Tae see oorsels as ithers see us

"It is hard to assess the change, and the damage, that Johnson is bringing to British politics in his first weeks in office. Among the Tories banished on Tuesday night was Ken Clarke, a seventy-nine-year-old former Chancellor and Home Secretary, who is known as the Father of the House, because he is the country’s longest-serving M.P. “Anybody who comes up to me and tells me I’m not a Conservative is plainly taking an odd political view,” he told the BBC. The following morning, Clarke took his customary position on the green benches of the House of Commons, a couple of places down from Antoinette Sandbach, another newly independent Tory. In between them sat Theresa May, smiling warmly. It was Johnson’s first appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions, the kind of impromptu parliamentary jousting at which he is supposed to excel. Instead, his answers were heavy and rehearsed. Johnson called the rebel legislation “the surrender bill” eight times and described Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, as “Caracas”—a play on Corbyn’s supposed sympathies for Venezuelan socialism—a joke that he has been making for two years.

He did not mention the purging of his colleagues or seek a unifying tone. When a Labour M.P., Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who wears a turban, asked Johnson to use his first appearance at P.M.Q.s to apologize for having used racist language in the past, he refused. Jo Swinson, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, implored Johnson to think again. “He is the Prime Minister of our country,” Swinson said. “His words carry weight, and he has to be more careful with what he says.” Johnson let it slide. When I was outside the House of Commons a couple of hours later, a Brexit supporter in a yellow hoodie was shouting “Snakes” at some pro-E.U. protesters across the road. Someone elsewas holding up a placard that read “Traitor Parliament.”

I’ve been covering Brexit for the past three years. This week has been particularly frantic and exciting—long days and the shallow, emptying feeling of adrenaline. Because it is British politics, there have been jokes, too. The informal coalition that blocked Johnson this week is nicknamed the Rebel Alliance and, on Wednesday evening, as another anti-Brexit protest got going in Parliament Square, the “Star Wars” theme was playing. But there has also been a sense of things—deep, quiet things that are part of British democracy—being broken that will not necessarily be put back together again."

www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-uk/boris-johnsons-brexit-carnage

Here's Saturda's Guardian article about european views of brexit, interesting that the Italian reporter thinks our Parliament is great!
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/13/what-does-the-rest-of-europe-think-about-our-brexit-shambles

Seriously, the United Kingdom, the world’s fifth-largest economy — a country whose elites created modern parliamentary democracy, modern banking and finance, the Industrial Revolution and the whole concept of globalization — seems dead-set on quitting the European Union, the world’s largest market for the free movement of goods, capital, services and labor, without a well-conceived plan, or maybe without any plan at all.

Both Conservative and Labour members of Parliament keep voting down one plan after another, looking for the perfect fix, the pain-free exit from the E.U. But there is none, because you can’t fix stupid.

The entire Brexit choice was presented to the public in 2016 with utterly misleading simplicity. It was sold with a pack of lies about both the size of the benefits and the ease of implementation, and it continues to be pushed by Conservative hard-liners who used to care about business but are now obsessed with restoring Britain’s “sovereignty” over any economic considerations.

www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/opinion/brexit-news.html

My question to people who don't realise how far we are stretching everyone's patience is this:

If France, Germany, Holland or Poland was leaving and acting as we have done with the dithering, splits, stubborn refusal to stick by our own deal with the backstop that we asked for, ignoring and belittling the 16 million people who could see how awful it would be and woeful ignorance of the catastrophic effect on another EU country with which we share a land border......

Not to mention the trouble we are causing around the legitimate EU elections (including one of our senior politicians suggesting we should be disruptive if we have to take part).....

Wouldn't we be just a teensy weensy bit hacked off?

The Guardian looks at comments on Brexit from around the world:

Rapt observers around the globe are confused, amused and saddened by a crisis that has torn Britain’s reputation for stability to shreds

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/06/a-shambles-on-which-the-sun-never-sets-how-the-world-sees-brexit

I don't know if any Leavers can counter this with approval from around the world?

I believe the figures presented to us all by our civil service and the Bank of England. They are experts so leavers .may not believe them.

2) Any kind of brexit would make us worse off.

It is your absolute self belief that you are completely right that is so fascinating.

If you can’t take a joke you shouldn’t have come to London right now, because there is political farce everywhere. In truth, though, it’s not very funny. It’s actually tragic. What we’re seeing is a country that’s determined to commit economic suicide but can’t even agree on how to kill itself. It is an epic failure of political leadership.

www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/opinion/brexit-news.html

Nope sorry it doesn't. Must be the way my computer is set up. There's something else I can try, though.

Just try clicking on it Caledonail and the video should come on automatically

oops

Hi Varian,
I'd like to view that but it requires a subscription.
Caledonai.

Hi Varian,
I'd like to view that but it requires a subscription.
Caledonai.

A brilliant short summary of our predicament from CNN

edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/04/04/brexit-chaos-reality-check-avlon-newday-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/this-week-in-politics/

Thanks for the link Varian. I'm just sad that we - Scotland - are so helpless in all of this. Every word of caution is ignored as a wish for independence or remainers refusing to "go along" with the majority.

Last night's patronising, trouble-inciting speech by Mrs May was an utter disgrace and the desperate move of a dictator. Democracy has indeed shrivelled and died at Westminster.

Having said all that, what the heck is Jeremy Corbyn thinking of by leaving the leaders' meeting because he didn't like one of the other people there?

Neither main party leader has any idea of the anxiety their actions are causing.

Let's just see how others see us now

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/20/pathetic-incoherent-chaotic-europes-verdict-on-brexit-shambles

Let us hope that does not happen Ginny. It is not inevitable. All the polls over the last eighteen months at least show that most British people want to Remain in the EU.

Those who talk about democracy and want to prevent us from voting seem to have learned nothing in the last three years.

Most of us have learned that -

1) The 2016 referendum was ill-conceived, fraudulent and won by cheating and lies.

2) Any kind of brexit would make us worse off.

Varian, thank you very much for posting the various (no pun intended) reports which made interesting reading from sources I would otherwise have missed.

In the coming weeks, months and years I shall take some small comfort from knowing that I played no part in the impending disaster, as I voted to remain in the EU. That we have no idea what the UK is about to be plunged into at the end of the month amounts to reckless negligence.

Ahmed Aboudouh, writing in "The Independent" tells us-

"We might be confused by Brexit, but the rest of the world is utterly baffled. Many people outside the UK are asking: “what the hell are the British people doing to themselves?” When it comes to Brexit, are the Brits really going to scupper an already shaky world order just to placate some populist fanatics?"

www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/brexit-latest-no-deal-uk-eu-world-opinion-us-russia-a8707791.html

Well, Urmstongran we lived in Spain at the time of the referendum and all the Spanish people we knew, without exception, thought Britain was mad to leave the EU. They simply couldn't understand it.

Varian perhaps the Home Office could refuse him permission to return as he has dual nationality? On the grounds of him being a serious risk on financial grounds. Hehe. Maybe he should appeal to the hated ECJ?

"Leave doesn’t mean leave as Nigel Lawson plans UK return after failing to gain French residency"

www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/nigel-lawson-to-quit-france-to-return-to-the-uk-1-5920438

The French don't want him. Do we?

Heleba Smith writes-

"Euro MPs are confirming that the mood in Brussels is anything but positive with some choice words today. The prominent Greek MEP, Stelios Koulouglou, told the Guardian: "Everyone in the [EU] negotiating team is completely fed up with May. They feel she doesn’t have a clear plan, she changes constantly and instead of being serious, is playing cheap political games."

Koutlouglou, who represents Greece’s governing leftist Syriza party, said the British prime minister’s negotiating team now had “a very, very bad reputation” at what was seen as a particularly sensitive juncture in talks. "

www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/feb/21/brexit-hammond-warns-of-no-deal-damage-as-more-tories-consider-exit-politics-live

No Caledonai14 you couldn't make it up. In fact, if this dire disaster was a tv series, I would have stopped watching it, dismissing it as far fetched and unrealistic, surely no electorate would be so daft, so easily led and still willing to fall off a cliff?

Thank you Varian. I am perplexed by the inability of Brexiteers to see that Mrs May made a huge mistake trying to change something she fought so hard for back in November. She called a general election when there was no need, but now that we really are in a leaderless crisis, we are denied an election or a people's vote because the Tories and Labour are dithering and fighting among themselves. You couldn't make it up.