[Tubby Isaacs]

My MP today.

[satnav]

Didn't Joan Collins used to have a boyfriend called Bill Wiggins who was nicknamed 'Bungalow Bill' be cause he had nothing upstairs. I think the same nickname could equally be applied to Tory MP Bill Wiggin.

[davidjay]

Yet again, they aren't even trying to hide it now.

[mattomac]

Yeah they are certainly out of ideas so now it’s the oldie hits, we had the Labour Party manifesto from 1997, next week is probably Michael Foot’s jacket.

[Cyclist]

What could possibly go wrong?

DWP officers to be given power to make arrests and execute warrants in Universal Credit benefit fraud crackdown
The “Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System” plan outlines how 2,000 trained specialists will review more than two million Universal Credit claims over the next five years.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle ... 005516.amp

What is it with this shower? If they can't drown wogs in the Channel they'll have a laugh with the scroungers instead.

Cue lawsuits for wrongful arrest and unlawful imprisonment.

[Boiler]

Considering how useless the fucking DWP are at assessing disabilities (he said, with bitter memories) this is going to turn into a monumental shitshow.

Mind you, "New Labour" were just as big a bunch of cunts in this matter.

[Abernathy]

Considering the current, appalling Tory government that the UK has now had since 2010, it occurs to me that there is something deeply faulty with the the system that we have for determining which individuals are appointed to the key cabinet posts that govern directly all of our lives, and determine the quality of our lives. Amidst the worst cost of living crisis for generations, a Prime Minister convicted of breaking laws that he himself framed, and who subsequently told multiple lies in parliament about doing so has appointed a cabinet entirely and solely on the basis of political preferment, and seemingly without any regard whatsoever for actual ability or intellectual capacity. Consider this: Johnson has appointed : Liz Truss, Nadine Dorries, Priti Patel, Therese Coffey, Kwasi Kwarteng, Grant Shapps, Suella Braverman, Oliver Dowden, George Eustice, and (Lord help us) Jacob Rees-Mogg. Further down the ranks, there are such “talents” as Kemi Badenoch, Mims Davies, and Rachel MacLean. Bluntly, if cabinet posts had to be advertised and applied for (like normal jobs do), these jokers wouldn’t even get shortlisted.

This isn’t to say that this hasn’t always been the case (yes, under Labour governments too), or that it’s never been a problem until now, but it has never been such a dreadful, egregious problem on quite such a scale until now.

And who is responsible for appointing these no-marks? Boris Johnson.

[Boiler]

I think there's a bigger issue here, Abers: who would want to become a politician these days? We're now in a time where the job can actually get you murdered by some radicalised cunt. If you're on the Left, you will have assorted newspaper proprietors and social media muck-rakers prying into your personal life looking for the slightest transgression you have ever made back to infancy (I jest not) in the hope that they will not merely embarrass you, but preferably destroy you - look how often the word "destroy" appears in YouTube clips in reference to politicians?

If you're on the Right you don't have to worry too much about the Fourth Estate, especially if you come from the "right" background or harbour views that fit in with the Two Minute Hate agenda of Rothermere and others; but woe betide you if you happen to have views contrary to them or you actually show signs of having a conscience. I sincerely hope that if Labour gets into power, it enacts Leveson Two and gives a big "fuck you" to not just the major titles, but little cunts like Hislop as well.

What is worse is that the public has been conditioned to expect less and less from our politicians - how long before we get our own Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example? Johnson's cabinet again, reminds me of Trump - appointed not on talent, but on loyalty. I give you Dominic Grieve as an example, replaced by the brain donor that is Suella Braverman.

When I was a spotty teenager, politicians seemed to have stature, gravitas even; who has that now?

Answers on a postcard...

[satnav]

I think a big part of the problem is the election system which allows the likes of Nadine Dorries to be returned to parliament time and time again simply because she wears a blue rosette. If we had a system like France where you have a vote to find the two top candidates followed by a run off two weeks later there would be less safe seats and politicians would be forced to look out for all their constituents.

[davidjay]

The first party leadership election i can remember featured Ted Heath, Geoffrey Howe, Jim Prior and the Evil Witch; gravitas in abundance. A year later we had Michael Foot, Tony Benn, Denis Healey, Jim Callaghan, Antony Crosland and Roy Jenkins; every one a statesman. And now...

[Boiler]

I think a big part of the problem is the election system which allows the likes of Nadine Dorries to be returned to parliament time and time again simply because she wears a blue rosette.

This is something I was discussing with someone the other day, but on a much more mundane matter - society committees and how people seem reluctant to put themselves forward to challenge incumbent members. I've seen committees retain the same people for decades - not necessarily because they're good at their job but because no-one is willing to put themselves forward to say "I have fresh ideas and I think I could do this better than the current position holder".

[Nigredo]

https://www.businessinsider.com/tories- ... ?r=US&IR=T

More dodgy Russian money.

[Nigredo]

[Boiler]

[Nigredo]

Copied from elsewhere:

This is what has been upsetting me for the last 3 years; people seem determined to ignore every single subversion of our democratic processes, just as long as "their man" remains in power.

• Avoiding and then lying to parliamentary standards committees?

• Lying to the Queen?

• Unlawfully suspending Parliament?

• Threatening the independence of the Judiciary?

• Pressuring foreign interference reports?

• Delaying scrutiny committees by not filling seats?

• Repeating lying in the Commons?

• Threatening independent broadcasters?

• Repeatedly breaking and refusing to follow the Ministerial Code?

• Allowing advisors and staff to break the rules and defending them?

• Blatant and obvious corruption and enrichment?

• Breaking and subverting their own laws while passing judgement on others who might do so?

• Threatening and suspending any backbench MP who votes against them?

• Literally running out of the Commons to avoid questions from our MPs

How does any blue "patriot" think these things are okay? How can anyone look at this statement and go "they stand for people like me I will keeping voting for them".

[Spoonman]

Copied from elsewhere:

This is what has been upsetting me for the last 3 years; people seem determined to ignore every single subversion of our democratic processes, just as long as "their man" remains in power.

• Avoiding and then lying to parliamentary standards committees?

• Lying to the Queen?

• Unlawfully suspending Parliament?

• Threatening the independence of the Judiciary?

• Pressuring foreign interference reports?

• Delaying scrutiny committees by not filling seats?

• Repeating lying in the Commons?

• Threatening independent broadcasters?

• Repeatedly breaking and refusing to follow the Ministerial Code?

• Allowing advisors and staff to break the rules and defending them?

• Blatant and obvious corruption and enrichment?

• Breaking and subverting their own laws while passing judgement on others who might do so?

• Threatening and suspending any backbench MP who votes against them?

• Literally running out of the Commons to avoid questions from our MPs

How does any blue "patriot" think these things are okay? How can anyone look at this statement and go "they stand for people like me I will keeping voting for them".

[Boiler]

How does any blue "patriot" think these things are okay? How can anyone look at this statement and go "they stand for people like me I will keeping voting for them".

Because 'they' really are no different to them.

[davidjay]

Copied from elsewhere:

This is what has been upsetting me for the last 3 years; people seem determined to ignore every single subversion of our democratic processes, just as long as "their man" remains in power.

• Avoiding and then lying to parliamentary standards committees?

• Lying to the Queen?

• Unlawfully suspending Parliament?

• Threatening the independence of the Judiciary?

• Pressuring foreign interference reports?

• Delaying scrutiny committees by not filling seats?

• Repeating lying in the Commons?

• Threatening independent broadcasters?

• Repeatedly breaking and refusing to follow the Ministerial Code?

• Allowing advisors and staff to break the rules and defending them?

• Blatant and obvious corruption and enrichment?

• Breaking and subverting their own laws while passing judgement on others who might do so?

• Threatening and suspending any backbench MP who votes against them?

• Literally running out of the Commons to avoid questions from our MPs

How does any blue "patriot" think these things are okay? How can anyone look at this statement and go "they stand for people like me I will keeping voting for them".

It all started a week after the 2019 election, when the Home Secretary said that the opposition was "defying the will of the people" in voting against the government. Note that use of phrase - the Home Secretary was saying that opposition shouldn't be allowed.

[Watchman]

People arriving in UK on small boats to be electronically tagged
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... SApp_Other

[davidjay]

People arriving in UK on small boats to be electronically tagged
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... SApp_Other

Support for government rises ten points.