Psychoactive Substances: Rolling UK Politics in The Neo-Con Era

hah

Given that Whittingdale allegedly took her TO THE MTV AWARDS it's not like he was exactly trying too hard to conceal anything.

Chinese government apparently determined to finish off Port Talbot once and for all.

It justified the move by saying imports from abroad were causing substantial damage to its domestic steel industry.

http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/13672/production/_89047497_de24.jpg
Cameron desperately trying to look all pensive and statesmanly while doing fuck all, in the next frame Xi is mockingly holding up a hand for him to talk to.

first the steel chaos, now schools :

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/apr/02/backbench-pressure-on-osborne-academy-scheme

i am loving watching this meltdown.

Private Eye had an interesting theory, that before the last election they agreed with Clegg not to actively campaign 50 seats so filled the candidate lists with duffers. But come the election they got the majority, and now the 50 are campaigning for Brexit, et al.

Pretty sure that theory is bollocks, the new MPs are just power drunk and Cameron has engineered a situation in which he has no control of them.

these factions have existed within the Tory party since forever, and Cameron has never exerted the unquestioned control of the party that, say, Blair had over his

plus miniscule majority... a fact that rarely got mentioned in the euphoria (barf) of their election victory

‘Any indirect adverse effect on women is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.’ Said the Department of Health.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/01/female-doctors-new-contract-medical-royal-colleges?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Papers going in heavy on Cameron tomorrow. Heavier than I expected, until I figured they see this as their chance to discredit him before referendum.

Except, oddly, the Sun. Too soon to turn after their leader yesterday attacking Corbyn for calling for investigation on Cameron?

"The controversial offshore fund founded by the Prime Minister’s late father is failing to pay off for its wealthy backers after losing thousands of dollars in value this year due to a string of bad bets. "

he might be better off having a dabble on the Grand National. I love it when corrupt Tory twats are crooked and incompetent.

Well that is the story they are telling anyway.

Moreover, Mr Cameron can probably rely on the Labour Party to fumble its political opportunity. Under Jeremy Corbyn the opposition has honed an ineffectual routine for such occasions. It starts with a quixotic call for a resignation (tick). That is often accompanied by a petition, which is duly signed by people who already dislike Conservatives. Then comes the parliamentary showdown, where Mr Corbyn—a plodding, inflexible orator—misses an open goal and is outshone by a back bench MP, typically one hostile to his leadership. In the meantime the news rolls on and the moment dissipates. Short of drastic new revelations, Mr Cameron can reasonably expect the coming days to confirm to this pattern.

Ouch, wheres that from?

Economist which figures, but still...

The open goal thing is not without truth and it's becoming pretty frustrating. I would genuinely like to know what his rationale is for deciding not to press things like the IDS resignation. Maybe understandable distaste for the whole PMQ as bearpit theatre thing, but then again McDonnell has shown himself to be enjoying that side of things rather a lot.

The moment doesn't just dissipate though - this is yet another of the drip drip of nasty revelations and endless cock ups on the conservative side which is surely and steadily changing public opinion. Not everything depends on a single parliamentary showdown.

^^^

Under Jeremy Corbyn the opposition has honed an ineffectual routine for such occasions.

Makes a change from the previous routine of agreeing with everything the govt said.

it's a sad world when fuckers are addicted to Question Time soap opera bullshit

sorry no disrespect intended to any of the fuckers on this thread

not sure about this "quixotic call for a resignation " thing either, calling for a Minister's resignation has been part of Westminster lolz since time immemorial hasn't it?

I mean Brown government presided over a massive economic collapse, made a load of completely avoidable unpopular decisions and faced consistent negative headlines over a period of years, and STILL the Tories were only able to cobble together a government with the aid of the LibDems, when conventional wisdom would have suggested a landslide victory. You can't rely on an unpopular government to tank things for themselves, because there's still no guarantee that enough of the electorate will trust the opposition more.

Obviously the Blairites would have fucked this up in a different way, that much goes without saying.

But given that right now there are two Tory parties, will the Brexit camp knife the other? Might figure better to go into the ref with Gove or Boris in charge. Or perhaps a weakened Cameron will be better for them. Eugh.

That's certainly more likely, although I doubt there's even time to commit regicide and elect a new leader before the referendum without neglecting the Leave campaign. Not without making the whole thing look ridiculous at least. Better to throw mud at Cameron for two months instead.

Watched Danton's Death, a play for Today from '78 (Alan Clark directing and Ian Richardson in the title role which was pretty much a pre-House of Cards role as Robespierre) and we were wondering at just these questions. Would a Corbyn who could deliver on the rhethoric that we were watching in the play by these powerful orators (Saint-Just, and then Danton in his own defence too) be able to Bulldoze this government. The Economist certainly wouldn't like it. On the flipside the rhethoric as we saw was a nonsense - it produced a brutal, unneccesary outcome for the Republic.

Corbyn is a quiet incorruptible. I'd say in the current situation - Cameron as a crook - that could even be enough (Cameron is a hopeless bluffer who has pulls out the hoodie hugging stuff now and then to appear likeable to the public - and hated by his party). Labour, as a party, are in no fit state to do anything. Robespierre and Saint-Just were killed 3 months after Danton, and that's what I'd give an unlikely Corbyn administration.

Corbyn unquestionably the best guy to have on point at this moment I'd have thought

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/jeremy-corbyn-endorsed-by-danny-devito-for-prime-minister-a6974646.html

All this moaning about a pro-EU leaflet and all I've received is a pro-leave leaflet. Who funded that?

racists

Useful distraction from all the Panama stuff though, eh? For a day anyway.

i got two pro-leave ones as well, one of which was very plain and just said "EU Referendum: The Facts" and inside very soberly detailed the main points in favour of leaving

Happening just around the corner from me, outside the Conservatives' spring conference:

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xta1/v/t1.0-9/12961475_622494017900536_4530802684583480806_n.jpg?oh=92a0242663b15e9f770495dd4b715e63&oe=5788F748

And for once lol at Jimmy Carr, getting his eventual revenge for being singled out.

...even though he can't spell 'hypocritical' in the circs.

Poor Polly:

Polly Toynbee Verified account
‏@pollytoynbee

Strange times:ppl call for Cameron to go-but need him to stay til referendum or they'll choose a Brexiteer PM.I'm backing Cameron??Gd grief!

it must really go against her natural instincts to vote for a smug right wing public schoolboy

28 year old women with connections to the conservative party paid 53k per year out of public funds to give fashion advice to Samantha Cameron

Taxpayer 'pays for Samantha Cameron's £53,000-a-year fashion adviser'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/samantha-cameron-special-adviser-fashion-aide-taxpayer-salary-530000-a6974181.html

Rosie Lyburn, a former model and grandaughter of late Conservative politician Lord Elliott, was hired after last year's general election.

where is that neoliberal mouthpiece at the IEA, Mark Littlewood today? he would normally be spouting freemarket dogma and highlighting public sector waste and suggesting the job can be done for the new national living wage of 7.20 (for the over 25s) and should be funded personally by Samantha Cameron.

Where is George Osborne and his difficult decisions on public spending mantra? cutting public sector funds at every budget and his fundamentalist economic believe in the private sector.

And where is the media coverage of this story?

This has been all over the press and is a nothing story, tbh. She replaced an aide who left and seems to be doing a similar role to the one Carole Caplin did for Cherie Booth. The £53k a year is also potentially misleading - her salary isn't known, all they can tell is that if she was paid more than £53k she would be in pay band 2 rather than pay band 1. Samantha Cameron has a fairly official role vis-a-vis state visits, etc.

The fashion people on my FB are being sooooooo catty about this. Also, SC's sister is the deputy ed of British Vogue.

Caplin was paid for by Blair though

http://www.express.co.uk/scotland/659831/Safety-scare-forces-Edinburgh-schools-to-stay-closed-after-Easter-SNP-Nicola-Sturgeon

At least those asbestos ridden post-war prefab shack type schools are still standing, unlike the PFI financed ones, built in the Blair era.

Interesting they put SNP-Nicola-Sturgeon in the url.

Labour initiative put in place by a Labour council.

Caplin was paid for by Blair though

I'm not sure this is correct and, even if it is, the wife of the PM has always had a taxpayer-funded personal secretary / assistant. Sarah Brown certainly did.

Jeremy Corbyn has promised to publish his own tax return. But there has been a hold-up - because he does not have a copy.

According to Labour, MPs have to submit their tax returns by paper and Corbyn sent his only copy to HM Revenue and Customs.

picard_facepalm.jpg

God, Tristram Hunt is useless.