Along with millions of others, I suspect, I watched the extraordinary spectacle of Theresa May addressing the nation last night.
I was horrified by the presentation. The faux grandeur. The two national flags. The appeal to the image of the strong leader.
I was appalled by the contempt. Of parliament. Of politicians. Of democracy.
I was aghast at the lack of self awareness.
Most of all I was staggered by the claim that she alone knows the will of the people. This is the sign of delusion. Or fascism.
It was sinister.
It was appalling politics.
It was alienating.
It guarantees her deal will not pass the Commons.
Worst, it was not only self destructive, but destructive for the UK that needs solutions and nothing like this.
In politics this was a new low.
And I suspect we have further to go.
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I am on the same page as you but so concerned I have to say more.
What she did last night was just way beyond the pale.
We are talking about infinity levels of ‘way beyond’ – and into the darkness.
That speech could have been put on YouTube as hate speech, and would hold its own against anything from Isis, al Qaeda and the BNP/EDL.
My view that she is finished politically – a political equivalent of a dead woman walking.
No apologies for reposting this link which is an account of May talking to one of her tory voting consituents – you know – the people she expect to vote for her in an election.
If she has that attitude to a tory consitutent – what could you possibly expect for the rest of the country. She makes B.Liar look good.
http://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/my_brawl_over_brexit_with_prime_minister_theresa_may_1_4807899
sometimes, just sometimes a small story like this reveals what a person is really like: petty, small minded unfit to be in politics – but hey – blue rosette – that’s what counts.
Getting to be similar to US president except for colour of rosette!
The correct way for Governments to behave when they cannot get their business passed is to revert to the people in a General Election to ask for either the votes to pass it or in the event that the electorate do not want it passed for a new Government to be formed.
What we have going on is a complete disregard for the political system of the UK . It is a travesty to say this is a betrayal of the ‘people’ when there are mechanisms in place to test the ‘will of the people’. These are being ignored.
“The faux grandeur.[…] This is the sign of delusion.”
She managed to avoid the faux pas of using the ‘royal we’. But it was a close run thing.
I’m afraid we have another PM who is barking. The Thatcher-Blair presidential style of leadership has only one outcome it seems. Three in a row is stretching coincidence too far.
It’s time for the ‘men in suits’ or the ‘men in white coats’ to put an end to this.
(Apologies for the sexist overtone, but ‘persons in white coats’ just doesn’t cut it as an expression.)
Ah – but the Royal “We” did get an airing during her even nastier PMQ session, complete with the staring, deranged eyes.
“I am your voice. Only I can save this country.”
Wonder where she heard that before. Taking his advice finally?
“I am your voice. Only I can save this country.”
How fitting that the big movie on Monday night on Film4 was Downfall about the crazed last days of Hitler and what was left of his Reich. That spawned dozens of spoof scenarios on Youtube (like Hitler ranting about a remake of Dad’s Army), so it’s inevitable that the Maybot will be commemorated in spoof for all eternity. How fitting.
Anyone seen any yet?
We are now officially back in the 17th century. May is the crown, rather than a prime minister. She exercises the executive authority without controlling parliament. The pre-eminent figure in parliament is now the Speaker. We don’t even have functioning political parties.
So if anyone wanted to revert to some point in the past, you have your wish. Enjoy!
Hopefully, without the religious element, chopping off of heads and ears, civil war and mass death!
Politics students: “Keep your eyes wide, this chance won’t come again”.
The last is especially true
Actually BREXIT is a religion. Vox populi = vox dei.
Idolatry – the one thing Christians and atheists agree on!
This is better than East Enders…
If anyone needed convincing that May is in a deeply delusional state, this TV speech surely removed it. In her most wooden performance ever, she abused and blackguarded the people on whose votes her entire crazed project depends. The result is inevitable. She will lose the next vote.
The question which this piece of misconceived theatre therefore raises, is… does she actually want her deal defeated? If, and it is a very large conditional in this case, she is still at least semi-rational, she must realise that the parliamentary battle is lost and that she appears, therefore, to actually desire the crash to which, by her misguided ‘date clause’ and her premature Article 50 letter, she – and we – are now bound. One’s recall of the nasty, peevish desires for Gotterdamerung once harboured in another bunker simply will not go away. Was this the moment when it finally became clear that if she cannot have her way, she would rather destroy the country which had proved unworthy of her, than save or protect it by revocation?
I’ve been thinking the same thing for a couple of weeks.
Step 1 – Make up some unacceptable red lines
Step 2 – Insult the other parties as much as possible
Step 3 – Keep the UK Parliament out of the loop until the last moment
Step 4 – Agree and unacceptable deal
Step 5 – Insult UK MPs
Step 6 – Crash out of EU without a deal – JOB DONE!
Normally, I assume incompetence rather than conspiracy is the cause of most disasters. But, for this one, I’m having difficulty believing anyone in high office can be this incompetent!
It guarantees her deal will not pass the Commons.
But does it?
I really wouldn’t put anything past this weird bunch of loons. We are in uncharted territory that defies all previous ideas of reason and logic. Having watched the emergency debate yesterday I am pleased that there are voices of reason but then I hear people like Stephen Barclay and I wonder how many there are like that in the HOC and how they ever managed to get elected.
Barclay’s behaviour has to be amongst the most absurd of any elected politician ever
After that, I would not be at all surprised if the EU simply said: we have agreed a deal with you twice, which you have failed to pass through your legislature twice. We are not agreeing a different deal now, and we can’t see any way for your legislature to accept the current deal or anything like it. We have other things to do, and we are not going to wait indefinitely for you to sort yourselves out. So please just go away: leave now without a deal, and we will have to work out the consequences.
It is bad for them and bad for us, but at least it lets everyone get on with their lives.
The only way out of that would be for us to withdrawn the Article 50 notification. Either way, for May, it will be a total abject failure.
Let the postmortem begin…………………………
http://blog.spicker.uk/britain-has-lost-sight-of-democracy-but-it-is-the-europe-union-that-has-abandoned-its-citizens/
Interesting and thoughtful. If this is the case then we are really in trouble.
Farage and Hannan have a done good job it seems?
The EU just might be heartily sick of all of us.
Or BREXIT has also tested the ideas around the EU and what it means to destruction too?
Wales beat Trinidad and Tobago 1-0, watched with sound off and Tippett’s “Child Of Our Time” on BBC R3. From all the reports I made a wise choice.
Indeed…..
“Music for the soul” it was entitled and uplifting it was too, even although “A Child of Our Time” commemorated the awful events of ‘Kristallnacht’, yet it’s ultimate message through that darkness was of hope.
Elsewhere, she said she was on our side. Well, I don’t want her on my side, in fact she wouldn’t even be on the bench, she’d be up for a free transfer.
The worst of all this is that there is no way to get rid of her and her nasty band of incompetents. The next GE will simply give us the same old same old failures. Without a political revolution nothing will change.
I see that, apropos my earlier posted question, a Cabinet source has told Sky’s Beth Rigby that faced with the choice (their perception, not mine) of only either No Deal or a longer extension – “Source thinks she will bend to her party & go for No Deal”. So I am answered. Arrogance, spite and hubris will bury us all. Please can we have any normal sort of corrupt political fixer back? Quickly… even Lord North.
That is deeply worrying …..
Do I detect the feeling that some think we might be sliding down a similar path to Germany in 1933? Maybe The Queen will be more effective than Hindenberg. Or, perhaps we’re overreacting.
I am afraid that the worst is now definitely coming – unless there is a concerted parliamentary revolt.
The following is being quoted from a story behind the FT paywall.
“In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Theresa May made a momentous choice. After a day of acrimonious debate in her cabinet and inner circle, the prime minister decided that she was willing to take Britain out of the EU without a deal.
At Thursday’s European council meeting in Brussels, EU diplomats wondered whether Mrs May was bluffing, but those close to the prime minister said if she cannot secure her Brexit deal she is determined the UK should embark on a no-deal exit.”
Meanwhile one of her spokespeople (Is that a word?) has said in response to the still escalating petition for revocation that she “will not countenance” revocation – the country’s PM turned into a spanking nanny and one apparently intent on burningthe British Manderley down rather than let anyone but her have her way. We seem to have become trapped in a very, very bad disaster novel – with Bery &Co, Richard Hannay and Bulldog Drummond all gone AWOL.
Nicola Sturgeon, who is among the speakers in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, has told Holyrood that she will be making her announcement in “a few days time.” Indeed, she must. Instead of disaster – for May, it seems that only catastrophe will do.
Rod White says:
“Maybe The Queen will be more effective than Hindenberg.”
I don’t think she’ll burn as spectacularly. 🙂
I have been saying for some time that the autocratic May is really a fascist. We face two problems next week. There may be enough MPs who are frightened into voting for her deal if Bercow allows it to be debated, which may just get a majority for her really bad deal. Alternatively, we crash out with No Deal. As a supporter of Scottish Independence, I am feeling that this could trash the UK. It would not be pleasant, but it would make the politicians and general public face up to the truth.
Unfortunately May will possibly try to stay on and crack down on any dissent by using troops. She suggested before Indyref in 2014 that this was her preferred option in dealing with an independent Scotland. She will be particularly keen to abolish the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly to gain total personal control over the whole UK.
@Robert Mitchell
I’m also in favour of Scottish independence, and appalled that polling does not show a massive majority of Scots are not of the same mind. Not so very long ago I would have dismissed your posted contribution as febrile ranting.
I wish I could still, now, dismiss it so lightly. 🙁
Scots who want independence, please just leave already!!!! We don’t want you
I wonder, have you ever heard that rather sound advice to love your neighbour as yourself?
John Jones says:
“Scots who want independence, please just leave already!!!! We don’t want you”
Interesting point of view, John Jones, but I think the boot should rather be on the other foot. I don’t particularly wish to exclude you, but I wouldn’t seek to prevent your leaving.
Perhaps you would extend the same logic to those who wish for an independent UK (from Europe ? )
If you believe England to be so great why not go and enjoy it there. Or anywhere else of your choosing. I’m in favour of freedom of movement and against forced re-repatriation. For you, aswell as myself.
Those of us who support Scottish independence would gladly have left the UK by now. Unfortunately, only the powers that be know the value of Scotland to the UK. Most English people believe what they read in the newspapers or hear from the television. Scots are not subsidy junkies. If they were, Westminster would happily jettison Scotland from the union. We in Scotland house the UK’s oil and gas industry with reserves set to last for many years to come. We are the leaders in renewable energy. If England runs out of water, as suggested, we will be expected to provide that for our friends south of the border. We are also home to the UK’s nuclear weapons. Tony Blair changed the international sea border so that England could lay claim to areas of the North Sea which are strictly Scottish.
We are trying to leave, but UK governments will do everything in their power to prevent us. We are watching a series on BBC Scotland about Indyref which shows the lengths the Westminster governments will go to to stop us. It’s not unlike what has been happening with Brexit. If May were any good we would be out of the EU. Scotland cannot leave the UK without permission.
By the way, I’m what is known as a New Scot. I was born in England and have English ancestry going back as far as I have been able to research.
@Robert Mitchell
“Unfortunately May will possibly try to stay on […..] to gain total personal control over the whole UK.”
As a postscript it occurs to me that for May whether or not we crash out (or even stay in) the EU is possibly of relatively small consequence compared to the fear that she will be judged by history (the Tory Party history) to be the Prime Minister responsible for the break-up of the UK. She has used phrases such as ‘our treasured union’
I wonder what daddy would think (or what she might imagine daddy might think) of that and to what extent in her mind it justifies violence to maintain that benighted union. It’s a thought I wish I hadn’t had.
I couldn’t even watch that woman as the info at second hand is bad enough.
I still think the issue is the closed circle of ‘group-think’ along with the logic as follows: Most papers are all for a hard Brexit, the top readership is of the right-wing papers (virtually all of them, Times, Telegraph, Sun, mail, Express account for around 7 million, the nominally left leaning Mirror around 1/2 million. the Guardian is insignificant), therefore that is what the majority of the country wish for.
They never meet or interact with folk outside that circle. All this is putting a charitable spin on her demeanour the other possibility is her just being downright evil!
Ian says:
” Most papers are all for a hard Brexit, …”
Naturally they are. A hard Brexit, preferably ‘No Deal’ will produce screeds of sensational copy.
Any sensible resolution will be a complete damp squib.
It takes several years of war, and slaughter before peace becomes newsworthy. 🙁
Rod White says:
“Maybe The Queen will be more effective than Hindenberg.
I don’t suppose she will burn nearly as spectacularly.
Oh! Silly me. You were probably referring to Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg. 🙂
… ftang, ftang, olay biscuit barrel of Ulm …
Rod White says:
“… ftang, ftang, olay biscuit barrel of Ulm …”
Goodness me !
Raise a glass……..’To absent friends.’ 🙂
I usually think comparisons with Hitler/Nazis are a lazy way of making a point, but in this case they are more than apt.
Worryingly, the standing of and respect for British diplomacy has taken a real beating over this fracas – here is an excellent round-up of Euro-opinions from the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/20/pathetic-incoherent-chaotic-europes-verdict-on-brexit-shambles?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR3nlmNPXST–gukQsqfw1vz4iZ1QUxGHTInfzlrclnlUSJ42-8CxeZwHJE
I’m not sure that we really can sink much lower.
John Jones says:
“Scots who want independence, please just leave already!!!! We don’t want you”. Well thanks for charitable thinking, although I suspect “thinking” might be the wrong the wrong noun here.
With Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price starting to make waves about independence for Wales in the event of an adverse outcome from Brexit and Scotland already well down that path, perhaps the simplest solution for all the peoples of the UK is for England to leave the EU, leaving Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in it? That would solve most of the tensions and distortions resulting from England’s numerical population advantage in UK voting in referendums and at Westminster. I can see the DUP being unhappy about aspects of this (e.g. leaving Mrs May’s “precious Union”), but it keeps the Good Friday Agreement intact and likewise their “blood red line” of an open border with the Irish Republic. The DUP will ultimately have to reach an accommodation with the Republic as the demographic profile in Ulster gradually puts them in a minority position. In other words it’s a bridge they have to cross sometime, so why not now while the cards in their hand are still strong? (mixed metaphor alert!)
The online petition is going to exceed 4 million votes overnight tonight and the higher that number goes, the greater the chances that the McNeil – Clarke Standing Order 24 application to revoke Article 50 will get a hearing at Westminster and therefore huge publicity regardless of outcome. Maybe it is the time for England to do the decent thing and dissolve the Union so that it can walk away without totally estranging and damaging the other British nations? Given the increasing likelihood of the Union breaking up sooner or later, such a move would show a political maturity not recently visible and win massive Brownie Points for England ahead of the inevitable negotiations to settle the division of UK assets and liabilities.