A week ago an old Whitehall colleague told me that Treasury mandarins expect to be briefing Liam Fox as the new Chancellor should the Tories be re-elected – and they were not much looking forward to the experience. I did not pay much attention until today’s May/Hammond press conference, where it became evident that Hammond’s coat is on the shoogliest of pegs.
Hammond started the day being ripped to shreds by John Humphreys on the Today programme and getting the cost of HS2 radically wrong. But that hardly matters, as it is only when this happens to opposition figures that the mainstream media highlights and constant replays it.
A much more telling incident happened shortly thereafter when, standing alongside Hammond, May was three times asked directly if Hammond would continue as Chancellor, and she refused to back him, only at the third time of asking giving the most half hearted endorsement. I then realised the information I had been given was good.
Strangely, it is only the right wing media that has noted Fox’s continuing relationship with Adam Werritty. It was the Spectator which published that Werritty joined Fox on the Commons Terrace for a champagne spree to celebrate the disgraced ex-minister’s return to office. I was told by a SNP MP who witnessed it and used the phrase “brass neck”. But only the Spectator reported it, and only the Times has said that the two remain close. They reported last year that Werritty is living in Dolphin Square (I know, let’s not go there).
I have an irresistible image of what life is going to be like inside the Treasury, should Fox and Werritty have the run of it.
Of course Werritty opened a private health company when Fox was Health Secretary and a defence consultancy business when Fox was Minister of Defence. If Fox becomes Chancellor, I presume he gets to open a bank!
But on a more serious note, the prospect of Fox becoming Chancellor is truly alarming. The hard right links he forged through the now defunct Atlantic Bridge to the American Legislative Exchange Council and the Heritage Foundation give him direct access into the heart of the Trump administration, and align him with the nastiest millionaires and hedge fund managers, with the funders of climate change denial and with those who wish to abolish literally all workers’ rights and consumer protections. This article by George Monbiot is rather dense, but it is essential reading. And terrifying.
Fox appears to be confined in a locked cupboard for the duration of the election campaign. Doubtless he is waiting, like a child on Christmas Eve, to come bursting out and claim his prize once it is over.
Does anyone else get the fear?
-The fear that is, that this might be the last general election in this country?
Yup; all the laws have been passed and are in place for a police state.
The difficult thing is trying to explain this fact to people.
We’re up against the biggest propaganda machine in history.
There has never been a democratically-elected government in Britain.
Again, I will direct people to this piece, which is entirely accurate and well-referenced…
http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/ruling-britannia-the-evidence-that-britain-is-legislating-it-way-to-authoritarianism/
Well-we could start out with the ‘Snooper’s Charter-and go on from there.
I will repeat this link again…
http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/britanniatitanic-uk-surveillance-state-suited-dictatorship-democracy/
… and will probably be amazed why it’s been removed again.
You pratts can’t beat us. You do realise that, don’t you?
Yeah, but… they can decide that you’re no longer welcome to post at their personally owned and paid for websites if you try their patience too much. You do realise that, don’t you?
They are terrified of us Glenn, whatever of our politics.
No. Paranoid twaddle.
Yup – and that the 2016 election in the US was the last one there, too…
Most certainly.
No. Paranoid twaddle.
There is no ‘might’ about it. If Maggie Jong May wins,and wins big, that slipping mask will fall off completely. Look at her background, her associations, and the political orbit she is creating; there something deeply disturbing about the woman.
“shoogliest”. I actually had to look that one up. Great word.
As we count down to the ‘Berlin Wall moment’, kudos to Craig for continued coverage of the most important UK election since 1945.
Gosh, that was more than 70 years ago.
My Scottish granny taught us shoogling the tatties to fluff them up after par-boiling is an essential step in making perfect roast potatoes.
As long as they’re nae fustie 😉
Each time you get the feeling things just can’t get any worse….
Here’s a classic Tory one,
Under 25s just aren’t productive enough to warrant an increase in the minimum wage says Tory minister
http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/8252008?
Young people need to give this party a kick in the knackers
John Ellidge explains why Liam Fox should never again hold any public position, never mind one of the great offices of state.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/02/less-shameless-world-liam-fox-s-career-would-have-ended-2011
He fantasises about creating a bot with the sole purpose of … “whenever someone mentioned Liam Fox, it would tweet them with a reminder that he should more properly be referred to by his full title of “the disgraced former defence secretary, Dr Liam Fox”.
Excellent idea about the bot. No reason, though, for this to be reserved for exclusive use in regard to Fox. Mandelson, Vaz, Oaten, Jowell, Hain, Miller, Laws, & of course Bliar are all worthy of mention
If this is an example of May’s judgement, then we really are fecked. Remind us what experience in a relevant field this washed-up charlatan has. Just unbelievable, even for the rank amateur Dad’s Army shambles that passes for a government. A self-confessed swivel-eyed right wing ideologue who berates UK businesses for not conforming to his imperial fantasy of ‘buccaneering’ (i.e. pirate) capitalism.
I can never repeat this clip enough: Ceaușescu, the Romanian dictator, being booed by the people (7 minute video clip)…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcRWiz1PhKU
Margaret Thatcher and many other western leaders feted Nicolae Ceausescu. The Queen even gave him a Knighthood. This was because although Romania was a communist country, Ceausescu hated the Soviet Union and so became a favourite of the West. One British politician, David Steel, gave a black labrador puppy to Ceausescu as a gift. Ceausescu named the puppy Corbu and loved it so much that he made it a colonel in the Romanian Army. The dog could often be seen being driven around Bucharest in its own limousine, complete with motorcade. Corbu lacked for nothing. The Romanian ambassador in London was tasked to go to Sainsburys every week to buy Corbu’s favourite brand of dog biscuits, which were then flown back to Romania in the diplomatic bag.
I was in Romania at the time, and I’m not making any of this up.
Having watched his statements in the house Hammond does seem to recognise that Brexit is inevitably going to make the country much worse off. If a Labour Chancellor had made such a pessimistic Autumn statement they would have been ripped to shreds by the media but there was barely any comment on Hammond’s gloomy forecast.
On abortion Fox believes there should be “huge restrictions” and only just stops short of being in favour of a total ban. And if he is Chancellor he’s very near to becoming the Premier.
Please say that isn’t true.
If true, not all Philips are the flavour of the month for Treeza and able to do the boy job in No 11.
‘A much more telling incident happened shortly thereafter when, standing alongside Hammond, May was three times asked directly if Hammond would continue as Chancellor, and she refused to back him, only at the third time of asking giving the most half hearted endorsement. I then realised the information I had been given was good.’
That sounds most biblical. Cocks crowing and thrice times an answer requested etc.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26&version=KJV
Comment on an article in the N Somerset News on Fox’s selection
‘Congratulations to Dr Fox on his selection. (irony alert)
These are some of the headlines our MP has generated as he travels the world representing the people of North Somerset.
‘British business is fat and lazy,’ claims trade secretary Liam Fox
Dismay over Liam Fox’s claim of ‘shared values’ with Duterte’s brutal regime
Liam Fox denies sending controversial tweet while sitting in front of giant picture of it In a less shameless world,
Liam Fox’s career would have ended in 2011 Trade Secretary
Liam Fox refuses to end uncertainty over rights of EU nationals
Liam Fox’s team travelled 240,000 miles during 35 trips – but have made NO post-Brexit trade deals
Dr Fox may feel ‘incredibly honoured and privileged to serve the people of North Somerset’
– for the record this is not how I want to be served.’
http://www.northsomersettimes.co.uk/news/north-somerset-mp-dr-liam-fox-to-stand-for-conservatives-in-general-election-1-4986033
Graham Watson is standing for the LDs
Last time. Fox had a very large……………..majority! 23,099 on a 74% turnout so obviously there are a lot of sheeple grazing in N Somerset.
Had to see what the ‘giant picture of it’ was all about. LOL
He said he didn’t send it although the tweet in his name is being shown. He said it came from a speech. He is incorrigible.
Liam Fox denies sending controversial tweet while sitting in front of giant picture of it
‘I didn’t send out a tweet,’ says the International Trade Secretary
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/liam-fox-tweet-photo-on-screen-as-tory-minister-denies-sending-it-a7626841.html
Graham Watson is NOT standing for the LDs in North Somerset. Instead they’ve parachuted in a man who is effectively 3rd choice after Watson and the GE2015 candidate, who is standing elsewhere. The Labour candidate (same as 2015) was foisted upon the local party, most of whom have resigned in protest.
There is a strong Independent candidate (Don Davies, a popular local councillor) standing against Fox, yet sadly neither Labour nor the LDs are prepared to give way to allow the opposition vote to unify behind Davies, and neither would they consider backing down in favour of one another before his candidacy was announced.
The Green Party also have a strong local candidate, and apparently are prepared to back down if the others will,
Effectively Fox is already re-elected with 4 opponents and >50% of the vote last time.
Do you know why the LDs made that change? The North Somerset Times link was dated 22nd April.
Is Watson standing elsewhere? May certainly caught out the other parties with her announcement.
With his links to American business maybe it’s not Theresa May who’s bringing back Liam Fox but the Americans. If the appointment was made at their insistence then it’s an American appointment.
It is May’s American puppetmasters throwing their weight around again and trying to get their man in. I have little doubt the Humphrys interview and the press conference questions were carefully orchestrated.
The mystery is why Hammond doesn’t resign – perhaps, like most leading politicians, he is compromised in some way
Won’t resign before an election, they may all hate each other but they hate the prospect of a Labour government more.
I think that this indication of what the Tories have in mind- a return to worst conditions of unregulated greed- is the reason why Corbyn is calling for a maximisation of the number of those, in England and Wales, voting Labour.
It is clear that of the Tories are re-elected the next few years are going to have to include much extra parliamentary struggle. And the more people realise that this is going to be the case, the more likely it is to succeed. There must be opposition to, rather than compromise with, what is threatened. And that will benefit from clear support for Corbyn’s campaign.
Like it or not the campaign being waged is a Presidential race, with a clear choice being offered between May and Corbyn. In these circumstances a vote for Labour will have the effect not just of swelling the number of those opposed to the Tories but of signifying approval of a relatively radical programme of opposition. It is, as the Election of 1951 showed, very possible that Corbyn could win a majority of votes while losing the election itself. To do so would be an immense boost to the left’s title to leadership of the Labour party and the opposition.
Would it be an accurate observation to state that the UK has currently the most extreme hard right wing government in western Europe representing its electorate?
‘Go home immigrant’ vans employed by the current PM, calls to boycott/picket unpatriotic ‘anti-brexit’ businesses and victim blaming the abused, assaulted, murdered immigrants who dared to walk through British towns and cities post Brexit.
Its reminiscent of ’30s/’40s Germany is it not?
“‘Go home immigrant’ vans”
I don’t know how many times we have been through this. The vans, which were never anything more than a cheap stunt to make the Conservatives look tough on immigration, told illegal immigrants to go home. Those are the ones who are not here legally, Ball. I doubt a single illegal immigrant ever saw one of the vans, or for that matter could read what was said on them.
As for telling immigrants to go home, the present Tory government has admitted more of them than at any other time in this country’s history.
Anon1, you’re right about it having no impact on the illegal immigrants and it being a cheap stunt. However, the huge negative here is that this stunt helped normalise racism, encourage racists to pick on minorities and be more open with their unacceptable behaviour – and encourage the same people to vote Tory. The Tories tactics over recent years, for just short term gains, have been despicable.
Anon1,
Please cut your bullshite, the wagon placard carriers were actually ‘WAGONS OF HATE’ mean’t to imbue the racists with bile and ferment terror on our streets – I know these facts has had the pleasure of speaking to a racist yesterday evening in my local Pub with an intense dislike of immigrants and foreigners – his concession to myself was that he could not understand why my own overseas wife was not allowed to live with me here in Wales given we’ve been married a long time, but his language, like that of the Tories and UKIP was effectively NF/BNP territory. So, WAGONS OF HATE were deployed and to offer any apology on behalf of Ms May et al demonstrates how craven you are.
Anon1,
———————–
I don’t know how many times we have been through this
———————–
First time for me, so thanks for contributing……………….oh wait.
———–
The vans, which were never anything more than a cheap stunt to make the Conservatives look tough on immigration,
———–
Says you. Other people saw it a little different. Normalizing racism, xenophobia(included for the heavyweight intellect on here Habbabk) etc. It worked.
————-
Ball. I doubt a single illegal immigrant ever saw one of the vans, or for that matter could read what was said on them.
————-
You doubts and matters mean zero to me just as your ignorant comment means zero to me. Could you clarify why you think they couldn’t read these messages of welcome? All illegal’s are too poor and stupid to read, amirite?
————–
As for telling immigrants to go home, the present Tory government has admitted more of them than at any other time in this country’s history.
————-
Not by choice, by necessity. The UK would implode if not for immigrant workers. Vital to every aspect of UK society.
Maybe answer my original, simple question Anon1 –
Would it be an accurate observation to state that the UK has currently the most extreme hard right wing government in western Europe representing its electorate?
Accurate statement or not?
Never fear, Mayhems also gonna bring back fox hunting if the Tories win . Every man and his dog’ll be outside 11 Downing St in anticipation . 🙂
Oh, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Because, you know, there is also an actual Lord Chancellor, an ancient and venerable office currently – for lack of a better word – held by Liz Truss.
Great stuff, Craig, keep it up.
As chancellor, I’m sure Fox would be only too happy to bankroll any middle eastern adventure his handlers care to devise. I’m sure the fishing is good on the Litani…
I agree with Michael McNulty above, it’s bugger all to do with May – she’s a second rater just following orders.
“A week ago an old Whitehall colleague told me that Treasury mandarins expect to be briefing Liam Fox as the new Chancellor [of the Exchequer]”
Did he or she explain why it might be Fox?
Ooh er Missus May.
Osborne ridicules May’s pledge to reduce immigration to tens of thousands
The former chancellor said no senior Cabinet members supported Theresa May’s “economically illiterate” immigration pledge.
http://news.sky.com/story/osborne-ridicules-mays-pledge-to-reduce-immigration-to-tens-of-thousands-10881669
AND
Facebook, Google and Twitter face data watchdog grilling over political campaigns
As the big data revolution spreads to political campaigns, regulators and the law are scrambling to keep up.
http://news.sky.com/story/data-analytics-for-political-purposes-investigated-10881597
Werritty’s Company history
https://companycheck.co.uk/director/911720174/ADAM-MARK-WERRITTY/companies
Two companies were started by Fox. Slumbering gently.
https://companycheck.co.uk/search?term=liam+fox
I had completely forgotten that Fox ran for the leadership and fell over at the first hurdle.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/06/29/anti-lgbt-tory-liam-fox-running-for-conservative-leadership/
Thanks go to Craig, as always. This is one of the websites that I come to for actual, unfiltered news. I also read the Guardian, but that’s just for comedy value, to see how ridiculous they can make themselves look on any given day.
Diolch!
Fox will have to look after his lap top if he becomes Chancellor.
Fat lot of good it’ll do May to have anyone brown nosing Trump if Trump has gone. Markets have been holding on and on for tax cuts, financial and environmental deregulation, stimulation of construction and deconstruction of America’s welfare lite state apparatus. Now the doubts are coming. If doubts gain momentum and the money wall dumps Trump he’ll have had it.
BTW spread sheet Phil is better than people think.
In the post-truth age I know this probably seems quaint, but let me quote Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights…
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
And while I’m at it I might as well quote Article 26:
1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and
friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) came out of the last big slaughter (WW2). Britain, the USA, etc all signed-up to the UDHR, but now none of them take a blind bit of notice of it.
If interested you can find the full Universal Declaration of Human Rights here…
http://www.spiderbomb.com/blog/?page_id=117
The actual UN page is now a fudge job, and it’s why I give a link to a clear definition (the original definition) on my own web space.
At the end of WW2 just about every country signed-up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
What short memories and what stupidity we now have.
I think Werrity gets a Hedge Fund this time. Mossad, Werrity and Fox associates. Will soon get done for insider trading, obviously.
As ever, it’s hard to know with Trump. I suspect he personally has zero interest in who is UK Chancellor, and it’s the usual deep state types who are pulling May’s strings. Clearly Fox isn’t getting the job on any specific merits, other than shamelessness. So, there’s your choice UK. A Chancellor who calls himself a socialist, or a known crook with ties to Israeli intelligence. Mostly, I sympathise with the voter, all of whom are subject to a barrage of propaganda, fierce manipulation, and lies, making it rather hard to see the truth, even for the savvy. But, it’s a fairly clear choice this time, and I have little sympathy for the chumps who vote Tory.
It’s still not over though. The polls aren’t ‘tightening’: they were just utter bullshit to begin with. It sometimes looks like the Tories would be happy to lose this one, which is somewhat disturbing.
“We’re the psychos and loons and we rule yer” seems to be the order of the day.
Again…
Trevor Moore – Time For Guillotines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exnaY0l4XsM
The above vid contains stuff that some people might find offensive, but it’s nowhere near as offensive as the shafting that the western populace have received over the last 30 years.
‘But following the manifesto, Labour have managed to close the gap by three points, putting them on 33% compared to the Tories at 47%, according to a Panelbase poll released yesterday.
A PA poll of polls also put the party ahead but at 31%. The change appears to suggest the Labour vote is continuing to trend upwards as election day looms.’
https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/pa-31338278.jpg?
Labour start closing in on Tories in election polls after manifesto launch
17 May 2017
http://metro.co.uk/2017/05/17/labour-start-closing-in-on-tories-in-election-polls-after-manifesto-launch-6643290/
I agree Fox is a neo-con menace, but the climate change scam is an obvious hoax that undermines the environment. An elementary explanation:- almost all Carbon Dioxide is in the oceans that cover over 75% of the planet. When the Sun shines the oceans evaporate realising CO2 into the atmosphere. When its cold the CO2 sinks back into the oceans and general vegetation growth. I.e. increases in CO2 follow, rather than cause, increases in temperature.
“An obvious hoax” that just happens to to be contradicted by the consensus of the world’s subject matter experts. Of course.
A brilliant explanation there, Dave – gigatons of man-made CO2 can just be disappeared into the oceans, every year, forever! Of course. What on earth was anyone worried about?
Have you considered publishing a paper on your “elementary explanation”? It would surely go down well in the climate denial industry, and since that is _exceedingly_ well funded, you might make a pretty penny out of it too.
‘CO2 coming from the oceans is debunked with other myths at the following url: https://www.skepticalscience.com/co2-coming-from-ocean.htm
Interesting site, Sentinel – thanks.
I don’t understand the likes of Dave when he says something as asinine as this: “…the climate change scam is an obvious hoax that undermines the environment.”
This supposed scam (we’ll take that as a given!) _undermines_ the environment? Not logging, not rain-forest destruction, not depleting the oceans of life by over-fishing and toxic waste dumping, never mind CO2 production. And certainly not the human over-population of this finite planet. No, it’s the “climate change scam” itself – presumably above all else! – which “undermines the environment”.
Unbelievable.
It was Thatcher who began promoting the climate scam and it was all about the politics of energy. As a Conservative and Zionist she wanted an alternative to ‘socialist’ coal and ‘Arab’ oil. Except the only realistic alternative was nuclear power, but this was far more expensive, but we’re now told, worth it, to save us from global warming!
Take a glass of Coca Cola, heat it, watch the bubbles as the CO2 is released.
Let it cool, does the CO2 go back into the Coca Cola? No, the Coca Cola is flat and it stays flat.
Heating the sea releases CO2 into the atmosphere, CO2 in the atmosphere causes the climate to warm up. That is positive feedback and positive feedback makes systems unstable. That is the problem, that is what the scientists have been telling us, once you go past a tipping point it just runs away with itself, CO2 produces more CO2, warming produces more warming.
The way that CO2 is artificially dissolved in Coca Cola is completely different from the way it naturally dissolves in sea-water, which includes photo-synthesis. It is not surprising therefore that the one doesn’t work like the other.
Dave, follow the money. It is true that governments fund the climate research bodies that present warnings about climate change. But corporations fund the ‘think-tanks’ that cast doubt on that research. Now you may not like governments but at least they still have some accountability to the electorate, whereas corporations have none.
Linked from George Monbiot’s article that Craig linked to:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/mar/27/tory-donor-climate-sceptic-thinktank
I wouldn’t take money to say the scam is true, but there is collusion between governments and corporations for different reasons, so useful to use some common sense. That is many things determine climate, such as Sun, Moon, Oceans, water vapour/clouds and even if CO2 increased temperature by the professed tiny amount, that would be a good thing. But more specifically Carbon Dioxide is essential to life on earth, because humans and probably all animals can’t even breath without it and its the food plants breath to make them grow. Also atmospheric CO2 only makes up about 0.038% of the atmosphere and is variable, which means the human bit is a fraction of a fraction and easily eclipsed by the natural variations.
of this
House prices in Birmingham are going up fast because of HS2. I though there was something wrong this weekend when Radio 4’s Moneybox said house prices are stagnating without mentioning our mini-boom.
Obviously May must have been trying to manage expectations, or in plain language, prepare us for another Tory U-turn. i.e a second 250 kilo bomb in 2 days. Try and get HS2 to do a U-turn. No problem says Liam Fox, it will loop the loop round the big eye at Star City like a toy train. As you say, fantasy politics.
Craig referred to the release from prison of Chelsea Manning, after seven long years. Acknowledging her bravery and courage and about the only good deed Obama performed by granting her clemency. Also Julian Assange’s work on the cable releases.
‘After she leaked the cables to Wikileaks, Manning felt lonely, isolated, and confused. In an effort to unburden herself, she reached out to former hacker Adrian Lamo.
“i want people to see the truth… regardless of who they are… because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public,” Manning told Lamo over instant message on May 25, 2010.
She chose the wrong person. Lamo turned on Manning, alerting the FBI and the Army to her claims. The next day, the Army seized Manning at her base in Baghdad.
But the truth she wanted to reveal did get out. At first, Assange released some of the haul with redactions, to protect innocent people caught up in the cables.’
https://www.wired.com/2017/05/chelsea-manning-free-leaks-changed/