"oh you don't get me I'm the end of the union": lol brexit is how we're all gonna die

nothing to do with UK antisemitism obv.

(xp to myself)

but what i remember miliband going through at any moment of import was so much worse

IDGI, only Labours do antisemitism surely?

However Corbyn has the press calling him a traitor and terrorist sympathiser, implying he cares more about immigrants than anyone else and in the post-referendum atmosphere that’s not just irresponsible, it’s dangerous. See the Finsbury Park attacker, see his mentions any day of the week, it’s all flowing from that.

While I agree that Ed Miliband had it worse, he also had either terrible instincts or gave an ear to advisors with terrible instincts - I don't believe for a second that (for example) he wouldn't have been bullied into calling for Article 50 immediately.

This stands out for Corbyn because he is far less reactive, it's standard to assume that everything is part of A Plan (when of course some things aren't, or are only backfilled into one).

fucked up that corbyn was willing to negotiate without precondition in order to end a three-decade war of imperialism that destroyed northern ireland, yet wont do it just so the tories can make sure brexit happens in march instead of september https://t.co/zefH8QQ3P6

— frank furtschool (@osamabishounen) January 17, 2019

Wtf.

History has shown the country is more likely to elect a Con govt than a Lab one and the last major Lab success was under a drive to embrace weak Con policies to get into power (and Blair is still a divisive figure today, not to mention bank bailout, austerity v1, ATOS etc taking place within that regime). That suggests to me the majority are sympathetic to those ideas so a party coalescing around those broad themes has the greatest chance of success. So despite fundamental differences the Tories are probably the ones least likely to split because they can find more other things in common.

Yeah, I’m not even touching that. That’s some “natural party of government” muck.

Neither Labour or the Tories are going to split. IMO.

Theresa May pushes for cross-party consensus

Speaking outside Downing Street after talks on Wednesday night with the Lib Dems, SNP and Plaid Cymru, Mrs May called on MPs to "put self-interest aside".

Reported with a completely straight face by the BBC.

back in my day if you did a statement in front of Downing Street it meant you were resigning, calling an election, or that you'd just lost a referendum you thought you could never lose and accidentally plunged the country into years of political chaos

— Jon Stone (@joncstone) January 16, 2019

I hate how she always does that thing where she turns on her heel at the end like it's a mic drop

this also bothers me about May, feels like she gets the lectern out for any old shit atm. Even worse if you count in her impromptu press conferences.

― gyac, Thursday, January 17, 2019 10:18 AM (six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

is she taking cues from Trump?

xp
she did a cracking one after pissing away her majority in election '17 "time to go to work" like as if nothing to see here folks, just another day at work.

Yeah, I’m not even touching that. That’s some “natural party of government” muck.

Fair enough. I just think understanding UK voting history and demographics is probably key to plotting a route out of this. (Equally history is just that, and it's not set in stone going forward, but there needs to be evidence of an opinion shift for it to be anything other than faith.)

Feel like Cameron (and Brown?) used to do this a lot too. Blair didn't. (xxp)

She gets the lectern out a lot because it enables her to control the messaging. She can do pre-rehearsed statements, she's terrible with anything off-the-cuff.

OTM though she's terrible with anything on-th-cuff too.

bbc decision to let the football bump her from the news top slot was good and correct, the one thing they've got right in the current affairs realm since alastair campbell got greg dyke sacked imo

I just think understanding UK voting history and demographics is probably key

xp
she did a cracking one after pissing away her majority in election '17 "time to go to work" like as if nothing to see here folks, just another day at work.

Southampton vs. Derby County, FA Cup 3rd Round replay. Bit too much fucking perspective there.

I have a lot of thoughts about the outfits Theresa May chooses to wear and when she chooses to wear them. Like the one she chose to wear when she held hands with Trump - exact same one she wore to attend her count the night she lost her majority.

the viewers would have expected her to get booked for time wasting.

Just been sent this old Barry Gardiner leaflet and actually cannot stop laughing pic.twitter.com/fW9ETqX1oK

— Jack Blanchard (@Jack_Blanchard_) January 17, 2019

feel like aldos been a bit unfairly mischaracterised there

"the uk votes tory at the drop of a hat" seems fairly defensible as a statement

Yeah the same once that booted out Churchill to vote Attlee and who cherishes the NHS above all other institutions? But what would I know, right? I only live here.

LOL Baz Gaz.

he's a classic!

But what would I know, right? I only live here.

― gyac, Thursday, 17 January 2019 10:44 (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thats a bit of a turnaround from yr half-quote of aldo a few mins back!

I'm out.

were i building a strategic defence of corb's two A50 moves i'd begin by fashioning it round the fact that at that point (= first 6-7 months of her being PM) no one had yet grasped quite how irresponsibly reckless and useless she would turn out always to be. lock her into a timetable, pressure her by setting her (pre-referendum) eloquent remainer mode against her task, manouevre her into a limited space where splitting her party is the only route out of wrecking everything she'd hitherto said she stood for! yes, i can see how in a war-gaming scenario these made sense (tho i think the first, the dare, was an unguarded and unwargamed error (at a moment when everything all around was absurd chaos and skreeking).

in fact the pressuring and manoeuvring have done exactly this, albeit incredibly slowly and painfully. but of course ultimately their strategic effectiveness still depends on her not bringing the temple down with her power and her party. which we know know (or anyway suspect and fear) is indeed a bad strategic judgment call, bcz it fundamentally misunderstands her. it's good practice not to underrate yr opponent! but i'm not sure as of late 2016 that even her strong non-fans (mainly angry HS watchers at that stage) grasped the extent of her self-immolating self-isolating stubbornness. if the guiding assumption is that, in a pinch, the tory party will adapt and mutate to survive, that assumes malevolent self-awareness and self-preservation… but is this a solid assumption right now?

xp almost as if the context is different when talking to someone who doesn’t actually live in the UK?

Thinking of canvassing STV to get Barry G to present their Hogmanay Show next year.

yeah look i dont wanna fight on aldos behalf either

my cousin has left his city boy structural engineering consultant life to raise pigs in the philippines ive not asked him if its brexit related or if he knows something about pork futures i dont

not bringing the temple down with her power and her party

this is a bit unclear. i mean: not pulling temple party and power down around her

Blair puts the boot into Corbyn: If in a moment of national crisis the PM asks the leader of the opposition for talks you should go. #today

— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) January 17, 2019

my cousin has left his city boy structural engineering consultant life to raise pigs in the philippines ive not asked him if its brexit related or if he knows something about pork futures i dont

Why not both? Starvation for some, plentiful pork products for others.

On balance it would probably be better for Corbyn to go, outline his No Deal red line to her face, and then immediately tell everyone about it.

I don't think it's inaccurate to say that the UK tends to vote Tory more often than not? Is there some nonsense about them being the most successful political party in the Western World - or am I confusing that with Rangers fans claiming Rangers is the most successful football club in the world? Somewhat appropriately.

I think I agree with MDC - the risk here is around who the public see as being reckless: may for countenancing no deal or corbyn for refusing to “grow up” and come to the table

I mean she obviously can’t be trusted and this megaphone diplomacy is fundamentally in bad faith but labour have to be careful. they can’t touch the shitty stick but need to be seen to be being collegiate to an extent

That’s a very different beast from “naturally Conservative”, though.

Probably not Brexit related, just as well as the stupid cunts voted Leave.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46900918

From a French perspective, at least, the UK comes off as resolutely, almost 'naturally' right-wing (Thatcher, Iraq, obsession with surveillance, unwillingness to let go of the monarchy, rampant privatisation, almost nonexistent social benefits, insular exceptionalism, seminal role played in the invention and rise of capitalism, etc.).

the electorate didn't vote for most of them things and in the free trade empire era most of the country didn't even have a vote.

absolutely absurd rejection of the fact that britain loves the tories itt

about as controversial an idea as saying the sun will set. voting for tories is what britain does.

To each their own defence mechanism, I guess. Same goes for American dems.

Eyes gotta swivel

Mr Duncan Smith told the Telegraph: “Barnier has not only been receptive to the protocol but has already offered us a free trade agreement. The problem is not that the EU won’t negotiate but that Theresa May hasn’t ever told Brussels exactly what she wants. I’ll go over and lead a re-negotiation if she wants. Owen and I will go and do it. Anything is surely preferable to Remainer civil servants treating the negotiation like a damage limitation exercise.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/16/gove-writes-obituary-brexiteers-insist-moment-arrive/

Can't see it any other way myself.

xp to Hierro

let's face it folks, we love the taste of boot