Friday 7th July 2023

[refitman]

Morning all.

[refitman]

Mercer being deranged

[refitman]

[gilsey]

I wondered if Mercer was drunk.


sky wrote:

The very same people Starmer called 'arrogant' (repeated by Mercer). I had to admire his guts given how supposedly unpopular Just Stop Oils' methods are

Am I alone in thinking that there's a substantial element of the population whose sympathy for JSO is likely to be increased by politicians calling them arrogant?

Arrogant to think their cause is more important than others? Well yes it is, and they seem to have gone to a certain amount of trouble to ensure the interruption of sporting events got max publicity but caused minimum damage.

[refitman]

I think I've found some more of those 'Brexit benefits' everyone was going on about

The draft legislation, according to 28 civil society organizations, would turn the UK into a "leaky valve" that would undermine the data protection rights of European citizens.

"If passed, the Bill would mean a wholesale deregulation of the UK data protection framework, allowing private companies to seek shelter in the UK to circumvent European data protection standards, and turning the UK into a 'test lab' for experimental and abusive uses of data," the groups said in an open letter to European lawmakers published Tuesday.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/06/ ... tion_bill/

[AnatolyKasparov]

Any comment from Ed Balls yet?

[refitman]

Do you think Jacqui could have been any more condescending?

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Well this is strange because last night on QT Johnny Mercer claimed he hadn't been bothered by all the flak he'd been rightly taking and yet it would appear he had a tantrum about it in the green room before the show.

One source on BBC Question Time described Mercer as "livid" when he arrived and unable to talk about anything else while they waited in the green room before the show began.

The Question Time source said: "He [Mercer] spent most of the time in the green room whinging about Carol Vorderman."

But it seems that the attack on his wife and her pay via the taxpayer was what really annoyed him.

The source noted: "He said that he was very annoyed and that he had a thick hide, but he wasn’t happy about Vorders going after his wife!"

They added: "Fiona Bruce was very amused by it all."

After the show, the Question Time source said: "He [Mercer] really couldn't let it go. He was still complaining about [Vorderman] when he left."

[refitman]

[Sky'sGoneOut]

When I woke up today I wondered whether Mercer's bizarre performance last night was as bad as I thought at the time as I was watching it through the distorting lens of a bottle of cheap Chilean red.

Now that I'm sober the answer to that would appear to be a resounding yes. The reviews are in and they are not kind.

Quite a lot of people saw him as one of the few half decent Tory MPs but over the last week the mask has slipped and his antics last night could be the final nail in the coffin of his reputation.

[refitman]

Brian can be a proper shit stirrer

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Ha. Even the Spectator is putting the boot in!

Watch: Question Time audience member takes Johnny Mercer to task

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/wat ... r-to-task/

Following an evening of bullish debate, one member of the audience decided to take the veterans minister to task after Mercer complained about people voicing their anger on social media. Pulling him up on what he branded ‘collective bed-wetting’, she said:

"Given that a number of Conservatives and the Conservative party have shut down any form of meaningful protest, and he’s shouting across every member of this panel tonight, how else are we meant to get our point across other than on social media?"

Now that’s a mic drop!

[AnatolyKasparov]

Tories are trying their utmost to turn the Uxbridge byelection into a single issue referendum on ULEZ, any sort of Labour win is good given that.

(no it isn't unpopular everywhere in the capital, but rather more so in outer London areas like this)

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I see the SNP are offering a sensible, evidence driven approach to decriminalising and regulating drugs.

Which the Tories and Labour have dismissed out of hand.

Sigh.

Plus ça change.

[tinyclanger2]

I'd be the first to admit I'm not massive on kids - but in a world that is increasingly awful this is one of the most obnoxious and profoundly depressing things I have seen:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... lum-centre
Robert Jenrick has cartoon murals painted over at children’s asylum centre
Paintings were considered too welcoming at Kent centre for lone children arriving in UK

[AnatolyKasparov]

Contrary to some claims there's no evidence it is "popular" - even with those who support a hard line on asylum/immigration overall.

Its just Jenrick being an obnoxious dick because he can.

[tinyclanger2]

It's sickening.

[refitman]

Tories are trying their utmost to turn the Uxbridge byelection into a single issue referendum on ULEZ, any sort of Labour win is good given that.

(no it isn't unpopular everywhere in the capital, but rather more so in outer London areas like this)

Is ULEZ the thing introduced when Johnson was mayor?

[AnatolyKasparov]

Ah yes, but they don't like to talk about that.