General British politics discussion thread

RobAMerc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600643#Comment_118600643

he picked it because there is already conspiracy theories that Starmer protected Savil and he knew well he was stoking a fire.

What I found particularly disgusting was some of the comments by tories trying to make little of it and turning attention to how the hounds (cummings via the papers I guess ) were now after Carry (??) like it was an equivalent to being harrassed on the streets.

bob b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600643#Comment_118600643

What is even worse is that it was a planned thing, not an off the cuff comment. Someone thought it a good enough idea to bring up in a meeting and Munira Mirza resigned. Who brought it up? I can't imagine Johnson has the interest in conspiracy theories as that would imply he reads things.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118600643#Comment_118600643

Has anyone said anything else other than that here?

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118598322#Comment_118598322

How much of the UK media covered the government being collapsed in Northern Ireland ?

Or the retrospective law rushed through, or that there won't be an early election because the Westminster appointee said so.

devnull

One Tory MP has now put Starmer on notice that basically they'll be doing a dig on him and finding other things to link him with between now and the next general election.

https://twitter.com/tomhunt1988/status/1491099663235444736

Unsurprising that they will turn to negative campaigning now that their own leader is tainted. No doubt that the careful examination that Hunt talks about will be as accurate and careful as the claims Johnson made in the house that led to yesterdays horrific scenes.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118602804#Comment_118602804

It's exactly what they done with Corbyn. Apparently his ideas were crazy but yet they never went for them that hard but instead played the man not the ball.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118599578#Comment_118599578

Are these people far right, their leader isn't white, quite a few other people of colour. Lots of language of the Corbyn left, ie Starmer being a Zionist etc.

These cranks where not from any specific position on the political spectrum.

Johnson needs to go.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603044#Comment_118603044

More "both sides" nonsense.

Who needs nuance when you can just import American politics into Europe.

That's the argument being made here, yes? That only the so-called far right can be manipulated by Trumpian tactics to feel anger over child abuse?

And only the far right are anti-vaxx? Funny I don't know anyone who is far right but I know plenty who don't agree with mandatory vaccinations.

This thread has descended into garbage /r/politics. Where people can only make sense of the world if it's black and white. Anything grey is nonsense.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603244#Comment_118603244

There does need to be nuanced debate, but the parallels between politics in the UK and in the USA over recent years cannot be ignored and I'm certainly not suggesting that what is going on in the UK is as 'Far Right' as it has been in the US, or that that is as severe as the most extreme cases of far right politics the world has seen in recent times.

The overt nationalism, the scapegoating of a minority group to attract the focus of peoples anger, the abandonment of any semblance of dignity for the office, the flat out lying as opposed to 'phrasing' that has been used in the past, the dubious entwinement of business and government operations etc etc should be called out. What we saw yesterday with Starmer being attacked with the specific message communicated by Johnson last week was a very dangerous site in a country that has seen 2 sitting MP's killed within the last 5 years.

The energy price debacle in recent weeks in the UK while energy companys announced massive profits and minimal tax receipts is theft from the people to uber rich companies. the writing off of money lost to fraudulent Covid related contracts which were awarded to friends of friends etc are all scandals up there with any of the previous ones I can remember in UK politics and there's a new one every single week it seems.

And on the media front, what Government ministers say in somewhat couched language is published in full colour by their friendly outlets who themselves have their own agenda. And while all the above has been going on, we've seen the emergence of a national TV channel specifically focused on appealing to right wing views. Again, an act which has direct comparisons with events in the USA.

Edited to add. Note we even have a thread on here where people are suggesting that what is needed for Ireland is a right wing government. This I think is a direct consequence of the person who posted the thread, and many others who contributed to it watching what was happening in the UK and USA over recent years and wishing that the same was about to happen in Ireland.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603138#Comment_118603138

Seems they are closely linked to Corbyn, have been actively supporting Julian Assange, Independence for the Punjab, and lots of warnings, ad nauseaum about not becoming 1930s Germany.

When they were screaming about Starmer being a Zionist it was a giveaway that they were Corbyn supporters.

Not everything is on a left/right spectrum. I wouldn't put these people on that spectrum.

The focus of the protest seems to have been supporting Julian Assange and Starmers past experience with that case.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603537#Comment_118603537

Can you give any facts behind links to Jeremy Corbyn or are you trying to be sly here. The focus of the protest was not Assange we could all hear the paedo remarks and it is the far right that Johnson is aping because its well known that the Saville conspiracy theory is coming from far right sites.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603739#Comment_118603739

Piers Corbyn is the editor for the group. Their protest was originally to support Julian Assange. Their released material for that day is about Assange and from quickly looking through their material they absolutely love the man.

Pretending that they are far right is very reductionist. Nor should they be assigned to the radical left.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603388#Comment_118603388

All this stuff pre dates Trump.

It's like people only started paying attention to British and American politics since Trump. And then try to look clever by comparing everything to Trump.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118603785#Comment_118603785

Knew full well you were trying to be deceiving and sly.

For the purpose of a political discussion thread its well known that "Corbyn" means Jeremy not his brother who's views are in no way connected to Jeremy

breezy1985

Gillian Keegan, the minister for care and mental health has been caught attending a meeting despite just receiving a positive test.

John Armitage a billionaire Tory donor who has pumped £3m into the Tories has called for Johnson to step down.

Imports of UK goods into Germany fell 8.5% last year due to extra costs and red tape related to Brexit. A view backed by the Public Accounts Committee.

Not a great morning for Johnson and the Tories.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118604595#Comment_118604595

We didn't see Downing St remodel it's communications room with a central focus of the new room being the Union Jack until recently. Or see the flag become a staple in every ministers background shot when doing a media interview.

We didn't see the blind acceptance of lies being issued in formal announcements by the holder of the highest office in the country until recently.

We didn't see the frequent and questionable engagements between senior people and Russian personnel until recently.

We didn't see the blind ignorance to the fact that someone is completely incapable of their job to the same degree as we have seen it over the periods of both Johnson's and Trump's time in office.

We didn't see non-elected family members have such an influence on the political environment in the manner in which we have done with respect to Carrie Johnson and Ivanka Trump.

The UK has long had an uncomfortable relationship with the natives from countries the UK colonised when people from those countries move to Britain but we haven't seen such overt attacks on these people by senior government officials as we have seen in recent years.

You might think people are trying to be clever in comparing things to Trump, I think people are either ignorant of or deliberately trying to ignore the similarities or the close links between more non elected people who have had significant influence on how the politics of both countries have played out in recent years (Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage)

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118605250#Comment_118605250

Well that's that rant over.

And if you want to talk about attacks on non white people in England, look up Enoch Powell.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118605274#Comment_118605274

Banned.

No more sniping, goading or insults please. Also, please keep this thread to non-Brexit related current affairs in UK politics. Thanks.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118605274#Comment_118605274

I'm well aware of Enoch Powell, I've had people on here argue that he wasn't racist.

But just because something happened in the past, does not mean there aren't more modern influences which are motivating people today.

You could add the frequent turmoil in personal and official staff within both governments as yet more evidence of the similarities between them. Not to mention the 'hidden in plain sight' influences of very ideologically driven advisors in Bannon and Cummings.

One massive consolation is that they are unlikely to be in power at the same time, Trump may return, but Johnson is unlikely to be there to greet him as PM of the UK at that time, if he is, I expect very bad things to happen for the UK in terms of what might happen to the NHS, or to its industries in general as Trump tries to capitalise on their ongoing desire for a half meaningful trade deal.

dogbert27

Another cabinet reshuffle by Boris.

How many has that been? It's another classic comparison to how Trump ran his office.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609114#Comment_118609114

By my count, this is number four. He became PM in July 2019, and had a small reshuffle in September 2019 which was more or less forced on him by the resignations of Amber Rudd and Jo Johnson. Then he had a proper reshuffle in Feb 2020, after the general election. (In fairness, a reshuffle would be expected after a general election.) Number 3 was in September 2021, and so this is number 4.

awec

I see Truss is in Russia. The crisis will soon be over, the Russians will surely fold when they are met with such a formidable politician.

This is all pure theatre.

pixelburp

Presumably this is all part of Global Britain trying to puff its chest out, pretend it's pre 1945, and live up to the promise of the UK as a Sovereign World Power once more. As you say it's all theatre but presumably it'll play well and bolster the hardcore.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609615#Comment_118609615

The Russians aren't even pretending with the usual diplomatic niceties. They've openly shown contempt for British diplomacy and who can blame them.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609635#Comment_118609635

It must hurt even more that the Russians seem to be taking Macron and the EU seriously.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118609961#Comment_118609961

I doubt it. I think it's more about the Brexiters playing to their base. The Russians' snub has already been forgotten about.

Brussels Sprout

I wonder how many more years it'll be before there are open calls to remove the UK from it's permanent spot (with veto power) on the UN security council. I understand why they were put there at the inception of the UN but their global power status has only shrunk since then. They have the fifth largest economy but will soon be passed by India. They have the 21st largest population.

Similar arguments can be made for removing France. Having the two of them occupy those seats looks increasingly anachronistic the further we get from the end of WW2. They're even losing influence in their old colonies. Mali recently booted French troops out (whilst employing Russian mercenaries instead) - Many of Britain's old colonies have pivoted to Chiina, and Barbados became a Republic a few months (a trend I expect to snowball after the Queen dies). The only British export that has gone from strength to strength is the English language.

Nody

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118610097#Comment_118610097

France can always be argued as a EU proxy on the council and hence remain; UK on the other hand would be in much worse position in that sense. It's not like US are in a desperate need to keep them there since they will happily veto alone if required (i.e. Israel). The problem is of course who to replace (either or both) with that would be acceptable but then again they could simply change it over to an other elected seat instead (and hence dodge the political game of what country to replace an existing member, on what terms etc.).

ancapailldorcha

Mod: Tweet dump and snide comment removed.