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Category: Politics

Chat GPT

How will populism implode?

One of my colleagues challenged me by showing me an answer she got from Chat GPT when she asked the question: How will populism implode? It occurred to me that the answers given adequately described the algorithm of this website and our collected activities at Reboot Britain.

We are the robots.

Taking these in turn: Click on the text to follow the links

Promote alternative narratives

Fact checking and debunking

Engage with grassroots movements

Encourage voter education

Strengthen democratic institutions

Foster economic stability and opportunity

Collaborate with international partners

Engage with marginalised communities – see especially ‘In Limbo

Emphasise accountability and transparency

Foster unity and common purpose

We need you
To make all this work even better we need you to join us !! Click to subscribe.

How will populism implode? Find the ultimate book on imploding populism here – sample the book on Amazon. Populism will eat itself !!

Private Eyelines
Private Eyelines : Click image to read more,
Private Eyelines
Private Eyelines : Click image to read more.

Glen Robinson articulates some points to help us build a movement to get Brexit undone. He too asked Chat GPT the question, getting a slightly different response:

Building and growing a transformational political movement or party requires a strategic approach and a focus on key elements such as vision, organisation, communication, and grassroots mobilisation. While the specific tactics may vary depending on the context and goals of the movement, here are some general steps to consider: 

1. Clarify your vision and values: Clearly define the vision and values that underpin your movement or party. Articulate a compelling and inspiring narrative that resonates with people and offers a distinct alternative to the status quo.

2. Establish a strong organisation: Build a well-structured and efficient organisation to support your movement’s activities. Develop a clear leadership structure, delegate responsibilities, and establish decision-making processes. Ensure that your organisation has the capacity to handle the logistical, legal, and financial aspects of running a political movement.

3. Mobilise grassroots support: Reach out to communities, individuals, and organisations that align with your vision and values. Engage in grassroots organising efforts to build a broad and diverse base of support. Conduct outreach campaigns, host events, and leverage digital platforms to connect with potential supporters and involve them in your movement.

4. Develop strategic alliances: Seek partnerships and collaborations with like-minded individuals, organisations, and existing political entities. Building coalitions and alliances can amplify your impact, broaden your reach, and help create a united front for your transformational goals.

5. Craft a compelling policy platform: Develop a well-researched and comprehensive policy platform that addresses the key issues and challenges you seek to tackle. Ensure that your policies are grounded in evidence, practicality, and the values of your movement. Clearly communicate how your policies will lead to positive change and benefit society as a whole.

6. Engage in effective communication: Develop a strong and consistent messaging strategy to effectively communicate your vision, values, and policies to the public. Utilise various communication channels such as social media, traditional media, public speeches, and community events. Craft messages that resonate with your target audience and emphasise the urgency and relevance of your movement’s objectives.

7. Empower and educate supporters: Provide resources, training, and opportunities for your supporters to actively engage in the political process. Empower them to become advocates, volunteers, and potential candidates. Educate them about the issues, your movement’s policies, and effective strategies for creating change.

8. Mobilise for action: Organise peaceful demonstrations, rallies, and campaigns to draw attention to your cause and increase public awareness. Utilise technology and social media platforms to facilitate coordination, engage supporters, and encourage collective action. Mobilise your base to participate in elections, support sympathetic candidates, or even field your own candidates when appropriate.

9. Adapt and evolve: Remain flexible and responsive to changing circumstances and feedback. Regularly evaluate your strategies and tactics to determine what is working and what needs adjustment. Be open to learning from both successes and failures, and adapt your approach accordingly.

10. Sustain momentum and long-term engagement: Building a transformational political movement is a long-term endeavour. Focus on sustaining momentum and maintaining engagement beyond initial successes. Nurture relationships with supporters, continue organising activities, and foster an inclusive and participatory culture within your movement.

Remember, building a political movement takes time, dedication, and perseverance. It requires consistent effort, effective organisation, and a clear articulation of your vision and values.

The enigma known as Glen Robinson. Click image to find him on Twitter.


Brexitania

Brexitania

By Don Adamson, Brexocist in Chief from Barnsley. This week’s homework in Brexitania aka Broken Brexit Britain: Discuss the following statement: The strongest possible argument against abolishing the monarchy and replacing it with a Presidency is that we have politicians who would dismiss King Charles III and appoint somebody like Johnson as President. 

Trumptown to Truss

This week’s quotes: “Trump had little interest and no gift in foreign policy … his lavish state visit produced nothing …. If that is the kind of friends the right wingers want they are simply not serious people  … They do not exchange Mickey Mouse currencies … I was given a smile of incredulity when I tried to offload my last £50 note  … It is hard to remember but once there were decent Tories able to negotiate significant agreements properly … a succession of increasingly wealthy PMs, with arrogant privately educated ethic that they are better than the rest of us … in truth they don’t have a fig of understanding … Sajid Javid seems compelled to demonstrate that all political careers end in failure … a disgusting exercise in naked populism … Current behaviour of Suella Cowardlywoman, James Stupidly and Richy Scumbag needs to be called out … knee jerk response to entirely foreseeable problems that were bound to arise with their beloved bloody Brexit … Political chaos of recent years … Brexit … Johnson … Thick Lizzie … the question of competence … Momentum, a far left campaign group, would be better named Inertia …

I have had more than enough … of Liz Truss and Richy Scumbag

State of Britain

The British state is simply ineffective … Britain’s sluggish economy is undermining the welfare state … economic growth is the foundation stone for everything … a decade of political turmoil … is a disaster … British tax burden is due to hit a post war high of 37.7% of GCP … Brexit means there are fewer institutional constraints on distortionary state aid … Britain will struggle to compete with USA to attract investment … Britain has neither the industrial base nor the ability to offer larger subsidies … Tory Cabinet Ministers write honeyed histories of the past … such books tell you little about the best and much about the Tories …

CBI – Complete Brexit Idiots

Confederation of British Industry … conduct that fell short of that expected … reported allegations by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct and misuse of drugs. This included a rape … failed to filter out the toxic people … Israel’s per person GDP is higher than Britain’s … Dominic Raas displayed unreasonable and persistently aggressive conduct … intimidating and insulting … made physically threatening gestures … number and consistency of complaints about Raas … evidence that something was genuinely wrong … the complainants acted in good faith … cutting people off in meetings would have mattered less if was not the sort of person to describe work as ‘utterly useless and woeful’ … it is hard to overlook another problem – his effectiveness as a manager. If enough people think you are a bad boss then you are a bad boss. If employees avoid you the pool of talent available to you shrinks … Raas’s approach … ‘absolutist’ … that sounds like lawyerspeak for ‘complete nightmare’…  Humpty Dumpty replied … when I use a word it means what I choose it mean … 

Bravo President Boris

Braverman describes sending refugees to Rwanda as ‘compassionate’ …  claimed to ‘refute’  the idea that her plans were  not humane … (I think she means ‘repudiate’) … can you make words mean so many different things? … punishes people who have fled war, hunger and fear … how is that ‘compassionate’ …we are truly in an Alice through the looking glass world … there is little attempt to disguise the cosy relationship between Infosys and Downing St … Infosys regards the UK as a wholly owned subsidiary… bagged a seat on the UK Trade Minister’s Technology and Telecoms Trade advisory Group … Richy Scumbag’s wife will bag nearly £6.7M from her shares in the family firm … Last March a High Court Judge found that Tory MP Andrew Bridgen had ‘lied’, ‘given dishonest answers,’ ‘evasive and argumentative’ … Polls always show that the public wants governments to keep their hands off the BBC … Chairmanship of Ofcom needs to be taken out of the PM’s hands … after Johnson’s risible attempts to appoint Paul Dacre … If you want a Republican UK are you ready for Boris Johnson … over the next ten years the politics of post Brexit Britain will grow increasingly volatile … trust in democracy and the  rule of law will plummet to nanoscopic levels … do not much fancy measures that inconvenience Westminster or dislodge snouts from troughs … the political class grows weary of the King’s passion for action on climate change … his concern for the welfare of refugees … … his pesky insistence that a generation of youngsters  is denied opportunity … step forward Boris Johnson … for the truly deranged there is always the option of President Johnson …

Fox on the run

Look at the mess Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News has made of its legal case, costing them almost a billion dollars … Sharp’s piece to the camera announcing his resignation as BBC chairman had the feel and authenticity of a North Korean News Bulletin … how ludicrous that he was even there in the first place … other players in this tawdry drama … Johnson, Richy Scumbag … will be hoping the resignation will be the end of the matter. If there is any decent journalism in this country they will be wrong …

Supermarket sweep

As food shopping gets more expensive across Europe, new checks will makes things even worse here … Food inflation in Brexitania is running at 19.1% a year, highest in 45 years … Britain has Europe’s worst inflation rate … Brexit has added to the burden … Brexit has another gift for the hard pressed and desperate because Brexit is not finished … government has stopped checking quality and safety of food that enters UK … delayed these tests four times … expect massive hikes in food prices … the checks will have to be introduced some time … UK is playing Russian roulette … repeat of the horse meat scandal, another foot & mouth outbreak increasingly likely … farming industry is terrified … food safety and standards under threat … UK is go to destination for every dodgy dealer trying to offload rotten meat, infected eggs, counterfeit cheese, adulterated olive oil and stinking fish … astounding that the government is taking such an unacceptable approach to critical checks … industry is at a huge disadvantage … undercut by rivals who sail through the border … reeks of desperation … the whole food sector is threatened … new rules will add billions to food imports … serious shortages will start very quickly if the system collapses … somebody is going to have to pay for this mess and it will be you every time to you go to the shops …

Bollocks to Brexit
Click image to Flush Brexit.

Not the Nine O’ Clock News

*ucker Carlson, Andrew Bridgen, GB News … populists have lost their grip … GB News has five Tory MPs presenting its shows but is burning £30M a year in cash … racking up complaints … Talk TV … similar outgoings that have yet to be met by ratings …  … for Fox News the problems are still bigger … Carlson peddled conspiracy theories … pulling in around 3 million viewers … his replacement got 1.3 million … Infowars was for viewers who thought Fox too fair and balanced … emerged unscathed till the courts caught up Jones … ordered to pay £1.2B to Sandy Hook families … politicisation of BBC has resulted in a series of sandals … attacks on the Civil Service back lashed onto Cabinet Ministers … Brexit boosterism has left the DUP blocking the government’s efforts to bring normality to Northern Ireland … Every victory in culture wars seems to be a defeat … Influence of Brexit on behaviour of Dominic Raas … has not been examined enough … Civil Servants unable to carry out his orders because of the difficulties of implementing Brexit … We always knew that leaving the EU would suck the machinery of government into the mire … no tangible benefits … undermining the government’s ability to govern …

Hard Labour

Labour’s refusal to mention the failures of Brexit …. missing one open goal after another … looks increasingly pig headed as a clear and growing majority recognise Brexit was a mistake … it is extremely offensive but so is everything about Boris … I wonder if the people of Kent who voted for Brexit would have done so if this absurd anomaly had been written on a bus … Two Parliamentary reports highlight the scale of fraud in the UK and the lack of effort to stop it … £2.2B lost from the Covid business grant … just £10M recovered … £4.5B loss from fraud and error in the furlough and self employed Covid support schemes … fraud accounts for 41% of all crime …. costs individuals £4.7B a year at an average of £1,290 per crime … less than 1% leads to prosecutions … fraud policing is next to non existent …

Don Adamson
Don Adamson – former coastguard, Brexorcist First Class.

Sudan Sunackered

British inaction on evacuating Brits from Sudan is a ‘shitshow’ … Brexitania’s flagship Freeport Tees Valley … industrial scale corruption … NHS have seen their pay fall since 2010 … 18,000 UK trained doctors currently practice overseas, one in seven of the total trained and a 50% increase since 2008 … more than half ‘unwilling’ to return’ … more than 6 million patients on waiting lists … shortfall in England of 1.932 midwives and 496 consultant obstetricians … we need five times as many obstetricians to have a safe maternity service … collapse of safety culture … if UK had the same mortality rates as Sweden nearly 1,000 more babies would live every year … massive midwife shortfall has persisted for well over a decade … we spend £3B a year on maternity services and £8.25B on negligence claims arising from them … one GP for 2,286 patients as opposed to 1,800 ten years ago … tried to subcontract to the private sector but this did not work either …

Woke up Britain

Prof Goodwin’s book ‘Values, voice and virtue; the new British politics.’ … A new elite has taken over Britain … a disaster … woke ideology … graduates are brimming with dangerous, liberal ideals … for a Professor at the University of Kent this is a pretty odd argument…. an unfortunately plausible argument for this sour, paranoid book could be that Professor Goodwin’s grievance stems not from the ‘elite’ but from snotty nosed students who answer him back in seminars and take the Mick out of his crusty political views… Around the world budgets are in a mess … governments are stuck in a fiscal fantasyland … the picture is forbidding … 

Don Adamson Pip Pip             Medway Delta (Retired)          Brexorcist and Saboteur First Class

Sunakered

Brexit Chaos

In the wake of the first Labour local council victory in Medway since 1998, I draw some post-election consequences for the Lib Dems, Greens, SNP, Labour and Conservatives. Undoubtedly, this was a disaster for the Tories and Brexit in terms of what was predicted. The Tories lost 1061 local council seats. The question is, is this enough to get the Tories done and Brexit undone?

My part in the Tories’ decline

At a personal level, I was delighted to play my part in the Tories’ decline in Medway, through long term campaigning, mass Brexorcisms in pubs, cafes, supermarkets, bus stops etc., and doorstepping in Tory voting areas over the last few weeks. My family loaned 8 votes from my family to Labour last week and some to the Lib Dems and Greens. However, we shall not repeat this performance in a General Election, unless Labour turn on Brexit and Europe. I have put their Councillors on notice to this effect.

My Tory MP Rehman Chishti became so desperate about the decline in his party’s fortunes that he decided to attack Suella Braverman about her recent demonisation of Pakistani Muslims in The Observer. This is significant, in so far as Mr Chishti has an impeccable record in voting with the prevailing cabinet. His unbridled attacks appear to have sprung from sheer desperation and a desire to pick up the Pakistani vote in my area rather than any serious conviction that Braverman is an evil spirit who was herself an immigrant. He failed. Given that the Tories have a stronghold in my area, I plan to stand an independent candidate in Gillingham and Rainham and need your help to do this NOW. Please click on the link below and back us.

Get the Tories out in 2024

Lib Dem renaissance

Perhaps the story less covered in the mainstream media is that of the Lib Dems renaissance in last week’s elections. The Conservatives losses were fairly evenly distributed between Labour and the Lib Dems, with the Greens taking a very good proportion of votes as well. If this were to continue, the Lib Dems could find themselves as Kingmakers in a General Election along with the SNP. The Tories and Labour like the binary system which both believe they profit from. But we could find ourselves in a rainbow coalition in 2024. A lot can happen between now and then. Coalitions mean that politicians have to do things they really don’t like doing : listening to opposing views ; coming up with better decisions ; occasional compromises and so on. It’s all good with me. The people may just be the net winners in such a system … ?

The big winners here were the Lib Dems and Greens, with the losers being the far right (Tories) and the far right parties.

Green revolt

The Green party cleaned up, gaining a very respectable 241 seats in England and taking control of one Council in Brexity Mid Suffolk completely. Increasing awareness of sewage, climate catastrophe and possibly a protest vote against the far right parties aka Tories and UKIP may all have contributed to this. Let’s hope this continues into a General Election. Check our film out, based on our music composition ‘How do we want to be remembered‘.

Climate Crisis is the number one issue facing our planet.

How do we want to be remembered?

Rishi Sunakered

Sunak is under pressure from the ERG to go further right with his policies. As a holding statement on The BBC on Friday, Sunakered simply repeated his five priorities. He claims that people who cannot afford to eat were more interested in stopping the boats. Even James O’Brien is not sure what Sunak means by lurching to the far right. O’Brien frivolously suggested on LBC that it might involve bringing back the birch. I’d add bear bating, the rack and the drowning of witches, to take us back fully to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s 18th Century Brexit idyll.

An 18th Century Tory Synthpop Trance Floor dance groove we composed.

I called James to discuss Sunak’s options. Paradoxically, I suggested that Sunak would be better advised to move towards the centre ground of politics to pull the Swordaunt from the stone. James and I riffed away to my catchphrase ‘Sunackered’, which I coined in the summer of 2022. James said that Sunackered (or Sunakered) is worthy of a Daily Mail headline ‘if some guy wasn’t going to wear his mum’s hat and sit on a chair on Saturday’. Listen into to our riotous dialogue at LBC James O’Brien. #Sunackered is trending on Twitter as I write this.

Sunakered
I coined the phrase at the end of Summer 2022. Sunakered is free to use by the populist press. Please download the album to support our continuing work to banish Brexit bullshit.

Early indications suggest that Rishi Sunakered listened to my advice on LBC. Yesterday, Kemi Bad Enoch Powell announced that the Government has rowed back on its promise to have a bonfire of EU laws, 98% of which British politicians helped to make! Unusually, Jacob Rees-Mogg has called Sunak out as a traitor. Bad Enoch was sanctioned by TWFKASLH (The worm formerly known as Sir Lyndsay Hoyle) yesterday. Hoyle is a man who has allowed all sorts of bad behaviour to pass in the House of Commons but decided that enough was enough with the Nigerian Brexit fraudster. Mogg never calls the Government out. He even backs rapists. His outburst on the bonfire of EU law is clearly a smokescreen to get more than 20 Tory signatures on a letter to shaft Rich Tea Sunakered. I confidently predict that the approx 600 laws to be incinerated will be the ones with no large scale impact or connectivity to the main body of EU law. In other words, it will look as if we have taken back control of our laws, but, in reality, nothing will have changed, unless you indulge in some arcane Brexity manufacturing processes. For example, making car engines from English oak, impact-destructing cricket bats or pepper grinders without holes. Otto English sums up one of the many contradictions:

Arse Nicked by Brexit

And, once again, the ERG are fighting like cats in a sack. Andrew Bridgen has split the fascist parties by joining Lozza Fox’s Reshame party instead of Ricardo Tice’s Rebjorn Again party. It’s all good. Rishi is doing exactly what I predicted in order to save the Tory party from Brexit oblivion. Next he will steal Keir Starmer’s clothes, see Hard Labour. Perhaps Rishi is not Sunakered after all?

Sunackered or Sunakered – The theme tune – we were the first to convert the catchphrase into an EDM dance groove in 2022!!

Go now

In his weakened state, Sunak now needs some scapegoats. Given that the Select Committee has not yet reported on Boris Johnson’s multiple illegal, immoral and indecent behaviours, a convenient distraction would be for this committee to make a strong verdict against Johnson soon, such as full suspension from parliament. Accordingly, this would allow Sunak to blame the current malaise in the Conservative party on Johnson and Truss’ catastrophic mishandling of the country. It would also allow him to exorcise Johnson’s ghost without having to do anything himself. This is the way that Sunak likes to handle his HR decisions, through outsourcing to other agencies.

If Johnson is suspended for more than 10 days, The Rejoin Party have a plan to issue a recall petition to remove him from office and break the spaffer’s spell for good. Please join them in readiness.

Voter Suppression

The other big news about the election was voter id and voter suppression. For more on this read our full article on the subject. Early indications suggest that this will have disadvantaged specific demographic areas, such as ethnic minorities, the disabled and young people. The Government now runs the Electoral Commission and they decided not to record any data from polling stations. Correspondingly, it is quite likely that there is serious under-reporting on the extent of voter suppression in these elections. Edwin Hayward reports on over 70 case studies of voter suppression. They are almost certainly the very small tip of a very large electoral fraud iceberg.

These elections have demonstrated that the voter id system is totally unfit for purpose. I made my own small protest to the Electoral Commission. Above all else, please make your voice heard. Add your name to the call for action at electoral reform.

Say no to voter suppression

The Scottish position

Although the local elections are a hammer blow for the Tories, they are not catastrophic. Labour needed to reach the magic number of 40% vote share in these elections to win a General Election outright. They won approximately 35%. This explains why Labour want to take 30 seats in Scotland. I predict an informal coalition of aggression between Labour and Conservative to viciously attack the SNP on any agenda and exploit the change of leadership. Admittedly, the SNP’s transition could have been smoother. However, I believe we will see some very bad behaviour from both Labour and Conservatives in the coming weeks and months. They must be dealt with accordingly.

That said, the SNP’s problems are temporary. The essence of SNP support and the values underpinning them will be largely unchanged by a few sensational tabloid headlines in the longer term. For comparison, I note that Boris Johnson’s many breaches of the law did not attract police tents in his garden and officers in fancy dress Hazmat suits. Added to this, Brexit delivers a daily stream of bad news, both in the short, medium and long term. Robert Peston reported that 86% of young people wish to rejoin the EU. In consequence, Starmer’s position on Brexit is ultimately untenable. I reported on Labour’s position on Brexit in the previous article “Hard Labour“. If Labour’s results are not good enough to win a General Election outright, a hung parliament still seems a likely outcome of the current optimism about the local elections.

Read our page on Scotland

An Innocent Man

Jailbreak

Yesterday, I walked out of Medway Police station as an innocent man. But there was no jailbreak or incarceration in “Kentonville Prison”. I merely handed myself into the Police to assist them with their investigations. This followed a complaint in The Daily Express from someone in Yorkshire about the re-branding of Kent from The Garden of England to The Toilet of England.

The Kent Toilet of England story was reported the world over, from The Guardian, The New European, Evening Standard, FT to Scotland, Ireland, Wales and as far as The New York Times and in Abu Dhabi. Reports said that the police were investigating. It turned out that the Police press officer had made the story up as an “official response”.

Jailbreak. Turns out that Natalie lied.

I had a cordial conversation with the officer in charge at Medway Police station and then left without the need for waterboarding, electric shock treatment or a cake with a nail file inside.

One man from Yorkshire commented: “The petulant, infantile antics of swivel-eyed Remainers never ceases to amaze.”

The Daily Excess

ITV News picked up on the story behind the jailbreak headline, as did Kent Live. The Kent Toilet of England exercise was organised to highlight the combined impact of COVID crisis + Brexit disaster = A Britastrophe. In the event the ITV news interview was truncated down to the parochial issue of the lorry parks and Brexit readiness in Kent.

Here below are the original interview questions and our full answers. There have been recent instructions for local authorities to say nothing bad about Brexit, so the Councillor’s hands were tied. Careful analysis of his statement does reveal that the Councillor more or less told viewers to stockpile food and fuel as he cast doubt on whether supplies would get through. I guess that ITV want to only spread good news in the season of goodwill, but I had hoped for better from them. It seems that everyone is scared of this Government, but why?

Shock horror – a suit !!

Q1 Kent County Council say that everything will be fine after Brexit. What do you say?

A This is disingenuous at best and a downright lie at worst. I understand that people want to feel optimistic at this time of COVID crisis and Christmas. However, in my long experience, optimists are usually people who have not had enough experience. The French prefer experience over fantasies. They showed that a 70 second transit time produces a 5 mile queue. This has been confirmed by the Government’s own reports on the matter. I myself have spoken with Kent Councillors, who confirm that once contagion takes place with cars, we are likely to see gridlock in towns and village, as members of the public attempt to use rat runs etc. It has recently been reported that Government plan to use the military to fly COVID vaccines into Britain – obviously the roads are OK then?

Q2 You organised a stunt to change the signage at the Kent border to say Kent, Toilet of England. What was behind that?

A We did it to highlight three main points:

Brexit can be stopped or suspended.  Although legally we have left the EU, stopping or suspending Brexit is merely a matter of political will.

Nobody voted for the toxic combination of Corona crisis plus Brexit disaster, which I call a “Britastrophe”.  We must Re-Boot Britain and that’s why we feel the need to re-start the conversation with all the people who voted in the referendum.

We have interviewed former MEPs across the political spectrum.  They confirm that no deal is more or less the same as a Brexit deal. Theresa May was right when she said “NO deal is better than a bad deal”. She might have added that NO Brexit is better than a Britastrophe

Jailbreak
A man from Yorkshire complained about the signage in the Daily Express – that’s hardly “Fury” 🙂

Q3 What should Kent County Council do now?

A They must ask Boris Johnson to suspend or stop Brexit in the wake of Corona. Border delays are the tip of a much bigger iceberg socially, economically and politically. The GDP shock to our country will be between 5-10 times larger than the 2008 crash. People have no idea just how bad this will be. We have to endure Corona as a natural phenomenon. We don’t have to endure Brexit on top of Corona. Tonight we’re gonna have a Jailbreak …

Please take action by writing to MPs and EU leaders. Ask for Brexit to be stopped or suspended for two years minimum.

Here is the “I am Spartacus” video we made with the help of people across the globe who admitted to the sticker crime. I am hoping all of them manage to make a jailbreak …

Spartacus lives !!
Doing time for Brexit.
Brexit Hits The Fan
Click on the image to read Brexit satire.

Musings of a former Conservative Councillor

Many years ago, the Conservative grandee Lord Hailsham observed that, constitutionally, Britain is an “elective dictatorship”. Boris Johnson’s regime is demonstrating the truth of his warning, particularly when power falls into the wrong hands.  Dominic Cummings, until recently Johnson’s over-powerful senior adviser and the driving force behind his policies, was autocratic by nature. Cummings treated MPs, including Johnson’s Brexiteer supporters, with contempt. During his period in power, he created a centralised and unaccountable  power base at the heart of Government with key functions such as appointments, vetting and control of data in his own hands. Parliament was increasingly sidelined. The hallmark of  the regime became the advancement, employment and enrichment of persons noted only for their loyalty to himself and the Brexit cause, with no consideration given to their merit, experience, suitability or capability to carry out their duties. A stench of corruption and cronyism began to emanate from No 10. 

Conservatives have a long track record in crime.

Johnson’s regime is also unconservative. Conservatives instinctively want to conserve, as the name implies, but his is an administration of destroyers.  Cummings was never a member of the Conservative party and his appointees in 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. Our planning system and, indeed, our whole structure of local government are due to follow. Under Cummings, the Conservative tradition of managerial capability and economic credibility has been discarded, as demonstrated, inter alia, by the extraordinary failure to report  and then trace the contacts of almost 16,000 COVID-19 cases, a major blunder to which the Government reacted with barely a shrug.  Cummings’ departure opens the door to a new start where realism replaces dogma, honesty and transparency replaces lies, corruption and cronyism, and where respect for our institutions and constitutional conventions and, in particular, the rule of law is restored. 

What must be done?

  1. Radical U-turns by the Conservative party are required to expunge Cummings’ legacy.  The largest and most immediate is the withdrawal of  the Internal Market Bill and, in particular, the removal of the clauses which break international law and curtail Parliament’s powers. 
  2. There should be no further talk of lowering our food and environmental standards at the behest of the United States, nor of downgrading worker protection. 
  3. The Culture Secretary’s plan to abolish the BBC and replace it with American-style radio and TV must be shelved.
  4. Hancock’s questionable appointment of an old university girlfriend to a post in his department should be this administration’s last vestige of cronyism.
  5. The Cabinet Office’s involvement in hospital and medical procurement should be terminated and all further government contracts undergo transparent and competitive tendering processes as the law requires.
  6. There should be a general review of appointments made under the Cummings regime in No 10 and the public service, with a view to removing those who are patently unsuitable or incompetent. The Prime Minister would do well to carry out the same exercise amongst his second and third-rate ministers once Brexit is over and blind obedience to that objective can cease to be the sole qualification for advancement.
  7. This should be accompanied by an end to lying and xenophobic propaganda, if Conservatives still wish to regain any trace of being a one-nation party.

Only if a programme of this nature is followed can we hope to regain a Government worthy of respect, both at home and abroad. Its present state was well summed up in the words of a Tory former cabinet minister: “ This is a bad English nationalist government with no idea of where it’s going.” Unless Johnson shows himself capable of changing this judgement in the near future, it is in the interests of his party as well as of his country that he be replaced as soon as possible.

The writer resigned from the Conservative party in protest against its SE branch’s policy to force Remain members to vote for extreme Brexiteers in the choice of candidates for the 2014 European elections.

Looking after No 1

Looking after No 1

As Christmas comes, it is traditional to think of others rather than Looking after No 1. Selfishness or Looking after No 1 gave us Brexit. So, it warms my heart to discover that Dominic Cummings has taken a £45 000 pay rise. I imagine that this is a bonus for Dom’s “leadership” in breaking lockdown rules, by driving 500 miles to take an eyesight test. This, while Boris Johnson asks public sector workers to take a pay freeze. Yes, Dom deserves is £45 000 and the nurses, doctors, carers, council workers et al deserve nothing at all. Looking after No 1 really works.

Our remake of Durham Town. Poignant.

It’s even more gratifying to learn that Jacob Rees-Mogg, Minister for the 18th Century, has condemned UNICEF’s attempt look after others, after they tried to help the world’s most vulnerable children. I understand that Mr Mogg intends to start workhouses for these children rather than rely on handouts from damned charities.

Jacob is a disgrace.

Herd Immunity

As the COVID R rate for Britain rises to 1.1-1.2, it is heartwarming to learn that the virus does not visit Private schools. Eton College is closed but state schools remain open. I confidently predict that we are headed for another national lockdown to mask problems from “Getting Brexit Done”. Johnson may lack competence in many things but he is brilliant at Looking after No 1. Locking us down after Christmas and using the law to enforce the measures will ensure that people are unable or unwilling to protest or riot against Brexit.

Already, we have 20 mile queues in Kent on the roads. We are also told that the lorry parks promised by Kent County Council will not be ready for months, due to “unplanned rain”.

Operation Pisspot.
Have I Got News For You features “Operation Pisspot”.

Devaluation of the truth

We have also been let inside the not so secret recipes of the Conservative Party recently. Wellingborough Conservative Party advise that sometimes it’s better to lie quickly rather than tell the truth slowly. Does that accord with you to get on in life as part of Looking after No 1?

Is self interest our default position?

Can we not do better than this?

Keir Starmer must oppose Brexit.

Where is the opposition?

Keir Starmer appears to be following the lead of The Midwife of Brexit aka Jeremy Corbyn, by appearing to back a deal. There is no good Brexit deal and the will of the people has changed dramatically. At what point will he and Labour oppose the greatest disaster to face our children? When it’s too late?

Some other bugger’s fault

Looking after No 1 demands that everything is always someone else’s fault. As expected, Johnson continues to blame the European Union for Brexit. I mean, it’s obvious:

  • The Conservatives set the Brexit vote up to heal a problem of cohesion within their own party.
  • The plan failed. Brexit has consumed three Prime Ministers so far.
  • The concept of No Deal was invented a year after the vote was taken. It was never mentioned at the time of the referendum.
  • Various aspects of Brexit have been deemed illegal. These are clearly the fault of judges, doomsayers and snowflakes

All of the above is clearly the fault of The European Union and not the Conservative Party and those who were taken in my the lies. How could anyone think it was Britain that voted for Brexit?

The Blame Game
The Blame Game.

Brexit Means Brexit (still)

Everywhere I work, people are puzzled about why we are still pursuing this and I did this explainer video for our American friends the other week:

Season’s Brexit Greetings.

Enjoy spending your sovereignty this Christmas.

Infect a friend.

Looking after No 1 seems to be in vogue at this time. I am sure that karma will eventually kick in on this shower of liars, bullies and cheats. Britain was better than this … remember Live Aid?

Will the British people do the usual thing? To walk on by and ignore our sleepwalk into fascism? To moan about what happened AFTER it happened?

We can do better than this

Come out of the darkness

Into the light

Our requiem for Brexit. Please download the songs on Bandcamp.

Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit

Just a day after Johnson appeared to have made a “Canada style” deal, it turns out that all is not well and the industrial scale lies and gaslighting has started again. Our deal is really a Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit. Here we report the news via the medium of populist press parodies. Today it’s the Daily Maul and The Sun. Including a fact and fiction checker. As always it’s action that counts. Please follow the links at the bottom.

Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit
It’s always Fury in the Maul. Check our work in this area by clicking the image.

FACT AND FICTION CHECKER

TRUE : Boris Johnson has thrown students under one of his buses by cancelling the Erasmus scheme. In one of his empty flourishes he says he plans to replace it with our own scheme which he has rather oddly titled The Turing System. FALSE : It does not require students to undergo castration like Turing had to, leading to his suicide.

TRUE : Britain “leads” all of Europe in terms of COVID deaths. We are once again back up at peak deaths per day as we experienced in March 2020. This is because Johnson has prioritised the economy above health throughout this crisis, acting too little and too late and using the science when it was expedient to do so and then ignoring it to silence opposition.  As a result, Britain lurches from lockdown to lockdown.  The result will be a prolonged crisis rather than a rise to zero.  Schemes such as eat out to help out and the use of exceptions mean that everyone loses as the pandemic flatlines at 400 – 700 deaths per day.

FALSE : Police did not threaten to taser lorry drivers to prevent them urinating.  However, they used tactics reserved for totalitarian states in their attempts to control people who, through no fault of their own, were trapped at Manston airport and remain so.

TRUE : Plans exist to evacuate the Queen in case of civil unrest over Brexit. This unrest can only come from those who apparently have “won” Brexit, since remainers are largely unable to contemplate acts of civil unrest. beyond eating cucumber sandwiches and sitting down on the grass opposite parliament.

TRUE : These charts are an accurate appraisal of the Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit deal, as compared with our existing arrangements with the EU.  It tells a very sorry story. To read the full text of the trade deal go to Brexit Trade Deal.

Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit
Brexit Fury in “The Sun”. Read Private Eyelines by clicking on the image.

FACT AND FICTION CHECKER

TRUE : Jacob Rees-Mogg did in fact blame UNICEF for feeding children at Christmas.  This is beyond shame.  FALSE : As far as we know, Mogg has not opened a workhouse in Chew Magna, But one never knows.

Ashamed.

FALSE : Although “John” has not taken over as home secretary , this regular attendee at 10 Downing St is an advocate of hanging.  TRUE : He often turns up drunk at 10:00 o’clock in the morning to sing songs such as Bye Bye EU. In fact this is his only song .

TRUE :  Oi band the K**TS managed to get to #5 in the Official Charts this week with their song Boris Johnson is a F*****G C**T.  Speaking as a musician, I cannot say this song is particularly well written, but clearly the sentiment has captured the mood of the nation.  Ursula Von de Leyen is in fact a gynaecologist, but did not utter the words about Johnson, apart from expressing some hand relief in her dignified speech on Thursday afternoon.

True leadership.

TRUE : The French provided relief to stranded lorry drivers with 10,000 COVID tests. The Germans airlifted supplies in, whilst Sikhs from Gravesend cooked thousands of curries for lorry drivers stuck in Kent through no fault of their own.  In contrast, Kent County Council managed to provide a snack bar, whilst Kent Police locked the drivers in at Manston airport and wielded tasers in order to frighten them.  Kent County Council’s CEO also was complicit in lying about the numbers of lorry drivers stranded in the County, suggesting that it was in the hundreds rather than thousands.

TRUE : Boris Johnson attempted to cover up the fact that he has given a lot of ground to the EU by refusing to publish the details of the deal.  He is calling it a Canada style deal, when in fact it is what I’m calling Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit.  Meanwhile today Michael Gove is involved in gaslighting us to talk about a “special relationship” with Europe, in order to stop scrutiny on the deal.  Keir Starmer is still undecided as to whether to oppose, abstain or support a Brexit deal.  Although it’s a difficult choice, an abstention would be the minimum best course of action given that Boris Johnson will blame Labour if they back the deal.  Where are your six tests Keir?  And your backbone?  John Redwood wishes to write a spoiler clause into the EU trade agreement, saying that we can cancel the agreement at any time without consequence.

This piece of excellent analysis by James Chespy who has read the entire EU Trade Agreement on Boxing Day – a Herculian effort:

The purpose of a Free Trade deal is to remove barriers to trading across frontiers. Having read this EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement I can say with some degree of certainty that this is not a free trade deal it is not even a Canada Style deal which the Prime Minister articulates. The deal is a regressive agreement because imposes barriers to Trading across frontiers. It imposes extra bureaucracy for businesses to adhere to. That means extra costs of doing business and that will mean lost jobs and reduced profits.

When companies are having their profit margins hit by the extra bureaucracy they will take the view that it will be far easier to conduct their business from within the EU than from within the UK.Whilst its welcome that there are no tariffs on exported or imported goods the extra cost imposed on businesses by the extra bureaucracy will make the fact that there are no tariffs rather meaningless.

Take action

Write to Keir Starmer and Labour MPs.  Ask them to abstain as a bare minimum response to the Canada MINUS MINUS Brexit trade deal.

Continue to operate divide and rule tactics in the Tory party in whatever way you can. Use their own tactics on them and better their strategies rather than copy them.

Wash your hands of Johnson – Click to support.

Arise, Sir Keir Starmer

At this point in time, Sir Keir Starmer says he plans to back Johnson’s oven ruined Brexit. We must change this through writing letters to Keir and Labour Party MPs. Here are some sample letters to use. Please adapt them for your own MP and send a copy to Keir. It is best if you write your own letters but please use these for inspiration. Arise, Sir Keir Starmer.

The e-mail format to use is firstname.lastname.mp@parliament.uk Look your MP up at Write To Them.

Dear Keir,

I write to urge you to at least ask your party to abstain from the Brexit Trade deal vote. Many people are surprised that you said you would back it without even seeing it but I also understand that you are fighting an untrustworthy PM. In such circumstances, it pays to learn from Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and the world’s best poker players, by not revealing your final strategy until you have seen Johnson’s final position and voting intentions close to the vote.

I wrote this press statement for your elaboration, should you choose to abstain:

“On Christmas Eve, I was minded to back Boris Johnson’s deal in the national interest. I acted in good faith, placing my trust in the PM and put my faith in the Brexit deal as presented. It has since become apparent that the deal is far from what he presented. I have today tabled amendments that would have made the deal better but these have been rejected. As a result I cannot in all good conscience support a deal that is bad for the people of Britain. At the same time, I must take account of the views of my MPs and party members. In the words of Bonar Law ‘I am their leader, I must follow them’. I ask Labour MPs to abstain in the vote.”

You know full well that Johnson will make sure Labour get the blame for his Brexit as he has a reliable track record of deflection. Back the deal at your peril and ultimately that of your party.

Yours sincerely

Peter Cook

Bragg gets it spot on every time.

Dear friends and comrades

We are just 3 days away from Boris Johnson’s bad Brexit deal being voted on in parliament.   While this government has pulled us back from the brink of a catastrophic No Deal outcome, we must be under no illusions. Johnson’s Brexit deal will damage our economy and leave us all poorer during the worst recession in 300 years.   The government will get its deal through the Commons – I have  no doubt about that – but it should not be endorsed by anyone who believes Boris Johnson’s Brexit is bad for Britain.

We should hold this government, and this government alone, responsible for this terrible deal. Opposition MPs must refuse to endorse it and lay the blame squarely at the door of this government.

This so-called free trade agreement in the history of free trade agreements is the only free trade agreement that actually erect barriers to trade. We in the Labour Party should not get our hands soiled by walking in the voting lobby alongside Boris Johnson he has negotiated this insanity which will leave us all worse off.

The purpose of a Free Trade deal is to remove barriers to trading across frontiers. Having read this EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement I can say with some degree of certainty that this is not a free trade deal it is not even a Canada Style deal which the Prime Minister articulates. The deal is a regressive agreement because imposes barriers to Trading across frontiers. It imposes extra bureaucracy for businesses to adhere to. That means extra costs of doing business and that will mean lost jobs and reduced profits. When companies are having their profit margins hit by the extra bureaucracy they will take the view that it will be far easier to conduct their business from within the EU than from within the UK.

Whilst it’s welcome that there are no tariffs on exported or imported goods the extra cost imposed on businesses by the extra bureaucracy will make the fact that there are no tariffs rather meaningless.

That is why I am calling on you to refuse to endorse the deal by abstaining. should you on examination of the agreement decide to vote with the government I won’t hold it against you after all we are all Labour and you must do what you think is right according to the dictates of you own conscience and I do believe that this matter is a conscience decision.All I would ask is after careful consideration you do what you think is right.

Kind Regards,

**************************

Arise, Sir Keir Starmer

Dear Keir,

I am sorry but you are entirely wrong to back the Brexit deal . There are no advantages to Labour in doing so and you will be a hostage to Johnson’s gibes for the future. This is not a good deal it is not even an acceptable deal it goes nowhere near meeting the 6 tests you set out. It is not up to the Labour Party to make sure Johnson doesn’t end up with no deal by default. He has to sort that one out for himself.

Many of the Labour voters in the Red wall seats did not vote in 2019 turnout was relatively low . Proper analysis of the figures shows many of the former Labour voters in those seats started voting UKIP or Tory years ago. You have bought in to the Southern /Westminster narrative about the 2019 election. Many who did not vote couldn’t vote for you predecessor .

Unforgivably, you are taking most Labour members who voted remain for granted and assuming you can count on our support. That is a big assumption. You are now following a path likely to alienate many Remainers as well as not winning over leavers. Why would they choose to leave Johnson and Co? They are not going to vote for the imitation when they can have the real thing.

Labour is about to become completely irrelevant if you are foolish enough to vote for this deal.

Yours sincerely,

**************************

Dear xxx,

I am as furious as I am sure you are to find that Boris Johnson’s Brexit bears no resemblance to what was promised. It is a bad deal for Britain that will cause economic and social harm to our country. 

The Government has run down the clock on negotiations with foolish negotiating tactics, leaving MPs with a very difficult decision when it comes to the upcoming vote on the deal. But this is not a vote between deal or no deal – there are three ways to use your vote. It is clear that the government will get its deal through the Commons – there is no doubt about that – but it should not be given a ringing endorsement by anyone who believes Boris Johnson’s Brexit is bad for Britain.  

It is in the national interest that Boris Johnson’s Government takes full responsibility for this bad deal, and that Labour is not seen to endorse this moment of national self-harm. Any sense of opposition parties taking joint ownership of this deal will make it more difficult to hold this government to account for the damage it will cause. 

Abstaining on a matter of such great national importance may be difficult to do.  But it is an honest position, which recognises the impossibility of rubber-stamping this bad Brexit, and of risking a harmful no-deal outcome.

That is why I am writing to you today to ask: will you abstain on this bad Brexit deal?  

Kind regards

With thanks to James Chespy, Ellin Stein, Moez Adamjee and Catherine Reynolds for these.

Arise, Sir Keir Starmer

Bragg about it.

SuspEND Brexit

Dither and Delay

On September 22, Boris Johnson was advised to go into lockdown. Six weeks later we are going into lockdown … but not until after we have infected more people via Halloween and Guy On September 22, 2020, Boris Johnson was advised by experts to go into lockdown. Six weeks later we are going into lockdown … but not until after we have infected more people via Halloween and Guy Fawkes night. Since there is a cycle of several weeks between infection and illness, most of the unnecessary deaths from COVID are already ‘baked in’.  Johnson used dither and delay back in February whilst minting 50p Brexit coins, hiding in fridges, avoiding COBRA meetings, bonging Big Ben etc. instead of listening to experts.  This accounted for tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in care homes.  It is not fair to say that Johnson is doing a good job on COVID.  These are political choices and others were available to him rather than his chosen strategy of herd immunity

Dither and Delay means Deaths

Too little, too late
Too Little, Too Late again.

As a cynic, you might suggest that the only reason Johnson dithered was to ensure that people were too busy / frightened / shocked etc. to notice whether he “Gets Brexit Done”. Cummings promised “Shock and Awe” in autumn and the current wave of fear is exactly their plan. We will have just 11 days, JUST 11 days to “Get Brexit Done” once we lift lockdown. Michael Gove has already admitted that lockdown might be extended past December 02. It is sheer madness and irresponsibility to combine Corona Crisis and Brexit Disaster for a Britastrophe at this point.

Contact “super spreaders” on Social Media (Twitter and Facebook etc) with messages about Suspending Brexit. Use the hashtag #SuspendBrexit. Sample tweet:

Serial Killers.

Here are some super spreaders to consider – make your own list : @campbellclaret @peston @kayburley @afneil @mrjamesob @AndrewMarr9 @bbcnews @itvnews @DavidGauke @theresa_may @Jeremy_Hunt @MichelBarnier @13sarahmurphy @RussInCheshire @AcademyOfRock @guardian @bbclaurak @SirPatStew @EdwardJDavey @Keir_Starmer

This is how The Daily Maul see the need to Suspend Brexit due to dither and delay:

Click on the image to read our Brexit Satire book.

Take action – Click on the links

Write to your MP today and make the case for Suspending Brexit in the wake of Corona 2nd wave, dither and delay and just 11 days till Christmas to Get Brexit Done

Do the same by writing to the media on all sides

Support our “Red Wall” tour of the UK with the Bollocks to Brexit Mini Cooper

Find out why Suspending Brexit is still possible

Find out why Rejoining is a unicorn in the mid-long term

Read more of The Daily Maul, Sun and Excess

Suspend Brexit - end dither and delay
Click image to support our work.
Suspend Brexit - end dither and delay
Suspend Brexit – end dither and delay.
Find Mutant Algorithm at https://academy-of-rock.bandcamp.com/album/britastrophe-2

The game has changed

The game has changed. Here’s a quick piece of Brexit analysis on the day that the world turned in on Trump and Brexit populism.

Johnson’s Brexit strategy has relied on the ability to bully Europe. Johnson has used the bargaining chip that Britain will become a rogue state on the edge of Europe with an Anglo-American trade deal. The game has changed …

NO LONGER APPLIES

Joe Biden has a long memory regarding Johnson’s attacks on Obama, women and ethnic minorities. The game has changed and the so called special relationship …

NO LONGER APPLIES

Johnson had relied on breaching The Good Friday Agreement and breaking international law to “Get Brexit Done”. The game has changed …

NO LONGER APPLIES

The EU has tried to accommodate Britain in Brexit negotiations, so as to maintain a sense of decency in world politics. This, despite the fact that Britain has not made any good faith attempts to negotiate. The game has changed …

NO LONGER APPLIES

True leadership.

Trump favoured UK in terms of doing a trade deal, as a means of pivoting against the EU. Biden’s appointment means that the EU’s main focus will now turn to America, rather than a small country in economic and social ruin. The game has changed …

NO LONGER APPLIES

True leadership.

We can no longer expect Trump to be focused on the UK and Brexit. His next two months will be fully occupied in fighting legal actions, making himself look even more foolish and gradually being ostracised by his allies. I imagine he will spend a lot of time on the golf course. Perhaps a slot on “I’m a failed celebrity, get me out of here”. The game has changed …

NO LONGER APPLIES

In conclusion, the game has changed and …

BREXIT NO LONGER APPLIES

Take Action

Write to your MP and demand that they oppose the toxic combination of Corona + Brexit – sample letters below.

Write to the press with the same ambition.

Write to EU leaders and encourage them to hold firm on Brexit negotiations now that Johnson is alone.

Please read Brexit Choices and Suspended Animation.

Johnson – alone again naturally
Betrayed by Brexit Johnson
Dry your populist tears Johnson

Sample Letters to MP’s – TY Rachel Ashley and Catherine Reynolds

Dear xxx,

Given the Biden victory, would you now agree that a two year extension to the transition period is probably wise, to allow Britain to cope with the COVID crisis?

Yours sincerely

Dear xxx

I see your government has done another u-turn on free school meals in the holidays for hungry children. Surely this is getting embarrassing for MP’s such as yourself, who support the government one week only for the Executive to do a u-turn the following week (or so). This looks like a failure of leadership to me.

I assume this was announced yesterday because most of the world of the world was watching Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump in the USA Presidential election. However President elect Biden’s stance on Brexit is well-known. He thinks the UK is following a foolish and divisive line which has the potential to severely damage Anglo-Irish relations and undermine the Good Friday Agreement. He has said more than once the USA will not trade with the UK if it breaks the Good Friday Agreement. It is telling that when asked by a BBC journalist if he had anything to say to the BBC he said ‘I am Irish’.

I ask you to reconsider your position. Brexit is going to add considerably more damage to the British economy at a time when it is massively struggling under the economic pressure caused by COVID. I am aware the PM Johnson was in talks with the President of the European Commission yesterday and I assume that is to try and cobble together some sort of deal for Mr Johnson to then sell to the British people as the best deal ever when we all know that at best it will give Britain a few crumbs from the EU table and will still cause, what could turn out be, irreparable damage to the British economy with no hope in the short or medium term of even the semblance of a deal with the USA to mitigate a small part of the damage.

I am therefore asking you to put Britain first and to put pressure on the Executive to go to the European Council and ask for Brexit to be suspended for 2 years with Britain still in transition mode. Your current leader should have no difficulty in doing another u-turn to achieve this as he is very used to doing them. A two year suspension of Brexit will give your Party time to sort out what is clearly a failure of leadership and the Government time to get control of how the country can begin to live with the COVID 19 virus without severely damaging either the economy or the health of the nation.

Yours sincerely

Reboot Britain : Rejoin EU
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