Johnson and Brexit

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/operation-yellowhammer-leaked-files-reveal-medicines-that-will-run-out-first-dzxc3kds7

All I know about the LD's is that, since the referendum they have been the only party to represent my views on Brexit and the EU and for that reason I am incredibly grateful to them at a time when no one else seemed to represent me.

That wouldn't be surprising though foodstuff but it's what the party stand for that sets it's place in the scheme of things.

No, but I wish there was SirChenjin. The all make mistakes but I wish one of them was starting from what I could agree is the right place.

I think (in fact I know) that there are people within the local LD parties who are left of centre.

Well, I do know what Momentum think because I know an activist very well. We sometimes have some quite heated debates about the position of the LDs, of which I am a paid up member, so please don't start accusing me of making unfounded accusations. It's very obvious if you follow Twitter where the accusations against the LDs are coming from. I'll hold my hands up here and state that I'm not proud of the LD's coalition history, but Momentum sneering has a distinctive "flavour".

Do you think there’s any party which ticks the centre social democracy box at the moment?

I have no idea what momentum think growstuff; what I posted was purely my own view. However, it seems to that I am not the only one if you look at the graph so please don't start the Momentum accusations. I have always believed the Liberals were a right of centre party which is why, as long ago as 1988 I decided not to join them when they merged with the SDP. As far as I was concerned there was too much right of centre liberalism and not enough left of centre social democracy. I haven't seen anything to change that opinion over time except, more recently, a move slightly more to the right.

I would agree that Labour have definitely moved to the left. SNP looks about right, Tories have certainly moved right within the last few months but I wouldn’t put the LDs further to the right. I think they’ve attracted moderates from Labour and the Tories, so probably a bit to the left of that position if anything imo

Further to the right Varian rather than "on the right".

This was were they were seen in 2017. www.politicalcompass.org/uk2017. If anything I would say all the parties have moved more to there extreme.

The accusation is coming from Momentum, who attack the LDs for being part of the coalition which was responsible for austerity. Hence, the alleged move to the right.

I wasn't a fly on the wall, so don't know for sure if it's true, but loads of media from the Sun to the Telegraph are reporting this...

At a weekly gathering of special advisers in No.10, Cummings was queried about Sonia Khan’s dismissal. According to several individuals in the room, he responded “if you don’t like how I run things, there’s the door”, adding that critics could “f*ck off”.

Hmmm! Nice chap!

I don’t think the Liberals have moved to the right, have they? My branch certainly haven’t. As varian say though, perhaps it depends on your starting position.

It makes a change for Liberals to be accused of being on the right. We're far more often accused of being "lefties"

I reckon it depends on who's doing the accusing.

move moved

If you go far enough towards the extremes the extreme right and extreme left meet together ... ...

That has always been the case, Varian. The middle is a better place to be. Such a pity the Liberals have vacated it and move to the right.

Yes varian that is absolutely right.

What is worrying is that whilst Johnson may not be a natural far right politician, he is willing to sell his soul in order to get what he wants.

The political spectrum seems to be not so much a straight line but a circle.

If you go far enough towards the extremes the extreme right and extreme left meet together, their chief aim being a stripping away of people's rights and enabling a dictatorial control.

What is so alarming about Cummings and his belief in nihilism is that it is straight out of the Bannon stable, who describes himself as a Leninist.

Followers of this form of anarchistic nihilism constantly appeal to the “people” to reject the elite. Nihilists are intent on tearing everything down, and have no fear of the result of this. Look at the way he has attacked the civil service and his opinion of MPs.

That sounded cheeky of me, I’m so sorry

Apologies SirChenjin I didn’t notice that.

I posted about that news earlier - shocking isn’t it? Anyone on here who talks about democracy really needs to reflect on whether this form of democracy is really what they voted for.

++BREAKING++

This is from Twitter but also reported in several national newspapers:

Dominic Cummings has notified Conservative MPs that if they vote for the extension legislation next week, they will be "automatically deselected" before the next election via Conservative Central Office "even if their local organisations stand by them".

How can this unelected bureaucrat do this? It might galvanise the Remainer MPs into action.

Awww come on - say yes Fire, you know it’s true.

Ha ha but he's got Remainers running scared, I salute him.