PMs change and lol we're all gonna die (but brexit will never end)

i need to hear it in both the eu and the irish threads for it to mean anything tbh

I legit unsubscribed to a podcast cos they featured her and her poxy book. It’s a delicate peace, Andrew!

Re comment upthread about Swinson giving HR manager vibe, this:

Leader of the Liberal Democrats @joswinson caught up with new Lib Dem MP @lucianaberger at Conference earlier today 👇👇 #LDConf pic.twitter.com/DHqYEidTI5

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 16, 2019

she has big bake off energy

In France, there's this thing called the 'Villejuif Scale', a cringe-o-metre whose highest score (10) is based on a video of two actors who were tasked with singing in character at a Carrefour in Villejuif, to celebrate the supermarket's 50th anniversary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEM0r0t88Mg

So on the Villejuif Scale, I'd say that video is a 6.

Lol, just like when march 31st came and went huh.

how soon we forget

Ugh, every move Swinson makes is just cringe, really puts the dumb in East Dumbartonshire.

I once did some substitute work in an English school where we had to make a speech to the students who were leaving each Friday to discuss their learning journey in front of the whole school and it was utterly mortifying, that video has the exact vibe and I find it impossible to watch.

Oddest thing about that LD vid with Swinson & Berger is that it has fake crowd hubbub dubbed onto it. There are cuts in the video. But the background rhubarb-rhubarb is continuous.

Cut at 35ish seconds. Lucian as mouth goes from open to closed (with smile coming back) from closeup to Mid Shot.

xp feel like you’d like the Tom Brake video even less

sorry not to let sleeping dogs lie from earlier today but

Daniel - Greece had its elected government fucked over by the EU and it was the biggest example. Yes I know it was all linked with much of southern Europe.

Yeah, well, the fact that Greece was a) the most dramatic example and therefore b) the one where the EU acted the harshest imo makes it the least representative of how the EU actually operates and as such looking at how things went down in states where its pressures were more subtle and/or propped up by compliant govts (or, in Portugal's case, wanting to "go further" than what the troika was suggesting) makes a much stronger case for euroskeptics.

― Daniel_Rf, Tuesday, 17 September 2019 09:39 (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I find this a strange line of argument. Ireland immediately acquiesced to the troika's demands. This had to do with a very characteristically irish collective self-flagellation that seemed born of the fact that we had lost the run of ourselves during the boom. By attempting to push back against ECB orthodoxy, Greece made it visible whereas in Ireland it was presented as entirely inevitable. In either case the outcome is the same but the Greek pushback animates the political aspect of it whereas in the case of Ireland it was allowed to masquerade as an entirely technical or procedural set of decisions, outside the scope of democratic challenge.

Because how dare you, these are fundamental Irish values and the suggestion that we'd be lagging behind on them without the help of Brussels is beyond the pale.

It would be impossible to disagree with this but this point does largely elide the point of the extent to which Irish fiscal policy has been shaped by eu standards and norms. It also elides the fact that the emphasis on austerity rather than stimulous was required by the ECB as part of the bailout agreement. whether or not ireland "would have" gone along with this in a hypothetical reality is sortof beside the point as we can only go on the reality that exists.

plax' somewhat dystopian fintanish description

this is so rude I can't even, but looking back on it my description is incredibly mild. Ireland is a tax shelter but compare it to other tax shelters like Singapore or Luxembourg and it comes out pretty badly in terms of quality of life, particularly around things like healthcare. It is my hope that this will change soon but as it is....

Labour should keep extending the hand of co-operation to Swinson. Again and again including in TV debates. The more they do it the more childish it looks throwing it back in their faces.

Priority should probably be improving terms with the SNP but giving a glaring Swinzy a fake cheery wave now again sure why not.

xxp <3

improving terms with the SNP

SLAB hate the SNP more than the tories I think

completely inexplicably, I am still cracking up over NV’s “FIVE PIND??” story. It seems so relatable

The thing that’s glossed over is the repulsion I feel when someone applies the singular ‘pound’ to a plurality ‘five’.

Five POUNDS, you six-toed morons!

it's not a plurality it's a rhizome :)

But pind is plural. As mice is to mouse, pind is to pound.

It just reminds me of that horrible man on Oxford Street, with the sales patter TAKE A LOOK A-RIIIIIIND, IT’S MISTER PIIIIIIIIIIIIND *shoots self*

my ex used to get very annoyed at me using singular instead of plural (common in west central scotland), the main one that made her mad was "year" instead of "years"

have we really skipped the fact that the UKIP leader is too embarrassed to attend his own party conference because they sold less than 450 tickets? and his name is still dick braine? clearly it isn't important, but there must be a slither of schadenfreude to be squeezed out here, surely?

the villejuif video has ended me

Same, though I definitely did a double take at the name of the place

Same and same.

Meanwhile in Bournemouth, LibDem MPs have just done a photo op of them all walking into the sea... pic.twitter.com/6EIJa1AARP

— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) September 17, 2019

fucking state of this, but it's a bit much to expect such a bunch of shameless corporate shills to have an idea or two about what makes a non-embarrassing photo op

as reggie perrin said: always go forward and never turn back

troops... was thinking this morning I’m really looking forward to the wailing and gnashing of teeth when labour get into government

also I can understand why JC will stay neutral in referendum 2 - makes political sense and won’t mean it becomes a confidence issue - but do think it’s an unfortunate outcome for remain’s chances. he has a constituency in the country, a message on the EU (“7/10”) that resonates with many and he is an effective campaigner - he will be a genuine loss imo

They look like a herd of sheep in a One Man and is Dog competition xp

My abiding nightmare is that he wins largest party and arseholes in the PLP decide via WhatsApp to VONC him after a Queen’s Speech.

xxp he is not going to stay neutral, the party will. He and McDonnell and Abbott and Starmer will be campaigning for Remain.

If he wins the seats I don't think they'd have the guts to go after him but I guess there will always be a little worry, they're not the sharpest knives in the drawer

A lot of the worse labour MPs have either gone or intend to stand down. Actually tons of MPs have already said they’re not standing next time.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_United_Kingdom_general_election

I missed it yesterday, but Joan Ryan has announced she will not stand in the next election. That leaves Soubs, Gapes, Leslie and Coffey still plugging along. (Also, omg, their Wikipedia page lists Chris Leslie as deputy leader!)

STATEMENT FROM JOAN RYAN MP – THREAD: It’s been a huge privilege & honour to serve as the MP for Enfield North. (1/8) pic.twitter.com/mTYT4YMArZ

— Joan Ryan MP (@joanryanEnfield) September 16, 2019

Anyway another leadership challenge - the NEC isn’t going to deny Corbyn a spot on the ballot and if he’s actually become PM I can’t see the membership voting for someone else.

I find this a strange line of argument. Ireland immediately acquiesced to the troika's demands. This had to do with a very characteristically irish collective self-flagellation that seemed born of the fact that we had lost the run of ourselves during the boom. By attempting to push back against ECB orthodoxy, Greece made it visible whereas in Ireland it was presented as entirely inevitable. In either case the outcome is the same but the Greek pushback animates the political aspect of it whereas in the case of Ireland it was allowed to masquerade as an entirely technical or procedural set of decisions, outside the scope of democratic challenge.

To explain my argument: Greece pushing back against EU orders means that its catastrophic financial situation can be attributed to the country's own govt (if you're so ideologically inclined); the consequences of austerity in countries where govts eagerly followed the troika's advice cannot be spun as that and as such are better examples of how destructive troika intervention has been.

Like, I have family in Germany and at the height of the eurozone crisis Greece was all they were talking about while they were hardly even aware that Portugal was in crisis. Partially that's down to Greece's situation being more dramatic, sure, but I also think the fact that Greece pushed back while Portugal was being a Good Student meant that it was less in mainstream German media's interests to point out how badly things were going there.

I would disagree to the extent that the Greek crisis was accompanied by a loss of faith in European benevolence and an explicit undermining of Greek democratic institutions. By going along with it, other countries did get to escape this and the continued popularity of EU in Ireland is I think partly testament to this

I'm not sure if I'm understanding the full legalese but isn't the gov's lawyer arguing that Johnson might have prorogued for his own nefarious ends but that's fine because that's up to the government and boo ya sux?

If this is the case whu didn't Johnson just say that in rhe first place instead of bullshiting...oh, wait yeah, answered my own question there.

That's exactly what he's doing and that's why they won the case in the English courts.

I had to read about where this “crombyn will be neutral in a second ref!!!1” shite came from and, what a surprise, it’s yet more shithousery from the worst morons in the country.

Those same ppl would hate on him if he joined them on the campaign anyway.

Meanwhile:

‘Boris Johnson meets the electorate’ continues to go well. pic.twitter.com/QVlzFTncjx

— Frances Ryan (@DrFrancesRyan) September 18, 2019

if only there was a neat catchphrase that would sum up my feelings towards these videos

was the guardian just making stuff up ? I haven’t read JC’s article yet - just their reporting on it

sad news everybody

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/politics/2019/09/18/watson-takes-aim-at-labours-hard-left-factions-as-he-is-re-selected-in-west-bromwich-east/

don't really expect any better from the denizens of West Bromwich i guess

xp no it’s in his own words - but since Cromblyn has previously said “I will vote and campaign for remain” several times, this article is clearly a reversal of this position because it doesn’t reiterate this 50 times and it’s not decorated with EU flag emojis

This is good

John McDonnell backs 'Abolish Eton' debate at Labour conference https://t.co/v1Ft2W33sH

— The Guardian (@guardian) September 18, 2019

guy in the pub, probably old school Labour, pretty reactionary, very Brexity, was praising the plans for private schools at the weekend. next election is gonna be complicated

i look forward to seeing some piss-funny articles from Spectator hacks about how public schools serve social mobility, actually

hard lol at mumbling low-energy boris protesting that there are no cameras here right in front of the cameras