In this roundup of Jacob’s Crackers, we chart the unprecedenteddevelopments in our Government’s idiotic approach to Brexit, COVID and Trump. I am finding it very difficult to distinguish satire from reality, as Boris Johnson lurches from the COVID car crash to our Britastrophe in waiting …
Ask that Brexit be suspended in the wake of Corona
Thank The Lords
The House of Lords firmly rejected the idea of breaking international law in order to “Get Brexit Done”. Johnson’s response? “Carry On Breaking The Law”. The likely outcome? Britain will be twinned with North Korea as a rogue state. The EU and US will treat Britain accordingly.
Trust is essential for all trade and business – The UK is not trustworthy
Write to members of the House of Lords – Point out that the internal markets bill was NOT a manifesto promise and therefore it is perfectly reasonable for the House of Lords to continue to oppose it.
World Beating COVID deaths
Once again, we lead Europe with COVID deaths, due to our “too little, too late’ approach”. This Twitter thread sums up the problems:
UK : "World beating deaths"
We lead Europe with 50 000 reported #COVID19 deaths
— Peter Cook – Leadership for a Better World (@academyofrock) November 12, 2020
Please Retweet this and related tweets. Tweet your MP with a personal message about #suspendbrexit. Hold their feet to the fire.
Rats deserting the sinking ship
If the COVID deaths were not bad enough, it seems that Downing Street is more concerned with petty power squabbles between Dominic Cummings, his cronies and Boris’ girlfriends. Whitehall is now occupied by a large number of Vote Leave cronies and we await the departure of Dominic Cummings and our idiot negotiator David Frost, following Lee Kane’s departure last night. Watch Channel 4 News last night to find out more:
Since this time cronyism has gone from bad to worse under Johnson. It has continued under Truss and Sunak.
To learn more about cronyism in Whitehall check out My Little Crony by Sophie Hill
Old Durham Town remade in our studio.
IBS – Irritable Brexit Syndrome
If all of the above were not enough to make you think that we have lost control of our senses, swivel eyed loons John Redwood and, not IBS, but IDS (Iain Duncan Smith) have pointed out that Britain is bigger than the US. They have also told Joe Biden had better watch his step if he wants to get a trade deal with Britain. Texas and California are bigger than the US geographically, never mind the economy. The US economy is 20 x larger than the UK economy. For the avoidance of doubt:
Size is important – we are 40 x smaller than the US.
John Redwood “Mine’s bigger than yours” Retweet and share to your MP
Smith took time out from snacking on his bogies to have a go at Joe Biden, presumably because he’s a decent man. Smith can’t even qualify as a man, a monstrous freeloader and charlatan who relished his persecution of the vulnerable. https://t.co/cuGUjD4uQy
Boris Johnson and Priti Patel scraped the bottom of the barrel by claiming that ending our freedom of movement was somehow a great triumph, whilst trying to pretend that the matter does not apply to British people. Johnson seems to have forgotten that he said exactly the opposite when he was seeking people’s votes for Brexit. In the words of Johnny Rotten:
Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?
We are all Citizens of Nowhere. Download In Limbo from our Bandcamp site.
If Jacob’s crackers, all the while, Johnson continues to self isolate from the truth about COVID and Brexit, Trump is also bunkering down, whilst he makes a new series of “Borat” with Rudy Giuliani. Sadly his tweet was deleted …
In today’s spoof edition of the Sun, it’s hard to tell satire from reality as Johnson retreats from criticism of his handling of Carrie, Cummings, Corona and the ongoing Britastrophe from the toxic cocktail of Brexit + Corona. This Brexit self isolation is not really good enough, especially as it seems he broke lockdown rules to meet one of his MPs.
Nut Nuts – Read all the editions by clicking on “The Sun”
In case you are not sure which is the fake news and which is real, here is a guide:
Belgium did win the football match 2 – Nil. The playing field was level, unlike our approach to Brexit negotiations, where we want want to kick the ball into the goal whilst the other side are off the pitch.
Johnson did meet with an MP last week, breaking lockdown and causing his Brexit Self Isolation. There was no reason why he could not have done this remotely. It seems very convenient, as it means he gets to avoid questions about Cummings going, Christmas, COVID and the tragic state of Brexit negotiations which climax this Friday. Remember a Brexit deal is WORSE than no deal in terms of the long term future for our children. See Brexit Choices.
Carrie Symonds texts Johnson 20 times a day whilst he is trying to run the country. We now have reached the Eva Braun / Linda Mc Cartney / Yoko Ono / Princess Nut Nut moment of English democracy, where the will of the people has been replaced by the whim of the blonde bimbo Boris.
There is no medical virus called Brexitosis. However, it becomes clear that Brexit has now occupied the minds of a few swivel eyed loons in the ERG, whilst the vast majority of the British public are bored rigid by Brexit and want Brexit flushed down the pan.
Johnson did say F..ck Business. This is the new Tory party. Can you really approve of someone who does this?
Mark Francois is still missing in action. What can be wrong? Write to Mark and wish him a speedy recovery.
We do believe that Larry the cat’s box was stolen by Cummings. Sources close to No 10 suggest that Larry was the only “person” who was not taken in by Cummings’ lies. Tweet Larry on the matter:
@Number10cat We are worried that #Cummings took your box Larry. Can we provide another for you?
Please write to them today and every day this week. We need a veritable tsunami of letters to arrive this week on the abject stupidity and sheer irresponsibility of Brexit, rather like when Harry Potter receives his letters from Hogwarts:
Click on the image to write to them.
Why?
To find out why you must do this please read Brexit Choices. If you are thinking Why Bother? letters work. Rachel Ashley managed to get Antoinette Sandbach to switch parties at the last General Election. Rather than argue with me on Facebook, Just Do It please.
Who?
We have three targets for our attention. Please follow the links in red to find e-mail addresses:
EU Leaders – Von der Leyen, Barnier, Verhofstadt et al.
What?
Please write personal letters. These work best. Be courteous even if you don’t like the person you are writing to. Please focus on the issue rather than the person or the party. To find out more on advocacy, please see the book “Reboot Britain“. Some sample letters are below for you to adapt:
LETTERS FOR BORIS AND CONSERVATIVES
Dear Boris Johnson,
I am aware that people who serve in leadership positions are often motivated by the legacy they leave behind. No one would wish the current COVID crisis on any world leader. However, to add the man-made project of Brexit to the natural crisis of COVID adds needless stress to a country about to have its resilience tested in ways that are unimaginable in peace time.
An 11% GDP hit from COVID x a 5-9% additional hit from Brexit will produce a lasting L-shaped (L stands for LONG) recession. For the good of the country and in terms of how you will be viewed by history, I ask you to demonstrate true leadership and turn back from this “Britastrophe”.
I write as someone with 12 business books behind me, an original career in pharmaceutical science and business academia to ask you to reconsider Brexit at this crucial time. I would imagine that your reputation would rise to mythical status if you were to turn back or suspend Brexit for an extended period. This would give time to work through the COVID crisis and provide Government with the bandwidth to address the problems, economically, socially, medically and politically.
I spend a lot of my time on the street at events and have spent thousands of hours talking with people about their attitudes towards Brexit in my vote leave area in Kent. It becomes apparent that the “will of the people” is now largely a myth, with only a few hard-core leave voters clinging on to the idea that Brexit will be good for them and, of course, a few of your more extreme colleagues in the Conservative Party. A credible opposition is building (I don’t vote for them, but it is always wise to change one’s mind as circumstances change) and your majority, won on the weakness of Jeremy Corbyn, is already under threat from within the NRG group in your own party. You will be aware that five former PMs across the political spectrum have come out against the folly of Brexit. If you have recently turned back from the extremes of your party as a one nation Conservative, please show this in practice now.
I hope that you will choose to be remembered as the Prime Minister who was big and clever enough to say “Circumstances have changed and Brexit is no longer the best option”. Be the bigger man and ask the EU27 to readmit the UK as a global partner of choice.
I await your considered reply.
Yours sincerely
**************
Dear Mr Johnson
Your legacy is set to be defined by your leadership on Covid and Brexit. You are on course to be remembered as the Prime Minister who destroyed the United Kingdom and wrecked our hopes and prosperity.
It is not too late for you to turn this around so please focus on steering this country through the pandemic. Provide effective leadership – in particular ensuring the roll out of the vaccination programme does not reprise the shambles we have been subjected to this year.
You can’t do this if you’re distracted by the disruption of a no-deal Brexit in 2021. Request an extension of the transition period by two years and this time use the opportunity to secure this country’s interests: the exact same benefits we enjoyed up to 2020.
Your allies are distancing themselves from you and public disquiet will turn to rage unless you have the courage to acknowledge reality: the Brexit you are set to deliver on 1st January will be catastrophic for this once great country of ours and its people.
Yours sincerely
Dear Mr Johnson,
Do you have any grasp of the risks you are taking with the U.K. economy by pursuing Brexit during a pandemic? You are concerned about the effect of Covid on the economy but are careless of the enormous damage Brexit has done, is doing and will continue to do for years beyond your lifetime. It is so selfish. No one has ever explained to me any benefit of Brexit that will accrue to ordinary Britons.
The wicked suggestion that you will spend £29million of taxpayers’ money celebrating this monstrosity that is Brexit is beyond belief. Have you seen your own recent YouGov polls? They show that over 70% of respondents think that leaving the EU was a mistake. You must stop, get an extension and hold a proper referendum that is not poisoned by lies. Brexit has divided the nation and you are responsible for the economic and social disaster you are bringing down on us all.
I hope that whoever reads this tells YOU, Boris Johnson what it says.
Yours sincerely
LETTERS FOR KEIR AND THE OPPOSITION
Dear Keir,
Please demonstrate leadership by voting against any Brexit deal, if one emerges from Johnson’s microwave oven in the coming weeks. For Labour to vote in favour of a Tory deal with the EU would be to chase yesterday’s polls, with no election on the horizon. If Labour MPs abstain, they make themselves irrelevant – not just now, but in any future critique. You will be aware from history that silence = assent. Julie Ward MEP commented on the point that the vast majority of Labour voters want to remain in Europe.
An 11% GDP hit from COVID x a 5-9% additional hit from Brexit will produce a lasting L-shaped (L stands for LONG) recession. For the good of the country and in terms of how you will be viewed by history, I ask you to demonstrate true leadership and oppose what can be termed a “Britastrophe”. There is no good Brexit, no jobs first Brexit. Substantially, a Brexit deal is virtually indistinguishable from No Deal, in terms of impacts on lives and livelihoods. It is merely a question of a slow death from a Brexit deal versus a rapid death by No Deal Brexit.
I spend a lot of my time on the street at events and have spent thousands of hours talking with people about their attitudes towards Brexit in my vote leave area in Kent. It becomes apparent that the “will of the people” is now largely a myth, with only a few hard-core leave voters clinging on to the idea that Brexit will be good for them and, of course, a few of your more extreme colleagues in the Labour Party. In my local area of Gillingham I campaigned for tactical voting for Labour in the last GE. The local candidate lost 33% of his votes down to circa 10 000. However, these votes did not go to the Tories. People simply refused to vote for Jeremy’s vacillation on Brexit. You will also be aware that five former PMs across the political spectrum have come out against the folly of Brexit. I have been impressed with your work so far to galvanise the Labour party as an electable opposition. Now is the time to strike a blow for the many, not the few.
A suspension of Brexit would give time to work through the COVID crisis and provide Government with the bandwidth to address the problems, economically, socially, medically and politically.
Yours sincerely
*************
Dear Sir Keir
I understand from MEP Julie Ward that “the vast number of Labour voters wish to remain in Europe”. This is certainly true in my case, and that of my family and friends. In fact, Battersea, my constituency, voted overwhelmingly for Remain.
What we are looking at is, quite frankly, a mess. The UK is already in a financial black hole, partly, but not totally, due to Covid, and deals such as those proposed by Mr. Johnson will be, quite frankly, a disaster, from which we may never recover. We have absolutely no trust in what is going on in No.10.
What you have been doing since becoming Opposition Leader is admirable, and so I write in the hope that you will vote against any Brexit “deal” that is produced by Mr Johnson in the next few weeks. Any abstentions will make any Labour MPs who do so irrelevant.
Far better, given that it seems leaving the EU is inevitable, even though only a fraction over 37% of the electorate voted for it, would be suspension – two years? – to allow a breathing space. This would enable us to address the current mess and concentrate on a mass immunisation and testing programme. The lack of success of the Track and Trace and PPE supply does not inspire me with any hope that a such programme would have any chance of success, unless there are no distractions, such as Brexit.
Yours sincerely,
LETTERS FOR EU LEADERS
Dear xxx,
I urge you to hold firm this week in negotiations re Brexit. There is no good Brexit, only the choice between a slow death by a Brexit deal and a rapid death by No Deal. 62% of British people no longer want Brexit, now that they have begun to understand the implications. It is clear that the fascist tail wags our Conservative dog.
I realise that legally we have left but as you know politics can change everything, including the breaking of international law in pursuit of a narrow goal of “Singapore on Thames” by Boris Johnson’s cronies.
I am aware of some softening of the mood last week, where Mr Johnson appeared to sack his far right advisers in order to make himself more presentable as a centrist. I need hardly to remind you that he and Donald Trump have made lying and shapeshifting in politics an artform, devaluing the trust on which all political leadership rests.
Any accommodation to British demands will likely weaken the strength of the union, with the possibility of other nations then wishing to conduct their own “Brexit clinical trials”. Britain has not negotiated in good faith and it is always a mistake to give into bullies, from the school playground to the G7.
Britain needs to reform the hubris upon which Brexit was built and I realise that the culture carriers need to have their power leavened or removed. We are presently engaged in this process. Please allow us to suspend or just end Brexit, so that we can finish the work.
Thank you for your patience over the last 4.5 years. I can only imagine how hard this must have been, as I watched Michel Barnier contemplating a level playing field, the wilful destruction of the Good Friday Agreement and the creation of a rogue state on the edge of Europe. Our Government has not learned anything about its own version of English exceptionalism over this time. All of this is to be traded for some vague notions of British fish, some 50 pence coins and so on. They do say that the last thing a fish notices is the water it swims in and our Government will soon be a fish out of water now that Trump is a beached whale.
We have been badly betrayed by our Government and the collective opposition over the last 4.5 years. Please don’t forsake us in our hour of need.
Yours sincerely
*************
Email ec-president-vdl@ec.europa.eu
Dear President von der Leyen,
As a convinced European, I was shocked by the Brexit result, and over the past four years have watched how our government not only illegally prorogued Parliament but showed it was quite ready to break International Laws. To say I am ashamed is an understatement.
However, although 37% of our electorate originally voted to leave the EU, a recent survey shows that now 62% of the British people no longer wish to leave. Although there appears to be some softening at No. 10, having watched the way Mr Johnson has operated over the past ten years, I believe this may only be his way of trying to make himself more presentable, more “centrist”, if you will. I should add that my brother-in-law worked for the EU in Brussels for any years, and was only too aware of Mr Johnson’s lies as regards EU regulations. Johnson was part of the lying that led many people to vote Leave.
Thank you for your patience over the past four years and more. But please, do not give in to Mr Johnson. Like most bullies, he will eventually see reason. Many of us are already involved in such work. It may also be that with the ousting of Donald Trump, the PM may rethink a few things. And certainly, a suspension of one or two years would help us to get through the current health crisis. We have been betrayed; please, do not let us down.
In case you are unaware occasionally we parody the immense stupidity and lies from populist newspapers. Here is today’s edition as we get ready for the Brexit wars. This includes some fact checking below, just in case you are unable to separate Brexit fact from fiction.
Click on the Maul to read our political satire Private Eyelines.
Boris Johnson has suggested that Parliament will not have time to approve a Brexit deal. So, when he said “Take Back Control”, he meant for himself rather than Parliament or the People. In the words of Johnny Rotten:
Ever got the feeling you’ve been cheated?
Farmers fear that the turkeys they are rearing will be too big for Christmas. Some (turkeys, not farmers) have in fact been put on diets.
Johnson has summoned up more jingoistic rhetoric about war with his announcement of more money for our military. This amounts to more distraction from COVID and Brexit. And like most of Johnson’s announcements, it’s not quite what it seems …
Common sense reflection.
Minister for the 18th Century, Jacob Rees-Mogg did quote Caractacus on Parliament the other day, but did not make an explicit connection between Rolf Harris and his song The Court of King Caractacus. Unfortunately many other people did. Jake deleted his tweet so you cannot reply to him.
In the ultimate irony, it seems that “forins” will be manning the border posts if Brexit proceeds. They very thing that Brexiteers wanted will not come to pass and they will have their blue passports inspected by Romanians and Indians. Oh, the joy on their faces!
A book on Brexit has been released. Entitled “The Benefits of Brexit“. The book contains 234 BLANK pages. Some Brexiteers are outraged, having bought the book to find it devoid of inspiration. Here’s my review:
Click image to read our books on Brexit. They have words and pictures.
If you want a good book on how to have difficult conversations about Brexit around the Slimfast Christmas Turkey, please find our books on Brexorcism on Amazon.
Medway council made a complete cock up when they commissioned an art installation by Glastonbury artist Cold War Steve, but one which I have enjoyed immensely. It seems that the Tory controlled Council thought that it would be a nice idea to cheer their residents up by commissioning an art installation in Medway Country Park, a place for families to walk and cycle, freed from the troubles of the day. Imagine their surprise when they realised that Cold War Steve does surrealistic and satirical art on Brexit? Within hours complaints started to arrive. I heard that the Councillors then started fighting about “who dunnit”.
Brexit Blind Date – Click image to find Cold War Steve’s work.
I was alerted about the installation by someone last Sunday. On Tuesday I had a “Ron Weasley moment” from Harry Potter, having a sudden and compelling need to go down to the installation. I told my wife and we set off. We almost immediately came upon one of the artworks which had been ripped off the stand and thrown into the River Medway. A crowd had assembled around the stand. I decided to shimmy down the bank, realising that I might find it hard to get back up, went out onto the mud and retrieved “Tim Wetherspoon”. I have dubbed Medway Country Park as “Borassic Park” as a result of Steve’s marvellous work.
Gammon in aspic.
I called the Council to retrieve the artwork in case of theft and then called the media. The result was a piece in the Kent Messenger. The comments are hilarious and well worth reading.
An incensed caller to the newsroom said his granddaughter had been left shaken by the image of “a near naked Boris Johnson next to a mass grave”. He said: “What the hell are they playing at having such ‘art’ on display?
Truly offensive – Brexit – Find Cold War Steve’s work by clicking the image.
Some of my fellow residents seem to think that I crave publicity and actually organised the attack. How very sad.
I could not resist a little careful augmentation of a couple of the exhibits with some of The EU Flag Mafia’s Britastrophe Stickers whilst I was down there … placing the stickers carefully for pictures and then removing from the artworks.
Priti Patel welcomes migrants on the Essex coast.
Matt Hancock oversees herd immunity for Old Age Brexiteers at the White Cliffs of Dover.
We have asked Cold War Steve if he would like to work with us on a project at the Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury soon. Details to follow.
Fix my bike Dom.
Read up on why Brexit can be suspended at Suspended Animation. Read up on why Rejoining may be a unicorn in the long term at Fool Britannia. Check out the implications of Brexit for Kent and Medway at Not In My Back Yard.
Write to your MP to demand that Brexit be suspended in the wake of Corona.
Snitch on MPs for voting to break international law.
On Monday 5th October, the House of Commons are due to debate the petition to Halt Brexit for a Public Inquiry. It would be very useful if you would write to your MP on the subject. Here are some sample letters to use. To write to your MP, please go to Write to Them.
Dear xxx,
I write to ask you to support the motion to Halt Brexit for a Public Enquiry on Monday 5th October. It must have become obvious to you that Corona crisis + Brexit disaster = a Britastrophe. If you are not convinced, I’d ask you to read the report by LSE, summarised at https://brexitrage.com/brexonomics
Of course, it’s not all about economics. We seem to be headed towards no deal Brexit again, having been deemed illegal by the House of Commons in the last Parliament. It is widely predicted that Brexit will lead to extremely bad social outcomes in the winter of 2021, alongside flu, flooding and the 2nd COVID wave. with medicine and food shortages. Are the deaths of children and vulnerable people to be your epitaph as an MP?
It is time to show that you are able to take principled decisions when the good of the nation is at stake. You will be aware that the Supreme Court stated that Brexit would have been deemed illegal had the referendum been binding, but deferred the judgement because of the non-binding nature of the Brexit vote. We also know that the desire to leave the European Union has now declined to just 35% versus 57% wishing to remain. We are at present in a situation where international law may be breached if we pursue the provisions of the Internal Market Act. I’d hazard a guess that the only trade deals we’ll be pursuing will be with North Korea and Venezuela in such circumstances.
I await your answer.
Yours sincerely
YOUR NAME
Dear xxx
I see that petitions about Brexit are to be debated in Parliament on 5 October. One of them is “Halt Brexit for a Public Enquiry” because the Electoral Commission decided that illegal overspending occurred during the Referendum campaign. Another is about extending the transition period.
At the time of the Brexit referendum, nobody could have foreseen Covid. I have always been a Remainer but I do appreciate that many who voted for Brexit were making the best decision that they could with the knowledge they had at the time. Many, of course, are now changing their minds and I appreciate that it takes a lot of courage for people to say that they think the decision to leave the EU was wrong. I hate all the personal attacks and insults and division in the country.
Times have changed tremendously since the Brexit vote. As you will be well aware, the number of Covid-19 cases is rising nationally. We should be concentrating on defeating Covid and rebuilding Britain.. Brexit on top of Covid will do untold damage that will last for generations.
I believe that you are a hard-working and honest MP. Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham was a big trigger for those disobeying the Government rules now. I really don’t like the current dishonesty in Government, and am shocked by the idea of breaking international law. At school years ago we were taught that the use of “Conservative” in the party came from the idea of “conserving what is good.” But that is not what’s happening at the moment – many of the elements I have always loved about Britain – the sense of fairness, the honesty, the belief in the rule of law, even the quality of our food, the feeling of “safety”, the availability of medicines – are being jettisoned because of the 2016 vote and determination to stick to the result no matter what the damage to the country.
I hope that debating these petitions will help the Government to reconsider its policy and change its approach.
Very best wishes
YOUR NAME
Dear xxx
Petitions about Brexit are, I understand, to be debated in Parliament on 5 October. One covers extending the Transition period. The other is “Halt Brexit for a Public Enquiry” because the Electoral Commission decided that illegal overspending occurred during the Referendum campaign.
I am aware that H.M. Government were fully aware of the implications of the Withdrawal Agreement via DExEU and that it was fully aware of preparations that needed to be made, and would have a plan to achieve them all in time.
It has become clear that this is not the case. The arrangements (Deal or No Deal) would have needed to be settled at least, say, 6 months at least before the implementation date, and yet we now have only 3 months to go, the possibility of a Deal sabotaged by the Internal Market Bill, and no evident plan that has any measure of bilateral agreement. The evidence for 31st December 2020 being an appropriate date was thin from the beginning. The evidence that it is now the appropriate date does not exist.
Importantly, the proposal now from the Tory Party is unambiguously a proposal for No Deal, because the EU will make no treaties with an organisation that breaks the agreements already made. So we therefore need to discard the suggestion that the “Will of the People” is being carried out, since “No Deal” was never proposed in the referendum. It would be sensible however to investigate the process by which votes were obtained in that referendum, because that will be helpful in any decision to set that result aside and investigate what is truly wanted or wise in 2020 / 2021
I hope that debating these petitions will help the Government to reconsider these points and change its approach.
With best wishes
YOUR NAME
I write to ask you to support the motion to Halt Brexit for a Public Enquiry on Monday 5th October. It must have become obvious to you that Corona crisis + Brexit disaster = a Britastrophe.
A Free-Trade Agreement (FTA) envisaged by Theresa May’s government would have provided 2 years for an orderly transition of business, and government long-term economic analyses are based on this. Since then we have approached a No-Deal precipice three times with another fast approaching, and businesses have not had the time to prepare. The current government, influenced by the coronavirus crisis, has given itself carte blanche to spend whatever it wants on anything at all and is flailing, indecisively wasting huge quantities of money on hypothetical eventualities. There is still no certainty about what comes next and this is going to cause permanent heavy damages to British businesses, far worse than the original long-term analysis predicted.
Please stand up for your country and our children’s futures and support the motion to Halt Brexit for a Public Enquiry.
With best wishes
YOUR NAME
Dear xxx,
I have adopted a ‘wait and see approach’ about the Internal Markets Bill, despite my concerns. With the Bill now having passed through the House of Commons, those concerns were clearly justified.
Surely Conservative backbenchers should have learned by now that reassurances or undertakings from Johnson are worthless? Haven’t the last nine months proved beyond doubt that Johnson agreed the Withdrawal Bill and the Political Declaration merely to persuade critics in his own and other parties to agree to a general election? Having got his majority, he swiftly reneged on the fundamental issue for the EU, the level playing field. Then he selected Mr Frost, a known enemy of the EU and non-believer in regulatory alignment, to ensure a drawn-out unproductive negotiation. Now he is playing the same trick. Unless you and others support the petitions due to be discussed next week in the Commons, he will surely proceed to No Deal and use the illegal measures in the Bill, once it has become law.
Bogus accusations of bad faith by the EU will be the excuse. This process has already begun. I have a seen a reply from another MP. This refers to a nebulous EU threat to block the sale of British agricultural products within the EU. This, it is claimed, ‘would prevent the transfer of animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Protocol.’ No information is given as to who made this threat, whether it has formal status and the forum in which it was made. This may be the party line, but without such details, one may doubt whether it was ever made, given the Government’s record of dishonest propaganda. There is also a list of scenarios in which the Bill’s illegal provisions would be used. These assume bad faith or unreasonable actions by the EU in the future , and are highly provocative. As the record clearly shows , it is the British side, not the EU, which has acted in bad faith throughout the negotiations and continues to do so, notably by the mere act of passing an illegal Bill through Parliament.”
In this matter, as in much else, one can seen the hand of Dominic Cummings behind the scenes. This over-powerful adviser has no respect for our Institutions, Parliament, the Constitution or the law itself. He has built a power base at the heart of Government which is already beyond accountability. His activities are not confined to ‘getting Brexit done’. Our planning system, our local democracy and the BBC are under threat. There is a stench of corruption and cronyism emanating from No 10. Irrespective of the outcome of Brexit, it is time for Conservative MPs to act as they did following the 2017 general election. Then they told the Prime Minister that unless she dispensed with her advisors, Nicholas Timothy and Fiona Hill, she would face a leadership challenge. In the name of Britain’s democracy the same needs to be done now in the case of Dominic Cummings and his tribe of aides. If Johnson is unable to do without him, it is time for him to be replaced.
Apologies for the length of this e-mail and all best wishes as ever
YOUR NAME
LETTERS WORK – See this reply – this MP is clearly conflicted but can say no more publicly.
Written by a former Conservative Councillor from Tunbridge Wells.
“I didn’t leave the party. The party left me”
In last week’s article on negotiations with the EU we showed that it was Johnson’s regime which had acted in bad faith up to now. One aspect of the level playing field, state aid, needs to be looked at further. Here, negotiator Frost enlarges on his usual mantra about Britain being an independent country by insisting that it is therefore entitled to spend its own money as it wishes. But there are limits to this seemingly reasonable argument.
As individuals, we all have the right to spend our money as we wish. However, if we do so in a way that gives us unfair advantages over our neighbours and damages them, we should not expect favours from them in return and may face retaliation.
In the case of state aid, Frost is actually demanding a more favourable position for Britain than we had as an EU member.
This is not reasonable.
It does not represent the spirit of Britain in terms of fair play. It is more like Trump’s spoilt child approach.
Click on the image to view last week’s post.
As a member of the EU, we had freedom from tariffs and quotas and had access to the single market. In kind we were expected to comply with EU state aid rules. These ban state aid to attract investment (except in development areas). Now we are demanding these advantages plus the right to offer state aid without limit. This is a benefit which even member states are not allowed to grant to their firms.
It is hardly surprising that this unreasonable demand is a sticking-point for the EU.
Report MP’s for breaking international law using the letters and contact links at Stop Boris’ Junta.
Particularly, since the UK was the top recipient in the EU of overseas investment until very recently. This is no longer so, thanks to Brexit. It could be retrieved if negotiations were not blocked by the inept negotiation skills and the hubris of Frost and the rest of Johnson’s regime.
Instead, however, the Government proceeds with the Internal Market Bill. This contains clauses contrary to the EU Withdrawal Agreement, Johnson’s General Election promises on Brexit. The bill also breaks international law.
Well worth your time.
Tory MPs have deflected the issue by referring to a vague EU threat to block the sale of British agricultural products within the EU. They claim:
“This would prevent the transfer of animal products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Protocol.”
However, no information has been given as to who made this threat, whether it has formal status and the forum in which it was made. Without such details, it is doubtful if this threat was ever made at all, given this government’s record of lies.
The lies, falsehoods and misrepresentations of Boris Johnson and his government https://t.co/VRLlGjnTKt
The Johnson regime also lists scenarios in which the Bill’s illegal provisions would be used. These assume bad faith or unreasonable actions by the EU, and are highly provocative and self-defeating. This game of chicken has provoked the expected reaction from any organisation who is threatened by criminals. In other words, the initiation of legal action against the UK for breaking international law.
Ursula von der Leyen speaks the truth
It is Britain, not the EU, which has acted in bad faith. We continue to do so, notably by the mere act of passing an illegal Bill through Parliament.
Write to your MP. Ask them to suspend Brexit on Monday 5th October via Halt Brexit.
Adrian Ekins-Daukes plans to lead Re-Boot Britain in order to boot Tories out of Local Government in the 2021 elections.
Please support our ongoing journalism and other activism.
In case of doubt, Boris Johnson’s statement about bananas was a big fat LIE.
We have exclusive use of The Gulbenkian Theatre in Canterbury in November on Tuesday November 17th from 6.30-8.30 pm. Futurama – Re-Boot Britain is a multi-media arts event on the future of Britain and the World for our children. “Futurama” covers a range of future based issues for our children:
Climate Change, XR and environment
Brexit, Populism and Pop Art
BLM, racism and xenophobia
Social change, the future of work and living with COVID
All these will be expressed through different artforms. This extraordinary event will be live streamed and captured on film, so it will live beyond the event itself via You Tube etc. To be in the audience, get your free ticket here. To present your work at Futurama read on.
Themes
Media
Join us at Futurama.
Art meets the melting iceberg of politics.
To pitch your idea pleasee-mail me at reboot@brexitrage.com. We expect good media coverage for this event on TV / Radio and in the newspapers / social media. The outputs will last for all time, so your work will gain global coverage.
We will stage an art exhibition in the foyer. We plan the use of digital art / photography exhibition as part of the backdrop to the event in the theatre.
The Gulbenkian Theatre.
Constraints
There is a limit of seven people to be on stage at any one time, five backstage. We will manage this via a comprehensive risk assessment.
We can have an audience of up to 100 people, socially distanced in the Gulbenkian Theatre. This includes performers and any video crew.
I require a professional pitch from people wishing to stage a performance so that I may include in our COVID risk assessment. This will include a thumbnail sketch of what you intend to do, how many people will be involved, how much time is needed and any special considerations you will need to execute your plan (equipment and so on).
Futurama – Reboot Britain comes early to Kent.
Don’t miss it …
Inspiration for your own performances follow:
The Festival Goers – Cold War Steve.
Diversity.
Music and Extinction.
Black Lives Matter and Musical Expression.
“If there ain’t no justice then there ain’t no peace” Prince
Rishi Sunak’s promise of “whatever it takes” ran out yesterday when he suggested that musicians were pointless in a post-COVID society. As someone who bridges the arts and business I find Sunak’s suggestion faintly ridiculous. If musicians, actors, artists et al. are pointless, we may as well also condemn people working in restaurants, nail bars, tattoo parlours etc. The Artful Dodger Sunak is morally bankrupt. Although Sunak retracted the statement, this is the way of our Government, to gaslight the public by making a statement and then take it back. In this case Sunak even deleted his tweet to cover his tracks.
Rishi understands the price of everything and the value of nothing.
I wrote a song for Dishy Rishi and Priti Patel to shine the light on the real issue that they are artfully dodging, that of a “Britastrophe“. Britastrophe is the toxic combination of Corona Crisis + Brexit Disaster. All the while Brexit drags us under, we will never have the capacity or capability to adapt ourselves personally and in business to a post-COVID world.
I invite you to gift copies of the album to MP’s in order to prick their consciences to suspend Brexit in the wake of Corona – much more effective than signing a petition and something different. A sample letter is included on the Britastrophe album page and you can gift the songs via the link on the page. For now enjoy the video:
This version is the “Balti Bojo Bonking Brexit Bhuna Bulldog Bhindi Bhaji Bhangra Beat MIX“. It synthesises the Raj, empire and colonialism in a slightly crazy cocktail, like all things that have emerged from this Government’s Brexit obsession. Of course we know that Boris, Rishi and Priti blame the people for the problems of Britastrophe, when it is they that are making the critical decisions on the future of Brexit Britain.
Free swimming pool with every donation.
There are six uniquely different versions of “Britastrophe” on the album to choose from, from the Carlos Santana “Salsa” Mix through to the Funkadelic inspired “Heaven and Hell” Mix. All proceeds to go towards security equipment for my family in the wake of recent threats of violence by angry Brexiteers in my area.
Boris Johnson is heading an Anti-Conservative Tory Government. Conservatives instinctively want to conserve, as the name implies, but this is an administration of destroyers. Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s senior adviser, is not even a member of the Tory party. He treats its elected representatives with contempt.
Anti-Conservative Tory Government now runs the country and nobody noticed or cared
Conservatives could not give a stuff about Scotland or NI
Munira Mirza, Mr Johnson’s head of policy, used to write for Living Marxism, the in-house magazine of the Revolutionary Communist Party.
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, had a picture of Vladimir Lenin on his office wall.
These occupants of No 10 reject traditional Tory respect for continuity and compromise in favour of creative destruction. Their current targets are the BBC, the impartial civil service, and the judiciary, with our planning system. Further down the road, they plan to destroy local government.
Managerial capability and economic credibility have been thrown out of the window. This is most recently demonstrated by the extraordinary failure to report and then trace the contacts of almost 16,000 COVID-19 cases. One Tory former cabinet minister robustly denounces the prime minister and his top team.
“I am a Conservative but we don’t have a Conservative government. Conservatives believe in parliament, they don’t try to bypass it, Conservatives believe in the rule of law, they don’t announce to the House of Commons and the world that they are going to break the law. Conservatives believe in the Union and in trying to hold on to the best aspects of diplomacy like the Good Friday agreement. This is a bad English nationalist government with no idea of where it’s going.”
In all this the guiding hand of Cummings is clear. This over-powerful adviser has no respect for our Institutions, Parliament, the Constitution or the law itself. He has built a power base at the heart of Government which is beyond accountability. His activities are not confined to “getting Brexit done”. Our traditions and system of government are being undermined. A stench of corruption and cronyism is emanating from No 10.
Conservative MPs must act as they did following the 2017 general election. They told Theresa May to dispense with her advisors, Nicholas Timothy and Fiona Hill, or face a leadership challenge. In the interests of Britain’s democracy the same needs to be done now with Dominic Cummings and his gang of aides. If Johnson is unable to do without him, it is time for him to go too.
By Adrian Ekins-Daukes : Former Conservative Councillor
“I didn’t leave the Tory party. The Tory party left me”
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