"we'll change the things that need changing and that's all we'll change": the paSUKification of post-brexit politics 2021

Also, this is great news (re covid spike in the north west):

Looks a bit like the Blackburn Director of Public Health, who is brilliant, has just said "we're doing this" and allowing govt to catch up https://t.co/62XSJfMGNm More power to his elbow.

— Paul Cotterill (@Bickerrecord) May 13, 2021

In the latest weekly figures, the town recorded the third highest infection rate in England, with an 89% jump in cases compared to the previous week.
As with other areas, mass testing is due to be deployed in hotspots, and there are early indications health teams will be stepping up the vaccination rollout.

However, it's worth noting that although the new variant is thought to spread as easily as previous ones, there's no evidence to suggest it causes more serious illness.

Hospital admissions do not seem to have increased in line with cases, and the area hasn't seen a death with coronavirus for the past six weeks.

David Cameron says a new body to help ex-PM's navigate life post No 10 could be helpful - esp. for a "younger one" who doesn't just want to sit on the board of a bank and make the occasional speech, but, instead, "wants to get stuck in" and "help a business expand".

— Gabriel Pogrund (@Gabriel_Pogrund) May 13, 2021

pig joke

(As requested) Got to bring home the bacon somehow.

The 2 men are now being released. @itvnews pic.twitter.com/uj0k1FuWO5

— Peter A Smith (@PeterAdamSmith) May 13, 2021

I note that every single critical tweet on that thread is from a Rangers fan. Good luck on Saturday, Glasgow.

The solidarity has been incredible to see, God bless the people of Glasgow

Some of them.

She specified "people"

😃

NEW:

Former MP, George Galloway, is going to stand in the Batley and Spen By-election for the Workers Party of Great Britain.

— British Electoral Politics (@electpoliticsuk) May 13, 2021

die you old cunt

^

I like ms Chakrabarti a lot.

Yes, the people who attack her in public are disgusting.

So has George put his All For Unity party - which he co-founded with a Old Etonian ex-soldier and a founder of UKIP - in mothballs or is this a new party he's dreamed up?

the ppl of batley & spen decisively reject GG as they vote to be part of an independent scotland

this Batley & Spen byelection line-up is going to be like hitler, hitler, clown , hitler...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/13/cruel-paranoid-failing-priti-patel-inside-the-home-office

^ pretty good -- though harrowing at points -- read on the Home Office, with much of it on New Lab home secretaries as designers of the nightmare we are living in.

Public actions such as today's in Glasgow are one of the few forms of opposition to Patel.

Thinking about everything that built today's victory in Glasgow: decades of anti-raids and migrant solidarity organising, local communication networks, mass dissemination of anti-cop and anti-border rhetoric, community-building and sheer neighbourliness.

— HJ Giles (@HarryJosieGiles) May 13, 2021

Howard Becket (I dunno, NEC/Unite person apparently) misjudging things very badly on Twitter today by calling for Priti Patel to be deported, he has just deleted the tweet but too late.

Fucking idiot

How have you actually managed to get people to have to defend Priti Patel. I’m so mad why would you put me in this position ffs

— Marxcelo Bielsa (@judeinlondon2) May 13, 2021

My thoughts exactly! Appalling tweet, this is going to deservedly fuck him. Horrendous sentiment, what a cunt

if she could be deported to another planet I wouldn't object

well sure
broke: deporting tories of Indian descent to India
woke: deporting entire cabinet to rockall
bespoke: "deporting" entire conservative party in rocket to the sun

I sometimes ponder the way she consistently does that awkward pinched smile might suggest she has some deep rooted self-image problems that almost make her human, but then I think wtf am I doing here - she's a fucking evil sociopath with so much blood on her hands, who cares. but that NEC guy really doesn't get it.

I'm pretty sure that "awkward pinched smile" is her trying very hard not to look smug. She got into trouble once for looking smug when she was giving out some terrible news or answering some especially awkward question and I would guess she's been extensively coached since.

Totally good to deport Patel.

come on it isn't, deporting shouldn't be brandished as a threat to anyone, however despicable, especially if it just happens that they aren't white, once you let this far-right shit into your discourse it's not going away.

Objectively speaking it's a bad look for a politician to say but fuck that monster

she should be in jail, but in a UK jail, not an Indian one.

Lol Beckett is now retweeting old tweets to show his anti-racism

I had a strange experience, with 6music on at 9:30. The news was on, it reached an item about the events in Glasgow. It started playing an item where a local person, I think, said: "We reject Priti Patel's racist policies" ...

And it seemed to fade out, and back into music - reggae, naturally, as it was Gideon Coe.

I was unsettled. On these news programmes usually it ends and someone very blandly says: "And, that's the 6music news, at 9:30", and a couple of jingles later it goes back to the music.

Here, I genuinely had a sense that a clip (of the person talking) had got through to live radio that wasn't supposed to, and someone monitoring had suddenly pulled the plug to prevent a BBC vs government incident.

But this might all be an exaggerated projection from a small botch in live editing.

"But this might all be an exaggerated projection from a small botch in live editing."

The only bbc music station I listen to is R3 these days, but I listen to enough other bbc radio to doubt very much that was a botch and your first instinct was probs correct.

100% for total tory elimination but using the threat of state violence against one specifically for not being white is beyond fucked up

but also this whole mystery as to how a racialised politician could support racism they personally benefit from eludes me tbh

very normal party

Howard Beckett suspended from the Labour Party. Labour source: “Keir is prising McCluskey’s cold, dead hand from the Labour Party.”

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) May 13, 2021

"with his own cold dead hand"

Luke the Nuke is still good is it

The prospect of these dithering zombies eating each other is pretty entertaining tbh

It's hilarious how a bad tweet which I'd maintain is totally fine rhetorically -- and personally I don't give a shit -- is being used to rig the Unite leadership contest.

Hope he is elected on the back of it.

CON: 45% (+2)
LAB: 30% (-3)
GRN: 8% (+2)
LDEM: 7% (-)
REFUK: 2% (-1)

via @YouGov
Chgs. w/ 05 May

Bringing back memories of 2017, only Keith has a much lower approval rating than Corbz ever had and the Labour party has genuinely become almost completely insignificant.

xp

if I was someone who'd had family deported I'd be furious with that tweet. But the naked opportunism is so predictable!

It doesn't what any of the Labour Right do on social media, never any consequences. Reeves stanning for a fervent Nazi and Anti-Semit- promotion!

not to mention Rosie Dudfield

Lol

Told Labour MPs supporting Steve Turner for the Unite leadership are now sending this pic, inspired by the below tweet, to to one another on WhatsApp https://t.co/3ySPw7deds pic.twitter.com/QenzsTFYUP

— Patrick Maguire (@patrickkmaguire) May 13, 2021

Damn the legendary comms skills of the sensibles for leaving me no longer able to detect whether something is part of the Simon Hedges Extended Universe.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1MvMUQXEAEMWVv?format=jpg&name=large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EyFGuhVWgAU1TJy?format=jpg&name=900x900

I think parodies usually give the game away by having competent to rather good graphic design.