Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Zanza]

Tax increases are of course important, but the latest British news in Germany is that there are doubts over whether Geronimo was really sick. 

[Sheilbh]

Tax increases are of course important, but the latest British news in Germany is that there are doubts over whether Geronimo was really sick. 

Apparently government scientists have confirmed that their post-mortem confirm the two tests and Geronimo did, indeed, have bovine TB.

In fairness Geronimo was never sick - just contagious for local farms.

Employers also have to pay 1.25%. I think of it as a 2.5% additional tax on employing people.

Also it applies to working pensioners who currently pay 0% National Insurance - I think a rise of 1.25% or 1.25 percentage points is fine, clear and more accurate and understandable than a 10% increase in the current rate.

[garbon]

That's a sad subheadline for Cressida.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/08/cressida-dick-offered-two-year-extension-as-met-police-chief

Extension said to have been granted because those most likely to replace her are not yet seen as suitable

[Sheilbh]

[Tamas]

She terrifies me. Being able to keep hold of her seat despite all that's being going on with the police and all the London knife crime etc, must mean she is a real mean bastard. The fact that she is a woman, which had to make it ten times harder to ever reach her spot let alone keep it, scares me even more.

[Sheilbh]

She terrifies me. Being able to keep hold of her seat despite all that's being going on with the police and all the London knife crime etc, must mean she is a real mean bastard. The fact that she is a woman, which had to make it ten times harder to ever reach her spot let alone keep it, scares me even more.

And a lesbian.

But as I have said many times, her entire career is failing upwards. She shouldn't have been anywhere near this job or senior leadership for the last 15-6 years. I think she's clearly a very, very canny political operator, especially as the Commissioner of the Met is a joint appointment by the Home Secretary and the Mayor. My understanding is that when she was initially appointed the Tories were on a localism kick and very much let Sadiq take the lead in picking, Patel is far less localist and apparently had the most say this round. I think it takes a fair bit of political nous to get support from both Sadiq Khan and Priti Patel

[Sheilbh]

Re. people who shouldn't be in a job (and what a sub-headline ):

Gavin Williamson apparently confuses Maro Itoje with Marcus Rashford
Apparent gaffe prompts outrage with education secretary described as most ignorant in UK history

Williamson's team later clarified he had not in fact met Rashford as he had claimed, but was instead talking about Itoje, the England rugby player. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
Aubrey Allegretti Political correspondent
@breeallegretti
Wed 8 Sep 2021 15.32 BST

Gavin Williamson has been branded the most ignorant and incapable education secretary in the UK's history after he appeared to confuse Marcus Rashford with the England rugby player Maro Itoje, who is also black.

The cabinet minister, who is widely tipped for demotion at a long-awaited reshuffle some Westminster insiders think could take place on Thursday, made the apparent gaffe in an interview with the Evening Standard.

Williamson was asked by the newspaper if he had met Rashford, the Manchester United and England footballer who has led a campaign to extend free school meals.

"We met over Zoom and he seemed incredibly engaged, compassionate and charming but then he had to shoot off," the education secretary said, adding: "I didn't want to be the one that was holding him back from his training."

The Standard reported that Williamson's team later clarified he had not in fact met Rashford, but was instead talking about Itoje, the Saracens and England rugby player who has campaigned to improve access to laptops and the internet for children unable to attend school during the Covid pandemic.


Marcus Rashford, left, and Maro Itoje. Composite: Eddie Keogh/The FA/Getty/Sportsphoto/Allstar

Williamson said in a short statement that he made a "genuine mistake" and "conflated the issues" of laptops and school meal campaigns that had both come up during the interview, adding that he had "huge respect" for Rashford and Itoje's "effective and inspiring campaigns".

Rashford's spokesperson confirmed he had not met the education secretary on a Zoom call and that his requests to collaborate with those in power had often been rebuffed. "Maro and Marcus are two incredibly successful young black men, but there is little more they have in common," they added.

The footballer himself tweeted that the two stars' different accents "could have been a giveaway", with an emoji of someone crying with laughter.

Itoje also posted: "Due to recent speculation I thought it was necessary to confirm that I am not Marcus Rashford ... And whilst we are here my name is not Mario either!! Just a simple Maro Itoje will do ... Much love, Marcu ... I mean Maro Itoje."

Williamson, who in the same interview said he had enough "grit and determination" to weather the storm that has brewed over his political future for a year, faced a deluge of criticism from opposition politicians.

David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, called it "appalling" and tweeted asking how Williamson had confused the two sports stars. "You must be the most ignorant, clueless and incapable education secretary in the UK's history," he said.

Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, posted: "According to Gavin Williamson, a black man from Wythenshawe who plays football for England looks the same as a black man from north London who plays rugby for England. The fact that Gavin Williamson remains in his job is a daily reminder of how mediocre white men rise and rise."

The Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker struggled to believe Williamson had made such a gaffe, tweeting: "Surely not."

Boris Johnson's press secretary said she was unaware of the education secretary's comments when asked on Wednesday afternoon if they amounted to racism.

[Barrister]

Re. people who shouldn't be in a job (and what a sub-headline ):

Confusing a black rugby player who advocates for laptops for school children, with a black soccer player who advocates for lunch meals for school children, doesn't seem that outrageous.

[viper37]

Re. people who shouldn't be in a job (and what a sub-headline ):

Confusing a black rugby player who advocates for laptops for school children, with a black soccer player who advocates for lunch meals for school children, doesn't seem that outrageous.

It's Britain.  We can't possibly understand these people and their fanatism for rugby.

[Sheilbh]

Confusing a black rugby player who advocates for laptops for school children, with a black soccer player who advocates for lunch meals for school children, doesn't seem that outrageous.

Marcus Rashford is very famous - probably one of the most famous men in the country and has caused multiple u-turns by Gavin Williamson's department.

Maro Itoje - I'm sure he does great work - is not. I mean he's a rugby union player. I imagine Johnson knows who he is but I think if you're not a fan you wouldn't know him. You'd need to not have watched the news in the last 18 months to not know who Rashford is

[Tamas]

I went down to the car this morning. At the entrance to our building (but inside) there was one palm-sized spider on each side of the round light piece on the wall, and their young half-palm sized cousin on the opposite wall.

I SO hate spider mating season. These giant ones are exceedingly disgusting. They combine unnatural size, disgusting dark brown colour, and uncanny speed. Bleh.

[The Brain]

She terrifies me. Being able to keep hold of her seat despite all that's being going on with the police and all the London knife crime etc, must mean she is a real mean bastard. The fact that she is a woman, which had to make it ten times harder to ever reach her spot let alone keep it, scares me even more.

Do Hungarians like have some kind of bad experience with powerful women or something?

[Tamas]

She terrifies me. Being able to keep hold of her seat despite all that's being going on with the police and all the London knife crime etc, must mean she is a real mean bastard. The fact that she is a woman, which had to make it ten times harder to ever reach her spot let alone keep it, scares me even more.

Do Hungarians like have some kind of bad experience with powerful women or something?

No, but I am quite very certain that due to discrimination, being a woman is a distinct disadvantage in one's career in nearly all fields and especially in previously male-dominated fields like the police force. So if a man who is failing in his high-level high public visibility job needs X level of political maneuvering to keep his job, a woman in the some position must need about 10X level of political maneuvering for the same.

[The Brain]

She terrifies me. Being able to keep hold of her seat despite all that's being going on with the police and all the London knife crime etc, must mean she is a real mean bastard. The fact that she is a woman, which had to make it ten times harder to ever reach her spot let alone keep it, scares me even more.

Do Hungarians like have some kind of bad experience with powerful women or something?

No, but I am quite very certain that due to discrimination, being a woman is a distinct disadvantage in one's career in nearly all fields and especially in previously male-dominated fields like the police force. So if a man who is failing in his high-level high public visibility job needs X level of political maneuvering to keep his job, a woman in the some position must need about 10X level of political maneuvering for the same.

Relax. It was just an Elizabeth Bathory joke.

[Tamas]

She terrifies me. Being able to keep hold of her seat despite all that's being going on with the police and all the London knife crime etc, must mean she is a real mean bastard. The fact that she is a woman, which had to make it ten times harder to ever reach her spot let alone keep it, scares me even more.

Do Hungarians like have some kind of bad experience with powerful women or something?

No, but I am quite very certain that due to discrimination, being a woman is a distinct disadvantage in one's career in nearly all fields and especially in previously male-dominated fields like the police force. So if a man who is failing in his high-level high public visibility job needs X level of political maneuvering to keep his job, a woman in the some position must need about 10X level of political maneuvering for the same.

Relax. It was just an Elizabeth Bathory joke.

It's funny that I doubt most Hungarians are even aware of Elizabeth Bathory.