UK Politics Thread IX: Try turning the UK off and on again.

[Celritannia]

What we could do to combat the North/South divide is have multiple capitals like South Africa. London as a ceremonial capital, Birmingham as administrative capital with parliament and civil service, and Manchester as the judicial capital. That would spread some spending about. Birmingham would be a lot easier to travel to from their constituencies for MPs.

The problem is still far bigger than spread a few offices around. If you give regions certain responsibilities some of them just couldn't pay for it. You can't make money that is in London appear in Accrington.

So those deprived areas would find themselves in a fiscal straight jacket with very likely substantially less money than now. So what I'm gathering is that spending cuts are bad apart from when it's in the name of a federalised UK. Then it's still the fault of Tory cuts even though Tories wouldn't be running those regions and they wouldn't have supported federalism.

Which party has been in power for the last 10 years, promised a northern powerhouse, never delivered, and now has the UK as an unequal union?

Again, look at Scotland and Wales. Devolution would help each region, and then lead on to full federalisati9n.

[The Huskar Social Union]

COVID-19: Minister denies Boris Johnson made 'let the bodies pile high' comment - and calls it 'a comedy chapter in gossip stories'

Fresh claims about Boris Johnson are "not true" and a "comedy chapter" in an ongoing Westminster briefing war, a cabinet minister has told Sky News.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace strongly rebuffed newspaper allegations the prime minister told colleagues in October that he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than have a third COVID lockdown.

The Daily Mail on Monday reported Mr Johnson told a Number 10 meeting at the time: "No more ****ing lockdowns - let the bodies pile high in their thousands!"

=CONTINUES=

Some serious allegations from the Daily Mail against Johnson

edit: Ive seen a lot of people online saying this is Gove trying to make a move against Johnson, takt that as you wish though, same with the allegations from the mail in the first place.

[The New California Republic]

Tbh it's the sort of thing that he would say, but that doesn't make the claim credible however.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Tbh it's the sort of thing that he would say, but that doesn't make the claim credible however.

agreed.

If it is true though and those audio tapes do exist then oh boy.

edit: Oh who am i fucking kidding, he would go up in the damn polls

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

I've seen rumours that Gove is behind a lot of the mischief making in the Tory party recently as well. Though I wonder as to what motive he could have? He can't surely still harbour leadership ambitions - he must know that is never going to happen? So unless it is just pure spite...

[Vassenor]

I've seen rumours that Gove is behind a lot of the mischief making in the Tory party recently as well. Though I wonder as to what motive he could have? He can't surely still harbour leadership ambitions - he must know that is never going to happen? So unless it is just pure spite...

Boris stole his Brexit glory.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Everytime i think of Michael Gove i think of two things: Firstly, the man is a twat. Secondly he stood in a field in some bizarre video talking about Game of Thrones and Churchill

[North Washington Republic]

COVID-19: Minister denies Boris Johnson made 'let the bodies pile high' comment - and calls it 'a comedy chapter in gossip stories'

Fresh claims about Boris Johnson are "not true" and a "comedy chapter" in an ongoing Westminster briefing war, a cabinet minister has told Sky News.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace strongly rebuffed newspaper allegations the prime minister told colleagues in October that he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than have a third COVID lockdown.

The Daily Mail on Monday reported Mr Johnson told a Number 10 meeting at the time: "No more ****ing lockdowns - let the bodies pile high in their thousands!"

=CONTINUES=

Some serious allegations from the Daily Mail against Johnson

edit: Ive seen a lot of people online saying this is Gove trying to make a move against Johnson, takt that as you wish though, same with the allegations from the mail in the first place.

After BoJo caught COVID, I think that is when he started to take it seriously. If Boris truly didn’t give a shit, The UK wouldn’t be the first country with the vaccine, and the UK wouldn’t have some of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

[Vassenor]

COVID-19: Minister denies Boris Johnson made 'let the bodies pile high' comment - and calls it 'a comedy chapter in gossip stories'



Some serious allegations from the Daily Mail against Johnson

edit: Ive seen a lot of people online saying this is Gove trying to make a move against Johnson, takt that as you wish though, same with the allegations from the mail in the first place.

After BoJo caught COVID, I think that is when he started to take it seriously. If Boris truly didn’t give a shit, The UK wouldn’t be the first country with the vaccine, and the UK wouldn’t have some of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

And we also wouldn't be spacing vaccine doses far beyond the recommendation just to make the numbers look better. And we would've locked down when the experts said to, not weeks after when the damage is already done.

[North Washington Republic]

After BoJo caught COVID, I think that is when he started to take it seriously. If Boris truly didn’t give a shit, The UK wouldn’t be the first country with the vaccine, and the UK wouldn’t have some of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

And we also wouldn't be spacing vaccine doses far beyond the recommendation just to make the numbers look better. And we would've locked down when the experts said to, not weeks after when the damage is already done.

Well, the UK seems to be doing well at the moment. COVID cases are down 4.6% and isn’t at risk for a surge, unlike the United States. Forgive me, but the UK’s main right-wing party isn’t dominated by anti-vax nutters, unlike the U.S. BoJo was sloppy before he caught COVID, but at least he took it seriously once he caught it, unlike Donald Trump.

[Vassenor]

And we also wouldn't be spacing vaccine doses far beyond the recommendation just to make the numbers look better. And we would've locked down when the experts said to, not weeks after when the damage is already done.

Well, the UK seems to be doing well at the moment. COVID cases are down 4.6% and isn’t at risk for a surge, unlike the United States. Forgive me, but the UK’s main right-wing party isn’t dominated by anti-vax nutters, unlike the U.S. BoJo was sloppy before he caught COVID, but at least he took it seriously once he caught it, unlike Donald Trump.

-looks at how shittily the Christmas lockdown was handled long after he caught it-

[The Huskar Social Union]

‘It’s a betrayal’: Cornish fishing vote turns against Tories over Brexit deal

In Newlyn, anger at red tape and the falling price of fish looks certain to be felt at council polls

Michael Bosustow rubs his weary eyes as he climbs out of the cabin of his netter, Annie-May, which is tied up on the harbourside in Newlyn, near the western tip of Cornwall. He has been awake for about 30 hours and needs to prepare for another couple of days at sea. But he can still summon the energy to condemn the Conservative party for striking a deal with the EU that he – like many in this tight-knit fishing town – regards as a betrayal.

“We are dying out here – we are all getting older and there aren’t enough youngsters following us,” he says as the pale spring sun rises and gusts of cool Atlantic wind flap Cornish flags. “We could have got more fish and created a better future for the youngsters. It’s a missed opportunity.”

The UK-EU trade agreement, which came into force in January, gives British boats a greater share of fish that can be caught in UK waters, but also allows European boats to fish in those waters until at least 2026, with many in the industry expecting that to continue for years to come. Border hold-ups and requirements to purify shellfish before export to the EU have hit earnings and led to some consignments being left to rot.

The struggles of the fishing industry could pose problems for the Conservatives in Cornwall in crucial council elections next month – the first electoral test since the pandemic hit over a year ago. Although the Tories are the largest single group in the council chamber – Cornwall has a unitary authority for the whole county – the Liberal Democrats were able to regain control by forming a coalition with independent councillors in 2017.

Those hoping to deliver Boris Johnson’s goal of a Conservative-led council in time for the G7 summit in Cornwall in June will have to tread carefully in places like Newlyn, which is home to England’s biggest fishing fleet.

Bosustow, 48, a Brexit supporter, will not be supporting the Tories on 6 May. “We are not going to forget when it comes to voting time,” he says. “I don’t feel like they [the Conservatives] deserve my vote at the moment.”

Further down the quay, Brackan Pearce, 28, is restocking his trawler. He travelled up the Thames as part of a flotilla of fishing boats demanding control of British waters during the referendum campaign in 2016. Now he feels betrayed. “They lied to us. They’ve used us to get Brexit. Without the boats going up the Thames, Brexit would never have happened,” he says from the deck of his boat.

The deal, he says, is the worst of all worlds. “It’s a complete sellout. It’s a betrayal. The deal we have got is lose-lose. We have got friction at the borders and they [EU fishing boats] have still got access to our waters.” Johnson has lost his support: “I can’t vote Conservative.”

=CONTINUES=

Now will this actually manifest when it comes to the local elections and in sufficient numbers to cost them seats?

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

Everytime i think of Michael Gove i think of two things: Firstly, the man is a twat. Secondly he stood in a field in some bizarre video talking about Game of Thrones and Churchill

I just think of haddock.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

Ben Wallace blathering on BBC Breakfast when asked if Boris had originally had a loan to pay for the Downing Street flat refurbishment. Just seems no minister feels able to say no Boris didn't get a loan so he could pay for the refurbishment out of his own pocket..

[Ifreann]

And we also wouldn't be spacing vaccine doses far beyond the recommendation just to make the numbers look better. And we would've locked down when the experts said to, not weeks after when the damage is already done.

Well, the UK seems to be doing well at the moment. COVID cases are down 4.6% and isn’t at risk for a surge, unlike the United States. Forgive me, but the UK’s main right-wing party isn’t dominated by anti-vax nutters, unlike the U.S. BoJo was sloppy before he caught COVID, but at least he took it seriously once he caught it, unlike Donald Trump.

That is not remotely true, Johnson continued prioritising the economy and his own public image over public health concerns even after leaving hospital. His government paid people to go and congregate in restaurants, sent people back to work and then tutted at them for crowding public transport, used the nation's desperate need for PPE to funnel public money to their mates, and generally fucked up every aspect of their handling of this pandemic.

[The Notorious Mad Jack]

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

[Ifreann]

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

And the success of Britain's vaccine program is seemingly down to vaccine nationalism. I don't think that the NHS are pioneering some revolutionary system of distributing vaccines, Britain just has vaccines available because they got AstraZeneca to supply them first. Is that a good thing? Probably for Britain, not so much for us godless foreigners.

[Fartsniffage]

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

And the success of Britain's vaccine program is seemingly down to vaccine nationalism. I don't think that the NHS are pioneering some revolutionary system of distributing vaccines, Britain just has vaccines available because they got AstraZeneca to supply them first. Is that a good thing? Probably for Britain, not so much for us godless foreigners.

To be fair to Boris, he did more than that.

The British government signed contracts with anyone saying they were starting work on a vaccine pretty much the day after they said it. That meant we were front of the queue. I think I read we had options on about 400 million doses when the vaccines started rolling out.

[Shrillland]

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

Yes, but in the end, that's all the average person will remember is the end, not the chaos that happened on the way.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

The BBC seem to believe that Boris Johnson did say "the bodies could pile high".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56890714

Obviously it would be out of character for Boris to lie his way out of a tricky situation, and he has no track record of doing that whatsoever ...


The questioning of senior civil servants by MPs on the BBC currently, is not going well for the government.

[Celritannia]

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

Yes, but in the end, that's all the average person will remember is the end, not the chaos that happened on the way.

Yup, which is damaging overall. It means they may get increased support.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

Yes, but in the end, that's all the average person will remember is the end, not the chaos that happened on the way.

Apparently 37% of people think the Prime Minister is corrupt. Maybe some people would still vote for a someone they think is corrupt, I know I wouldn't.

[Celritannia]

All hail his Serene Highness, David Hasselhoff, Lord Protector and Warden of the North, in the service of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

The poll is now something actually sensible.

[Souseiseki]

gotta love how the tory high ups are consistently dirty bastards and backstabbing dirty bastards

[The Notorious Mad Jack]

Re: Poll, big up the NDL. Vote Niko.

Really the only thing Boris got right about his response to the pandemic was the vaccine program. Every other move has been characterised by delays, missteps and corruption.

And the success of Britain's vaccine program is seemingly down to vaccine nationalism. I don't think that the NHS are pioneering some revolutionary system of distributing vaccines, Britain just has vaccines available because they got AstraZeneca to supply them first. Is that a good thing? Probably for Britain, not so much for us godless foreigners.

It's a shame that the EU's rollout has been so terrible, but their antics in this regard limits my sympathy for them.