Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Josquius]

Yeah, pretty terrible. Being black in Redcar can't be easy at the best of times either  without that arse hole jumping in.

[Syt]

WTF

[Richard Hakluyt]

I don't think that a pogrom is unlikely in the UK with the current development of the right 

[Sheilbh]

I agree.

Robinson's on bail at the minute - no idea if this would breach the conditions but hopefully someone will be looking into that.

Things are likely to get a lot more complicated or the government with the High Court injunction on that Epping hotel - at least until the courts rule definitively and those issues work their way up the system (although my instinct is the council have a case and it is a change of use in breach of planning law).

Luckily the police are focused and on it, arresting everyone they spot wearing Plasticine Action t-shirts...

Edit: Actually that dig at the police is a little unfair. From their perspective this is counter-terrorism and I don't really think they should be exercising too much discretion on that.

[garbon]

They shouldn't be exercising any discretion around Palestine Action. As we have discussed the government has prescribed thar group and they should thus be treated like other terrorist groups. Otherwise, what is law?

[Sheilbh]

I agree - it's the government's decision and fault. This is not what counter-terrorism legislation is for. It just really feels like launching an investigation into Sally Rooney is not the priority right now.

[garbon]

I agree - it's the government's decision and fault. This is not what counter-terrorism legislation is for. It just really feels like launching an investigation into Sally Rooney is not the priority right now.

Oh for sure. But now the bed has been made.. I don't really want government policy decided by Sally Rooney.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The police also arrested a guy wearing a "Plasticene action" t-shirt 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/18/protester-arrested-wearing-plasticine-action-t-shirt-palestine-gaza-protest

I expect half the protestors will be wearing one of those at the next demo, the cops had better get themselves down to specsavers to make sure they can easily spot the difference.

OTOH they could arrest the t-shirt wearers anyaway, it is what the Chinese Communist Party would do and they have far more experience of unjustifiable repression than the Labour government.

[Josquius]

I've seen that's quite a trend on social media at the moment.

If we dont oppose the senator from naboos efforts to claim power our Republic is at risk. I support Palpatine action.

I support preservation of romes historic sites. I support palatine action.

And so on

[Gups]

I agree - it's the government's decision and fault. This is not what counter-terrorism legislation is for. It just really feels like launching an investigation into Sally Rooney is not the priority right now.

It's astounding how bad this government is at basic politics.

[Tamas]

A very cringy but potentially dangerous new way for the far-right to be looking for a fight - spam English flags everywhere including street lamps which are council property so they are supposed to be removed as routine maintenance, which will of course can be used for fake outrage.

I hope the online voices calling this action racist will be kept to a minimum. Yes almost certainly its racist twats doing this, but they have no monopoly over national symbols. The symbols aren't racist, the dickheads using them for this purpose are. Let's not cede control of those symbols to them.

[Sheilbh]

It's astounding how bad this government is at basic politics.

Yes.

And you could almost forgive that if they were pushing a really clearly defined policy agenda and getting things done. But they're not even doing that

On a lot of these issues at the start of the summer Angela Rayner apparently warned the cabinet there was risk of social breakdown and disorder this summer over asylum hotels and law and order. She was saying that as part of a wider piece of work she's doing with other departments that will be announced in a few months on a general strategy on social cohesion, basically all around the politics of place. Which I think is really interesting and really important - I'm just slightly astonished that working out what they want to do about that is something they're starting to do one year into government (with a massive majority) rather than in the five years they spent in opposition (at least three of them with a reasonable expectation of forming the next government).

I often think of that story when Sue Gray was hired to "kick the tires" on Labour's plans for government. Very shortly afterwards there were anonymous briefings that she was apparently horrified at how little detailed planning had been done and how few policy ideas they actually had. At the time I honestly thought it was just a bit of anonymous briefing/internal score settling. I'm not so sure now.

I'd also add that I keep on seeing stories about Starmer having massive buyer's remorse over appointing Sir Chris Wormald to Cabinet Secretary. Apparently appointing the most Starmer-ish, institutionalist candidate to run the civil service has not produced the dynamic change they wanted but things are very difficult to get done. Recently apparently there was a big fight between Wormald and the Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood (who has impressed - I think her and Jonathan Reynolds are the only two I genuinely think have been pretty good), over appointing the chief civil service in her department. Wormald was very, very strongly pushing for a candidate from what I've read (again anonymous briefings) for career development purposes - his candidate is considered a coming talent within the civil service and needs to become Permanent Secretary in a relatively big department if they're to have a chance of one day becoming Cabinet Secretary. Mahmood didn't want them and didn't think they'd be good or help her try to do stuff. It ended up having to go to Starmer who (rightly) overruled Wormald and backed Mahmood.

[Josquius]

A very cringy but potentially dangerous new way for the far-right to be looking for a fight - spam English flags everywhere including street lamps which are council property so they are supposed to be removed as routine maintenance, which will of course can be used for fake outrage.

I hope the online voices calling this action racist will be kept to a minimum. Yes almost certainly its racist twats doing this, but they have no monopoly over national symbols. The symbols aren't racist, the dickheads using them for this purpose are. Let's not cede control of those symbols to them.

I need a stock of Northumberland flag stickers to put on top if it happens.

[garbon]

A very cringy but potentially dangerous new way for the far-right to be looking for a fight - spam English flags everywhere including street lamps which are council property so they are supposed to be removed as routine maintenance, which will of course can be used for fake outrage.

I hope the online voices calling this action racist will be kept to a minimum. Yes almost certainly its racist twats doing this, but they have no monopoly over national symbols. The symbols aren't racist, the dickheads using them for this purpose are. Let's not cede control of those symbols to them.

Do you not recall this which triggered her to resign her cabinet position?



I would venture the English flag had already been ceded to racists before I arrived in the UK.

[Tamas]

Fair, but it doesn't have to be. Especially as it'll require more mainstream use once Scottish and Welsh 50%+1 referendums will disband the UK.