UK Politics Thread (Part 1)

[Hope.in.your.heart]

Reading this thread, I realize again how blatantly shameful your current government is. And possibly, your political system has a problem too, as these people should never, ever, be where they are in the first place.

I mean, how on earth can these guys survive so many political scandals at the same time? It beggars belief to be fair. In any other democratic country, there would either have been a replacement of the PM and his main ministers, or new elections. Since long. And the way they are damaging your country defies belief too. Senseless privatisations apart for those who will fill their pockets with it. Do people really condone this?

Honestly lads, what are you waiting for? Do you want to be ridiculed and fleeced further by these evil clowns? Take out your pitchforks and claim your rights ffs! (only half )

[Kopstar]

Hope, do you honestly think that this is unique to British politics? I think, rather, it is a case of these things being more readily exposed over here but regrettably I expect this and worse goes on in most political arenas.

[Hope.in.your.heart]

Of course not. But your current government reaches new lows in that regard imo.

[Kopstar]

@Hope.in.your.heart

Of course not. But your current government reaches new lows in that regard imo.

New lows? Lower than sexual assault, adultery, fraud, treason, bullying…?

[redalways]

Claudia Webbe MP

[RedWhippet]

@Hope.in.your.heart

I mean, how on earth can these guys survive so many political scandals at the same time?

The UK has no written constitution so there is no legal requirement or mechanism to remove the Prime Minister from power. It has always operated on the basis that members of parliament are honourable people (hence the “Honourable Member” address in the Commons). It’s interesting to see that other legislatures that the UK government has had a hand in creating have always had mechanisms that are specifically created to prevent this kind of abuse. The fact that the UK doesn’t have it is a case of English exceptionalism.

[Hope.in.your.heart]

What shocks me when looking in from the outside, is the pace at which new scandals come to the surface, and how the government somehow stays in place nevertheless. This, combined with truly evil and antidemocratic measures being taken recently (for instance the agreement with Rwanda for refugees), makes me wonder what is needed for them to fall.

It seems to me that not even Berlusconi’s Italy, which I consider as one of the worst periods for democracy in Europe, managed to bring up so many problematic events at such frantic pace.

@RedWhippet , thanks for this. Yes, that goes a long way to explain it then.

[Kopstar]

@redalways

x.com

Rather unsurprisingly with Ms Webbe, none of her bullet points are true.

[Kopstar]

@RedWhippet

@Hope.in.your.heart

I mean, how on earth can these guys survive so many political scandals at the same time?

The UK has no written constitution so there is no legal requirement or mechanism to remove the Prime Minister from power. It has always operated on the basis that members of parliament are honourable people (hence the “Honourable Member” address in the Commons). It’s interesting to see that other legislatures that the UK government has had a hand in creating have always had mechanisms that are specifically created to prevent this kind of abuse. The fact that the UK doesn’t have it is a case of English exceptionalism.

The UK does have a largely written constitution, it just isn’t in one single written document.

[Kopstar]

@Hope.in.your.heart

What shocks me when looking in from the outside, is the pace at which new scandals come to the surface, and how the government somehow stays in place nevertheless. This, combined with truly evil and antidemocratic measures being taken recently (for instance the agreement with Rwanda for refugees), makes me wonder what is needed for them to fall.

It seems to me that not even Berlusconi’s Italy, which I consider as one of the worst periods for democracy in Europe, managed to bring up so many problematic events at such frantic pace.

@RedWhippet , thanks for this. Yes, that goes a long way to explain it then.

Trudeau survived the blackface scandal. I can’t see Johnson surviving similar here but maybe he would…?

[redalways]

Would you care to elaborate/refute those points?

[Kopstar]

@redalways

Would you care to elaborate/refute those points?

Ok…

•Peaceful protest is not now criminalised
•British citizenship can not now be removed without notice
•You don’t currently have to produce voter ID to vote can vote if you produce voter ID
•Electoral Commission has not lost its independence
•the NHS Bill to accelerate NHS privatisation will become law

There you go

These are her claims, it’s for her to substantiate them but she can’t.

Some of these claims have been directly refuted in recent weeks (for example the first two by the Courts). I don’t have the time to get the references but google may help you.

[Klopptimist]

Hopefully Musk will ban her from twitter accordingly. @elonmusk there’s some lefty shit here mate, stick a rocket up it will you?

[SBYM]

Would you like to see the pic of me high as a kite in a mankini?

Guaranteed to fix your problem.

The joys of a dissolute youth…

[redalways]

@Kopstar

•Peaceful protest is not now criminalised

Technically true. No, you’re right, peaceful protest is still not criminalised, apart from protests that the police don’t give permission to. Gotcha.

I quote the article,

In its reports on the bill, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights says the proposals are “oppressive and wrong”. It accuses the government of trying to create “new powers in areas where the police already have access to powers and offences which are perfectly adequate”.

@Kopstar

•British citizenship can not now be removed without notice

False. Unless the bill voted on was substantially different, even the BBC are reporting it as so. It does not change the circumstances in which citizenship can be removed, but it removes the requirement to notify them.

@Kopstar

•You don’t currently have to produce voter ID to vote can vote if you produce voter ID

Technically true, if only because they haven’t introduced the systems of enforcement.

However, unless the Electoral Commission is much mistaken, then there will be a voter ID requirement introduced.

@Kopstar

•Electoral Commission has not lost its independence

No, it only has to follow the direction of the Cabinet Office’s Secretary of State. Very independent.

@Kopstar

•the NHS Bill to accelerate NHS privatisation will become law

Maybe not directly, but definitely eases the way of doing so. The Guardian lays out how the reorganisation of the provision of care means that there is a lot more involvement of the private sector. Is it wholesale selling off of the NHS? No it isn’t, but it means that there is ever more intrusion of private organisations rather than central provision, which they can then use to say that the NHS is redundant.

EDIT: Caroline Molloy at OpenDemocracy agrees with that view. Death by a thousand cuts, so to speak.

@Kopstar

Some of these claims have been directly refuted in recent weeks (for example the first two by the Courts). I don’t have the time to get the references but google may help you.

Going to need sources for refutation by the courts, because I found nothing there.

Overall, I don’t see anything substantially wrong with what she said.

[Klopptimist]

[aussielad]

@SBYM

Would you like to see the pic of me high as a kite in a mankini?

Guaranteed to fix your problem.

The joys of a dissolute youth…

I’ll match your pic with a pic of me pissed as a newt with a murkin

[Flobs]

@Noo_Noo

Hmmm

Cleared by Lord Git I see.

[redalways]

MP Liam Byrne to be suspended from Commons for bullying former employee

Reading his Wikipedia article makes him sound like an all-round twat, honestly.

[Flobs]

The whole article is full of confusing grammer. BBC need a @cynicaloldgit to vet and correct their fucking English!