FlyTheNest

Morning all.

Morning all.

Ah right, he wasn't in charge before but now things have gone pretty badly he's back. Really?

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I know this is old news and it's also back to Johnny Obvious time but still, in here - The pandemic is being used as cover for a no-deal Brexit- which is a guardian article this morning, we have...

On the other side of the same coin, there are growing fears in cabinet that maintaining close EU ties would lock the UK into the EU’s post-Covid-19 economic measures designed for its 27 member states, with little regard for the UK’s interests. This is nonsense, as the EU’s rescue package unveiled last Wednesday assumes no UK financial contribution. But it is a powerful argument on the Eurosceptic backbenches and has scared many in cabinet.

So an argument which is absolutely clearly demonstrable nonsense is 'a powerful argument'. As Sky said last night, we've tried politics...

Following on from myself, that piece also says, about not extending transition...

Boris Johnson believes he would struggle to sell to voters the extra £10bn in financial contributions and further spell of EU control of UK laws that this would bring.

... which is more absurd nonsense. He'd struggle to sell it because it would involve telling people about the benefits that EU membership bring and why it would be a very very very good deal.

The pandemic is being used as cover for a no-deal Brexit

The pandemic will provide some cover for the numbers, ie the fall in GDP.

Brexit is going to cause some horrendous difficulties with cross-border trade which will make the March stockpiling scrums look like a tea party. People will notice.

Glenn Campbell
@GlennBBC
New economic analysis of #Brexit to be published by @Scotgov later
Expected to suggest billions could be lost to Scottish economy - on top of #coronavirus hit - over next 2 years, unless transition period extended

gilsey wrote:

The pandemic is being used as cover for a no-deal Brexit

The pandemic will provide some cover for the numbers, ie the fall in GDP.

Brexit is going to cause some horrendous difficulties with cross-border trade which will make the March stockpiling scrums look like a tea party. People will notice.

Yes, which is why there is no easy escape for them here.

No wonder the rumours that Johnson might resign for "health reasons" in the autumn are starting to gather pace.

It's like Cummings talking about going in six months or so - they can get the wrecking job done and walk away. It's strange to talk calmly about the leadership of the country in this way but it's very difficult to think what else is a reasonable explanation of what's happening.

The argument that JRM's wrecking parliamentary democracy to make absolutely sure MPs can't interfere is pretty convincing imo.

Hard to think of a more reasonable explanation for that, either.

gilsey wrote:

The pandemic is being used as cover for a no-deal Brexit

The pandemic will provide some cover for the numbers, ie the fall in GDP.

Brexit is going to cause some horrendous difficulties with cross-border trade which will make the March stockpiling scrums look like a tea party. People will notice.

I've worked on other projects recently and haven't made progress securing our continental lair.
We may need the flythenest petition formally requesting sanctuary.

Thank you for the beverage, PorFavor.
Good afternoon, everyone.

gilsey wrote:The argument that JRM's wrecking parliamentary democracy to make absolutely sure MPs can't interfere is pretty convincing imo.

Hard to think of a more reasonable explanation for that, either.

the subversion is as corrupt as the prorogued parliament in '19

Johnson absolutely blitzed at PMQs today by all accounts. Apparently kept looking at the benches behind him for support, but there was still hardly anybody there.

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Johnson absolutely blitzed at PMQs today by all accounts. Apparently kept looking at the benches behind him for support, but there was still hardly anybody there.

https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/8 ... e3ae944444" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He did a lot of whining about Starmer picking on him

Also a straight lie about a long telephone conversation with him which apparently never took place ...

He was also going for the 'are you really going to criticise all of these other people trying hard to do their jobs' line. Which would be better if the 'other people' weren't his mates given state-funded contracts that they're failing to meet. Apologies if I've said this before but I imagine the government made sure there were hefty penalty clauses in all of these contracts so when the companies fail to meet targets it saves us lots of moey? [/pointless sarcasm]

Also from the numbers around yesterday...

* 4456 newly infected - 40% of them contacted
* Those 40% named 4634 contacts, so 100% of newly infected would approximate at 11585 contacts - so a perfect system would trace 11585 people.
* They claim to have traced a third of identified contacts. 1/3 of 4634 is 1545 contacts actually traced traced
* 1545 of 11585 is 13.3% of contacts of newly infected people traced.

25,000 new contact tracer employees have successfully managed to trace 13.3% of the contacts of recently infected people. Or, if you like, it takes just over 16 contact tracers to talk to one contact of a newly infected person. Or, if this was over five days (and I think it was) then on a seven hour day it takes about 560 hours work to trace and talk to one contact of one infected person.

This is our world beating system.

(Edit to tidy up my world beating maths)

adam wrote:He was also going for the 'are you really going to criticise all of these other people trying hard to do their jobs' line. Which would be better if the 'other people' weren't his mates given state-funded contracts that they're failing to meet. Apologies if I've said this before but I imagine the government made sure there were hefty penalty clauses in all of these contracts so when the companies fail to meet targets it saves us lots of moey? [/pointless sarcasm]

Adam --- the Johnson was referring to the employees ( as you know,really ) !
Starmer missed a trick by not pre-empting that one , for example by expressing sympathy for those hired by sub-contractors' subcontractors and then given a raw deal .

Something like that ! Making the point that hires should be local, and done by expanding local teams.

BBC NEWS 09.32 Haggis_UK @Haggis_UK
5h
"Becky(clinical contact tracer) has worked for 38 hours & has not made a single phone call or been assigned a single case...& she has been entertaining herself by watching Netflix... it's frustrating that taxpayers are paying me to do this..."

frog222 wrote:

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Johnson absolutely blitzed at PMQs today by all accounts. Apparently kept looking at the benches behind him for support, but there was still hardly anybody there.

https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/8 ... e3ae944444" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He did a lot of whining about Starmer picking on him

Also a straight lie about a long telephone conversation with him which apparently never took place ...

Harry Cole still thought that BoJo won, though. Got totally rinsed on Twitter after claiming that

I don't usually watch PMQ's, but just had to do this one ...

Crace has it correctly --

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

I filed it dated 3/6 .... and after some hesitation added the /20

Quien Sabe ?

Oops!

Nick Eardley
@nickeardleybbc
NEW: Business Secretary Alok Sharma self-isolating and has been tested for Coronavirus.

He began feeling unwell in the chamber today, spokesperson says.
8:02 PM · Jun 3, 2020·TweetDeck

Let's hope he's OK.

But more than a few Tories might examine their consciences as to whether they did the right thing about that vote yesterday...

All of Sharma's contacts will now have to isolate for 14 days. Matt Hancock said it's their civic duty. I wonder how many Tory MPs will now be unable to vote in person.....and unable to vote remotely!

Willow904 wrote:All of Sharma's contacts will now have to isolate for 14 days. Matt Hancock said it's their civic duty. I wonder how many Tory MPs will now be unable to vote in person.....and unable to vote remotely!

Did Johnson do a U-turn on the virtual voting during PMQs?

Any guesses to the other pundit who thought the PM did well today? It was, of course, the one and only DFH.

Wow.

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I thought Keir Starmer did a very good job of saying (although not in so many words), "We've tried very hard to be supportive of you, but you really are all so crap that we've had no choice but to stop."

Starmer didn't want to make an issue of it but since Johnson didn't respond to the Labour leader's letter to him offering assistance safely resuming classes, Starmer had to bring his communication to his attention this afternoon. Johnson was confused and upset in response.

I'm going to get some rest now. Challenging neighbours, exhausting work. I love you all.
Goodnight.
cJA

Thanks all for the commentary