Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Josquius]

Huge difference between when this happened to the brexit party and the same thing happening to labour.
With farage it was a group of unaffiliated pranksters who did it.
With labour it's the actual conservative party themselves.


Really disagree on the people around Corbyn bit. Though the man himself may not be the best there's some very good people who actually know their stuff behind him. Keir Starmer for instance. He's the man who should have been in charge of this whole brexit mess from the start. One of the few who actually understands it.

[Josquius]

Has anyone seen any interesting local fake news?

There's one being reported by major local papers here that a local company has been banned from bidding for building new trains for the metro and the contract will instead go to a European company  rather than building them in the UK. ..

In actual fact the winner of the bid hasn't been decided, the local company is Japanese and is on the shortlist of 3, and the other two companies manufacture in the UK too. 

[Agelastus]

Has anyone seen any interesting local fake news?

There's one being reported by major local papers here that a local company has been banned from bidding for building new trains for the metro and the contract will instead go to a European company  rather than building them in the UK. ..

In actual fact the winner of the bid hasn't been decided, the local company is Japanese and is on the shortlist of 3, and the other two companies manufacture in the UK too. 

Is this Tyne and Wear with Hitachi, CAF and Stadler?

CAF's Newport plant is an assembly and testing centre, not a manufacturing plant.

Stadler's Liverpool facility is a service centre for repairing and refurbishing Stadler trains, not manufacturing them.

Hitachi's plant is a manufacturing and assembly plant.

The company's websites are pretty clear about the facilities even if the actual details of the bids are secret. I don't think I missed any other UK plants for CAF and Stadler on their lists.

Also, I notice that if the story is fake it's one Jeremy Corbyn has been taken in by as he has commented directly on the issue about three days ago if I read the Chronicle's website correctly.

I agree the winner doesn't seem to have been announced yet though - but it seems like the process may be becoming a little "leaky".

[Josquius]

Yes. Corbyn didn't do his research either. No idea what he was thinking there.
Nonetheless I suspect far less malice on his part considering he's a London based party leader in the middle of an election campaign rather than a local politician with heavy vested interests on many fronts. Also he didn't start the fuss.

Newport has a manufacturing plant.

https://www.railbusinessdaily.com/vip-visitors-tour-new-caf-train-manufacturing-facility/

Stadler, seems you're right.
Though the BBC claimed different (. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-49738239)
That explains why they aren't the winners outright. As they do seem a more logical manufacturer than Hitachi - they're currently working on the Merseyrail trains and I've been saying for a while UK cities should coordinate more on procurement.

[Agelastus]

Newport has a manufacturing plant.

https://www.railbusinessdaily.com/vip-visitors-tour-new-caf-train-manufacturing-facility/

Interesting.

CAF's own website clearly differentiates between Newport and their other sites - Newport is listed as "Assembly and Testing" unlike the plants in Spain, France, the USA, Brazil and Mexico which are all listed as "manufacturing" or in one case "production" (either including wheels and axles or not including wheels and axles.)

https://www.caf.net/en/compania/instalaciones.php?opt=plantas-de-fabricacion

I read that to mean that Newport assembles rolling stock that has been manufactured elsewhere rather than actually having any facility to manufacture actual car-bodies, wheels, axles etc. which would be manufactured in Europe etc. before being shipped to Newport. It is odd that it seems to be the only CAF facility described as that though.

[Sheilbh]

Andrew Neil () is interviewing the leaders. Apparently Sturgeon's last night was pretty bad for her and Corbyn's tonight is also a disaster.

I found that moment with Neil and Ben Shapiro very telling on issues with US media too.

Edit: Clip from the Corbyn interview following the Chief Rabbi's comments - glad to see someone finally confronting him when he does his pivot to "all racism":
https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1199393787149242368?s=20

Also what are the Great British people noticing:

I feel this may, somehow, end up going badly for everyone.

Johnson tomorrow - which I feel he'll be dreading.

[Valmy]

Oh hell does Jo Swinson have to go be annihilated again on that show?

[Sheilbh]

Oh hell does Jo Swinson have to go be annihilated again on that show?

This is one of her opportunities

[Josquius]

Finally anti semitism in the labour party is being put in the appropriate light.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50561043

[Admiral Yi]

The appropriate light apparently being whataboutism.

[Sheilbh]

But it's not a racism Olympics. I don't see how the right light for Labour's anti-semitism is the Tories' Islamophobia.

And in fact I think one of the really striking moments of the last few years has been the amount of solidarity on display between the Jewish community confronting one and the Muslim community (especially the MCB and Tell MAMA) confronting the other.

[Josquius]

The appropriate light apparently being whataboutism.

I knew someone would reply with this.
Ignoring that the entire anti semitism thing is whatboutisn.

Labour should have higher standards than the tories. They should be quicker to crack down on anti semitism.
But that they are being made out to be uniquely hateful whilst the rotten to the core tories are given a free pass...

[Admiral Yi]

I knew someone would reply with this.
Ignoring that the entire anti semitism thing is whatboutisn.

Labour should have higher standards than the tories. They should be quicker to crack down on anti semitism.
But that they are being made out to be uniquely hateful whilst the rotten to the core tories are given a free pass...

[Josquius]

[Admiral Yi]

I don't see how you can reconcile those two statements.