Across the Pond from America

The Germans still feel guilty, Italians and Greeks are bankrupt, Belgium still doesn't matter and Switzerland still makes a buck by lending money against Nazi bullion. I'd move to Canada ... I'd like to - find myself a big hairy lumberjack with a log cabin and a fallout shelter

Eric Idle
Eric Idle Verified Account
@EricIdle

Dear EU. We made a terrible mistake. We listened to the wrong people. We would much rather be in an alliance with 28 States than alone with the mad fuck Trump. Please can we come back. Yours the sensible party.

1:54 PM - 21 Mar 2019

Martin Rowson
Martin Rowson
@MartinRowson

To be brutally frank this country deserves to be devoured by ants for containing enough blistering boneheaded fuckmonkeys to allow Boris Johnson to get as far as he has based solely on naked ineptitude laced with toxically incontinent narcissism

2:39 PM - 27 Mar 2019

Eric Idle retweeted
Seth Abramson

Seth Abramson
@SethAbramson
Mar 27


Seth Abramson Verified Account
@SethAbramson

LEGAL TIP: I learned in my years as a defense lawyer that roughly 100% of the time the party who wants something hidden is the party who thinks it's damaging to them; in other news, Devin Nunes says the Mueller Report should be "burned up" and McConnell says no one should read it

1:20 PM - 27 Mar 2019

SOS image projected onto the cliffs of Dover

Led By Donkeys
@ByDonkeys

4/2/19 3000sqm projection White Cliffs of Dover

4:32 AM - 4 Apr 2019


A huge "SOS" signal was beamed onto Britain's famous White Cliffs of Dover on Wednesday, in an apparent plea for help during continued Brexit turmoil.

The huge message in the style of the EU flag was organised by grassroots anti-Brexit activists Led By Donkeys.

https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2019/0404/1040711-brexit-sos-dover/

This, too

“I hadn’t quite understood the full extent of this, but if you look at the UK and look at how we trade in goods, we are particularly reliant on the Dover-Calais crossing."



Led By Donkeys
@ByDonkeys

Oh hi @DominicRaab. Obviously you blocked us so there’s a chance you’ll miss this, but we wanted to let you know we projected your fatuous imbecility onto 3000 square metres of the White Cliffs of Dover.

8:34 AM - 4 Apr 2019

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/08/dominic-raab-dover-calais-brexit-uk-france

“Brexit did this."

"It gives permission to copy Farage and Trump,
to say things they never used to say.”


"Britain is in a grimmer state than I can ever remember"

Polly Toynbee

Knowsley, which is among the UK’s poorest constituencies, is one of the hardest hit, with half of its council budget cut. The project’s 10 food banks are “thriving”: Mitchell observes the irony. This social enterprise now provides debt advice, a credit union, food and furniture shops, moses baskets of baby things for new mothers and a housing co-op. With 125 volunteers playing their part, this feels like a beleaguered community at its best in the face of terrible adversity. But Mitchell, a Liverpool councillor, despairs of new attitudes in the wake of Brexit. “I see society changing before my eyes, empowering the worst. This is the end product of Thatcher’s 1980s, where individualism has won out over collectivism: it’s all me and mine; a selfishness that comes from that idea that the private is better than the public. Politically? Apathy reigns.”

"Mitchell tried to rouse people to protest against the bedroom tax, but only 300 turned up. “People have given up, turned in on themselves in their own homes.” Austerity has twined itself around Brexit like bindweed, causing hardship, embittering its victims."


"By this time next year, there will be 400,000 more poor children as a result, with food banks busier than ever."

(In America, Trump's minions are stripping away shelter and food from the poorest mothers, babies, and children. Next, they are targeting the blind, the disabled, the chronically ill, and the elderly. The students that were robbed by fraudulent enterprises posing as universities are punished for their mistake, Despite the law that was passed, Betsy De Vos the American education leader, has allowed the fraudulent universities to strip student's paychecks for "owed" money on loans.)


"Democracy is in a rotten state when you find the corridors of Westminster filled with MPs trembling with fright at the prospect of facing their voters."



(The American Republican Senators, Republican Represenatives, that have been chosen to kneel at Trump's feet, to swear loyalty, hide from the voters. They run away, hide behind security guards, shove women from the press, and shout at them, as they rush away in a panic. Refuse to let voters into their offices. Mostly, they just turn their backs on voters, and pretend that they cannot hear them. They jump into cars or SUVs and drive away.)


Mostly Tory, but also some Labour, MPs in leave seats fear any test in a general election, referendum or EU elections. But progressives should welcome any chance to set out the pro-European case fearlessly everywhere, to turn the tide on the dark thoughts in Knowsley."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/08/britain-eu-brexit

Any American that was paying attention, will never forget that Thatcher took the small portion of school milk away from poor children. Trump is doing the same, to American children. What happens to migrant children in the prison camps, is that they get sick from not being fed, or eating food that is unfit for animals. Clean drinking water is not available, because the children's prison camps are located in the middle of nowhere. Millions of dollars are spent, but the bottled water does not get delivered.

The UK is suffering from Brexit poison, and America is suffering from Border poison.

The Vote

European parliamentary elections 2019

European elections: how does the voting system work?

Members of the EU – including the UK after the delay in Brexit – go to the polls from Thursday to Sunday


The election takes place this Thursday, 23 May, in the UK and in the Netherlands. Ireland and the Czech Republic go to the polls on Friday with Latvia, Malta and Slovakia on Saturday and the remainder of member states on Sunday.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/21/european-elections-everything-you-need-to-know

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will hold European Parliament elections on Thursday, a vote which is expected to show growing frustration on both sides of the Brexit divide nearly three years after the country voted to leave the European Union.

The election, which Britain did not expect to have to take part in, is a result of the deadlock in Britain over the way forward on Brexit after Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with Brussels was rejected three times by lawmakers.

Britain was due to leave the EU almost two months ago, but having delayed its exit date twice and with parliament still deadlocked, it remains unclear how, when or even if it will go ahead with the divorce. It is currently due to leave on Oct. 31.

European elections 2019: Polls to take place across the UK

Seventy-three members, known as MEPs, will be elected in nine constituencies in England, and one each in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Each region has a different number of representatives based on its population - ranging from three MEPs in the North East and Northern Ireland to 10 MEPs in the South East.

Polling stations in the UK are open from 07:00 until 22:00 BST.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48372665

Break a finger, UK!

(Do not want the UK to have bad luck!)

'Sup Slushy? Why the ID change?

May 23 2019 2:30 AM


May under siege in Downing Street as ministers turn on her and Leadsom quits

May 23, 2019

Theresa May was bunkered down in Downing Street last night,
as her ministers turned on her and Andrea Leadsom resigned
from the Cabinet.

The UK prime minister was accused of shutting herself in
with "the sofa against the door" after she refused to meet
ministers Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid, who were expected
to confront her over her "disastrous" new Brexit deal.

Ministers and backbenchers told her she had "run out of road"
and spent the day urging her to quit before polls open in today's
European Parliament elections, in the hope it would limit the
scale of the expected Tory defeat.

An eve-of-election poll put the party on just 7pc, which
would potentially deliver its worst-ever election result.
However, Mrs May was still clinging to power last night
after a day in which she had faced three separate plots to
oust her.

https://www.independent.ie/business...s-turn-on-her-and-leadsom-quits-38140240.html

It is official.
Lady Clairol is leaving.

Marina Hyde Verified Account
@MarinaHyde

My bit on May and the next stage of the Conservative shitshow

(link)

5:00 AM - 24 May 2019

Exit Theresa May. Stand by for a summer of Tory fratricide and country-shafting |

Marina Hyde

Now for a Tory leadership contest that’s like July 2016
with many more things broken, says Guardian columnist

Marina Hyde

The Guardian The Guardian @guardian

Downing Street’s Norma Desmond is out.

24 May 2019

Andrea Leadsom resigned, forcing a mini-reshuffle.
This was not so much rearranging the deckchairs on
the Titanic, as getting into James Cameron’s mini-
submarine, dropping to the wreck 12,500ft below,
sweeping down the rusticle-festooned grand staircase,
and swapping out one of the light fittings because it
looks “a bit much”.

Still on staircases, Downing Street’s Norma Desmond
is finally to descend hers on 7 June. Gallingly, she must
still put up with noises off from her former chief of staff.
Nick Timothy really is the Paul Burrell of politics,
dining out shamelessly on his various betrayals of
his former boss.

Then again: ALL OF US. It feels like we’re back
where we were in July 2016, only with many,
many more things broken.

Yes, I’m afraid there’s no escape for any of us,
because the Conservative party is at it again.
Even though we still know what they did
three summers ago.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...sa-may-tory-downing-street-leadership-contest

Larry the Cat
@Number10cat

“I am announcing that I’m standing to become the
next Prime Minister. If Boris Johnson is running, t
hen people deserve a serious candidate too...”

#LarryForPM

#YesWeCat

4:05 AM - 24 May 2019


Larry the Cat
@Number10cat

Seems Theresa didn’t want to share her moment...

pic

1:51 AM - 24 May 2019

Charlie Proctor @MonarchyUK

Poor, Larry the kitty was banned, and is sitting outside of Number10 door.



Caption:Breaking News
Theresa May Future
Ministers Expect PM to announce departure date

Adoring colleagues on the right of the Conservative party hang on Jacob Rees-Mogg’s every word in the House of Commons, considering him one of Brexit’s foremost rhetoricians.

But after the release of his new book about eminent Victorians, the literary world has begged to differ, with critics gleefully mauling it as “staggeringly silly” and “absolutely abysmal”.

The Victorians: Twelve Titans who Forged Britain, published this week to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth, features figures including the former prime ministers Robert Peel, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli.

Writing in the Guardian, Kathryn Hughes described the book as “an origin myth for Rees-Mogg’s particular rightwing vision of Britain”.

She (Kathryn Hughes) criticised the lack of women in the book. “In mythology, six of the 12 Titans, the children of Uranus and Gaea, were female; not here,” Hughes wrote. “The only female who appears in the book is Queen Victoria herself who, Rees-Mogg assures us, ‘became no less of a woman when she learned to rely upon Albert as a partner and to trust him’.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...k-the-victorians-12-titans-who-forged-britain

The Victorians by Jacob Rees-Mogg review – history as manifesto

Confidence and moral purpose made Britain great, argues this poorly written book, designed to reflect the rightwinger back to himself at twice the size

Kathryn Hughes
Wed 15 May 2019

The first fantasy forebear who Rees-Mogg sets before us is Robert Peel, the politician credited with creating the modern Conservative party during the first decade of Victoria’s reign. Rees-Mogg’s account is based heavily on Norman Gash’s classic biography, which came out half a century ago, when young Jacob was still having his nappies changed by Nanny. But, really, who needs up-to-date information when all you have to do is rearrange the old stuff until you get the story you want?

(...Kathryn Hughes's explanation...)

Rees-Mogg is obliged to admit that the impact of Peel’s actions over the Corn Laws was to tear the party in two for decades.

Always anxious that we might not pick up on the modern parallels, Rees-Mogg finishes his portrait with a ringing “thank heavens for Albert Dicey” since it is his “understanding of referendums that provides the constitutional authority for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union”.

Rees-Mogg’s problem is that you really can’t just set your own present day concerns over the historical past and expect things to line up neatly.


Actually, there is one other female Titan in these pages. She is tucked away in the thank yous at the end of the book, along with the female secretaries in Rees-Mogg’s private office “who can always decipher my scribbles”, and his wife Helena who “kindly looked after” his six children while he was working. That Titan is “nanny” (she doesn’t even get a capital letter) without whom young Jacob, now nearly 50, could not have managed to write the book.

Are we supposed to find this charming?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/15/the-victorians-jacob-rees-mogg-review

bodysong said:

Adoring colleagues on the right of the Conservative party hang on Jacob Rees-Mogg’s every word in the House of Commons, considering him one of Brexit’s foremost rhetoricians.

But after the release of his new book about eminent Victorians, the literary world has begged to differ, with critics gleefully mauling it as “staggeringly silly” and “absolutely abysmal”.

The Victorians: Twelve Titans who Forged Britain, published this week to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth, features figures including the former prime ministers Robert Peel, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli.

Writing in the Guardian, Kathryn Hughes described the book as “an origin myth for Rees-Mogg’s particular rightwing vision of Britain”.

She (Kathryn Hughes) criticised the lack of women in the book. “In mythology, six of the 12 Titans, the children of Uranus and Gaea, were female; not here,” Hughes wrote. “The only female who appears in the book is Queen Victoria herself who, Rees-Mogg assures us, ‘became no less of a woman when she learned to rely upon Albert as a partner and to trust him’.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...k-the-victorians-12-titans-who-forged-britain

The Victorians by Jacob Rees-Mogg review – history as manifesto

Confidence and moral purpose made Britain great, argues this poorly written book, designed to reflect the rightwinger back to himself at twice the size

Kathryn Hughes
Wed 15 May 2019

The first fantasy forebear who Rees-Mogg sets before us is Robert Peel, the politician credited with creating the modern Conservative party during the first decade of Victoria’s reign. Rees-Mogg’s account is based heavily on Norman Gash’s classic biography, which came out half a century ago, when young Jacob was still having his nappies changed by Nanny. But, really, who needs up-to-date information when all you have to do is rearrange the old stuff until you get the story you want?

(...Kathryn Hughes's explanation...)

Rees-Mogg is obliged to admit that the impact of Peel’s actions over the Corn Laws was to tear the party in two for decades.

Always anxious that we might not pick up on the modern parallels, Rees-Mogg finishes his portrait with a ringing “thank heavens for Albert Dicey” since it is his “understanding of referendums that provides the constitutional authority for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union”.

Rees-Mogg’s problem is that you really can’t just set your own present day concerns over the historical past and expect things to line up neatly.


Actually, there is one other female Titan in these pages. She is tucked away in the thank yous at the end of the book, along with the female secretaries in Rees-Mogg’s private office “who can always decipher my scribbles”, and his wife Helena who “kindly looked after” his six children while he was working. That Titan is “nanny” (she doesn’t even get a capital letter) without whom young Jacob, now nearly 50, could not have managed to write the book.

Are we supposed to find this charming?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/15/the-victorians-jacob-rees-mogg-review

Click to expand...

Her parents are obviously benefitting from her efforts. £7.4 million of public money to do up their country house.

Britain’s Brexit Party triumphs in EU vote

I found this confusing, as a Yank. Can one of you Brit's explain who's voting for what here? DId you vote for Parliament or the EU Parliament or???

It sounds like the people want a Britexit, but it's not clear if you are just asking for a fresh deck at home?

JackLuis said:

Britain’s Brexit Party triumphs in EU vote

I found this confusing, as a Yank. Can one of you Brit's explain who's voting for what here? DId you vote for Parliament or the EU Parliament or???

It sounds like the people want a Britexit, but it's not clear if you are just asking for a fresh deck at home?

Click to expand...

Welll. I summarise like this: there was only one clearly defined Brexit Party, wisely called, The Brexit Party. The sitting Conservative party have proven they can't do anything right but the 'other' main political party, Labour still don't know wtf they are doing because they have an idiot in charge. So the rest of the vote was split between a raft of lame ducks, like the Liberals and the Greens and Labour voters who have always voted Labour because they recognise the name. If you add up the percentages of parties aiming to stay and compare to the Brexit Vote, they are about the same.

It was never a referendum vote, more a 'wtf are we doing this for?' vote.

If the UK Parliament had been able to make a decision on Brexit, the election to the EU Parliament would not have happened. There is some doubt whether those elected to be Members of the EU Parliament from the UK will ever take their positions.

The UK vote was effectively 'a plague on both the major parties'. Both Conservatives and Labour had agreed to respect the vote to leave the EU. The Conservative MPs at Westminster couldn't agree; Labour sat on the fence and wouldn't agree to any proposed solution except blocking anything the Conservatives wanted to do.

The results were dreadful for the Conservatives. Labour should have benefitted from the Conservatives' disarray but the electorate was not impressed by Labour's indecision. Those who want Brexit to happen mainly voted for the Brexit party (or in some places spoiled their votes by writing rude messages on the ballot paper); those who wanted to stay in Europe voted either for Liberal Democrats or Greens both of which have been consistently against Brexit.

The voting pattern was similar to the original referendum. Labour is now saying it wants a second referendum, even though this vote shows that the result might be exactly the same - a slight majority for leaving the EU.

If the UK doesn't leave by 31 October, the newly elected Brexit Party MEPs will be the largest single party in the EU parliament and could cause real grief for the EU in association with other anti-EU groupings elected across Europe.

It is a fucking mess, caused by the major parties at Westminster.

RubenR said:

The way it was sold to us: the combined anti-Brexit parties got more votes than the pro-Brexit parties.

However... the number of anti-Brexit votes were spread over several parties, whereas the main portion of the pro-Brexit went to the Brexit Party

Those are votes for people that are supposed to represent Britain in the EU

Click to expand...

The statistics can be read either way depending on how you count votes for Conservative and Labour.

On Europe? The message is that the voters are pissed off with the major parties indecision. But for or against Brexit? Undecided and any new referendum could still go either way. Pissed off with the EU's intransigence? Probably that too. If the EU had genuinely offered David Cameron anything, or supported Theresa May's negotiations instead of refusing to budge - we might have not needed a referendum at all, or could have stayed in a reformed EU.

The results across Europe are bad news for the EU bureaucrats. Will they change? They show no signs that they are listening or want to change anything. They aren't elected but have the power. The anger against them is growing in many countries.

If those MEPS elected by the UK for the Brexit party actually take their seats in the European Parliament they will be a real nuisance for the EU bureaucrats. The UK could, and probably should, veto the next EU budget and cut off the money supply.

oggbashan said:

If the UK doesn't leave by 31 October, the newly elected Brexit Party MEPs will be the largest single party in the EU parliament and could cause real grief for the EU in association with other anti-EU groupings elected across Europe.

It is a fucking mess, caused by the major parties at Westminster.

Click to expand...

Just to clarify this. The Brexit party will be the largest single party in the British sector of the EU parliament as a whole. The representatives from the other 27 countries will dwarf them.

Largely this election was little more than a media show. The U.K. were voting for people who, if we leave on 31st of October, will never take their seats. However, they will qualify for E.U. pensions which are quite generous.

In reality, you can't read anything into any of this because people vote differently in EU elections than they do in parliamentary elections. Even the voting system is different which is why in the last euro election, UKIP won more than thirty seats (they now have none) but failed to win seats in the parliamentary elections.

If you like a bit of irony, how about this. Nigel Farage is now demanding to be an unelected member of the UK negotiating team, to leave an organisation he condemns because it is run by unelected peop[le.

oggbashan said:

The statistics can be read either way depending on how you count votes for Conservative and Labour.

On Europe? The message is that the voters are pissed off with the major parties indecision. But for or against Brexit? Undecided and any new referendum could still go either way. Pissed off with the EU's intransigence? Probably that too. If the EU had genuinely offered David Cameron anything, or supported Theresa May's negotiations instead of refusing to budge - we might have not needed a referendum at all, or could have stayed in a reformed EU.

The results across Europe are bad news for the EU bureaucrats. Will they change? They show no signs that they are listening or want to change anything. They aren't elected but have the power. The anger against them is growing in many countries.

If those MEPS elected by the UK for the Brexit party take their seats in the European Parliament they will be a real nuisance for the EU bureaucrats. The UK could, and probably should, veto the next EU budget and cut off the money supply.

Click to expand...

The Brexit party can be no more of a thorn in the side of the EU than the UKIP members were. The Nationalists as a whole might but since the only thing the EU parliament can do is say yes or no to Commission derived laws and rules. They cannot Veto the budget. They have refused to approve the budget several times in the past but unlike US Congress, it does not stop it being applied.

The EU could not have given Cameron what he wanted (an end to free movement) without treaty change. That would have required referenda in a number of countries before it could have been approved and would have taken years of negotiation to even present. Free movement of labour pre-dates the treaty of Rome and is a cornerstone of the EU. He might as well have been asking for the total deconstruction of the EU.

The problem is that despite being a member for forty-four years, Britain still hasn't grasped how the EU works. Cameron and May tried the same tactic divide and rule. They tried to undermine the commission by trying to strike deals with the governments of member states. It didn't work because the unelected commission don't have to take any notice of the governments of the largest member states. The UK government has never recognised the power of the Commission and continues to treat them as if they are both stupid and inconsequential. They couldn't be more wrong on both counts.

According to one source, the UK's Brexit Party has more seats than any other party in the whole of Europe.

There are other parties recently elected elsewhere in Europe who are anti-EU. They are NOT a majority across the whole of Europe but in large enough numbers to make an effective opposition if they combine with the Brexit MEPs.

One message should be clear. Whatever the limitations of this vote, neither Conservatives nor Labour should seek to have a general election now. The results are likely to be inconclusive and disastrous for either of them.

So a veritable mess?

It makes me glad we in the USA only have a few assholes (read 1/3 of the Rethuglican party) to deal with and more that enough firepower to do so.

I'll say a word to the Creator that you don't end up boycotted by the EU and left to starve with only the Trumpinator to save you.

JackLuis said:

So a veritable mess?

It makes me glad we in the USA only have a few assholes (read 1/3 of the Rethuglican party) to deal with and more that enough firepower to do so.

I'll say a word to the Creator that you don't end up boycotted by the EU and left to starve with only the Trumpinator to save you.

Click to expand...

Would US citizens accept their government being overruled by unelected commissioners who are appointed by a small clique?

The EU that the UK joined has been significantly changed since we joined.

DeYaKen said:

...

The problem is that despite being a member for forty-four years, Britain still hasn't grasped how the EU works. Cameron and May tried the same tactic divide and rule. They tried to undermine the commission by trying to strike deals with the governments of member states. It didn't work because the unelected commission don't have to take any notice of the governments of the largest member states. The UK government has never recognised the power of the Commission and continues to treat them as if they are both stupid and inconsequential. They couldn't be more wrong on both counts.

Click to expand...

The bolded part of your statement is what is worrying about the EU and wasn't always true.

The role and power of the commissioners have changed in 44 years and they are aiming for a more centrist role than exists now. The UK is not the only country that is finding the future direction of the EU unpalatable.

oggbashan said:

Would US citizens accept their government being overruled by unelected commissioners who are appointed by a small clique?

The EU that the UK joined has been significantly changed since we joined.

Click to expand...

Ogg, the US is not too happy with the Elected clique that is destroying our Republic and some of our Congress are trying to redress the balance, but the Congress is going slowly because they are not used to actually Doing Anything constructive, unless they get a re-election boost from it.

Following the Money is the key to any political action. Good Luck.

oggbashan said:

The bolded part of your statement is what is worrying about the EU and wasn't always true.

The role and power of the commissioners have changed in 44 years and they are aiming for a more centrist role than exists now. The UK is not the only country that is finding the future direction of the EU unpalatable.

Click to expand...

Not according to Eurovision apparently, where I gather we were treated as pariahs. Pity we couldn't get one of the other countries to play the fall guy.