UK Politics Mega-thread - Page 590

On November 14 2020 04:45 Oukka wrote:
Dominic Cummings leaving/sacked apparently. Earlier today there was talk of him staying on until christmas but now it seems he is leaving immediately.

It'll be quite interesting how that affects the government, especially with regards to brexit. Also, if this illustrates that tories are becoming more disillusioned with BoJo as well.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54938050 and https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/13/dominic-cummings-has-already-left-job-at-no-10-reports

On November 14 2020 05:14 Jockmcplop wrote:


Some tory MPs are saying its a chance to reset, as if the public is just going to forget the last year.

On November 14 2020 05:18 WombaT wrote:

Why wouldn’t the public just forget the last year? They seem to forget an awful lot these days

I’m curious as to why Cummings is gone now as opposed to around his long car journey, seemed that was the time to get rid.

On November 14 2020 05:38 Oukka wrote:


My thoughts are that there has now been enough different bits and bobs that have annoyed the MPs to the point that BoJo may start losing votes in commons. How is lord and saviour Brexit BoJo supposed to maintain his public image if even his own are revolting? Sacking Cummings is likely to buy some goodwill from his own who may be under more pressure from constituents to explain why Cummings appears invulnerable, so at most indirectly placating the public.

On November 14 2020 05:46 Gorsameth wrote:
You think getting rid of Cummings is an attempt by BoJo to buy enough goodwill to get his no-deal happening without interference, instead of a last second attempted save by Parliament revolting against him?

On November 14 2020 06:10 Oukka wrote:


Concerning Brexit it may be the other way round, kicking Cummings allows him to take a softer stance on Brexit. I think the bigger rumblings and more likely defeats would be due to handling of covid and lockdowns and stuff like the free school meals, planning reform etc.

On November 14 2020 06:36 Gorsameth wrote:
I don't think Boris wants a softer stance on Brexit tho, he has always been pushing for a no-deal exit.

On November 20 2020 22:41 Oukka wrote:


I think you're giving him too much credit by assuming that he has a coherent and consistent ideological position on anything. The only thing that seems to drive his actions is his egoism. "By everyone around him, For Boris" would be a fairly honest label you could stick to any of his campaigns. If no-deal is not popular enough as it appears to be now, he has not need to drive for it. The Northern Irish protocol was a good example, he voted against when May negotiated for it on the grounds that it was too soft, but sold slightly worse (worse for the hard Brexiteers) deal to the parliament as some grand diplomatic victory to the hard Brexit cause.

In more recent news, Priti Patel was found bullying staff, but she or BoJo don't think it's worth resigning over "because she didn't mean it anyways". Civil servant in charge of the investigation resigns instead. Blargh.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55016076

On November 20 2020 22:41 Oukka wrote:


I think you're giving him too much credit by assuming that he has a coherent and consistent ideological position on anything. The only thing that seems to drive his actions is his egoism. "By everyone around him, For Boris" would be a fairly honest label you could stick to any of his campaigns. If no-deal is not popular enough as it appears to be now, he has not need to drive for it. The Northern Irish protocol was a good example, he voted against when May negotiated for it on the grounds that it was too soft, but sold slightly worse (worse for the hard Brexiteers) deal to the parliament as some grand diplomatic victory to the hard Brexit cause.

In more recent news, Priti Patel was found bullying staff, but she or BoJo don't think it's worth resigning over "because she didn't mean it anyways". Civil servant in charge of the investigation resigns instead. Blargh.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55016076

On November 21 2020 00:09 Gorsameth wrote:
The problem with May's Irish border was that it would prevent the UK from ever really leaving until the Irish border was resolved, which isn't compatible with a hard Brexit.
Boris made it work by promising to put the border in the Irish sea instead*, effectively cutting Northern Ireland out of the Union but removing the border with Ireland as an issue.

To me that seems consistent with his desire to want a hard Brexit unless I am misunderstanding your point?

(*ignoring for the moment the bill making its way around Parliament that breaks this part of the Withdraw agreement and which will likely force the EU to put up a border to protect the integrity of the EU internal market).

On November 21 2020 01:17 Oukka wrote:


Aye that's a fair interpretation, too. I see it as appeasing whatever block he needs to keep him in power and from having to publicly concede that his reign is anything but brilliant. But as you said now he can proclaim to champion the hard brexit cause while leaving NI in EU to some extent.

Also yeah, Austerity 2: the re-deprivation, seems somewhat inevitable. Bets on what will eventually get the worst of it? Education? Is there even anything left to cut in the care sector? NHS?

On December 09 2020 14:36 Oukka wrote:
Was 'deal or no deal' shown in the UK tv? I mean before the Brexit saga.

The cynic in me thinks that tonight's meeting between BoJo and von der Leyen is just theatre. More precisely BoJo has already prepared the necessary concessions and just did not authorize Frost to make them in talks with Barnier so BoJo himself can take the credit and applause for personally finalizing the deal.

Then again I've been surprised by brexiteer willingness to self-harm so many times before that I shouldn't trust anything and least my own understanding of this shitshow.

On December 09 2020 19:03 Gorsameth wrote:
Boris has repeatedly steered head first into a no-deal. Pretty much every time there was a situation where he could make it easier to get a deal or harder he went to make it harder unless forced not to by parliament.
I'm still confident he wants a no-deal and this is all just theater, from BoJo to make it look like he tried but the evil EU didn't want to. And from the EU because keeping talks going is what a good (former) ally, does even if they appear hopeless.

Heck, at this point I wonder if its even possible to avoid a no-deal exit simply because of the time required to translate and rectify any agreement in time for the new year. It won't be long before countries start going on Christmas recess.