The banker loving, baby-eating Tory party thread (regenerated)

[snowychap]

Barrel well and truly scraped:

[Chindie]

3 minutes ago, snowychap said:

Barrel well and truly scraped:

No job for Michael Green?

[Seat68]

Genuinely, is that a joke? Grant Shapps? 

[ml1dch]

9 minutes ago, snowychap said:

Barrel well and truly scraped:

He's got experience of day-to-day transport...

[bickster]

Has David Davis been given a role yet? I mean he'd look positively intelligent amongst this lot

[chrisp65]

Just now, bickster said:

Has Davis Davies been given a role yet? I mean he'd look positively intelligent amongst this lot

rumour has it he was first in and Johnson sent him down to Dover for a long weight

 

still there now, smiling like a clearing in the woods, convinced he's cleverer than the guy in the stock room that told him to take a seat

[HanoiVillan]

19 minutes ago, snowychap said:

Barrel well and truly scraped:

Given that Tories actually lost among working age voters in the last election, and that one of the ways in which middle class people most frequently encounter 'government' is through commuting on public transport, you might imagine that Tories would take this portfolio more seriously, but they seem weirdly happy to fill it with freaks and calamities. 

[bickster]

[peterms]

 

[peterms]

 

[Xann]

The Scum Club.

Thanks Tory voters.

[KentVillan]

1 hour ago, StefanAVFC said:

yeah I'm stumped too

I suspect Dominic Cummings has had a lot of influence over all these cabinet appointments.

Cummings is obsessed with education policy, and has unfinished business there from his time as Gove's SpAd. He also hates the education establishment. So he was probably looking for someone who was willing to get his hands dirty, fighting with the department and forcing through their reforms, while taking a load of heat from academics, teachers' unions, etc. in the process.

If you have a couple of hours spare, and don't mind very long paragraphs and a lot of intellectual willy wavings, Cummings blogged at (great) length on his ideas for a 21st century education policy: https://dominiccummings.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/20130825-some-thoughts-on-education-and-political-priorities-version-2-final.pdf Example paragraph:

Quote

The education of the majority even in rich countries is between awful and mediocre. In England, few are well-trained in the basics of extended writing or mathematical and scientific modelling and problem-solving. Less than 10 percent per year leave school with formal training in basics such as exponential functions, ‘normal distributions’ (‘the bell curve’), and conditional probability. Less than one percent are well educated in the basics of how the ‘unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics’ provides the language of nature and a foundation for our scientific civilisation. Only a small subset of that <1% then study trans-disciplinary issues concerning complex systems. This number has approximately zero overlap with powerful decision-makers. Generally, they are badly (or narrowly) educated and trained (even elite universities offer courses that are thought to prepare future political decision-makers but are clearly inadequate and in some ways damaging). They also usually operate in institutions that have vastly more ambitious formal goals than the dysfunctional management could possibly achieve, and which generally select for the worst aspects of chimp politics and against those skills seen in rare successful organisations (e.g the ability to simplify, focus, and admit errors). Most politicians, officials, and advisers operate with fragments of philosophy, little knowledge of maths or science (few MPs can answer even simple probability questions yet most are confident in their judgement), and little experience in well-managed complex organisations. The skills, and approach to problems, of our best mathematicians, scientists, and entrepreneurs are almost totally shut out of vital decisions. We do not have a problem with ‘too much cynicism’ - we have a problem with too much trust in people and institutions that are not fit to control so much.

I think he's spot on re: complex systems and interdisciplinary thinking, and also in his criticism of most MPs and political advisers as being very shallow thinkers. What worries me is that he needs to translate this very Westminster/Whitehall-oriented critique into a national education policy that works for all children, most of whom won't ever work in government or politics.

I'd love to see Cummings's Odyssean Education syllabus trialled on Gabby Agbonlahor.

[VILLAMARV]

Tomorrow. Everywhere

[HanoiVillan]

Another extremely recent convert to the helping push through a No Deal Brexit. Here he was on stage with Gary Lineker backing a second referendum last November:

[snowychap]

2 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

Another extremely recent convert to the helping push through a No Deal Brexit. Here he was on stage with Gary Lineker backing a second referendum last November:

Yes, that's quite remarkable.

[Davkaus]

This **** cretin is our home secretary? She's about as switched on as a lobotomy patient, both about justice and in general. 

 

[NurembergVillan]

The Muppet Show.

[KentVillan]

Insomnia led to me doing some research on Priti Patel's views on Home Affairs...

She has obviously been angling for the immigration brief for a while. Last year she wrote a piece on Conservative Home (the Centre for Social Justice paper she co-wrote with Iain Duncan Smith seems to have disappeared): https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2018/04/priti-patel-a-post-brexit-immigration-system-can-support-britains-global-ambitions.html

Quote

Post-Brexit and after the transition period, we must recognise that some form of free movement should remain in place for particular activities. For example, we would not want to place visa requirements on tourists who want to visit Britain or onerous requirements on students looking to study here for a fixed period before returning. Likewise people from the EU who are self-sufficient, and thus not competing for jobs, and entrepreneurs wanting to set up businesses and create jobs should be able to benefit from a presumption in favour of being able to come to the UK as well.

And here's a piece she co-wrote with Boris during the referendum campaign: http://www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/restoring_public_trust_in_immigration_policy_a_points_based_non_discriminatory_immigration_system.html

Quote

First, there will be no change for Irish citizens. The right of Irish citizens to enter, reside and work in the UK is already enshrined in our law. This will be entirely unaffected by a vote to leave on 23 June.

...

Second, there will be no change for EU citizens already lawfully resident in the UK. These EU citizens will automatically be granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK and will be treated no less favourably than they are at present.

Third, we will rapidly amend the European Communities Act 1972 to take back the power to remove criminals and other persons whose presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good. There are dangerous people living in the UK who we cannot currently remove because of EU law. We will regain the power to deport terrorists and terrorist sympathisers and stop violent criminals entering the UK - powers that EU law currently denies to us.

Fourth, by the next general election, we will create a genuine Australian-style points based immigration system. The automatic right of all EU citizens to come to live and work in the UK will end, as will EU control over vital aspects of our social security system. EU citizens will be subject to legislation made by those we elect in Westminster, not in Brussels. We could then create fairness between EU citizens and others, including those from Commonwealth countries.

Her views on crime and policing are standard hardline conservative: https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/house/house-magazine/98584/priti-patel-we-must-reject

Quote

Domestically, to keep our streets safe, long term investment in the police and innovation in bringing services together that work to prevent crime, rehabilitate offenders and support victims are essential. Including reform of sentencing so judges and magistrates can send dangerous and persistent offenders to prison for lengthy spells to keep the public safe and give them the time to rehabilitate rather than going through the revolving door. Protecting people’s life, liberty and property is the state’s core function. As violent crime and domestic crime continue to plague our communities, stronger Police support and a zero-tolerance approach to these crimes would go some way to once again reassurance the public that the Conservative Party is the party of law and order.

Here's a piece she wrote on a "Victim's Law", which sounds like a gimmick tbh (why does it need to be enshrined in law?), although some of her arguments are sound: https://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2014/01/from-priti4witham-why-we-need-to-introduce-a-new-victims-law.html

Quote

I introduced to Parliament a Bill in December 2011 that would have legislated to give victims of crime more rights and access to better services. Since then, the Government has introduced a new Code of Practice for victims of crime, which goes some way to improving the services for victims and raising awareness among the agencies that work within the criminal justice system of the needs of victims.

Overall, her views on immigration are okay. Australian rather than Trumpian, although it'll be interesting to see how she handles refugees / asylum seekers, as I think this is where some nastier policies and practices could creep in. Also, I think you can never satisfy the electorate on immigration, so implementing all of these changes could be the start of a slippery slope.

Her views on crime and justice are bog standard "lock 'em up and throw away the key". I think she's overlooking the glaring problem with the justice system - chronic underfunding. How can they possibly do more to help victims if they don't even have enough resources to deal with offenders? It's on crime and justice where I think her strident, simplistic approach will be a problem. Tougher policing isn't always better policing. 

[Stevo985]

"I'm glad Johnson is PM. He's so funny!"

I've heard this more than once from colleagues since I got back to work this week.

Scary.

[markavfc40]

I think it is nailed on there will be an Autumn general election as they are setting up to be the pro brexit leave with no deal party. Parliament as it stands will prevent us leaving on October 31st without a deal and I don't see the EU reopening the withdrawal agreement and getting rid of the back stop so there will no new deal to put to a vote. This mob will then look to hoover up the Brexit party supporters votes by running on a no deal ticket.