Well, that was the day that was, wasn't it? Or was it? Theresa May has managed to get away again, somewhat in the style of a squid, squirting ink at its attacker and making for cover in the confusion. By avoiding a vote she seemed certain to lose, she keeps her plan alive and, perhaps, if she can keep doing that long enough, she may reason that she can eliminate other options so that, as Sherlock Holmes famously surmised, if all other options are ruled out, what remains, regardless of how unlikely it might otherwise seem, is the solution. It ...
This morning I watched Piers Morgan on TV lecturing/hectoring two Black men about how what they think and experience as racism is, simply, not true in his esteemed White opinion. Piers Morgan was speaking over the men in what was meant to have been a discussion on the Raheem Sterling issue. Good old Piers, he [...] The post Don't 'White select' my experience of racism appeared first on FeministMama.
"Let's go." "We can't." "Why not?" "We're waiting for Godot." Flipping through some of the most famous lines from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot often feels like a sneak preview of the fallout from the European referendum. Especially if you pitch Jeremy Corbyn in the role of Godot and pro-Europeans as Vladimir and Estragon. Just as Corbyn absented himself from a key part of the European referendum campaigning by going on holiday instead, now the People's Vote campaign wants us all to hang around waiting for Corbyn to turn up and back a referendum on the Brexit deal. Hence the ...
As promised, here is the second and final part of this video - you can watch part 1 here. Marshbrook is the Onnybrook of Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine stories, while its signal box may be the oldest one on the British railway network that is still operational.
I've complained before about how the contents of Erskine May, the rules used to govern business in the House of Commons, are kept from the rest of us.
Vince Cable has written an article for Human Rights Day over on the party website. It's 70 years today since the International Declaration on Human Rights was signed. On 10th December 1948, history was made. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In the shadow of the Second World War, the nations of the world came together to declare that everyone - no matter who they are and where they live - has the same fundamental rights. With one voice, we pledged to "strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and ...
Last week Stephen Lloyd resigned the Liberal Democrat whip so he could vote in favour of Theresa May's Brexit deal. Today she pulled the vote on the deal.
After this afternoon's debacle in the Commons, I'm certain that the Prime Minister is trying to run the clock down towards March 29th 2019 so that MPs will have to eventually vote for her deal or risk crashing out of the EU with no deal at all. At the same time I think she's trying [...] The post The spectre of a "May's Deal" or "No Deal" referendum appeared first on ten pence piece.
Current Finding Time Again, by Marcel Proust Perilous Dreams, by Andre Norton Last books finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon Destination Moon and Shooting Destination Moon, by Robert A. Heinlein Saga, vol. 8, by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan Delta of Venus, by Anaïs Nin Next books The Name of This Book Is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch A Cold Day in Hell, by Alan Grant The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2010 Edition, ed. Rich Horton
Mon 10th
15:44
5 Developments, 4 Real Options, 3 Red Lines, 2 Court Cases and One Very Significant Amendment- Chris...
Christmas Reflections on Brexit Things continue to be as busy as ever so I've yet to fulfil an intention to blog more regularly. But with the key Brexit vote coming up (probably), I couldn't miss the chance to offer you some pre-Christmas Brexit reflections. So here goes...(and yes I am aware how febrile things are so these thoughts may date VERY quickly). Before I do, let me set out some key principles that I believe must drive the debate: we must respect the result of the referendum, so that a second referendum should only proceed if it is considered legitimate ...
Reuters has the story on its website – see link below:- For Corbyn, who leads a completely dysfunctional Labour opposition, to say that the same is true of the Tory Government beggars belief. Of course, Corbyn is not wrong about May's limping leadership but he makes his comments from a bubble all of his own where the major fault lines between his Brexit leaning Labour leadership and the Party's MP's, members and supporters don't exist! Have we ever had a situation in the past when the Government and Official Opposition are in such a terrible mess?
One of the great political truisms of our age is that if Brexit were to not happen there would be "trouble". I myself have engaged in this thinking, on this very website on occasion – it's actually a hard assumption not to naturally fall into, if you're in the Westminster bubble in any way, shape or form. Given where we are, it might be best to examine this conclusion in the cold light of day. Iain Duncan-Smith said on ITV this weekend that: "You think the country is divided right now, you wait until you try and hold that second ...
Many of the most criminal political minds of the past generations have claimed to be an expression of the "will of the people"... The will of the people, that is, as interpreted by themselves. Most authoritarian rulers: Napoleon III, Mussolini, Hitler, have called referendums in order to claim some spurious popular support for the actions they had already determined upon. The problem with the June 2016 European Union was that the question was actually insufficiently clear. To leave the EU was actually a vast set of choices, not one specific choice. Danial Hannan, once of faces of Vote Leave was ...
Being your Day Editor today is a bit like trying to hit a rapidly moving, erratically directed small object... with a crossbow. So, where are we? Theresa May intends to postpone the meaningful vote There will be a Statement to the House of Commons from Theresa May at 3.30 p.m. The European Court of Justice has ruled that the United Kingdom can unilaterally withdraw its Article 50 letter The House of Lords is still scheduled to wind up its Brexit debate this evening with a symbolic vote But is it as simple as that. One Tory MP thinks not; The ...
Kenan Malik wrote the following in the Observer on 25 November: If it is "hate speech" to question a particular definition of what it is to be a woman, or "bigoted" to express concern about non-natal women being allowed into female-only spaces, the very notion of public debate is transformed. There would seem to be [...]
Sun, 12:56: RT @ProSyn: Complaints about unfair Chinese trade practices are actually complaints about the mismatch between the slow pace of economic op... Sun, 14:40: RT @astroehlein: Far-right @de_nva drops out of Belgian governing coalition with a fake argument over a UN agreement its own people negotia... Sun, 14:43: RT @garethharding: Goodbye and good riddance to far-right NVA - whose presence in government was a stain on this fine country. #Belgium htt... Sun, 14:44: RT @tom_nuttall: Migration politics bullshit latest - Belgium's Flemish nationalist party, which ran a shameful social media campaign again... Sun, 14:48: RT @News_Letter: In his weekly ...
azurelunatic | Yet another Dreamwidth courtesy tip This applies to other blogging platforms too, of course. silveradept | Welcome To All The New People! If you are a tumblr person who is looking for somewhere new, this is an exhaustive (and exhausting) list of Things Dreamwidth Can Do For You post_tumblr_fandom | Recent Entries A space specifically created for people migrating from tumblr to DW liv | Gene editing human babies This is terrifying, just as a prospect. If you like what you see here (or even if you don't) please consider dropping me a tip: [IMG: Paypal Donate Button] ...
Responding to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling the UK can halt Brexit by unilaterally revoking Article 50, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson and one of the MPs who brought the case Tom Brake said:"Liberal Democrats have fought tooth and nail to give the people the final say on Brexit. We are now closer than ever before. "The ECJ has made clear that the UK can stop Brexit unilaterally. The Government can therefore prevent a chaotic no-deal. For the sake of people's livelihoods, the Prime Minister must end the uncertainty and rule out a no-deal."It is clear any Brexit will ...
Mon 10th
09:05
An open letter to Jacob Rees Mogg - remember the words of Jo Cox's maiden speech before you criticis...
Today you described on Channel 4, freedom of movement as being and I quote "a poison" of the EU. Let me tell you my own story. A language graduate who studied French at the University of Southampton and has lived twice in France – made easier by free movement. Someone who has spent more time working in Paris or Madrid than Scotland. I married someone with an Italian passport who wouldn't be in the UK were it not for free movement. Someone, who despite being a qualified teacher from her home country – came to study and took jobs which ...
As previously trailed, today's key legal ruling is that the UK can revoke the Article 50 and stay in the EU if it wishes: The European Court of Justice has ruled the UK can cancel Brexit without the permission of the other 27 EU members. The ECJ judges ruled this could be done without altering the terms of Britain's membership. A group of anti-Brexit politicians argued the UK should be able to unilaterally halt Brexit, but they were opposed by the government and EU... The ability for a member state to change its mind after telling the EU it wanted ...
Some very rough weather at Speke Hall yesterday did not put off local community choir SoSo (Sing Our Socks Off) from entertaining visitors with Christmas songs during a very busy day for the National Trust property and this despite bursts of heavy rain. Here's some shots of the choir:- The choir has a number of active Lydiate and Maghull members. The lead photo is amongst my Flickr photos at:- www.flickr.com/photos/86659476@N07/ Click on the photos to enlarge them
Adenauer, Erhard, Kiesinger, Barzel, Kohl, Schäuble, Merkel, Kramp-Karrenbauer. The list of the party chairmen and chairwomen of the Christian Democrats in Germany contains a number of luminaries who have shaped German and European history. The last of these, newly crowned on 7 December, is a tongue twister even for German commentators, though fortunately Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer [...] The post Is AKK the future of Germany? appeared first on Radix.
The stakes for the UK could not be higher. Tomorrow's vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal could define the country's future for decades to come. It could either take us out of Europe, forcing us to turn our back on decades of stability and economic prosperity, or it could plunge us into financial and political uncertainty and chaos. Every MP needs to think through the consequences of their actions. I am not a great fan of referenda, but in my view a vote for a further plebiscite, giving voters the final say on whether we accept the deal or stay ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 10 DECEMBER 2018 Perth Road (at Riverside Place) - off-peak temporary traffic lights for up to one week for drainage works.
The new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is now up. This one's on "Double-Crossin' Blues" by Johnny Otis, Little Esther, and the Robins. Find out how a hand injury caused Johnny Otis to discover the ... Continue reading →
