Wednesday 12th July 2017

[gilsey]

The difficulty I have with Labour's position on "Brexit" is that, even if (for me) the ideal situation should arise - ie "Brexit" became almost universally unpopular - I feel that they (under Jeremy Corbyn) might still try to pursue it anyway. Although I understand why they have acted as they have under the present circumstances.

As Willow said above, the tories will go against TWOTP if at some point they think it's in their best interests, whereas Corbyn probably wouldn't, left to his own principles. I'm reasonably confident that Starmer et al would be able to talk JC round though. The NI border issue and Scotland's position would carry more weight than economics in that situation, imo.

[Willow904]

I visited Berlin in the 1980s, when Germany was still divided. I spoke with an East German there who had fled across the wall to West Berlin. Seeing the wall and the effect it had on people's lives had a huge impact on me at the time. Just over a year later I found myself watching the most amazing scenes as the Berlin Wall came down. It was a truly remarkable and uplifting moment. The fall of the iron curtain, the re-unification of Germany. For me this is what the EU represents - a united, rather than a divided, Europe and I have always seen the UK as a major part of that. When Polish people started to make use of their right to move freely about the EU, when they started to come to the UK, I saw that as the moment in which the rift that had divided Europe since the 2nd World War had finally healed.

This is why I'm so passionate about our membership of the EU and why I'm finding it so hard to let go. It has nothing to do with neo-liberalism or being a "Blairite". It's about thinking the freedom people from Eastern Europe now have to travel freely around the EU is a wonderful thing and my disappointment that my country will no longer be part of that wonderful thing. It really is as simple as that.

[PorFavor]

Nicky Morgan beats pro-Brexit MP to chair of Treasury committee

Former cabinet minister and prominent advocate of soft Brexit voted in ahead of Jacob Rees-Mogg to influential post (Guardian)

I hope Mhairi Black isn't too disappointed.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -committee

[AngryAsWell]

I visited Berlin in the 1980s, when Germany was still divided. I spoke with an East German there who had fled across the wall to West Berlin. Seeing the wall and the effect it had on people's lives had a huge impact on me at the time. Just over a year later I found myself watching the most amazing scenes as the Berlin Wall came down. It was a truly remarkable and uplifting moment. The fall of the iron curtain, the re-unification of Germany. For me this is what the EU represents - a united, rather than a divided, Europe and I have always seen the UK as a major part of that. When Polish people started to make use of their right to move freely about the EU, when they started to come to the UK, I saw that as the moment in which the rift that had divided Europe since the 2nd World War had finally healed.

This is why I'm so passionate about our membership of the EU and why I'm finding it so hard to let go. It has nothing to do with neo-liberalism or being a "Blairite". It's about thinking the freedom people from Eastern Europe now have to travel freely around the EU is a wonderful thing and my disappointment that my country will no longer be part of that wonderful thing. It really is as simple as that.

I could not agree with you more Willow, you express my own thoughts so well.
Thank you for posting.

[PorFavor]

Kent school criticised for giving pupils slave auction worksheet (Guardian)

This has to be read to be believed. (If that makes sense.)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... of-slavery

[AngryAsWell]

Is there any hope ?
Labour threat to defeat Theresa May over Brexit bill
Conservatives risk defeat over ‘great repeal bill’ that unbundles EU laws if they do not make concessions to opposition parties, warns Keir Starmer

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... SApp_Other" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PorFavor]

Night night.

[RogerOThornhill]

Evening all. Not such a great day for reasons I won't go into now.

I notice Robert Halfon has been elected as chair of the Education Sub Committee - seeing as he was sacked from the department only a few weeks ago for reasons that were a mystery to most, the next sessions should be fun...

Could have been worse...Tim Loughton was standing too...

[SpinningHugo]

Is there any hope ?
Labour threat to defeat Theresa May over Brexit bill
Conservatives risk defeat over ‘great repeal bill’ that unbundles EU laws if they do not make concessions to opposition parties, warns Keir Starmer

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... SApp_Other" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No. There isn't.

[HindleA]

https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/lga ... d-research" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Responding to the King’s Fund research on council public health budgets, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, said:

"We have long argued that reductions by central government to the public health grant in local government is a short term approach and one that will only compound acute pressures for the NHS and other services further down the line.

[tinybgoat]

Is there any hope ?
Labour threat to defeat Theresa May over Brexit bill
Conservatives risk defeat over ‘great repeal bill’ that unbundles EU laws if they do not make concessions to opposition parties, warns Keir Starmer

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... SApp_Other" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No. There isn't.

http://www.rainbowbrite.net/characters/murky.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tinybgoat]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-40581643" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"UK university applications fall by 4%, Ucas figures show"

As predicted, the abolition of bursaries has depressed rather than increased applications for nursing and there will be no additional nurses trained in spite of ministers' assurances

[tinybgoat]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 37811.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Brexit customs IT system heading for £34bn 'horror show' says watchdog
The National Audit Office says the Government is only just starting to realise how difficult Brexit will be"

In unusually tough language, auditor general Sir Amyas Morse said ministers were only beginning to understand the momentous task of Brexit and that without further resources would find that “at the first tap, this falls apart like a chocolate orange”.

[tinybgoat]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 37131.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Theresa May’s image has been removed from the Conservative party website homepage for the first time since she became Prime Minister, Labour has claimed."