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Monthly Archives: November 2021

Foul Play

Updated on date by author

I was in a local cafe when the football fans emerged today. Gillingham lost to Portsmouth by one goal in the 93rd minute. A dejected fan came in. When I asked how it had gone, he pointed out that it was totally unfair as there was foul play and it should have been declared a nil-nil draw.

However, he seemed to think that the Brexit referendum, polluted by foul play, industrial scale fraud and a whopping lie in the 93rd minute should stand although it too was won on the thinnest of margins.

Can anyone explain the decision science in both cases?

Discuss it on Twitter – please play nicely

To all those that SAY that they want the Tories out and an END to Brexit, this is your big day. Get your arses down to Sidcup rail station on Monday 29 Nov at 12 noon. We are leafleting the area. The Torons are so worried that they have sent Johnson, Raab, Sunak, May et al to the area to canvass for Louie French Let’s #GTTO

Please help us pay for the leaflets by giving us a tip on Patreon

Posted in Brexit, Britastrophe, Elections, Europe, Football, Politics | Leave a reply

Comedic leadership

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It seems to me that people don’t understand the difference between a comedian and a world leader. This video makes the distinctions clear:

In case you are confused:

Johnson was at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The expectation was for a speech on business, not some ravings on a day out at a theme park.

A good sense of humour is indeed useful as a leader and as a device to be used as part of a presentation. It should not overwhelm the content of the speech. Johnson’s speech was content free. When Johnson said that most people would have got his point he was right, because there was no content and therefore no point.

Garry Honey reports “contacts in the FCO say Johnson was the worst minister in living memory who could never master the detail. Just because you can win elections doesn’t mean you are leadership material, track record will catch up with you!”

When Peppa Pig is more comprehensible than a world leader it is time to call time on the comedy act.

When Foreign Secretary Johnson was tasked with securing the release from captivity of a UK citizen in Iran, he went off script and said ‘she had been training journalists’ with the result that Nazanin Ratcliffe’s sentence was increased and she remains in captivity today.

We will fight them on the, uh… thingumies… forgive me… I uh… blast it… forgive me… BEACHES! Yes, that’s it, beaches, haha! Now, where was I? We’ll uh… oh cripes, who put these notes together? Probably some blasted foreigner. Anyway, uh… forgive me…. You get the general picture…. I make model buses… Oh look over there! An eagle! Thank you Marcus Richardson

Johnson is a national disgrace.

Posted in Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Education, Leadership, Politics | Leave a reply

Day of Action

Updated on date by author

The European Movement held a day of action yesterday. Here are some of the image from events across the country.

My own contribution was in some 1:1 Brexorcisms in cafes and bars throughout the day and evening.

Our next action is to Get the Tories out in Sidcup and Old Bexley. Join us next Saturday via Sidcup and Old Bexley.

https://twitter.com/CampaignJane/status/1462082407025287169?s=20
Sheffield
Oswestry
Lewes
Swindon
Norfolk
Lambeth

Swansea
Cobham
Leamington

Posted in Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Education | Leave a reply
Railway Modeller

Levelling down

Updated on date by author

Here’s our latest piece of satire, based on the familiar railway magazine beloved of Boris Johnson when he is not painting Brexit buses:

Find all our work at Gutterpress – click the image

Read The Financial Times to follow the story of Johnson’s U Turn on the Northern Powerhouse. Some trainspotting notes:

The Diesel in Thomas the Tank Engine was known to be the most belligerent, paranoid, devious and neurotic engine on the SODOR railway. Fitting then that Priti Patel should take the footplate with her £77 000 lashes.

Jennifer Arcuri reported that Boris Johnson offered to be the throttle to power her business. Was this an Alan Partridge metaphor?

Meanwhile, there will be no return to steam or diesel power on Britain’s rail network, as there won’t be a northern rail network. Another Johnson promise broken. If we really needed HS2, it was the part connecting the northern cities rather than the piece we have darn sarf, taking maybe 20 minutes off the journey time to London.

If you like this post please give us a tip on Patreon or Paypal. It takes considerable time to generate these pieces.

Priti Vin Diesel – sorry about Ringo
Posted in Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe, Economics, Politics | Leave a reply

A letter from Germany

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From Heike Wilms

Dear Mr Johnson,

Before the referendum I hoped for a remaining Britain. After the leave decision I hoped for negotiations that would lead to an amicable agreement underlining the friendly relationship between Britain and EU / between our countries Britain and Germany.

I live in North Rhine – Westphalia, for decades next door to British neighbours – enjoying common activities, the Scottish “Fish and Chips” dealer serving the English quarter and its neighbourhood and the opportunity to learn from each other, to improve my school English, after my teachers had given up at an early point and told me, that I will never be able to communicate in English.

I was a member at Tate and loved to visit the gorgeous exhibitions, celebrating quiet moments on the member cafes terrace aside the river Thames, Ethiopian food at Old Borough market, together with an CDI from the Metropolitan Police I built up a network for male victims of trafficking and exploitation cooperating with several London charities and EUroPol.

I still have friends in England, Wales and Scotland and so I realised the differences between those parts of UK. I never experienced United Kingdom as a divided Kingdom.

I was used to receiving my favourite British treats and things. I loved the easy traveling to visit each other, as I can still do it all over Europe with member states. To me it is a highly valued gift, that there are no borders and through so many different cultures. I am allowed to experience this at any time I like. I can even work where I like and my children have a huge choice to study, where they want to. They decided to study in East Germany including single semesters abroad to learn about more diverse cultures.

Now it takes weeks to get chocolate from my favourite British chocolatier – and on top of this, he is not allowed to send dairy chocolate treats – just dark vegan seems to be allowed. Customs even sent them back and he had to make a declaration of contents and I had to pay extra costs for the tariffs. For small mugs a friend sent I also had to pay a toll. To send a parcel to Britain has become really expensive in general and I still do not have a real clue as to what is allowed and what is forbidden to send.

I have no idea how to get my traditional Lindt treats to your country to spoil my friends around Christmas. My friends are also insecure, as to what it takes to be allowed to travel to my place and had to get passports, which was not as easy as they expected, so they had to change the date to meet me In Germany.

I am upset and sad how difficult it had become to care for our friendship.

And apart from that I had to experience, how friends in Britain got divided in Remainers and Brexiters, and as a German I know very well how long it takes to get a divided nation reunited. We are still not reunited, there are still wounds, which aren’t healed and are just superficially covered in West and East Germany. It led to a high number of nationalists in the right political corner in East Germany, it led to populism, as feeding a fire is much easier than putting it out. And to build up something new on a burned ground needs common goals, which is a challenging process between divided parties.

It so sad to see that happening with your country, which I saw as a bastion and fighter for democracy, multicultural living and tolerance.

On top, I wonder, when I look at empty shelves and petrol stations running out of gasoline, are there advantages of Brexit and a so called sovereignty? Can nationalism without a strong bonding to neighbour countries bring anything good? I might be more sensible for that due to my heritage as a German.

I can’t see any so far, to me most things have become more complicated and the division will bring disadvantages over generations worst case. The trade agreements with new Zealand and Australia, appear to me like feeding big companies while getting British farmers and small enterprises starving and on the edge / on risk of losing everything.

I am also concerned about Ireland and the vulnerable peace progress between this divided island and how that will affect the relation between Britain and EU.

In my view and experience, I always saw Britain as a critical voice and strong part of the EU to develop a strong union without losing sight on the big picture and as well on national interests.

I write to you hoping that my concerns get heard – and that I may get an answer about the positive benefits of Brexit that would make sense to me.

I miss my uncomplicated relation to Britain and the comfortable years , when it was so easy and cheap to cultivate my friendships. And I miss the feeling of being welcome in general, I feel at a distance.

Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Europe, Sovereignty | 10 Replies
Rejoin

Rejoin Party

Posted on date by author

In the wake of Keir Starmer’s announcement that he wants to make Brexit work, all final hopes that Labour would become a serious opposition have been shattered. We need a new force in politics, hence this post.

Rejoin EU Party Announces Leader Richard Hewison will contest Old Bexley & Sidcup by-election 

  

Rejoin EU today became the latest party to enter the hotly contested by-election in Old Bexley & Sidcup on December 2. On paper, a rock-solid Conservative seat with a majority leave vote at the referendum that few observers expect to change hands, though given the turmoil engulfing the Tories over parliamentary standards, sewage and Brexit, anything could happen. 

  

Candidate Richard Hewison said: “In the last few months, the carnage Brexit is wreaking has been seen throughout the country. From empty shelves in supermarkets and truck-driver shortages to sewage being dumped in the sea and childish spats with our closest neighbours, the effects are far worse than anyone suspected. The so-called ‘Project Fear’ that Remainers were accused of peddling is fast becoming ‘Project Reality’. And while most Londoners didn’t vote for ‘Brexit’, they’re paying for it. With Northern Ireland still able to benefit from single-market access, why not London? It’s clear the Greater London area needs far greater autonomy in its affairs, at least on a par with Scotland, to restore its crucial trade links with the EU.” 

  

Reflecting Rejoin EU’s commitment to work with other parties, the Londependence party supports it in this candidacy. 

  

Londependence Leader Tom Foster said: “We wholeheartedly back Rejoin EU in this election, particularly knowing Richard’s commitment to proper devolution for Greater London, which would so benefit everyone who lives here. Bexley, Sidcup and the whole of London are being leveled down by this corrupt government and neither of the major parties have an answer that will bring power back to the people. Re-joining the EU is by far our best option for the future and we strongly urge everyone in Old Bexley and Sidcup to get behind Rejoin EU and send parliament a message it can’t ignore.” 

Old Bexley
The seat of former MP Ted Heath who believed in a better Britain in a better Europe for a better World

  

Asked why Rejoin EU doesn’t just support other larger pro-EU parties, Rejoin EU chair Andrew Smith said: “Well, there aren’t any! The Conservatives are pretending Brexit is a fantastic success, whilst Labour is trying to pretend it isn’t happening and looking increasingly foolish as a result and, however supportive the Lib Dems may be in private, they shy away from discussing Brexit in by-elections. We’re literally the only party prepared to talk about the one solution to our current problems – re-joining the EU.”

As Hewison’s nomination was confirmed, the news broke that some 250 Tory MPs had voted to overturn parliamentary standards commissioner Kathryn Stone’s verdict against their colleague Owen Paterson. Hewison said: “I’ve always said one of the problems with our tame opposition is that it never publicly calls out this government in parliament and records it in Hansard for posterity. If elected on behalf of the constituents of Old Bexley and Sidcup, I’ll ensure the words ‘liar’ and ‘corrupt’ are recorded next to this government on every occasion I can, however many times the Speaker ejects me from the chamber!”

A strong Tory victory on December 2 could signal a snap general election in early 2022, so please back Rejoin EU to make this rogue government dump its disastrous Brexit.

The Rejoin EU party is campaigning to re-join the EU because we believe the UK belongs at the heart of Europe and re-joining is the only way to solve the problems Brexit has created. Brexit is broken and it’s breaking our country too. All the promises on which Brexit was sold to the electorate in 2016 are now increasingly exposed as fantasy. Far from bringing the promised reduction in red tape and bureaucracy and providing £350m a week for the NHS, Brexit makes trading with the crucial European market more complex, difficult and expensive and threatens to reduce funding for public services. Sectors such as farming, fisheries & financial services, supposed to benefit from Brexit, now face an uncertain future. If you agree Brexit is making our country poorer, less tolerant and less united, join us and send a strong message to Westminster that you want your EU membership back, along with all its freedoms and benefits. 
 
Contact Rejoin EU at admin@therejoineuparty.com or visit our website at REJOIN. You can also follow the party on Twitter at @rejoinp

Posted in Boris Johnson, Brexit, Education, Elections, Europe, Sovereignty | 4 Replies

Colonel Blimp and Brexit

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From one of our stalwart campaigners Don Adamson.

Lieutenant General Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston was reckoned to be the most incompetent British general of WW1. In the 1920s he wrote letters to the editor of “The Morning Post.” This was a rag of such right wing views that it made “The Daily Telegraph” read like “The Daily Worker”. These letters were offensive even by Morning Post standards. David Low produced a series of cartoons for “Evening Standard” that satirised Hunter-Weston. Try as Low might, his cartoons never quite captured the true awfulness of Hunter-Weston’s letters.

N.B. the Evening Standard was owned by Lord Beaverbrook, an associate of Churchill and who was not exactly a drippy liberal.

“The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” was a movie that came out in 1943. Roger Livesey played Clive Candy who was supposed to be a version of Colonel Blimp. The resemblance to Hunter-Weston was superficial to say the least. Clive Candy was as decent a person as you could ever hope to meet. Churchill wanted the movie banned, all copies destroyed and everybody involved in the making of it banged up in the Tower of London. The movie was about two army officers, one British and one German. They met at the beginning of the 20th century and after some initial misunderstandings they became the best of the friends. That friendship endured despite the ups and downs of two world wars. They fell in love with the same woman. She married the German but that was not what made the movie controversial.It all boils down to one scene. Clive Candy said he would rather lose a war than win it by dishonourable means. Churchill was incandescent with anger. This was during the continuance of the Royal Air Force Area Bombing strategy that involved bombing civilian targets, causing large numbers of casualties, with no possibility of damaging the Nazi war effort.

Nearly 80 years later this is still a controversial question and reckoned to be a stain on Churchill’s reputation. It would seem that even in 1943 Churchill realised that the area bombing strategy was flawed. On Social Media you may come across a certain “Sir Michael Take.” He is a cheerleader for Brexit and Boris Johnson generally. It is intended as satire but somehow does not quite capture the true awfulness of the original. He reminds me of David Low’s cartoons. The clue is in the name: “Sir Michael Take” = taking the mickey.

19You, Judith Spencer, Alan Bullion and 16 others2 Comments1 ShareLikeCommentShare

Posted in Arts, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Britastrophe | Leave a reply
COP 26

COP 26

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Will world leaders COP out at COP 26? The world is watching.

Brexit madness makes our climate change problems much worse:

Increased transportation increases the Carbon footprint of Brexit Britain.

A bonfire on standards leads to moral hazard in materials and product manufacture. It’s back to the bad old days.

Disaster capitalism also leads to unethical practices, some of which are environmentally unsound.

Even Evan Davis sold us down the river on BBC Radio 4 when he proclaimed that, until we stop flying, driving petrol based cars and stop industry we could more of less forget any progress. Although Evan is an economist he seems not to understand that billions of people making small decisions makes a massive difference to our net zero target. Importantly, his careless comments contribute to the view that “climate change is someone else’s fault”. I’d expected better from him.

Nicola Sturgeon is much more on point, having been unafraid to meet Greta Thunberg today.

We must be the adults in the room. Watch this video and share widely:

Please help support the people who made this video at COP26.

Meanwhile Johnson tries to distract with COD 26 – TY Cod War Steve

Posted in Borders, Boris Johnson, Brexit, Education, Environment, Europe, Farming, Fish, Food, Politics | Leave a reply