General Election UK, June 8th...

[Brian Peacock]

... Back when the election was called, Boris was briefed against as a liability who would be firmly sidelined throughout. Now – in seemingly less stable times – he’s been called up as a charismatic safe-hands figure. (A Bruce Grobbelaar, certainly.) Was it panic measures? Of course not, Boris insisted, almost able to keep the relish out of his voice. Theresa May and her team had done wonderfully. She had a plan. She had just made an excellent speech.

To which the only realistic response is: do me a favour. Even if the Conservatives win extremely well, many Tories believe that May has been found out by the campaign. There is – how to put this? – something of the shite about her. In fact, in terms of what it has exposed about May, calling the election has been the equivalent of the prime minister swimming a mile out into the Pacific and cutting off her arm. To adapt Peter Benchley’s famous opening line: the Tory big fishes are now moving silently through the night water.

For many people, Boris making another leadership comeback would be a plotline as preposterous and unwelcome as that of Jaws IV: the Revenge (the one where a disgruntled pal of the original shark follows Chief Brody’s widow to the Bahamas. Caine stars.) On the other hand, it’s the classic Bullingdon move: smash the place up by pulling off the Brexit vote, leave boring little Theresa to clean up that ghastly mess, then swan back in to take charge in 2019 on the slogan “Uncork the wine, Fallon, there’s a good chap.” ...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... arina-hyde

[Brian Peacock]

May: I’ll rip up human rights laws that impede new terror legislation

"... I can tell you a few of the things I mean by that: I mean longer prison sentences for people convicted of terrorist offences. I mean making it easier for the authorities to deport foreign terror suspects to their own countries. And I mean doing more to restrict the freedom and the movements of terrorist suspects when we have enough evidence to know they present a threat, but not enough evidence to prosecute them in full in court. And if human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change those laws so we can do it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... _clipboard

Hmmm. Is the ratification in UK law of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights via the implementation of certain and particular human right obligations embodied in the European Union charter really stopping the government or the security services from acting?

[JimC]

May: I’ll rip up human rights laws that impede new terror legislation

"... I can tell you a few of the things I mean by that: I mean longer prison sentences for people convicted of terrorist offences. I mean making it easier for the authorities to deport foreign terror suspects to their own countries. And I mean doing more to restrict the freedom and the movements of terrorist suspects when we have enough evidence to know they present a threat, but not enough evidence to prosecute them in full in court. And if human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change those laws so we can do it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... _clipboard

Hmmm. Is the ratification in UK law of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights via the implementation of certain and particular human right obligations embodied in the European Union charter really stopping the government or the security services from acting?

This illustrates some of my points in another thread. (A caveat first - although there might be some parts of her potential actions I might support, I suspect she would want to go much further than I would accept in terms of demolishing legal protections...)

The point is that conservative politicians are sensing a rising wave of anger and anti-muslim sentiment, and want to ride it as far as it will take them, which could take the UK (or Oz) to some potentially nasty places indeed. I argue that there needs to be some highly visible actions by both authorities and the muslim community which will reassure people that real progress is being made, and reduce the pressure for more extreme solutions.

[Brian Peacock]

Here is my message to the nation (well, everyone else is making one so why not eh?)

It doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you do - 'specially considering the trouble it took to secure a right to vote in the first place.

But I'm encouraging you to think about voting for policies not personalities. Personalities change: nobody voted for Major when Thatcher was pushed out. Nobody voted for Brown and nobody voted for May. Who's to say that whoever becomes PM tomorrow will still be in the job in a year's time?

Vote for more money for GPs, Hospitals and social care services
Vote for a coherent education system
Vote for investment in essential infrastructure and house building
Vote for more bobbies on the beat
Vote for parliamentary oversight of whatever Brexit deal is negotiated
Vote for closing the tax gap and making corporations pay their share
Vote for a party that has ideas about how to make things better rather than for one which is telling you how voting for the other lot will only make things worse.

Or whatever - but vote, for something rather than for someone.

-- BP, from the bath.

[Alan B]

Yeah, and vote to uncover the 'Magic Money Tree' hiding in Tax Havens and dodgy Tax Avoidance Schemes.

[Alan B]

BBC

Diane Abbott says she will be back in action soon after it was announced she was "taking a break" from campaigning.

Allegedly.

The shadow home secretary tweeted: "Touched by all the messages of support. Still standing! Will rejoin the fray soon. Vote Labour!"

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced earlier that Ms Abbott would "was not well" and was taking a break.

Shadow minister Lyn Brown is to stand in for Ms Abbott, who pulled out of two media appearances on Tuesday.

A temporary post for Lyn Brown?

[Forty Two]

Isn't the election for members of parliament. Like, you live in some Bumfuck-on-Avon district or whatever, and then you have candidates running for the Bumfuck-on-Avon seat in Parliament, and the citizens of Bumfuck then vote for their candidate, and, like, whoever wins gets to go to Parliament, and then whichever party gets the majority of Parliament seats gets to pick the Prime Minister?

I think that Madonna should run for Parliament. I think she's a UK citizen now, so maybe it's time for Minister Ciccone to take over.

Here she is surrounded by cocks at Ashcombe house:



If we have to have the star of The Apprentice as President, you limeys should have Madge, the Queen of Pop, as your PM.

[JimC]

Brian Peacock wrote:

Or whatever - but vote, for something rather than for someone.

-- BP, from the bath.

You realise this lays you open to being attacked as one of the "wets"...

[NineBerry]

Enjoying a bath once a year doesn't make you wet.

[Strontium Dog]

I am told that Brian washes at least four times a year, so that is a gratuitous and unfair smear

[Brian Peacock]

Indeed. I have a bath every quarter and one at christmad, whether I need it or not.

[JimC]

Photo documentary evidence is required...

(a strategically placed rubber ducky can be used if required...)

[Tyrannical]

May: I’ll rip up human rights laws that impede new terror legislation

"... I can tell you a few of the things I mean by that: I mean longer prison sentences for people convicted of terrorist offences. I mean making it easier for the authorities to deport foreign terror suspects to their own countries. And I mean doing more to restrict the freedom and the movements of terrorist suspects when we have enough evidence to know they present a threat, but not enough evidence to prosecute them in full in court. And if human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change those laws so we can do it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... _clipboard

Hmmm. Is the ratification in UK law of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights via the implementation of certain and particular human right obligations embodied in the European Union charter really stopping the government or the security services from acting?

This illustrates some of my points in another thread. (A caveat first - although there might be some parts of her potential actions I might support, I suspect she would want to go much further than I would accept in terms of demolishing legal protections...)

The point is that conservative politicians are sensing a rising wave of anger and anti-muslim sentiment, and want to ride it as far as it will take them, which could take the UK (or Oz) to some potentially nasty places indeed. I argue that there needs to be some highly visible actions by both authorities and the muslim community which will reassure people that real progress is being made, and reduce the pressure for more extreme solutions.

The only place rising anti-muslim sentiment will lead is to a Muslim FREE country, where Muslims realize they are unwanted and peacefully relocate to a Muslim country where they live happily ever, meh who cares as long as you are rid of them

[NineBerry]

Fun fact is that a huge number of Muslims in the US do not come from migration from Muslim countries but black Americans converting to Islam (and forming their own interpretation thereof). Another fun fact is that until recently, your Nazi chumps here in Europe were actually quite fond of Muslims as they had Jews as a common enemy...

[Rum]

Election day here. I am voting Labour as I have always done, despite a recent flirtation with the Liberal Democrats.. I am however slightly anxious as to the mayhem that will ensue if they actually win.