Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[The Larch]

I know it's a joke about the White House in In The Loop - but is Britain unique in having a lot of pretty influential people basically be under 35 and on politics' version of a grad scheme?

As if any other country could even try to replicate all the weirdness, oddities, peculiarities and outright baffling pageantry of British politics.

[Josquius]

I know it's a joke about the White House in In The Loop - but is Britain unique in having a lot of pretty influential people basically be under 35 and on politics' version of a grad scheme?
[

Sometimes I think I like politics.
Then I read about shit like this and it's just "nope. Perfect vision of hell. No place for sensible people who mean the best".
I have no doubt all of this bunch are absolute cunts were you to run into them socially. As indeed I'm sure I did at university.

[Tamas]

I know it's a joke about the White House in In The Loop - but is Britain unique in having a lot of pretty influential people basically be under 35 and on politics' version of a grad scheme?
[

Sometimes I think I like politics.
Then I read about shit like this and it's just "nope. Perfect vision of hell. No place for sensible people who mean the best".
I have no doubt all of this bunch are absolute cunts were you to run into them socially. As indeed I'm sure I did at university.

Yeah I had close second hand experience of that with one of my family members getting involved in local (as in small town council) politics. All you needed was one ruthless bastard and a few others to step out of his way to make it a vicious disgusting cesspit.

It made me conclude that even those who start it meaning well must have had to develop some pretty disgusting skills and do some despicable intrigues to get to the point where I start seeing them in national politics because otherwise the bastards would have eaten them alive.

[Tamas]

Police being fascist pigs:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/17/it-was-humiliating-police-apologise-for-handcuffing-undressed-student-in-raid

[Josquius]

I do worry at how much worse the police is becoming. Conspiracy de jour is the tory cuts helped get rid of the decent cops and now they are rehiring with patriotism et al as chief qualifying criteria.


News just coming in but more in the one law for them... Territory. Folk who Javid interacted with won't be isolating because special pilot scheme.....

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/18/boris-johnson-and-rishi-sunak-will-not-isolate-after-being-pinged-says-no-10?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[garbon]

It is just mind boggling.

[Tamas]

I guess people in a monarchy shouldn't be surprised or complain that the upper classes have different rules applying to them.

[Syt]

https://news.sky.com/story/racially-and-religiously-motivated-hate-crime-hit-a-new-high-in-2020-home-office-statistics-reveal-12356632

Racially and religiously-motivated hate crime hit a new high in 2020, Home Office statistics reveal

Leicestershire Police and the Dyfed Powys force in Wales saw the biggest increase in reported hate crimes in 2020.

Racially and religiously motivated hate crimes hit a new high across England and Wales in 2020, data has revealed.

A total of 61,851 racially and religiously aggravated offences were recorded last year - up 7% on the 57,825 in 2019.

That is more than double the 28,479 recorded in 2013 - the first year specific data was made available.

Some forces saw much bigger rises, with Leicestershire Police's offences going up the most - by 82% to 1,297, followed by Dyfed Powys police in Wales, which had an increase of 49%.

London's Met Police recorded the highest number of hate offences (15,101) - a rise of 7% - followed by West Midlands Police (5,155) - an increase of 23%.

The Home Office data, which covers all 43 forces in England and Wales apart from Greater Manchester Police, also showed that in 2020, 27% of cases were closed without a suspect being identified.

This is an improvement on 2019 - when around three in 10 (31%) were shut unresolved.

[Josquius]

I guess people in a monarchy shouldn't be surprised or complain that the upper classes have different rules applying to them.

Johnson is upper class but the others are generally middle class new money types.

[Tamas]

I guess people in a monarchy shouldn't be surprised or complain that the upper classes have different rules applying to them.

Johnson is upper class but the others are generally middle class new money types.

I mean, two things. Somebody like Sunak with his marriage money is upper class on that account alone.

Secondly, they are the effin' leaders of our country, given great powers. They are the very definition of the ruling class. Sure, they might fall out of that class any day but in the meantime they get to enjoy its privileges, like an isolation pilot scheme centered around not having to isolate.

[Josquius]

I was just being pedantic.

Anyway.
Seems they've decided to u turn. Stop digging and hope this vanishes.

BBC News - Covid-19: PM and chancellor to self-isolate in U-turn
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57879730

[garbon]

So was their a pilot scheme or not?

[Sheilbh]

I do worry at how much worse the police is becoming. Conspiracy de jour is the tory cuts helped get rid of the decent cops and now they are rehiring with patriotism et al as chief qualifying criteria.

That's nonsense. The police have always been like this. Pre-austerity was the G20 protests and the death of Ian Tomlinson (plus cover up) or the shooting of de Menezes (plus cover up). Go further back and you've got the sus laws and the ring of steel etc.

Racially and religiously-motivated hate crime hit a new high in 2020, Home Office statistics reveal

Interesting and grim that the police directly link this to covid

Although as this is reports I wonder to what extent is it the crimes actually rising and to what extent it reflects growing trust in affeted communities so there are more reports. I think that's definitely been the case with LGBT hate crimes in the last 20 years where they've gone from more common but basically never reported to less common but more reported.

I don't know if the British Crime Survey covers hate crimes or not - but that's how we know that reports (and convictions) of rape and sexual assault are falling but the number of offences are likely staying the same.

Seems they've decided to u turn. Stop digging and hope this vanishes.

Yeah - "one rule for them and another for us" is very unpopular and I still think a very fruitful attack line for Labour. There's a reason the Queen didn't have anyone sat next to her at her husband's funeral - she gets that more than the democratic politicians.

So was their a pilot scheme or not?

I've heard of it before but I think they used the pilot scheme for UEFA guests not self-isolating too. I don't know if I've heard of this pilot scheme outside of senior people not having to follow the rules.

Johnson is upper class but the others are generally middle class new money types.

They're all more or less upper-middle I think. It's one of the reasons I doubt Jacob's Etonian friends' line about scholarship boys is Boris Johnson is a scholarship boy - there's no great Johnson family fortune (unlike for Cameron and Osborne - or Sunak). His dad wrote novels and was an international civil servant (World Bank, European Commission etc) and his mum was an unsuccessful artist. Hence why Johnson needed the scholarship and why he needs so much money from the Telegraph to pay off his alimony.

Cameron on the other hand was from generations of landowners and stockbrokers and some imperial money-men too, while Osborne will be the 18th Osborne Baronet and again comes from lots of wealth.

[Tamas]

 

Transport for London (TfL) has contradicted Communities Minister Robert Jenrick's claims that it is taking part in a test and trace pilot scheme.

The government minister claimed TfL were one of 20 public bodies taking part in the scheme, which would see daily testing replace self-isolation.

But a TfL spokesperson said:

The current test and trace rules on self-isolation have led to vital control room staff being unable to come to work, causing disruption on some Tube lines.

The Government has indicated that we could be part of a trial whereby daily tests would replace the need for self-isolation. We are still waiting for formal notification from them that we are part of this trial so that we can brief our trade unions and put this into effect.

No 10 is also briefing that Network Rail is part of the same pilot - which would have allowed Boris Johnson to skip self-isolation after being pinged by the NHS Covid app - but there has been no confirmation from them either

[Sheilbh]

When does the new rules for vaccinated people come into effect though - I ask as I'm self-isolating after getting pinged. So far only negative tests and I'm double-vaxxed (plus fourteen days)