Gransnet forums

News & politics

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I think that the author is proposing that the Murdoch media have been superseded by the Daily Mail in setting the agenda for 'British' and that Theresa May is a product and perpetrator of its agenda.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

petra Sun 15-Jan-17 17:56:48

Theresa May is giving a speech this week where she will spell it out to the eu. No compromise, no surrender. Go Theresa grin

trisher Sun 15-Jan-17 21:16:00

No Trade, No exports, No jobs!!

Not to mention a pound that is about equal to the Euro.

Regardless of what she says we have to maintain contacts in Europe. Our Universities, our research labs, our arts organisations all need us to remain on friendly terms. Mrs May is heading for real trouble.

durhamjen Sun 15-Jan-17 21:18:26

The double act of May and Hammond threatening the EU.
What a good way to get what you want!

JessM Sun 15-Jan-17 21:25:05

And just in case you missed it - NO retiring in your 60s

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/15/hard-brexit-means-retiring-later-britons-warned

whitewave Sun 15-Jan-17 21:32:20

Let joy be unbounded!

Ana Sun 15-Jan-17 21:41:27

Or even unconfined...

rosesarered Sun 15-Jan-17 21:46:57

I do think we have to leave the single market , or internal market as it's called, it's the only way to trade freely with the whole world and limit immigration.T May will be speaking mid week about the government's plans .smile

petra Sun 15-Jan-17 21:55:31

whitewave My joy is unbounded, nearly as unbounded as it as on June 24th 2016.

durhamjen Sun 15-Jan-17 21:56:22

That's interesting, Jess. Can't wait for the Brexiteers to complain about that one.
Have you noticed that Gove is the first UK reporter to interview Trump? That'll annoy the government tomorrow. It's in the Times.

whitewave Sun 15-Jan-17 21:59:30

I'm going to change my name to Malaprop

rosesarered Sun 15-Jan-17 22:01:14

Petra grin

petra Sun 15-Jan-17 22:14:55

The Dutch deputy Prime Minister disagrees with your article jessM
He states that uncontrolled immigration is a race to the bottom. I think that sentiment rings true, particularly thousands of people in the building trade and hospitality.

Ana Sun 15-Jan-17 22:17:36

Oh, some people do take themselves so seriously, don't they? grin

JessM Mon 16-Jan-17 08:49:24

We don't have uncontrolled immigration now. What we do have is a government that have not taken a single employer to court for failing to pay the minimum wage.
Zero immigration, which is what some people would like, would be a disaster for the UK in many ways. The article illustrates some of the potential problems.

Mair Mon 16-Jan-17 09:51:18

JessM
EU immigration is uncontrolled.

Immigration from the rest of the world is poorly controlled.

We 'need' only very little immigration and some, maybe all of those 'needs', could be handled by temporary immigration on a contract basis. Many highly skilled Britons work on temporary contracts overseas, and we used to take agricultural workers under the old Agricultural workers scheme. It was common across Europe under the EEC when movement of workers was more restrictive than it is now.

daphnedill Mon 16-Jan-17 09:58:09

So what about scientists, researchers and teachers?

Don't imagine that all EU immigrants pick cabbages.

Mair Mon 16-Jan-17 09:58:13

A lack of cheap foreign labour would have a most salutary effect on employers, particularly beneficial to women and to older workers who would like to remain in their jobs part time.

It would also encourage greater efficiency and mechanisation of robotic roles. Labour should be an expensive valuable resource, not a cheap and expendable one. It's shocking that most lefties fail to understand this and demonstrates how brainwashed they have been into allowing 'race' and migration to trump all other concerns. Its become an obsession.

daphnedill Mon 16-Jan-17 10:03:57

Wow! I can't wait to find a job picking cabbages. Didn't some Tory MP (can't remember which) suggest that pensioners should be sent to the cabbage fields to earn their pensions?

EU citizens don't do the kind of jobs which women and older workers want. Unemployment amongst over 50s women is a problem, because so many of them used to work in public service office jobs and were made redundant, not picking cabbages and washing cars.

rosesarered Mon 16-Jan-17 10:06:23

How about factory work though.... many women and older people would be happy to do that for a decent wage.

whitewave Mon 16-Jan-17 10:06:40

My children and grandchildren are apparently going to spend more of their dotage working in order to keep the working demography as balanced as possible. Much to their annoyance.

rosesarered Mon 16-Jan-17 10:08:32

It's certainly true that unlimited EU immigration to the UK has resulted in keeping low wages even lower.

rosesarered Mon 16-Jan-17 10:09:38

Do few people care about that.....if so, why?

trisher Mon 16-Jan-17 10:49:08

Well as long as you are happy to pay more for your fruit and veg that will be OK rar. Personally I wouldn't blame the immigrant workers for low wages, rather the huge profits made by the middle men-supermarkets. Of course if you really object to the low wages you can buy locally grown veg and seasonal fruit.
As far as factory jobs go there really aren't that many any more. We manufacture so little now.
The other jobs which EU citizens do in the NHS, universities and research labs are not low skilled and require highly qualified people. When we exit if we don't allow these people to come here we will become a backwoods country with a failing NHS and our economy will collapse.

daphnedill Mon 16-Jan-17 11:12:28

The shortage of factory workers was the main reason the UK imported so many Pakistanis after the war. It seems that the indigenous folk weren't so keen even then. It's a little inconvenient that those jobs have now gone to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, etc. If only those pesky furriners would go back home with the jobs!

Firecracker123 Mon 16-Jan-17 11:12:58

That's just your opinion. We will be able to pick and choose who we want to come here to work. I always try and buy locally grown fruit and veg and British products.

This discussion thread has reached a 1000 message limit, and so cannot accept new messages.
Start a new discussion