Has the Conservative Party lost all sense of competence

Of course it isn't whitewave but when you are clinging to power, propped up by a fundamentalist christian party who had to be bribed to do it, with ministers dropping like flies and no-one having a clue what they are doing, what else can you expect?
Of course there are a number of far-right supporters in and out of Parliament who are rubbing their hands with glee, because they are getting what they wanted, even though it was never the party's policy.

The Adonis letter was not just about Brexit, but also the way in which Brexit has become so all consuming as to in effect paralyse the government in performing all its myriad other duties.

The withdrawal bill has become “the worse legislation of my lifetime” and will be fought vigorously in the second chamber.
Bad legislation, has been characteristic of the Tory government since 2010. Rigorous intellectual excercise over proposed law has been badly lacking, and there is nothing different in this latest piece of legislation.

Adonis cautioned against continual alliance with UKIP and the extreme right, saying that the Tory Government has no mandate to follow such an extreme path.

Adonis also threw a light on what is happening to the Virgin/east coast rail franchise, and Graylings decision to bail this franchise out to the cost of billions to the tax payer. Particularly if other rail franchises demand similar treatment, and why wouldn’t they?
The benefit of this bailout will be only to the billionaire owners and their shareholders, causing fares to rise and threatening the money put aside for improving the infrastructure.
Making it even more nonseical given the tightness of any spare cash due to the immeasurable cost of Brexit.

Adonis has raised his concerns with both the chancellor and Grayling and has met with not a single reply apart from being told to shut up.

Is this any way in which to run a government?

I thought that devolution was a step on the way towards European Federalism - but perhaps I am over-thinking that. It does all seem to have led to more division, more nationalism, but then again, perhaps only those voted for more locally and with more power than LAs would have the interests of local people at heart.

It is the Lords which requires urgent attention, out-dated and cumbersome.

One of Murphy's questions for 2018 is how many countries will there still be in the UK.

I think the Lords (or whatever it was then called) as a revising chamber would be very important Jen. As I said it would act as that for each country - tidying up the law and sending things back for revision where necessary - but it would also act for all so that important laws did not get out of step. We would still want something akin to the four pillars for the UK.

I thought it was good/interesting that you seemed to have thought it through Jalima. For all my interest in politics I don't think I have. You were being consistent about all the devolved institutions. It's would be easy, I think, for someone just to focus on the one that particularly interested them as people often do. For instance, I do seem to veer towards devolution but often I am thinking of the north of England. (Over explained again )

That's why I thought it would be a good idea, GracesGran.
Hopefully the Lords as it is as a revising chamber will work for brexit, and try and stop the main brexiteers having too much control.

And I am not sure how saying that I am not particularly in favour of something can be construed as some people being strongly anti the devolved parliament/assemblies

That is not what I said or meant at all. I have no idea what other people think.

You may be in the minority but you are consistent Jalima.

I am not sure what you mean by this Gracesgran:

but you are consistent Jalima. I wonder if you would mind explaining please, so that I know what your remark to me means?

Well, as they don't affect me personally a great deal I cannot say 'strongly'.

English Parliament and house of Lords would suit me Jen, particularly with PR. It would mean the Lords would become the revising house for each as well as all the countries which could be interesting.

You may be in the minority but you are consistent Jalima. I hadn't realised some people were strongly anti the devolved parliament/assemblies. They seem to tick along okay. I think we will become much more aware of them now as they are prioritising different areas but I see that as good and challenging for each of them.

If Wales had the assembly in 1965 Capel Celyn would still be a village and farming land.

Over 530 seats in England , 40 in Wales

Petra, instead of always standing up for Dyson, perhaps you could persuade him to bring his factories back over here, and use British workers to make his vacuum cleaners.
He thinks Singapore's a fantastic place to work because the maximum tax is 22%.

It's how you tell 'em!

durhamjen
Instead of forever criticising James Dyson, might I suggest you look at what he's doing in farming and alternative energy.
It is truly wonderful stuff but I don't think you could bring yourself to admit it.

Good idea, durhamjen.

How about the commons being an English parliament, and the upper house being wholly elected on a PR basis throughout the whole UK, GracesGran?

"Vacuum cleaner tycoon Sir James Dyson is listed as the largest private recipient of basic payments, worth £1.6m last year, even though he is listed 14th on the Sunday Times Rich List, with an estimated fortune of £7.8bn."

Nice subsidy from the taxpayer. I wonder how much he gives away to charity.

If we were looking at the upper house, do you have any thoughts about an English Parliament.

I can't say I am in favour as I am not in favour of the Welsh Assembly or the Scottish Parliament either - to me they are just extra layers of Government creaming off the taxpayers' money for their pet schemes and running expenses which could be put to better use for basic public services..

But I am probably in the minority.

Such sarcasm. Jalima.

www.propertyweek.com/news/dyson-largest-landowner-in-england/5072126.article

Country, I said. England is a country, isn't it?

Re some comments a bit earlier in the thread about James Dyson i’ve Just google and he owns more land than the Queen. I was interested because he owns farmland near us. In the article I read he apparently urged the government not to cut subsidies to farmers after Brexit.
inews.co.uk/news/james-dyson-owns-land-queen-warns-government-not-slash-farm-subsidies/
He received 1.6 million in basic payment subsidies last year.

Radio 4 PM programme has just broadcast an interview made in June this year with Boris Johnson. Eddie Mair referred to the speech that Theresa May made on the steps of No 10 Downing Street when she referred to the "burning injustices" in our society, and how they affected the "just about managing (JAMs). EM asked BJ what in the Queen's speech would address these burning injustices. Boris Johnson's pathetic attempts at answering (or not answering) the question show just how incompetent this government is.

The interview started about 17.45pm.

www.bbc.co.uk/radio4

If we were looking at the upper house, do you have any thoughts about an English Parliament. After NI being able to bring pressure on the Brexit negotiations and Scotland not at all happy I wonder how they will feel about the English/UK Parliament as we move forward?

suzied I do agree that we should have an elected upper house; that would stop all the cronyism too.