian or at least TMair, as I should hate anyone to confuse with my username (same spelling different pronunciation!)
confused

daphnedill Thu 26-Jan-17 14:43:31

Indeed it was concocted by apologists. He was 'over occupying' and was going to have to pay 'bedroom tax', as many other people already do. There was no evidence that the council was pressurising him any more than everybody else who lives in a house with too many bedrooms. There was absolutely no evidence that it was to be given to refugees.

When giving his name in court in court, he said "My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain." Does that really sound like a bedroom tax protester?

His far right links with white supremacist groups went back years, long before anybody thought about the 'bedroom tax'. He had cuttings of Anders wotsit and other racist murderers and magazines and books from far-right groups.

As he declined to defend himself, we'll probably never know what pushed him over the edge, but Jo Cox represented everything Mair hated.

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 14:45:07

The story about him worrying that he would lose his counbcil house to immigrants was concocted by his apologists in the right wing press

Any evidence that the story was 'concocted' or that he had any 'apologists'?

The links with so called 'right wing politics' were sexed up by the left wing media, when this murder appears to have been carried out by a weak and lonely man with known mental health issues, in an anxious disturbed state of mind. He had simply 'looked at' right wing sites and had no 'links' to right wing groups. In fact he had a history of helping refugees!

daphnedill Thu 26-Jan-17 14:51:24

Mair the case against the killer of the Polish man in Harlow is being heard tomorrow in Chelmsford. He's being tried for manslaughter rather than murder and is only 15, so I don't know how many details will be given. At the moment it's sub judice.

Local feeling at the time was that it was definitely inspired by the heightened tensions surrounding Brexit. Other Poles and Eastern Europeans have been attacked in Harlow and been told to 'go home'. It's not the work of Remainer activists, whatever you want to believe. It's the work of xenophobic thugs.

daphnedill Thu 26-Jan-17 14:53:03

Mair That is absolute rot! He had a library of far right magazines and books. Nothing was sexed up. He was and probably still is a racist.

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 15:31:42

"Local feeling at the time was that it was definitely inspired by the heightened tensions surrounding Brexit"

Gosh that must be an accurate verdict then!

"Other Poles and Eastern Europeans have been attacked in Harlow and been told to 'go home'"

And the alleged perpetrators have been arrested and charged have they?hmm

You really need to stop believing all the urban myths the Bremoaners online and the pro EU press tell you.

Mair Thu 26-Jan-17 15:41:32

He had a library of far right magazines and books

Have you no material in your library which expresses views more extreme than your own? The Communist Manifesto, Socialist Worker perhaps? Maybe even Maos Little Red Book!
grin grin grin

Nothing was sexed up. He was and probably still is a racist

Nothing more than your prejudices DJ.

There isnt a shred of evidence for this and decisive evidence against from his mixed race half brother with whom he got on well.

durhamjen Thu 26-Jan-17 15:46:26

Excuse me? I agree with daphne, but I haven't written anything like that.

whitewave Thu 26-Jan-17 16:11:52

Mair was also filmed with the BNP helping them on a stall.

daphnedill Thu 26-Jan-17 16:20:32

To be fair, ww, that was a fake. It was Britain First.

No Mair I haven't. I have books by mainstream historians and economists about various topics, including communism, fascism and Nazism, but I have never contacted a white supremacist organisation and subscribed to its magazine or expressed support for its cause.

Your disingenous twisting really shows your true colours!

daphnedill Thu 26-Jan-17 16:21:21

Mair There is plenty of evidence.

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