May's Cabinet

[scooter]

I reckon this is what lies behind Johnson's strange, sudden withdrawal from the leadership race. He got a quiet call from May's people. "Listen, you know Theresa is favourite to win. Drop out and you're guaranteed a top job in her cabinet. But only if you withdraw your candidacy".

If this is true then May is a lot more sneaky and power hungry than she seems. Which could be worrying.

 

[hash tag]

I really don't think we should have expected any better from a Tory; they all smell the same to me. That said, I would not trust Hammond to look after my overdraft

 

[8den]

Keeping Johnson close makes sense in that "rather have him pissing out the tent than vice versa" way. The problem with Johnson and that metaphor is that, fundamental some cunt is pissing near your tent and you should just tell them to fuck off to those trees way way away.

 

[Yossarian]

Johnson is there so she can sack him.

He'll also provide plenty of opportunities to bury bad news - if she wants to keep a policy out of the headlines, she'll just release it on the day Johnson decides to show his golliwog collection to the Gambian ambassador.

 

[JimW]

Matthew Parris on newsnight just called Fox, Johnson and Davis the geldings of Brexit not the stallions

 

[billy_bob]

Keeping Johnson close makes sense in that "rather have him pissing out the tent than vice versa" way. The problem with Johnson and that metaphor is that, fundamental some cunt is pissing near your tent and you should just tell them to fuck off to those trees way way away.

Not sure i want him lurking in those trees either

 

[Biscuitician]

Boris Johnson as foreign secretary.

The mind fucking boggles.

Philip Hammond as chancellor, a man who dodges taxes.

 

[tim]

Not sure i want him lurking in those trees either

Yes, our new Home Secretary has some insight into his predatory nature:

'He's the life and soul of the party but he’s not the man you want driving you home at the end'

Hopefully, she'll soon be administering some short,sharp shocks.

 

[Biscuitician]

This is insane: secretary for Brexit? What the fuck?

Homesecretary who's been an MP for five minutes.

I have a nightmare image of the return of IDS....

 

[Anju]

Has she appointed Fox to his role because she believes a homophobic petty thief and liar is best suited to the role? Shameless display of incompetence and self preservation so far.

 

[DotCommunist]

a racist in charge of foriegn policy. Nice one Darth

 

[coley]

Sacked not reshuffled? Made me day that has
Just got in from the pub, this is still 'breaking news' to me.

 

[coley]

Probably a woman very much after May's heart.

Definitely will be, come 2020

 

[coley]

He'll pick arguments faster than he can say piccaninny. He's a vile man.

There's plenty of opportunity, the South China Sea dispute, the Ukraine, the ME, interesting times ahead

 

[coley]

I'd put money on Johnson being secretary of state for being a long way away and making an idiot of himself while the grown-ups do the hard work and clearing up after him...

Give him enough rope etc...

Aye that seems to be the presumed wisdom, but she knows these people a lot better than us, it's going to be interesting. if nowt else.

 

[Anju]

Uh, isn't the whole point of the EU that member states don't make individual trade deals? It's a UK-EU deal he'll be negotiating.

The most worrying part of this os that May might have appointed him based solely on those tweets. Let's hope they get some help with the exit strategy.

 

[wheelie_bin]

Has she appointed Fox to his role because she believes a homophobic petty thief and liar is best suited to the role? Shameless display of incompetence and self preservation so far.

I really don't know. Does anybody know if he has any contacts or skills to do this job? Why not pick someone who's got significant foreign secretary experience, or is a lawyer, or ran large businesses? That's the sort of skills I'd think of for International Trade, but as far as I can see he's done only a bit of foreign office and he's known for being dodgy.

 

[Anju]

I really don't know. Does anybody know if he has any contacts or skills to do this job? Why not pick someone who's got significant foreign secretary experience, or is a lawyer, or ran large businesses? That's the sort of skills I'd think of for International Trade, but as far as I can see he's done only a bit of foreign office and he's known for being dodgy.

It is the being dodgy part that I find most unpalatable. Why trust someone dodgy to be in charge of hugely important behind closed doors negotiation. He might come out with crap terms but a nice timeshare for his mate.

 

[wheelie_bin]

Uh, isn't the whole point of the EU that member states don't make individual trade deals? It's a UK-EU deal he'll be negotiating.

Not really. Recent EU trade deals have been specifically criticised as becoming a hodge podge of occasionally overlapping bits of 27 different requirements pushed into a document. Hence why they've taken so long to work through. Here's an example of Canada being held up for France and Germany: Paris and Berlin call for review of EU-Canada trade deal.
ETA: Actually, scratch that example, I agree with them as it happens. I'll go and find an Italian tomato example from a reliable source.
ETA2: Here we go: https://next.ft.com/content/d7ac18ec-12a9-11e6-839f-2922947098f0.

The tweets are ludicrously simplistic, presumably there's a lot of other detail available about what the various EU countries will want from previous UK work on EU deals and from current known trade.

 

[DotCommunist]

It is the being dodgy part that I find most unpalatable. Why trust someone dodgy to be in charge of hugely important behind closed doors negotiation. He might come out with crap terms but a nice timeshare for his mate.

at the levels we are talking here gladhanding is institutional. Everyone does it. Its not right, but it is what happens and we only know when someones so thick and lazy they get caught doing it. Arise Sir Boris.

 

[frogwoman]

Lol david davis as 'secretary of state for exiting the european union'? Lol seriously?

 

[Anju]

at the levels we are talking here gladhanding is institutional. Everyone does it. Its not right, but it is what happens and we only know when someones so thick and lazy they get caught doing it. Arise Sir Boris.

I hope you are right, because the alternative is that most of our politicians are as dishonest, grasping and incompetent as they have been making themselves look.

 

[Anju]

Not really. Recent EU trade deals have been specifically criticised as becoming a hodge podge of occasionally overlapping bits of 27 different requirements pushed into a document. Hence why they've taken so long to work through. Here's an example of Canada being held up for France and Germany: Paris and Berlin call for review of EU-Canada trade deal.
ETA: Actually, scratch that example, I agree with them as it happens. I'll go and find an Italian tomato example from a reliable source.
ETA2: Here we go: France leads EU revolt against Mercosur trade talks - FT.com.

The tweets are ludicrously simplistic, presumably there's a lot of other detail available about what the various EU countries will want from previous UK work on EU deals and from current known trade.

I does seem that he thinks we can have specific terms for specific goods from certain countries from the tweets.

FT is asking me for money. I am going to go to sleep so I can go and nick a copy from the steps of a non 24hour office in EC2.

I'm just surprised how much slack people here are prepared to give these people. I suppose it could be my pent up remainer angry making me overly pessimistic.

 

[wheelie_bin]

I does seem that he thinks we can have specific terms for specific goods from certain countries from the tweets.

FT is asking me for money. I am going to go to sleep so I can go and nick a copy from the steps of a non 24hour office in EC2.

I'm just surprised how much slack people here are prepared to give these people. I suppose it could be my pent up remainer angry making me overly pessimistic.

Oh I see what you mean. Actually he's rather pushing the other case, the "what's in it for the EU countries" to do a deal, because that is how much UK spends on those items from those countries. If we got a tariff on our exports from Britain to EU, we'd slap a tariff on their EU exports into Britain and fund UK car research and sign a deal to remove tariffs on certain non EU car imports so EU would lose export share.

 

[DotCommunist]

I hope you are right, because the alternative is that most of our politicians are as dishonest, grasping and incompetent as they have been making themselves look.

seriously, 'graft' or corruption at those levels is not even often bribes of actual money. It's contracts for x amount of work, tips on z amount of shares. When I say institutional I mean baked in, they don't even regard it as corruption. Prince Andrews response to being caught in a bribery/defence contract thing? 'how do you think these things get done?'

I've just tried to find you a link to the story but the google search 'Prince andrew bribery' throws up too many results. They are all rotten bastards

 

[coley]

Not really. Recent EU trade deals have been specifically criticised as becoming a hodge podge of occasionally overlapping bits of 27 different requirements pushed into a document. Hence why they've taken so long to work through. Here's an example of Canada being held up for France and Germany: Paris and Berlin call for review of EU-Canada trade deal.
ETA: Actually, scratch that example, I agree with them as it happens. I'll go and find an Italian tomato example from a reliable source.
ETA2: Here we go: https://next.ft.com/content/d7ac18ec-12a9-11e6-839f-2922947098f0.

The tweets are ludicrously simplistic, presumably there's a lot of other detail available about what the various EU countries will want from previous UK work on EU deals and from current known trade.

Aye, but let's face it any 'trade agreement between the EU ( and for arguments sake, say Canada) has to satisfy the 27 individual competing nations all trying to convey the same message, while getting their individual national aspirations satisfied! While the Canadian team is sitting their going 'WTF'

 

[coley]

I hope you are right, because the alternative is that most of our politicians are as dishonest, grasping and incompetent as they have been making themselves look.

They are indeed, but the dead hand of the EU has made bringing them to account impossible, things may hopefully be about to change

 

[wheelie_bin]

Aye, but let's face it any 'trade agreement between the EU ( and for arguments sake, say Canada) has to satisfy the 27 individual competing nations all trying to convey the same message, while getting their individual national aspirations satisfied! While the Canadian team is sitting their going 'WTF'

Absolutely. The major issue for Canada and USA of course is this arbitration farce that the EC allowed to get in there and that doesn't suit countries. Here's where it's tricky because Canada thought the EC had the authority to agree the whole deal, while the EC didn't bother checking in to ensure that what they were negotiating might be ratified.

How do we get a question to Corbyn to explicitly ask Liam Fox in his first HoC briefing to guarantee to leave off our trade deals with USA, Canada etc any secret arbitration and any rights to redress over and above that stipulated in individual contracts if companies lose any work due to government policy changes? I.e. Nip the evil bits of TTIP in the bud now, so he's clear.

 

[Anju]

seriously, 'graft' or corruption at those levels is not even often bribes of actual money. It's contracts for x amount of work, tips on z amount of shares. When I say institutional I mean baked in, they don't even regard it as corruption. Prince Andrews response to being caught in a bribery/defence contract thing? 'how do you think these things get done?'

I've just tried to find you a link to the story but the google search 'Prince andrew bribery' throws up too many results. They are all rotten bastards

Thanks, I vaguely remember the Prince Andrew story. Agree on the baked in corruption. I normally call it deferred corruption as no money changes hands at the time of the deal. I still think there is a degree of incompetence that has really shone through with recent events.

 

[coley]

Absolutely. The major issue for Canada and USA of course is this arbitration farce that the EC allowed to get in there and that doesn't suit countries. Here's where it's tricky because Canada thought the EC had the authority to agree the whole deal, while the EC didn't bother checking in to ensure that what they were negotiating might be ratified.

How do we get a question to Corbyn to explicitly ask Liam Fox in his first HoC briefing to guarantee to leave off our trade deals with USA, Canada etc any secret arbitration and any rights to redress over and above that stipulated in individual contracts if companies lose any work due to government policy changes? I.e. Nip the evil bits of TTIP in the bud now, so he's clear.

Just nip the TTIP in its entirety as far as the UK is concerned, even the bits that were 'revealed' should be warning enough that this 'deal' is bad news for the general public, government by corporation 'writ large'