Monday 2nd October 2017

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is not a 3rd world country, this is a supposed European democracy

I was in Barcelona during an anti-austerity protest - these paramilitary police are animals and were beating anything that moved, including a friend of a friend

I don't agree with Mason but the comment he made about Juncker I read as being due to the fact he was the EPP delegate for president - of which the Spanish PP is a part

I do not blame the EU - it is a weak organisation really and has very little power - the power lies with the nation states and we are seeing too many EU countries are exhibiting unpleasantly authoritarian streaks and very little sanction

Condemning every criticism of the EU as being akin to UKIP is not right - I want to be part of a Union where proto-fascists are condemned outright and are sanctioned strongly

Beating the shit out of people who are exercising a right to vote - no matter what the authorities think of the vote - is despicable and is only making secession more likely

Mason went over the top here but I do not think the EU (apart from Verhofstadt - a man who I like but who has little power) has covered itself in glory this week - we knew this was likely to happen but the Spanish police showed no constraints and them attacking Catalan firemen was revolting to see

We here a lot about venezuela over the last few weeks - let us now see the tight-wing Government in Madrid getting the same treatment

Yes, I think the skull cracking, and indeed trying to stop the vote happening, was both very wrong on its own terms and likely counterproductive for Rajoy. The Spanish Tories are among the worst in Europe.

And it's not Kipper to call out the EU response- among other things, it's made it easier for Poland to argue that it's being picked on unfairly, so it's not very . I'm querying really Mason's agenda here, which I think is trying to reconcile people on the left to Hard Brexit.

RIP Tom Petty. Liked what I heard, no reason really I didn't delve deeper. Might do now.

[55DegreesNorth]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nort ... government


News story
Northern transport gets further funding from government

Northern powerhouse?

Future-proofing will make it easier and less disruptive to build Northern Powerhouse Rail in the future. This will enable faster services between the Northern cities of Liverpool and Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York, as well as on towards the East Midlands and London. It will also enable services between Liverpool and Leeds to pass via Manchester Piccadilly station.

So not really very Northern.

Steady

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor ... h-13707418" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citizenJA]

RIP Tom Petty

oh, NO!

[howsillyofme1]

This is not a 3rd world country, this is a supposed European democracy

I was in Barcelona during an anti-austerity protest - these paramilitary police are animals and were beating anything that moved, including a friend of a friend

I don't agree with Mason but the comment he made about Juncker I read as being due to the fact he was the EPP delegate for president - of which the Spanish PP is a part

I do not blame the EU - it is a weak organisation really and has very little power - the power lies with the nation states and we are seeing too many EU countries are exhibiting unpleasantly authoritarian streaks and very little sanction

Condemning every criticism of the EU as being akin to UKIP is not right - I want to be part of a Union where proto-fascists are condemned outright and are sanctioned strongly

Beating the shit out of people who are exercising a right to vote - no matter what the authorities think of the vote - is despicable and is only making secession more likely

Mason went over the top here but I do not think the EU (apart from Verhofstadt - a man who I like but who has little power) has covered itself in glory this week - we knew this was likely to happen but the Spanish police showed no constraints and them attacking Catalan firemen was revolting to see

We here a lot about venezuela over the last few weeks - let us now see the tight-wing Government in Madrid getting the same treatment

Yes, I think the skull cracking, and indeed trying to stop the vote happening, was both very wrong on its own terms and likely counterproductive for Rajoy. The Spanish Tories are among the worst in Europe.

And it's not Kipper to call out the EU response- among other things, it's made it easier for Poland to argue that it's being picked on unfairly, so it's not very . I'm querying really Mason's agenda here, which I think is trying to reconcile people on the left to Hard Brexit.

RIP Tom Petty. Liked what I heard, no reason really I didn't delve deeper. Might do now.

I think there has always been this left wing suspicion of the EU - Corbyn and McDonnell are not great fans but I think they realise there is a big difference in opposing joining a club and leaving it when you have been a member for so long and are economically very dependent of it.

I think one of the issues the left has had with the EU, and I saw Benn articulate it, is the lack of democratic oversight in the EU outside the national Governments - I have heard Benn say that he felt more comfortable with a United States of Europe rather than the halfway house we have now

EU Parliament without much power
EU Commission without much power but what they have is overblown as the Parliament is weak
Council of Ministers which is where the power lies but hide behind the commission

I would recommend you read Varafoukis's 'Adults in the Room' where he clearly states the Commission is powerless and is often side-lined - which is at odds with its portrayal. He shines a light on how the EU operates

I personally I don't think it works particularly well at times politically

Despite that I am pro-European but I really am unsure where the EU is going in the future, especially with the more extreme Nationalist Governments we are seeing

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone
love,
cJA

[PaulfromYorkshire]

This is not a 3rd world country, this is a supposed European democracy

I was in Barcelona during an anti-austerity protest - these paramilitary police are animals and were beating anything that moved, including a friend of a friend

I don't agree with Mason but the comment he made about Juncker I read as being due to the fact he was the EPP delegate for president - of which the Spanish PP is a part

I do not blame the EU - it is a weak organisation really and has very little power - the power lies with the nation states and we are seeing too many EU countries are exhibiting unpleasantly authoritarian streaks and very little sanction

Condemning every criticism of the EU as being akin to UKIP is not right - I want to be part of a Union where proto-fascists are condemned outright and are sanctioned strongly

Beating the shit out of people who are exercising a right to vote - no matter what the authorities think of the vote - is despicable and is only making secession more likely

Mason went over the top here but I do not think the EU (apart from Verhofstadt - a man who I like but who has little power) has covered itself in glory this week - we knew this was likely to happen but the Spanish police showed no constraints and them attacking Catalan firemen was revolting to see

We here a lot about venezuela over the last few weeks - let us now see the tight-wing Government in Madrid getting the same treatment

Yes, I think the skull cracking, and indeed trying to stop the vote happening, was both very wrong on its own terms and likely counterproductive for Rajoy. The Spanish Tories are among the worst in Europe.

And it's not Kipper to call out the EU response- among other things, it's made it easier for Poland to argue that it's being picked on unfairly, so it's not very . I'm querying really Mason's agenda here, which I think is trying to reconcile people on the left to Hard Brexit.

RIP Tom Petty. Liked what I heard, no reason really I didn't delve deeper. Might do now.

I think there has always been this left wing suspicion of the EU - Corbyn and McDonnell are not great fans but I think they realise there is a big difference in opposing joining a club and leaving it when you have been a member for so long and are economically very dependent of it.

I think one of the issues the left has had with the EU, and I saw Benn articulate it, is the lack of democratic oversight in the EU outside the national Governments - I have heard Benn say that he felt more comfortable with a United States of Europe rather than the halfway house we have now

EU Parliament without much power
EU Commission without much power but what they have is overblown as the Parliament is weak
Council of Ministers which is where the power lies but hide behind the commission

I would recommend you read Varafoukis's 'Adults in the Room' where he clearly states the Commission is powerless and is often side-lined - which is at odds with its portrayal. He shines a light on how the EU operates

I personally I don't think it works particularly well at times politically

Despite that I am pro-European but I really am unsure where the EU is going in the future, especially with the more extreme Nationalist Governments we are seeing

The EU doesn't have the mechanisms (money) to adequately cushion the effects of free flows of capital around the Union. If region X is going down the pan economically, there is very little Brussels can do.

It's not a very socialist construct.

[PorFavor]

Night night.

[Tubby Isaacs]

My problem isn't the criticism of the EU, it's the way Mason in particular is pushing an agenda here, for Hard Brexit. He's doing it with his freedom of movement stuff too, which would by themselves cause the talks to fail.

The Council of Ministers runs the EU. Never been much of a mystery about that really, because there's no way politicians would have given away power to the Commission like that. Varoufakis I assume is coming at the issue from the Eurozone, and there are certainly problems there, though it's getting better. The Parliament is weak but still matters. The EU would love it to be more powerful, it's the member states who don't want it to be.

Plenty of examples of poorer countries doing well in the EU- Ireland, Portugal and Spain were poor countries when they joined. And most of the post 2004 joiners now. The worst performers in recent years- Greece and Italy, cut their own throats.

[SpinningHugo]

My problem isn't the criticism of the EU, it's the way Mason in particular is pushing an agenda here, for Hard Brexit. He's doing it with his freedom of movement stuff too, which would by themselves cause the talks to fail.

The Council of Ministers runs the EU. Never been much of a mystery about that really, because there's no way politicians would have given away power to the Commission like that. Varoufakis I assume is coming at the issue from the Eurozone, and there are certainly problems there, though it's getting better. The Parliament is weak but still matters. The EU would love it to be more powerful, it's the member states who don't want it to be.

Plenty of examples of poorer countries doing well in the EU- Ireland, Portugal and Spain were poor countries when they joined. And most of the post 2004 joiners now. The worst performers in recent years- Greece and Italy, cut their own throats.

Mason is just a ridiculous poodle of Corbym. Originally he pushed for membership of the EEA, but once Corbyn and McDonnell went for Hard Brexit he did too.

[Tubby Isaacs]

See Steve Peers here

https://www.legalcheek.com/2017/10/fake ... -violence/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Various people have either blamed the EU for the violence or blamed the EU for not stopping it. But this ignores the fact that Member States deliberately wrote into the treaties that the EU should not affect Member States’ national identity or territorial integrity. So the EU is legally constrained to stay out of disputes like these.

So I don't think it can do anything but oppose the referendum.

In terms of the skull-cracking, this is as far as I can tell about all that the EU can use v Spain formally.

The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.

It's pretty weak really, and the member states want it that way.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'd guess that Spain's legal system allows redress for the victims of the police. If it had tried to mess too much with its judiciary, it would more likely get into serious trouble like Poland. The EU's championing of the ECHR has been very important.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There's been another hearing in the "Tower Hamlets foster case" today.

Tory Tower Hamlets councillor:

Andrew Wood‏ @Andrewwood17 5h
Replying to @callummay
As a Councillor in Tower Hamlets I can also say I am not aware of anything yet that contradicts Times original reports in private or public1

Callum May has just been tweeting what was said at the hearing. It doesn't exactly give the impression The Times story did, I don't think.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Tom Petty possibly not dead? Very poorly though.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

My problem isn't the criticism of the EU, it's the way Mason in particular is pushing an agenda here, for Hard Brexit. He's doing it with his freedom of movement stuff too, which would by themselves cause the talks to fail.

The Council of Ministers runs the EU. Never been much of a mystery about that really, because there's no way politicians would have given away power to the Commission like that. Varoufakis I assume is coming at the issue from the Eurozone, and there are certainly problems there, though it's getting better. The Parliament is weak but still matters. The EU would love it to be more powerful, it's the member states who don't want it to be.

Plenty of examples of poorer countries doing well in the EU- Ireland, Portugal and Spain were poor countries when they joined. And most of the post 2004 joiners now. The worst performers in recent years- Greece and Italy, cut their own throats.

Mason is just a ridiculous poodle of Corbym. Originally he pushed for membership of the EEA, but once Corbyn and McDonnell went for Hard Brexit he did too.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Andrew Adonis has had another bad day on Twitter. He's landed a metaphorical brave headbutt on the right fist of some well informed lawyers.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Governor of Kentucky speaks.

Governor Matt Bevin‏Verified account
@GovMattBevin
To all those political opportunists who are seizing on the tragedy in Las Vegas to call for more gun regs...You can't regulate evil...

"I'm just off now to abolish the entire Kentucky criminal code", he added. (ht- Rupert Myers).

[HindleA]

http://www.careappointments.co.uk/care- ... -one-month" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


GOVERNMENT SUSPENDS MINIMUM WAGE ENFORCEMENT FOR 'SLEEP-IN' SHIFTS FOR ONE MONTH


Usual what about direct payment/budget holders.

[Tubby Isaacs]

So still no agreed negotiating position then.

Ian Katz‏Verified account
@iankatz1000
Chris Grayling dodges question of whether cabinet agreed a position on whether UK will be subject to ECJ during transition period

[Tubby Isaacs]

Isabel Oakeshott‏
@IsabelOakeshott
The government IS preparing for WTO rules after Brexit, confirms former Brexit minister David Jones + calls on govt to reveal those plans

Why wouldn't they reveal those plans, eh?

[HindleA]

There is probably a word to describe people that immediately look for "only a few" circumstances/people relatively as to consequences,though most likely because politicos deal with at best afterthought or pretend they don't exist.UC is littered with removals on that basis.


Self reference clarification.

[HindleA]

Under the general heading" pain in the arse"

[RogerOThornhill]

Did we see this from a Cameron-style Tory?

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[gilsey]

Yes, see 12:29pm.