Granny Danger Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) I assume that if the LibDems come fourth or worse in the GE then Swinson will resign. Edited October 30, 2019 by Granny Danger 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 32 minutes ago, Granny Danger said: I assume that if the LibDems come fourth or worse in the GE then Swinson will resign. Hopefully she won't have a seat to resign from, along with Johnson. That would be the best night since Portillo lost his seat to wee Stephen Twigg. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteRoseKillie Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Hopefully she won't have a seat to resign from, along with Johnson. That would be the best night since Portillo lost his seat to wee Stephen Twigg.Johnson won't be standing in Uxbridge. The "scruffy, bumbling oaf" gag has worn pretty thin for people who, for some reason, thought he might have anyone's interests but his own at heart. He'll be looking for a much bigger safety margin than the 5K he currently enjoys. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Craig Murray has a good blog about Grenfell https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/10/grenfell-report-phase-1-seeks-to-blame-the-firefighters/ Quote One simple fact cannot be hidden. The firefighters did not cause the fire. Phase 1 of Judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s report of the public inquiry into the Grenfell disaster has been released to relatives prior to publication tomorrow. According to the Guardian, it concentrates blame on the firefighters in charge of tackling the blaze. This is an entirely predictable Establishment ploy; blame the little people. I do not doubt mistakes were made by the firefighters; there will always be well-intentioned errors by those trying to cope with such a terrible crisis. Moore-Bick may be correct in his identification of them. Adherence to the established “stay in your flat” doctrine was disastrously wrong in these circumstances. But the firefighters were not the reason the fire started and spread so quickly. The primary reason was inadequate regulation of the burgeoning fashion for cladding old buildings, and inadequate enforcement of such regulation as was in place. Moore-Bick may, a couple of years from now, ultimately produce a most damning report of government failings that caused the Grenfell Disaster. But these issues will only be dealt with as Phase 2 of the report, by which time public emotion and recollection will have faded further. I question the methodology of producing an initial report on the events of the night, and a second on the “historical background”, when the “historical background” actually contains the fundamental causes of the tragedy. The second report, when it eventually arrives, will have far less media coverage. The abiding message in the eyes of the duped public will be that the fault lay with the fire brigade. So let us recall now what really happened. Deregulation is fundamental to Tory ideology. Speaking specifically on multi-occupation buildings, Fire Minister Bob Neill stated on 16 June 2011: Over the years, regulations – and the inspections and bureaucracy that go with them – have piled up and up. This has hurt business, imposing real burdens and doing real damage to our economy. Reducing the number of rules and regulations is therefore absolutely central to the Coalition Government’s vision for Britain, removing barriers to economic growth and increasing individual freedoms. We have given a clear commitment that where regulation cannot be justified, we will remove it. That is one of many examples of vital context given in an excellent pamphlet by the Fire Brigades Union. It is the background to the government’s continued failure over years to address the need for new regulation of developments in cladding. After six people died due to combustible cladding in the Lakamal House fire of 2009, Tory Minister Eric Pickles’ instinct was to use this disaster to reduce regulation; “My department is committed to a programme of simplification of building regulations”. In the seven years between that statement and the Grenfell fire, the coalition government had still done precisely nothing on cladding regulation. Meantime, Boris Johnson as Mayor of London was taking an axe to the London Fire Service, closing twelve fire stations. Firemen involved in regulation and inspection were particularly cut. Johnson effectively reduced the number of firemen involved in operational regulation enforcement by half. Total fire brigade staff were reduced by a quarter. This is the essential background to any criticism of the operational performance of the fire brigade. Finally, the owners of the building, Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council – arguably the UK’s wealthiest council – bear ultimate responsibility for repeated failures to address fire safety concerns and for putting flammable cladding on the building in order to improve its appearance for the benefit of wealthy neighbours in the surrounding streets. A council planning document made plain that it was clad for the neighbours’ benefit, not that of the residents, “to accord with the development plan by ensuring that the character and appearance of the area are preserved and living conditions of those living near the development suitably protected”. The aim of the cladding was to disguise the existence of accommodation perceived as for poor people. I have not previously blogged much about Grenfell because I have a distaste for disaster journalism. But if public perception grows that the disaster was the fault of the firefighters, that would be an outrage. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Last commie councillor has passed to the big workers paradise in the skyhttps://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/1010636/very-few-people-will-have-done-so-much-to-help-so-many-tributes-to-former-fife-councillor-willie-clarke/amp/?__twitter_impression=true 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTJohnboy Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, Detournement said: Craig Murray has a good blog about Grenfell https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/10/grenfell-report-phase-1-seeks-to-blame-the-firefighters/ Johnson should be hauled over the coals for his part in these cuts - ideally a couple of days before polling day. Edited October 30, 2019 by ICTJohnboy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty dingus Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 4 minutes ago, ICTJohnboy said: Johnson should be hauled over the coals for his part in these cuts - ideally a couple of days before polling day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baxter Parp Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 "Mmmm, 10 more years of the same or worse, please." - A Brexiteer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 "We need the English. All we have is sheep and whiskey". - Scottish Yoons. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baxter Parp Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/10/twitter-political-advertising-ban/ Twitter Announces Political Advertising Ban All we need now is for Facebook to follow suit and we might be safe. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Israeli soldier guilty of killing Palestinian teenager given one month community service. This should be getting condemned by our politicians, but it won’t. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-soldier-community-service-sentence-gaza-war-teenager-death-latest-a9178071.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 (edited) Do people with Facebook or Twitter accounts see a lot of political advertising or get the sense they're being targeted? Not a member of either but have looked at loads of feeds and haven't noticed any. Edited October 31, 2019 by welshbairn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiegoDiego Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 This should be getting condemned by our politicians, but it won’t. Is that worse than condemning the politicians for something they haven't had a chance to do yet?Our politicians have criticised Israel a lot already (I'm not saying enough, but a lot). There are plenty of other regimes in which it wouldn't have even gone to court and they're rarely, if ever, criticised by either the politicians or the media. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakedee Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Ooft, Bridgen on the receiving end of one of Bercows best. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 I’m assuming Vaz won’t be standing again. Not sure if it will be a voluntary decision. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefybake Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, DiegoDiego said: Is that worse than condemning the politicians for something they haven't had a chance to do yet? Our politicians have criticised Israel a lot already (I'm not saying enough, but a lot). There are plenty of other regimes in which it wouldn't have even gone to court and they're rarely, if ever, criticised by either the politicians or the media. My general impression is that very little real criticism of Israel takes place, because everyone runs scared of being accused of anti-Semitism. Not interested in your whataboutery.... ( other regimes ). Edited October 31, 2019 by beefybake 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paco Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Pretty sure it was in this thread there were some doormats defending the Glasgow Provost for her frankly outrageous expense claims. She’s now resigned, after a meeting yesterday with the SNP so it would appear she’s been forced out. Goes to show the servile wankers aren’t just contained to Tories... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Never really thought much of Hugh Grant, but causing a Tory w**k to melt down over not being gladhanded is lovely stuff. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50246099 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbitterandgrumpy Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 5 minutes ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: Never really thought much of Hugh Grant, but causing a Tory w**k to melt down over not being gladhanded is lovely stuff. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50246099 It's his prerogative to shake hands with whoever he wants, and he gave his reasons for not shaking hands with Sajid Javed. The response from Javed ("I wonder if people like Hugh Grant think they are part of the elite and they look down on working class people no matter what station they reach in life") says it all. Javed's dad was a bus driver. Did you know that? You must do, he's only mentioned it at every party conference, TV interview, Radio interview, press interview, Tesco checkout, petrol station . . .he probably recites it in his sleep. Solid working class bloke, voice of the common man. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Hilarious piece on the BBC News this morning, reporting that we should be watching out for "Russian meddling" in the election and that the Russians could be trying to influence our election etc etc etc. Back in the real world, we've got Trump doing Radio interviews and issuing statements promoting Johnson & Farage and telling everyone that Corbyn is the Devil incarnate etc, etc. I could be wrong, however I'm pretty sure it's not Russia that we should be worrying about..................... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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