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:lmao:  :lmao::lmao: 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-37863003

Can Theresa May resist temptation to mock Boris?

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Theresa May is going to have to start taking Boris Johnson seriously if she wants the world to do likewise.
 

Last night I sat on the same table as the foreign secretary at the Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. He was given a gong for "comeback of the year" after his failed leadership bid propelled him into King Charles Street. Mr Johnson gave a typically self-deprecatory speech, saying he hoped he would last longer than Lord Heseltine's mother's dog, Kim, which survived partial strangulation by the Tory peer only later to be put down. He spoke about the need to press on with Brexit, which he described as taking "the machete of freedom to the brambles of EU legislation".
 

'Titanic success'
 

He told a funny story about how he had recently caused confusion at a dinner with EU colleagues in Bratislava: he said Brexit Britain would support the EU from the outside, like a flying buttress; the interpreters translated this as a "flying bucket". And of course, there was the inevitable verbal slip when he promised that Brexit would be a "titantic success", a classicist's reference to the mythological giants rather than the ill-fated ship.

 

 

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Then the prime minister got to her feet. I shall pass over her venomous assault on Sir Craig Oliver, David Cameron's former communications chief, except to note that several senior Tories were stunned by her lack of grace.  One - almost speechless - said it was the most unprimeministerial thing they had ever heard.
 

But it was what Mrs May said about Boris Johnson that struck me most. Picking up on his reference to Lady Heseltine's aggressive Alsatian, the prime minister looked directly at her foreign secretary - I was directly in the eye line - and said: "Boris, the dog was put down... (pause)... when its master decided it wasn't needed any more."
 

It was a funny line. And we laughed. But it also struck me what a barbed line it was too. It was a warning as much as a joke, a threat of political euthanasia for a colleague if he stepped out of line.
 

Court jester
 

I also noted that this was, yet another, occasion when the prime minister had chosen to mock her foreign secretary in public. At the start of her conference speech last month, before the serried ranks of Tory faithful, Mrs May said there were many questions hanging in the air, including: "Can Boris Johnson stay on message for a full four days?... (pause)... just about."
 

Now every government has a court jester and Boris Johnson will never be able to escape that title. But his role in this government is crucial. He is there to convince the international community that Britain is not turning its back on the world post Brexit, that Britain has a positive role to play in global affairs.
 

And to do that he needs to be taken seriously. Many foreign politicians and diplomats that I speak to tell me they are pleasantly surprised when they meet the foreign secretary for the first time. They talk of the man behind the caricature - the cultured, over-educated intellectual who often speaks a bit of their language and who can be thoughtful when he is not gripped by banter.
 

The problem is that many others - who have not met the foreign secretary in person - often still see him as a kind of upmarket Nigel Farage, a Eurosceptic clown with clout. So to do his job, Britain's diplomat-in-chief needs of every bit of credibility he can lay his hands on. He is already the butt of many jokes. The last thing he needs is his prime minister adding to the mirth.

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^^^ She shouldn't have given Bozo the job in the first place, in some ill-advised attempt to continue appeasing the Brexit camp in her own party. That old witch doesn't have a goddamn clue what she's doing. Watching her car-crash PMQs is excruciating. I'm glad she's choking on that poisoned chalice she was given.

So this will now go to the Supreme Court, and I doubt they'll overturn the High Court decision. It IS a sovereign parliamentary issue, no matter what way you look at it.

Going against the (so-called) 'will of the British people' probably won't happen though, as so many spineless MPs are worried about their small majorities and don't want to rock the boat by voting down the actual triggering of Article 50, and there's also this ridiculous "the people will not be denied"  rhetoric gaining momentum day by day by those terrified that their plan might unravel. You just need to look at the drivel and bile being regurgitated daily by The Daily Mail and the rest of the right-wing press...but it does mean that there's more scope for those upcoming negotiations to be transparent.

In the meantime our currency continues to devalue, inflation will rise, prices for everything will start to go up - as soon as fixed pricing contracts end and currency hedges expire, the price of all goods are going up 20% ...from TVs to onions, tomatoes, cars, petrol etc, (John Lewis being the latest to confirm this) just as wages and investment stagnate, just as skilled workers flee the country. But that's okay...because "we've taken our country back" as we build those borders all around us.... Gimme strength....

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17 hours ago, Kim said:

^^^ She shouldn't have given Bozo the job in the first place, in some ill-advised attempt to continue appeasing the Brexit camp in her own party. That old witch doesn't have a goddamn clue what she's doing. Watching her car-crash PMQs is excruciating. I'm glad she's choking on that poisoned chalice she was given.

So this will now go to the Supreme Court, and I doubt they'll overturn the High Court decision. It IS a sovereign parliamentary issue, no matter what way you look at it.

Going against the (so-called) 'will of the British people' probably won't happen though, as so many spineless MPs are worried about their small majorities and don't want to rock the boat by voting down the actual triggering of Article 50, and there's also this ridiculous "the people will not be denied"  rhetoric gaining momentum day by day by those terrified that their plan might unravel. You just need to look at the drivel and bile being regurgitated daily by The Daily Mail and the rest of the right-wing press...but it does mean that there's more scope for those upcoming negotiations to be transparent.

In the meantime our currency continues to devalue, inflation will rise, prices for everything will start to go up - as soon as fixed pricing contracts end and currency hedges expire, the price of all goods are going up 20% ...from TVs to onions, tomatoes, cars, petrol etc, (John Lewis being the latest to confirm this) just as wages and investment stagnate, just as skilled workers flee the country. But that's okay...because "we've taken our country back" as we build those borders all around us.... Gimme strength....

Poison chalice indeed for May. Kind of like a no win situation. I'll never understand how that clown got the Foreign Office post in the first place. I mean you may as well pick someone from the Brexit side just pick someone fit for the role.

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Gina, Democracy and Fundamentalism

"This had to be done" said Gina Miller, one of the parties behind the Art 50 challenge.

 

This challenge is about process, not politics, not solely about Brexit. It's about honouring the place of respectful public debate and the role of parliament in our democracy. Most people now accept, reluctantly in my case, that we will leave the EU, but as this is a complicated matter and so far so badly handled, the manner of our leaving is so important that it can't be left to rule by decree, or exercise of the Royal Perogative. Gina's action has restored Parliament's role in ensuring we get an agreed version of Brexit, and hopefully not the hard one favoured by the hard right.

 

On Democracy as we know it here, there are three pillars on which it is built; remove one and the edifice collapses.
These are Parliament, the Courts and the Executive. They are all independant and interdependent. In this case there are tensions are between the last two. Our own LCJ some years ago at a Human Rights conference expressed those tensions well, and the vital role which judges must exercise independently in scrutinising legislation or matters such as the process of leaving the EU. He said that backwards and forwards there's a 'conversation' between the courts and the legislature, but each must respect the independence of the other. Ultimately, Parliament makes the laws, the Courts interpret them, and may actually strike them down as being non compliant with Human Rights, Equality or in this case, as being constitutionally unsound. While this case will end up in our Supreme Court, I have no doubt whatever that the Government will fail in its appeal. If the Court had held in favour of the Government, they would be saying, "Go on, rule by decree, just like a Roman Emperor: Parliament its MPs and their constituents are as nothing, rather, putty in your hands."

 

Yes, brave Gina, has done us all, and democracy a huge favour. Admire her pluck, her inner strength and praise her for what she has done.

 

On Fundamentalism, we've just seen what I hoped I'd never see in my lifetime, nasty attacks on Gina and her supporters, vile and racist and shamefully fuelled by disgraceful headlines in the Daily Mail about her and the three learned appeal judges who heard the case, compounded by a stoney silence on the part of the Prime Minister and her Justice Secretary. It's clear that the latter, with no legal background, hasn't a clue about the role of the Courts. Some MPs are even suggesting that we scrutinise the way judges are appointed. No thanks: the result would be loss of Independence!

 

But this dangerous drift to Fundamentalism appears to be on the increase. From the local example of the inappropriate, possibly unlawful use of the Petition of Concern, the lunge to the Right in Europe, the Ascendancy of Putin, the creeping dictatorship in Turkey to the madness of the American Presidential campaign where a judge has just had to intervene to prevent Trump supporters from ballot bullying, democracy is more at risk now than it was during at time over the past century.

 

So, back to Gina. Thank you: you're a heroine, and all of us, Leavers or Remainers, will be the richer and safer now.

 

We should always remember that we all, individuals, communities and governments are interdependent on each other, and can thrive so much better within the safe and respectful shelter of each other.

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That woman now being harassed and threatened because of the court verdict is more shameful than the way pro Brexit politicians have behaved in the referendum aftermath. Why are they so afraid for the whole matter to go through parliament? Oh wait, I might already guess

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Guest bluejean
15 hours ago, XXL said:

That woman now being harassed and threatened because of the court verdict is more shameful than the way pro Brexit politicians have behaved in the referendum aftermath. Why are they so afraid for the whole matter to go through parliament? Oh wait, I might already guess

It is not a matter of being afraid. The public already voted. So of course people that voted LEAVE will be pissed if the outcome changes.

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2 hours ago, bluejean said:

It is not a matter of being afraid. The public already voted. So of course people that voted LEAVE will be pissed if the outcome changes.

And they all should blame the Brexit campaign for this. Maybe they should have told the voters that the outcome of the referendum is not a binding result and that it's still up to the parliament to decide whether to leave or not. Maybe people should place their anger at those that have constantly lied to them. So many things Farage and Co. have said that are simply false. What was it there on the bus in regards to the NHS? It all comes down to facts. But who cares about facts? Oh shit, this sounds pretty familiar.

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2 minutes ago, Raider of the lost Ark said:

And they all should blame the Brexit campaign for this. Maybe they should have told the voters that the outcome of the referendum is not a binding result and that it's still up to the parliament to decide whether to leave or not. Maybe people should place their anger at those that have constantly lied to them. So many things Farage and Co. have said that are simply false. What was it there on the bus in regards to the NHS? It all comes down to facts. But who cares about facts? Oh shit, this sounds pretty familiar.

But then again you can make a pool and know what people think.  Not a big circus with a referendum. 

Let's face it,  if the result had been Remain it would have been biding and everything already forgotten.  

 

 

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2 minutes ago, karbatal said:

But then again you can make a pool and know what people think.  Not a big circus with a referendum. 

Let's face it,  if the result had been Remain it would have been biding and everything already forgotten.  

 

 

There would have been a vote in the parliament as well. And from my knowledge most members of the parliament were in favor of remain anyway. The whole referendum was a legal mess from the get go.

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Guest bluejean

I hate the idea of referendum's. It is scary to say but I actually trust the government to make these decisions more than I trust the public. And what is the point in having a vote and then not going forward with the favoured result? Democracy is already a sham as it is, no need to rub it in people's faces.

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I think an issue as big as brexit shouldn't have been done via referendum. there were and are still too many variables to consider and i feel that both sides didn't inform the public as well as they should have on what would actually happen, (the government still don't know what they want to do and i think they will drag it out as long as they can btw) and don't even get me started on the media coverage of the court ruling, it's absolutely despicable. the people voted blindly for something they knew little about and are now regretting it

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Well from a legal point of view a voting in the Parliament could be needed. As far as I read the referendum was consultative (to consult the Parliament) not binding to the Parliament. If thats the case the court is obliged to take the decision they did take. One has to ask why the referendum wasn't binding? Were someone afraid of the result or what?

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9 hours ago, bluejean said:

It is not a matter of being afraid. The public already voted. So of course people that voted LEAVE will be pissed if the outcome changes.

By "afraid" I was not referring to the public and voters' perspective but to the politicians that strenuously pushed for Brexit and the moment their favoured outcome materialised they immediately washed their hands clean of the consequences. Those same politicians know about one fundamental little detail and that is that in parliament the number of MPs who'd vote in favour of Brexit does not outnumber those that would vote against it, regardless of the 52% vs 48% outcome among voters on referendum day. This issue has been brought up countless times in June already. And that is why those pro Brexit politicians now feel shortchanged because it once again proves the whole thing was allowed to go ahead to serve a completely different purpose than allowing British citizens to have a say on such a delicate issue. I.e. British internal party politics

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3 minutes ago, BrendanT1993 said:

Is the poppy a political symbol in England? I thought it was only specific to Northern Ireland because of the Troubles in the 80's and protestant supermacy etc

It is meant in remembrance of all British soldiers who've lost their lives in the two global conflicts if I am not mistaken

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Just now, XXL said:

It is meant in remembrance of all British soldiers who've lost their lives in the two global conflicts if I am not mistaken

ah, i see. what's the big deal if people choose not to wear them, surely they can not wear a poppy but show respect another way?

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Not sure what the precontext to this story is but apparently FIFA said they wouldn't allow players to display the poppy. May was asked about in a parliamentary session

 

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to get back on topic I think Farrage should be arrested for inciting violence the way he was calling for riots and protests. I thought Gina conducted herself very well and that pesky man shouldn't be given any air time at all

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If only that cartoon were the case. We're hurtling towards Brexit, and the right wing media have created such a frenzy over anything/anyone that stands in the way of it that hardly ANYONE even has the guts to say anything different anymore.

And good for Gina. A private citizen who used her own money to challenge in the courts a woman who thought she could go ahead and do whatever she wanted without consulting the parliament, like we're living in some tin-pot dictatorship? I think not. 

This is the shit enveloping part of this country....and God help anyone who dares think otherwise...

 

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