Brexit.

[Free]

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What shade?

 

[Sid]

All shades of grey.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I think, or maybe I mean hope, that Johnson has made himself so much more toxic over the last few weeks to Labour MPs that not even the most conflicted MP with a narrow majority in a Leave area and a pro-Leave local party is going to consider breaking the party whip and voting for this, but anyway

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Today is the day the Queen has to deliver a speech written by Boris Johnson during the opening of the HoC. While she has to deliver as in the manuscript, we can expect here to give us subtle hints about her own stance. Like the brooch she's going to wear today.

 

[Tigger]

yes well if her brooch is a little tombstone with Johnsons name on it, we'll take the subtle message.

 

[Sid]

At her age, that the Queen easily could speak up. She has her life mainly behind her.
She chooses to say nothing and by that securing the highly profitable job for her son, grandson and great grand son.
That puts her in the group of people who want to make a few pounds over the backs of the common people IMHO.

And yes, you all guessed it right, I'm no royalist.
Kingdoms are totally an outdated thing and should only been seen and heard of in fairy tales.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

Her personal wealth is such that no member of her family for generations will suffer in the slightest no matter what she does.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

At her age, that the Queen easily could speak up. She has her life mainly behind her.
She chooses to say nothing and by that securing the highly profitable job for her son, grandson and great grand son.
That puts her in the group of people who want to make a few pounds over the backs of the common people IMHO.

And yes, you all guessed it right, I'm no royalist.
Kingdoms are totally an outdated thing and should only been seen and heard of in fairy tales.

To my mind, if and when we eventually emerge from this nightmare that is Brexit, the last thing the UK (or what's left of it) needs will be to dive straight into another, even worse, nightmare over codifying the constitution and system of governance.

Having seen what's transpired over the last three years -- which feel so, so much longer -- I certainly don't want the same people who brought us Brexit, or the same people (on both sides in Parliament) who voted for A50 without having prepared for it, and certainly not the same people who -- disdainful of "girly swots" and having had enough of experts -- thought they could wing it all, with amateurism and classical allusions, if people simply believed strongly enough in Brexit, while repeating endlessly "Brexit means Brexit... om me padme om ... no deal is better than a bad deal.." sitting down to rewrite the constitution, with a particular emphasis on ensuring the the enemies of the people, like Parliament and The Courts, never again get in the way of whoever has appointed himself embodiment of the people's will next time round.

Yes, in an ideal world, I would far rather live under a democratic federal republic like Germany, but since I can't see any realistic route from where we are now to where I'd like us to be, I don't waste much time thinking about it.

 

[OrinB]

At her age, that the Queen easily could speak up. She has her life mainly behind her.
She chooses to say nothing and by that securing the highly profitable job for her son, grandson and great grand son.
That puts her in the group of people who want to make a few pounds over the backs of the common people IMHO.

And yes, you all guessed it right, I'm no royalist.
Kingdoms are totally an outdated thing and should only been seen and heard of in fairy tales.

Fortunately (or unfortunately for some) she takes her vow and her promise seriously. She is the ultimate professional and has managed to keep her head when others have most definitely been losing theirs. I don't believe she will ever speak out publicly. I think her diaries in the future will make astounding reading. But i'm not sure those will be even published in my lifetime!

As Innula says above, we have no need for the additional drama of creating a republic in this cuntry. I've lost all faith in our current governance, and would love to see many changes happen. A republic certainly isn't one of them in the near or middle future. We have a lot to learn about our position in the world, stepping back for a bit and managing ourselves effectively would be a good start. We HAVE to think about our future and despite it's incongruous and flatulent history, our monarchy is something that we can currently rely on - for now!

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Yes, in an ideal world, I would far rather live under a democratic federal republic like Germany, but since I can't see any realistic route from where we are now to where I'd like us to be, I don't waste much time thinking about it.

Believe me, 14 years of Angela Merkel may sound like an achievement to some, but in reality are rather bad and boring. This woman is like blight - her power greatly overrated in our media, and an illussionary giant mostly making politics for the corporations, and the influence of her politics on the EU catastrophic.

Actually some lively discussions like in the HoC would be good in Berlin - but don't happen any longer. Which is a pity, because the old charge of politicians like Herbert Wehner and Franz-Josef Strauß really were quite something in that kind of field (speaking a few words in Engilsh down below when he back then visited Texas):


The Queen is a highly trained professional - and it shows, behaving like the head of state of the UK is supposed to do.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Believe me, 14 years of Angela Merkel may sound like an achievement to some, but in reality are rather bad and boring. This woman is like blight - her power greatly overrated in our media, and an illussionary giant mostly making politics for the corporations, and the influence of her politics on the EU catastrophic.

Actually some lively discussions like in the HoC would be good in Berlin - but don't happen any longer. Which is a pity, because the old charge of politicians like Herbert Wehner and Franz-Josef Strauß really were quite something in that kind of field (speaking a few words in Engilsh down below when he back then visited Texas):


The Queen is a highly trained professional - and it shows, behaving like the head of state of the UK is supposed to do.

I didn't mean that I particularly admire German politicians -- I don't know enough about them to comment -- but that I think the German constitutional system, a liberal parliamentary democracy with a ceremonial President and (in the form of the Chancellor) a Head of Government who depends on being able to command a majority in the legislature, with strong protections for civil liberties and a great deal of power devolved to regional governments, is a pretty good one.

 

[danielravennest]

Her personal wealth is such that no member of her family for generations will suffer in the slightest no matter what she does.

Last time I looked, the Duke of Cornwall, a title that goes with the heir to the throne, i.e. Charles, had half a billion in assets. That's because they acquired the land when it was cheap, hundreds of years ago, and some of that land is in London. There's plenty of assets in the royal family, even leaving out the personal property of the Queen.

Some of the "royal stuff" belongs to the people of the UK, and the Queen can't sell those. But other items are her personal property.

 

[Ariane]

Had to post it.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Queen reduced to furious frontwoman for grubby election stunt | John Crace

Monarch plods through exercise in existential nihilism letting not a hint of enthusiasm escape her lips

www.theguardian.com

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

John Crace for sure had much steam to vent off; and he's taking no prisoners.

Two hours later the Commons was back in session to go through the charade of debating a Queen’s speech that was never going to be implemented, while pretending the really serious business of the Brexit negotiations in Brussels wasn’t happening. If this was a war, parliament would have been court martialed for dereliction of duty.

Corbyn spotted his opportunity to live down to the occasion. This was the most open of open goals. All he had to do was declare the debate a farce, deliver his own election manifesto, point out that Johnson had now embarrassed the Queen twice within a couple of months, and ask when he was planning on going for the hat-trick.

Instead he rambled on, mistaking the Queen’s speech as serious policy and getting hopelessly bogged down as he tried and failed to grapple with the lack of detail. No wonder some Labour MPs are now seriously thinking of waving through Johnson’s Brexit deal, however crap it turns out to be, and voting Conservative in the next election. Just to get rid of their leader.

Johnson was no more impressive. Pifflepafflewifflewaffle. Rather, he was at his most loathsome. Arrogant and dismissive. Not even funny. Land of hopeless glory. Devoid of detail and morality as he indulged in petty point-scoring. A desperate blob interested more in his own survival than that of the country. As are nearly all Tory MPs. Principles that were once held sacred on both the leave and remain wings of the party are now up for grabs. Sold to the lowest bidder in return for a Brexit deal appreciably worse than Theresa May’s that would make their constituents appreciably less well off.
This was an embarrassment. A parliament of all the talentless. What a time it is not to be alive.

 

[Sid]

Boris Johnson 'on brink of Brexit deal' after border concessions

Negotiators understood to have agreed in principle to customs border down Irish Sea

www.theguardian.com

 

[Sid]

I didn't see that coming.

 

[Luisa Land]

Boris Johnson 'on brink of Brexit deal' after border concessions

Negotiators understood to have agreed in principle to customs border down Irish Sea

www.theguardian.com

seems the perceptions of the "negotiations" differ
but more probable its just a try to manipulate the public perception by the PM

 

[Veritable Quandry]

I didn't see that coming.

And I still don't. May's deal with the Irish only backstop has a snowball's chance in Hell of passing Parliament.