Boris Johnson, former Prime Minister

[tobyjugg2]

Seven Tory politicians helped firms access PPE contracts, leak reveals

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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Michael Gove pushed forward firm co-owned by Conservative donor

 

[tobyjugg2]

More Brexit fallout?

 

We’re writing to notify you of an upcoming change to Amazon.co.uk.

Starting 19 January, 2022, we will unfortunately no longer accept Visa credit cards issued in the UK, due to the high fees Visa charges for processing credit card transactions. You can still use debit cards (including Visa debit cards) and non-Visa credit cards like Mastercard, Amex, and Eurocard to make purchases. Please update your default payment method now, or add one of these new, eligible payment methods if you do not have one.

[honeybee13]

Visa's more expensive than Amex? I'm amazed.

[tobyjugg2]

and back to TTIP/CPTPP

 

"peers also warn that joining CPTPP will make it !!! harder for the UK to set its own regulations !!! in the future, in contrast with government claims.

 

And they took evidence suggesting it could make it harder to "justify bans of certain products and measures based on the precautionary principle for agriculture and food standards".

 

"we received evidence of a potential conflict between Article 18.53 and the UK’s current system of market authorisation of generic and biosimilar drugs.

""We find that two CPTPP provisions on intellectual property are particularly problematic, raising the possibility of significant economic damage to the UK’s patent industry, and higher prices paid by the NHS for generic medicines and biosimilars."

 

They add: "While the Negotiating Objectives make clear that the Government will ensure that the terms of UK accession are consistent with the UK’s IP interests, and the price the NHS pays for medicines are not on the table, we have not yet been given an indication of how this could be achieved."

 

What price sovereignty and making our own laws? Not much it seems:

"the cross-party House of Lords International Agreement Committee found that there were "limited" economic benefits from joining CPTPP."

 

‘Clear risk’ UK joining Pacific trade deal will raise drug prices for NHS

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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Trans-pacific partnership (CPTPP) has limited economic benefits but ministers are desperate for a win

 

[honeybee13]

That seems to me to be one of the main things Brexiteers have been ignoring about trade. It's not just the EU that wants exporters to abide by their rules, other countries and trade pacts do as well. What's the point of setting your own rules or standards when you can't export by them?

 

Plus, the trade deals the UK has signed that haven't been copied and pasted from ones we had via the EU seem weighted against the UK and pretty favourable to the other countries.

[tobyjugg2]

I see sleazeball liar Johnson is still trying to water down any anti corruption moves - even below the existing rules that Paterson broke.

 

The only real option is to ban ALL second jobs for MP's - all of them and BAN any 'lobbying' perhaps except on the Parliamentary floor in front of the whole house and the public

 

I understand that a very small handful are doing real worthy work alongside their parliamentary and constituency duties, but that small handful is what the corrupt bas***ds are using as leverage to enable their corruption.

 

The only real option is that there should be NO second jobs for MPs

 

Limit hours? - They will just claim less hours at the same reward

Limit lobbying? - thats already supposed to be happening - it isnt working

Edited November 17, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

 

Quote of the day:

 

Going further than a (easily bypassed) ban on paid consultancy work could “deter a whole class of people” from entering politics.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of 1922 Committee

 

Like Paterson ... That would be the intent and a positive result IMO

 

Wonder if Paterson will still have his £100K fees from those companies now he isnt an MP progressing their interests?

- Mind you, he will still have a pass to Parliament enabling him to go see who he pleases wont he? - That must be stopped too.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

I think someone senior said they didn't think Paterson should have a pass. It's a daft system, so many people seem to be able to come and go and lobby whoever they like.

[tobyjugg2]

Only those who want/are being paid/whos interests will be served by going in and 'influencing' MP's for some reason HB

 

I should imagine most 'ordinary' ex MP's have little interest in doing so - and could apply for a (documented reason) day pass if the need arose

 

Basic security should require it if nothing else ...

Edited November 17, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

mind you, Paterson might feel the need to use the subsidised canteen in his 'reduced circumstances'

- they should treat him like the kids he voted to go hungry

[tobyjugg2]

This gives more info on the issues and intent of Brexit if read carefully

Its all about proper documentation of the source and accreditation of stuff going in food

... aka made in Britain with Turkish or Australian high hormone and low welfare 'contains meat' ingredients

 

No1:

"the Commons International Trade Committee, heard suggestions that UK exporters might resort to two different production lines – to satisfy EU rules and laxer requirements for other markets." "The practice is followed by Australian farmers, to separate beef for EU export – which must be hormone-free – from sales to other countries without a ban."

 

So heres where UK Food industry starts making better stuff for export to the EU, but like Australia (and as required by the grate deal Truss has negotiated) - no such rules here - we'll be getting stuff from the reject lane

 

No2

"Exporters have already protested at huge new costs and barriers since the trade deal came into force last January, swiping £17bn from EU trade in just three months."

 

No3

"the Office for Budget Responsibility said GDP would fall by 4 per cent, taking £80bn out of the UK economy each year."

 

No4

"Ministers were also forced to concede that Brexit was a key cause behind the autumn food and fuel shortages – which have put Christmas deliveries at risk."

 

 

British pies to be banned from EU unless from Brussels-approved farms

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

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New EU food safety regulation – coming into force next March – is ‘concerning’ exporters, MPs told

 

[honeybee13]

I'm afraid reading the above makes me pleased I gave up eating meat and poultry years ago.

[honeybee13]

They don't make ministers like they used to.

 

I don't disagree with the point of the message but I don't think it's a good look for the health secretary to be replying like this on Twitter. He could have explained why it's a good thing to have a different booster to your previous vaccines.

 

Yesterday people on Twitter were quoting Nadine Dorries berating Laura Kuenssberg which also isn't a good look. I think the tweet may have been deleted because I can't find it atm. Also not a good look.

 

Sajid Javid tells man to ‘show some respect for the NHS’ in Twitter row

WWW.INDY100.COM

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Sajid Javid has told a man to “show some respect for the NHS” after he questioned why his booster jab was from a different manufacturer from his...

 

[tobyjugg2]

Shown Here HB

 

Tory Nadine Dorries moans to BBC's Laura Kuenssberg for tweeting what an MP said - Mirror Online

WWW.MIRROR.CO.UK

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The Tory Culture Secretary, whose Cabinet brief includes the BBC, later deleted the tweet as critics accused her of trying to police the...

 

Dorries tries to dictate what Kuenssberg should tell us – then deletes tweet | Vox Political

VOXPOLITICALONLINE.COM

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How revealing that the Culture Secretary should try to censor the BBC Political Editor’s reporting of a Conservative Party meeting – and then...

 

[tobyjugg2]

As following reports of (underestimated IMO given £17B hit to EU trade alone in just the first 3 months) Brexit £80B a year hit to UK GDP, Inflation hits a 10 year high really kicking Stagflation (Double whammy of Stagnation _ Inflation) into high gear

 

"Inflation in Britain rose to its highest level in nearly a decade in October after soaring energy prices hit household bills.

The Consumer Price Index rose 4.2 percent from a year earlier, the highest since November 2011, and up from 3.1 percent in September, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday."

 

Mortgages will be hit soon, with all the repossessions no doubt snapped up by the rich, and Johnson will no doubt twistedly claim that a reduced housing market is 'a benefit of his policies'

 

 

U.K. Inflation Hits a 10-Year High - The New York Times

WWW.NYTIMES.COM

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Prices rose 4.2 percent last month from a year earlier, more than double the Bank of England’s target.

 

[tobyjugg2]

1 hour ago, honeybee13 said:

They don't make ministers like they used to.

 

I don't disagree with the point of the message but I don't think it's a good look for the health secretary to be replying like this on Twitter. He could have explained why it's a good thing to have a different booster to your previous vaccines.

 

 

 

Too right, I'm looking forward to my pfiser booster (after 2 AZ) in 2 weeks time - really was a crap response from Javid,

Perhaps he didn't want to put a right wing supported of Johnson/Trump type corrupt populist governments down perhaps?

Edited November 18, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

Oh - and re pfiser vs moderna?

I'd have either.

 

Any differences seem to be more in line with the different periods/amounts than actual effectiveness IMO

.. and either seems to be better as a booster or a main jab than O/AZ IMO

 

I'm a fan of the mix/match approach: Get whatever (approved) vaccine you can into arms as quickly as possible, then follow up at appropriate times with a different one if possible (despite the official '2 of the same recommendations)

 

I'm also (broadly) a fan of the less vaccine per dose  if it means into more people/more times over time approach

(moderna give larger doses I understand)

Edited November 18, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[honeybee13]

It's been a bad couple of days for the Home Sec.

 

First France disputed the Home Office version of the meeting with Gerald Darmanin and now Albania has said it doesn't want to process immigrants despite the announcement to the contrary.

 

Haven't they already announced another country that said it had no intention of helping? I can't remember which now.

[unclebulgaria67]

See Governments latest rail plans are not what they promised North of England voters at the last election.

 

Not sure why Government were planning on spending such a huge amount on fast trains,.   How many people would pay much higher fares for a train that gets them to a destination say 20 minutes quicker ?  And with increase in working from home, there will be fewer users.  Part of the experience of a train journey is to relax, while looking out of the window or while reading a book.  So cutting journey times may not be as attractive to many railusers as Government believes.   Better to increase quality and availability of services.

[unclebulgaria67]

@honeybee13 

 

Brexit going well and keeping Brexiteers happy on migration

 

The numbers crossing the channel only appear to be restricted by the weather.

 

And UK Government are not being helped by being Independent, as other countries probably now say, it is up to the UK as an independent sovereign country to resolve their own problems !

[honeybee13]

Indeed, UB. As far as I know, not a single country in Europe has agreed to take 'surplus' migrants from the UK.

[tobyjugg2]

2 hours ago, unclebulgaria67 said:

See Governments latest rail plans are not what they promised North of England voters at the last election.

 

Not sure why Government were planning on spending such a huge amount on fast trains,.   How many people would pay much higher fares for a train that gets them to a destination say 20 minutes quicker ?  And with increase in working from home, there will be fewer users.  Part of the experience of a train journey is to relax, while looking out of the window or while reading a book.  So cutting journey times may not be as attractive to many railusers as Government believes.   Better to increase quality and availability of services.

 

Surely it was all just intended to enable, excuse and confuse issues with the fast rail link into London - and why immense sums were spent on that part. I dont believe there was ever any real intent for the rest other than some nominal expenditure to side/upgrade existing kit to some Tory pal companies benefit

 

.. doing some nondescript assessments, at at vast cost, which could say anything as it would never be put to the test

Edited November 18, 2021 by tobyjugg2

[tobyjugg2]

Andrew Marr to leave BBC 'to get his own voice back'

 

Andrew Marr to leave BBC after 21 years | Andrew Marr | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Presenter says he is ‘keen to get my own voice back’ and will focus on writing and presenting for Global

 

[honeybee13]

I think Marr will be missed although I can see he'd like more freedom on what he reports on.

 

Changing the subject, is Johnson going to sue the New European over 'remorse-gate'?

[honeybee13]

The New Statesman on remorse-gate.

 

Downing Street wants you to know it’s not suing over PM marriage trouble claims... - New Statesman

WWW.NEWSTATESMAN.COM

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… which definitely aren't true.