Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

What is it that makes you think that really matters to Johnson?

I mean after "fuck business", pushing through a hard Brexit that every business group in the country lobbied against (especially financial services sector/the City) and taking a fairly confrontational stance with China - I don't feel like big business necessarily have that much sway with this government. Especially if the choice is politics v business.

[Tamas]

You might be falling for his champion of the people BS there.

[Sheilbh]

Not really - I mean on Brexit and China those are policy decisions that are impacting business.

I think one of the reasons that the opposition to Johnson and Brexit and the Tories in the last few years has failed is that it's spent its time fighting the imaginary, purely evil, venal cariacatures in their head - rather than the actual government. It's not a million miles away from the GOP fighting against radical socialist Joe Biden (or the failed attempts by the Tories to similarly oppose radical socialist Tony Blair). If your opponent's off fighting mirages you can get quite a lot done - it's why I'm not sure that Starmer is wrong to focus on competence.

I can't think of a single decision by this government where they chose helping business over good/popular politics (that would also be one of the lines of attack I'd make - that they're weak/will say/do anything).

Edit: Incidentally one thing that people like about Johnson is that he is unashamed and unembarrassed about his poshness (which is partly schtick). So I think his line that he personally isn't interested in football and doesn't have a team, but recognises it's really important to lots of people will go down well - certainly better than David Cameron (the opposite of Johnson on this - "call me Dave") who claimed to be an Aston Villa fan, but then mixed them up with West Ham

[Tamas]

It's hopeless, Boris has even got to you. 

[Sheilbh]

I can't stand him (though I've always hated Cameron and Osborne more than anyone else in British politics)

I just wish the opposition to him would focus on reality not Johnson-as-Trump, which he's not and most people can see he's not.

[Josquius]

ehh.... its a bit of both.
Johnson obviously isn't identical to Trump...but at the same time he has definitely took a lot of lessons from his guidebook. Further down in the Tory party Trumpism is becoming increasingly rampant.

But yeah, the hate Starmer is getting is annoying. Its sad to see so many walking into trying to fight the fight that Johnson wants the opposition to fall into.

In other news read today about the changes in London local democracy....
Mayoral elections to become FPTP...because that helps the Tories.
Assembly elections to remain AMS....because FPTP would help Labour.

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/20/no-10-press-briefings-plan-axed-as-stratton-moves-to-cop26-role

No 10 press briefings plan axed as Stratton moves to Cop26 role

Proposals for White House-style televised presentations shelved as press secretary changes jobs

Plans for White House-style televised press briefings in Downing Street have been axed, after the press secretary picked to front them, Allegra Stratton, was moved to become Boris Johnson's spokeswoman on the climate change summit Cop26, the Guardian understands.

So what'll happen to that fancy room?

[Zanza]

On Johnson and the ESL:

[alfred russel]

I'm not sure that's really what the much mythologised "global fans" want either.

Lots of changes happen in US sports that only make the fans mad. Don't really like halftime being extended at the Super Bowl for a Britney Spears show. But you know what? The NFL doesn't give a shit because I'm going to watch anyway, and Britney Spears brings in some marginal viewer.

[Sheilbh]

Lots of changes happen in US sports that only make the fans mad. Don't really like halftime being extended at the Super Bowl for a Britney Spears show. But you know what? The NFL doesn't give a shit because I'm going to watch anyway, and Britney Spears brings in some marginal viewer.

Yeah - and they become part of the spectacle and that could happen here too.

My point is I've not seen any particular desire for this project. Also fan culture is a large part of what European football clubs sell - it's the core of the pitch by the Premier League. I've mentioned it before but a tiny detail is that the PL's pitchside mics face the fans so they make the crowd sound bigger and more passionate, in Serie A they face into the pitch so you can hear the game. Apparently this is a small advantage the PL has devised with broadcasters.

Because fan culture is part of what the European leagues are selling especially around derbies, my observation from just being online is that overseas fans actually imitate the fans in England more. So they get really into the #ThisMeansMore #YNWA branding of clubs. That makes me question if even the existing global fans would really want this - seeing, online, how much domestic fans hate it.

Now given the superlative planning that's gone into the rest of this project I'm sure the clubs did actually identify an audience - but personally I slightly wonder what or where it is.

[Tamas]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/21/boris-johnson-promised-james-dyson-he-would-fix-tax-issue

Boris Johnson personally promised the entrepreneur James Dyson he would "fix" an issue over the tax status of his employees after he was directly lobbied by the entrepreneur, it has been reported.

The BBC said it has seen a series of text messages between the two men after Sir James was unable to get the assurances he was seeking from the Treasury.

The exchanges took place in March last year at the start of the pandemic when the government was appealing to firms to supply ventilators amid fears the NHS could run out.

The government said it was right to secure equipment for the NHS in "extraordinary times", while Dyson said it was "absurd" to suggest his firm was doing anything other than seeking to comply with Treasury rules.

Labour, however, described the disclosures as "jaw-dropping" and said Johnson must now agree to a full, independent inquiry into lobbying.

Dyson, whose firm is based in Singapore, wrote to the Treasury asking for an assurance that his staff would not have to pay additional tax if they came to the UK to work on the project.

However, when he failed to receive a reply, the BBC said he took up the matter directly with the prime minister.

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He said in a text that the firm was ready but that "sadly" it seemed no one wanted them to proceed.

Johnson replied: "I will fix it tomo! We need you. It looks fantastic."

The prime minister then texted him again, saying: "[Chancellor Rishi [Sunak] says it is fixed!! We need you here."

When Sir James sought further assurance, Johnson replied: "James, I am First Lord of the Treasury and you can take it that we are backing you to do what you need."

Two weeks later, Sunak told the Commons Treasury committee that the tax status of people who came to the UK to provide specific help during the pandemic would not be affected.

A government spokesman said it was right to take action in "extraordinary times" to ensure the NHS had the equipment it needed.

"At the height of the pandemic, there were genuine fears that we would quickly run out of ventilators, leaving the NHS unable to treat patients and putting many lives at risk," he said.

"As the public would expect, we did everything we could in extraordinary times to protect our citizens and get access to the right medical equipment."

Dyson said he was "hugely proud" of his firm's response in "the midst of a national emergency", and that he would "do the same again if asked".

He told the BBC: "When the prime minister rang me to ask Dyson to urgently build ventilators, of course I said yes.

"Our ventilator cost Dyson £20m, freely given to the national cause, and it is absurd to suggest that the urgent correspondence was anything other than seeking compliance with rules, as 450 Dyson people – in UK and Singapore – worked around the clock, seven days a week to build potentially life-saving equipment at a time of dire need.

"Mercifully, they were not required as medical understanding of the virus evolved. Neither Weybourne [Dyson's holding company] nor Dyson received any benefit from the project; indeed commercial projects were delayed, and Dyson voluntarily covered the £20m of development costs."

Dyson also said his company had not claimed "one penny" from governments in any jurisdiction in relation to Covid.

The report came amid growing concern at Westminster over lobbying following the disclosures of David Cameron's activities on behalf of the failed finance firm, Greensill Capital.

In response, Johnson ordered a review by the senior lawyer Nigel Boardman.

A Labour party spokesman said: "These are jaw-dropping revelations. Boris Johnson is now front and centre of the biggest lobbying scandal in a generation, and Tory sleaze has reached the heart of Downing Street ... Boris Johnson must now agree to a full, transparent and independent inquiry into lobbying - and end the scandal of Conservative politicians abusing taxpayer money."

[Tamas]

But of course, Johnson has just saved the Champions League from being replaced by a differently boring mid-week competition so his status of beloved people's champion is safe.

[Josquius]

Did he? Wasn't it labour making the most noise about it? Johnson acted rather late I thought?

[Tamas]

Did he? Wasn't it labour making the most noise about it? Johnson acted rather late I thought?

It's what's reported what counts, not what really happened. Even in the Guardian I remember a faint mention of Starmer saying something at some point, but Boris promising action (and when the guy promises something, then that's a big deal obviously) was all over the place.

[Sheilbh]

Story in Private Eye which demonstrates why in my experience nothing unites Labour and Tory activists as much as their loathing of the Lib Dems

But of course, Johnson has just saved the Champions League from being replaced by a differently boring mid-week competition so his status of beloved people's champion is safe.

Honestly I don't really get the outrage on the Dyson ventilators piece - Dyson made a loss from what I understand and it seems like a reasonably sensible ask to me that workers who move to the UK to help on covid aren't taxed more. Basically the ask was that staff who were redeployed to the UK to help the UK government respond to an emergency didn't become tax resident in the UK:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56819137

It's a bit like the unlawful delay (on average of 17 days) of publishing procurement contracts. Flip this around and imagine the outrage if an international company that was spending money to try and produce ventilators (even though they ultimately failed) was struggling to do it because their workers "country of residence" for tax purposes would change based on a "computer says no" bit of process by HMRC. It's the same as the delay in the contracts - yes it's bad that the government didn't meet it's legal requirements to publish contracts within a set time period, but again think of the outrage if staff in the Department of Health were having to be deployed onto redacting and uploading contracts with suppliers.

Basically I'm with Tony Blair's take: "we were in the middle of a pandemic ... I find it hard to get worked up about this."