July 2018 Politics thread

June thread here

https://community.drownedinsound.com/t/uk-politics-june-2018/26223/

Away you go.

Couple of things from yesterday/overnight that haven’t been picked up on yet:

In news that has been warmly welcomed by centrist PLP members, Alex Wickham (Guido, Brietbart, the Sun) moves to Buzzfeed. Expect him to be recruited by the Guardian in a couple of years.

https://twitter.com/stuartmillar159/status/1014027213342199808

Newsnight runs a piece by private healthcare lobbyists and the IEA attacking the NHS

https://twitter.com/BBCNewsnight/status/1013901742394789889

It’s still a disgrace that ‘thinktanks’ like the IEA are given a platform on the BBC while they still refuse to declare their funding sources.

In similar news I note that Chloe Westley from the Taxpayers Alliance has been cropping up on broadcast media a lot of late. I thought they’d been marginalised for the last few years, but nope.

If anything, they’ve been more visible in the past couple of years, I think.

Interesting how this table is pretty much a list running from left to right wing, isn’t it?

What’s that table measuring - transparency of funding sources? Didn’t think Policy Exchange would be THAT bad but I guess it’s not a surprise either. Would be interesting to see where both Bright Blue and IDS’s Centre for Social Justice would be.

Yes. It’s from here:

This UK-specific site includes Bright Blue (C-rating) and the Centre for Social Justice (E-rating)

http://whofundsyou.org/about/method

Cool - cheers.

WHAT a surprise.

Forgot to mention.

What do we make of this, then?

Say what you like about the Taxpayers Alliance, they played a blinder when they picked their name.

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Leaving the BBC because he refused to take a paycut right? Think I’m right in saying that all of the other Overpaid Broadcasting Men have…

Yeah big time. I’ve been a taxpayer for 20 years and they’ve never asked me jack shit.

That’s the version that the BBC were pushing yesterday. Most of the other OBMs have taken a reduction in their hours, I think, rather than an hourly rate cut.

Yeah I know Jeremy Vine’s done that because he’s going to be helming the Wright Stuff from now on so, sadly, no overall reduction in his broadcasting hours cross-channels. Sake.

Parliament’s most ludicrous ritual gets played out again today with elections for a new hereditary peer for the House of Lords. The retirement of Earl Baldwin of Bewdley means a new crossbench hereditary peer is required — if that’s the right word — to fill his place in Britain’s vast upper legislature. A total of 19 non-sitting hereditary peers have put themselves forward for a seat, including a nephew of the queen and a 24-year-old history graduate from Aberdeen University. All 19 of these men (and they are all men) have inherited the right to apply for a seat from their fathers. And a grand total of 31 people — all the current sitting crossbench hereditary peers — get to vote.

The candidates have all made personal pitches to their 31-strong electorate as to why they should get a £300-a-day job for life rewriting our laws. Read them here. Highlights include:

Earl Albemarle: “It would be interesting to analyse the make-up of the crossbench peers. To see the balance between the ‘right-brained’ individuals who are meant to be more subjective, creative who rely on intuition, and the percentage of ‘left-brained,’ who are objective, analytical, and rely on reasoning. I personally can only offer the crossbenches my right-side of the brain, with 30 years of experience in the commercial creative arts.”

Lord Aldington: “I followed family into banking, and have lived in U.K., U.S., Hong Kong and Germany …”

Lord Bridges: “Solicitor to the Duchy of Lancaster 1998 – 2012; Personal Solicitor to the queen since 2002 … Father and grandfather sat as active crossbenchers. Interests: Singing (president of Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Catch Club); Sailing; Books.”

Lord Glenconner: “I am twenty-four years of age. I have an MA (Hons), History from the University of Aberdeen and a GDL, from the University of Law, London. I take a great interest in politics and legislation. I will shortly be embarking on a career in the financial services.”

Earl of Snowdon (The queen’s nephew): [No candidature statement submitted.]

The mother of parliaments”, indeed.

:uk: :crown: :uk: :tophat: :uk: :crown: :uk: :tophat: :uk: :crown: :uk:

That Politico London Playbook daily roundup comes recommended, by the way. Nicely wry. First news thing I read each morning, usually. Holyrood Magazine Morning Roundup after that.

thought this was a good listen, examines the wider threat of the internet/surveillance/big data and tech to democracy rather than just another run through the cambridge analytica thing (which i think is a bit over egged anyway tbh). shall have to buy the guy’s book at some point.

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So…

She needs to resign or be sacked.

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The 10 day rule starts now I guess.

tick, tock, tick, tock

Rudd got sacked for something more excusable. Patel got sacked for less. Get shot of her.

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Oh I agree.

On another note, I don’t understand the political journos wibbling on about Corbyn not asking 6 questions on her given Mays answer when it was brought up later. Would have been a resounding ineffectual loss if he’d done it because May would have just said “she’s coming to apologise and set the record straight” 6 times.