Suella Braverman: Asset or Liability? There are profiles and profiles

 

Suella Braverman: Asset or Liability? Never try to outshine your boss.

The news that 10 Downing Street has not supported what was said by the Home Secretary in a controversial article might tell you that the clock is ticking for Suella Braverman. And the word 'controversial' perfectly describes Suella Braverman that has over-stepped the mark not once, but several times. The role of Home Secretary can be a poison chalice for many reasons, without adding what Suella Braverman has been adding in recent days. Her remarks about 'homelessness being a lifestyle choice' left many, from all political persuasions, scratching their heads in disbelief. She has appeared as insensitive, careless and extremely divisive. Not the ingredients for a country that faces enormous divisions caused by external events and not the ingredients for a country in which a growing number of people are struggling to make ends meet.

This happens at a time when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing an uphill struggle to inspire confidence and hope not just across the country, but also inside his own Cabinet and his own political party, with cabinet ministers resigning and saying that they will not be standing at the next General Election and others not willing to stand because they feel that they will face a disastrous defeat, with MPs being forced to resign and/or being deprived of the party whip due to wide range of scandals, the Conservative Party is not in good shape. You can try to raise your profile, but you might not be doing it for the right reasons and/or in the right way.

When it comes to the media, it feels that a growing number of MPs and former MPs have been joining GB News and this includes a former Prime Minister, a former Cabinet Minister and the present Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. Is there enough space to include Suella Braverman as television presenter? With her statements, she has even surpassed Nigel Farage and this is an act hard to follow. 

Thirteen years is perhaps too long a time for a political party to stay in power without suffering the natural consequences. Too many excesses, too many scandals, too much division. Too much contempt for ordinary people and for ordinary peoples' needs and realities.

Next year, there are major electoral contests: the General Election and the Greater London Assembly Elections, elections of the devolved authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The outcome of these elections is by no means guaranteed. The two major political parties have crisis of their own to deal with. Life has not been easy for a growing number of ordinary people and political uncertainties threaten to make life even harder. The time of moderate prices and predictability is over. 

Devolution: has it worked?

In 1997, Tony Blair and the New Labour Administration came up with Devolution. The solution to all problems ended in nightmare. The Welsh Assembly controlled by Labour has made a mess of things. The Scottish Parliament has been the source of a never ending series of scandals and bad governance. 

Standards in terms health and education have fallen steadily and division within the ruling SNP have led to the SNP losing support and even to SNP MPs tempted to change sides to the point that just a few days ago a SNP MP joined the Conservative Party.

In Northern Ireland, things are not better. Once again, the Northern Ireland Assembly seem destined to be non operational with Westminster have to exercise what to all effects is direct rule, something that the Good Friday Agreement involving shared power sought to avoid.

We now face various sets of elections in coming May 2024. General Election in the United Kingdom, London Assembly Election and elections involved the so called Devolved Authorities, apart from other local elections.

May 2024 could be a whole set of changes within the United Kingdom, but the political realities might be somewhat different of what many have come to expect. In spite of the fact that many will still be voting on the basis of their political allegiances, many will be willing to change sides and vote for parties that they have never supported before.

There is dissent between parties, but also dissent within political parties. The purge carried out by Keir Starmer may come to haunt him. Many traditional Labour voters do not like Keir Starmer at all. In fact, they seem him as the enemy within. For certain regions, certain issues will take priority and they have proven that they are more than willing to vote for a specific issue and against the political party that they used to support. Immigration will be a huge factor in the coming elections. Anybody promoting open borders will find herself or himself cut off from public opinion.

Scotland: Was associating itself directly with the Independence Movement a faux pas?

 

Was the fact that the Independence Movement was directly linked to the SNP a serious mistake?

The Scottish National Party and its newly adopted leader and successor of Nicola Sturgeon are in deep waters. Their management of Scotland has left a lot to be desired and has somehow come to be seen as what would happen to Scotland if Scotland were to become independent. Management of health and education - to name two vital sectors of any economy - has been an unmitigated disaster. The association of SNP with the Greens as a way to remain in power has led to disastrous policy making as a way to keep the coalition going.

Long gone are the days when Alex Salmond, the most successful Scottish National Party Leader, used to tell everybody that Scottish oil resources would ensure a strong Scottish economy that would be independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. In a move to remain Socialists without being attached to what they called the English Labour Party, the Scots gave preeminence to the Scottish Green Party and Net Zero did the rest to undermine what had been until a more or less credible stance. 

The poison chalice for Nicola Sturgeon as Leader was on the surface her stance on Gender Politics and suddenly, she was stricken by a series of scandals around financial impropriety. Her way out - and her resignation as Leader was planned as a way to avoid a major crisis that could have sunk the SNP even lower - was designed as a way to disappear. No sooner she was out as leader, a political storm was unleashed.

Humza Yousaf was chosen as scapegoat. He was supposed to be Nicola Sturgeon's heir apparent. He did not inherit her power. She threw him to the wolves and now he faces the inevitable. If his first time as leader is to lose to the Labour Party opening the way back for Labour into Scottish politics, will he survive? The Scottish National Party is extremely factional. In fact, the SNP has been at war with itself not just in Scotland, but most visibly in Westminster.

The SNP should have seen that by closely associating itself with the Independence Movement all it has done is to push backwards the Independence project. The Scottish people have just realised that when it comes to health, education and the economy in general the SNP has not delivered and it cannot deliver precisely because of its close association with the Scottish Green Party.

You cannot base your calculations on fossil fuel energy while at the same time talk about getting rid of fossil fuels. It makes no sense. I can't possibly make sense. If anything, it has increased economic dependency. The point might come when Devolution itself will be questioned.  

 

Can Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage create a new alliance?

 

Can Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage create a new alliance?

As the Conservative Party stands today, commentators believe that the outcome of the 2024 General Election is a given: Keir Starmer as new British Prime Minister and Rishi Sunak to follow Liz Truss on the way out.

It is also said that the SNP stands to lose the next General Election thus given the Labour Party MP seats that it needs to win the General Election.

Now, it the success of Keir Starmer a given. There are many doubters within Labour ranks that don't see that Keir Starmer has traditional labour values at heart. The campaign against Jeremy Corbyn made Keir Starmer some friends, but also many enemies. And what about the A team of the Labour Party? Is it really an A team.

Another factor to be taken into consideration is that Scottish Nationalism might be stronger than many commentators like to think, such levels of emotion regarding independence that will make may Scottish voters who could be reluctant to support SNP the strength to ignore SNP's many failures for the sake of keeping the campaign towards independence going. If this is the case, then Labour might collect some seats, but the SNP might be able to maintain its electoral force. The Greens that have been SNP allies might benefit by allowing SNP to keep its mandate in Scotland while extracting, at the same time, some more concessions in terms of the environmental agenda. A bit like the Greens in Germany entered a coalition with SPD to allow Olaf Scholz to form a coalition.

There are already three test in the immediate future that the Conservative Party must face. One is the seat of the now Former Prime Minister and Former MP in Uxbridge. Another is the seat of Nadine Dorris. And yet another is Nigel Adams' seat. Uxbridge is a marginal seat. The bar in terms of losing Uxbridge is very low. Thus should Boris Johnson's supporters decide to abstain the seat will be lost. Conservative voters will have to decide regarding Nadine Dorris' seat and Nigel Adams' seat. Will Conservative voters decide to punish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by abstaining? 

In the coming days, should there be more resignations, Rishi Sunak's leadership will be under enormous strain. After the rout of recent local elections, losing three or more by-elections, and this on top of MPs - some from the so called Red Wall - that have not decided to stand for election in 2024, could lead to the unthinkable, but some say that the unthinkable for the Conservative Party will be like committing harakiri. the unthinkable has been defined as yet another leadership contest within the Conservative Party to replace Rishi Sunak. It was Boris Johnson that made the seemingly impossible happen. Boris Johnson as leader managed to persuade Labour Party supports to support the Conservative Party. The Red Wall successes were due to Boris Johnson's leadership and voters feel betrayed.

Some commentors say that many Conservative MPs did not wish to resign because it would be the equivalent of turkeys voting for Christmas. Let us be reminded that this is not happening right at the beginning of a Conservative administration. They would not be turkeys voting for Christmas because Christmas will happen anyway in May 2024.

If Boris Johson comes to an agreement with Nigel Farage, the Conservative Party could be a goner even before the next General Election. Rishi Sunak is not seen as a leader, but as an administrator. Given what is happening, Rishi Sunak could be a defined as a Caretaker Prime Minister. It must be remembered that Rishi Sunak was not elected by the Electorate and on top of that Rishi Sunak was not elected by Conservative Party members either. He is also remembered as the man who rebeled against Boris Johnson and was part of a coup to unseat Boris Johnson. It woul also be said that his reluctance to support Boris Johnson against what has been qualified as a witchhunt was a calculated effort to get rid of Boris Johson. It would very difficult for Rish Sunak to appeal for party loyalty.

10 Downing Street: If you talk the language of war, you need to prepare for war

 

Inconsistencies when dealing with geopolitical situations will get an unnecessary number of people killed simply because of complaisancy.

We heard harsh words coming out of the lips of Western European politicians including British politicians, but they do not reflect reality. It is absolutely shambolic.

Britain is open. It cannot even control the number of illegal immigrants entering the country. It has an NHS that almost collapsed under the weight of a Covid pandemic. None other than the Metropolitan Police Service is now run under special measures because of systemic failures that led, among other things, to the resignation of its chief commander Cressida Dick. Police officers are more interested in kneeling down and in joining every single cranky demonstration of political correctness than in doing their work properly.

For many years, both Labour and Conservative governments neglected the Armed Forces to the point when they were found wanting more than once and forced to play second fiddle. Pomp and Circumstance and posturing will not protect Britain let alone win any wars. 

We are now in an impasse. The country does not have a Prime Minister and does not have a government. We cannot call Prime Minister a man that has been backstabbed by his own political party and a government in which members of the goverment don't see eye to eye. Boris Johnson himself has said that no fundamental piece of legislation will be put forward until there is a clear definition of who is actually in control of the British government and there is a return to a debate of all issues that were already decided. This is like fighting a war on several fronts or to put it in very straightforward manner it is a recipe for disaster. In times of danger, politicians are simply driven by their own fatal habits and nothing good can come out of it.

A country facing war should not be divided. Nicola Sturgeon cares more about her own agenda than she cares about the survival of Britain. In fact, she does not give a damn about the survival of Britain and she is playing right into the hands of the enemies of Britain. The Americans, as usual, are poking their noses in internal matters of other countries and creating a mess. Northern Ireland, once again, does not have a working Assembly and at a time when 10 Downing Street is a mess and Parliament is a mess, short of having direct rule in Northern Ireland, the people of Northern Ireland are stranded with a non working Assembly and a British Parliament that is not just limited by Devolution. We are travelling on a rudderless ship. All Devolution has achieved is the creation of platforms to destroy the United Kingdom: a Northern Ireland without governance, a Wales controlled by the Labour Party, a Scotland controlled by SNP, a Westminster Parliament that has become a political circus and a Prime Minister defeated by his own political party.  

 

EU: from the very beginning the aim has been to destroy the United Kingdom

A strong and united United Kingdom was seen as a threat to the European Union from the very beginning. Why? Because the United Kingdom has been for centuries an independent driving force that has stood firm against European Totalitarian regimes. Therefore, to assert EU power they sought to dismantle the United Kingdom and they called the plan 'Europe of Regions'. Without stable government to defend national interests, nation states would vanish. It is all about power and control.

Unhappy because they couldn't get away with their plans to control British waters, they fomented internal divisions in the United Kingdom. As if this wasn't enough, the EU seeks to effectively partition the United Kingdom. Whether you talk about Scotland or Northern Ireland, the EU plan is clearly visible. 

In the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic, what does the EU do? They threaten to ban exports of vaccines to the United Kingdom. If this wasn't enough, they use treaties to prevent Britain from having access to vaccines. This is an act of war against the United Kingdom at a time when British health facilities are overcrowded with people suffering from a viral infection and thousands are dying practically on a daily basis. The EU will use whatever tool there is available to attack the United Kingdom.

Getting out of the European Union was one of the most important steps to ensure the survival of the United Kingdom as a nation state and like all Totalitarian regimes the European Union will seek to punish the United Kingdom for daring to assert its independence.

United Britain: the task ahead

United Britain: the task ahead

After Brexit, the task is to reinforce the unity of the United Kingdom by putting in place policies that show regions of the United Kingdom - apart from the Southeast - that they do matter.

The rise of the SNP didn't happen overnight. Firstly, the Conservatives lost Scotland in 1997. After that, Labour and Liberal Democrats lost Scotland. But then Scotland was not alone. North/South Divide is a reality and then we reach Northern Ireland that has been treated as the poor cousin.

London/Southeast centric United Kingdom cannot go on. Unless the new Conservative government manages to do something extraordinary to create opportunities for all,  

When Boris Johnson suggested the construciton of a bridge to unite Northern Ireland and the UK mainland, many jumped in to criticize the British Prime Minister.Well, soonafter Crime rejoined the Russian Federation, the Russian President Vladimir Putin embarked on the construction of a bridge to join Crime and the mainland of the Russian Federation. The construction of a bridge would send a direct message to every nation of the United Kingdom and to the world as a whole. 

Will the Conservative government have the sense and the stamina to carry out such a task without repeating the same mistakes that Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats made that led to the present status quo?

It is not an easy task with so many interests that want to break apart the United Kingdom. Some of those interests are linked to internal divisions. Others are foreign and rooted in the European Union that fears the rise of Britain as a serious competitor. The old historical divisions have not gone away. In the end, Germany is Germany and France is France and Germany and France happen to be the main drivers of the European Union. When the time comes, what is going to be on the negotiation table is not the interests of the EU but the interests of the main powers within the EU. And as long as this is the case the future of the EU itself will hang in the balance.

Britain is pulled by blocks and geopolitical realities and very often against British interests. Brexit should mean a truly independent Britain with its own set of foreing policies. The Conservative government will be judged because of its successes at national level and because of its actions in the international arena., 

Brexit: Then and Now

Brexit: Then and Now

In ten days time, Britain will be on its way to be as it was before entering the Common Market. Will it be like it was before entering the Common Market?

So much has happened in more than 40 years. There has been a demographic revolution and London - its capital city - is completely unrecognizable. The Monarchy itself is unrecognizable. We have had Harry-exit. Diana's boy is now in Canada, without a Royal title. SNP seems to rule Scotland and is threatening to break up the United Kingdom. Let us remember another earthquake that happened in the United Kingdom in the 1920, the partition of Ireland and the creation of two separate entities - the Republic of Ireland in the south and the Province of Northern Ireland in the north. A hundred years later, we are witnessing events that have generated realities that we couldn't possibly have imagined thirty years ago.

But when it comes to surprising changes, Britain is not alone. The European Continent is on the move and significant political developments are taking place. 

Merkel, Medvedev, Schroeder

Germany is also unrecognizable. CDU/CSU is faltering and Alternative für Deutchland and Grünen are rising stars. In France, Emannuel Macron - the opportunity candidate that rose to power as to prevent National Front (Now National Rally) from winning the French Presidential Election is facing war as discontent rises. As the Socialists were on the way out, the French Centre Right faced the unthinkable and had to create a fantasy on the back of a massive propaganda effort.

Brexit is not the main issue, Europe is facing. Much more serious developments are on the way. Unfortunately, and perhaps in a premeditated manner, the mass media have their own agenda and they don't report about certain events to the point that when something dramatic happens it seems to have come from nowhere.

Britain: Will Scotland declare independence unilaterally?

Britain: Will Scotland declare independence unilaterally?

The Brexit earthquake just happened but there are tremors in Scotland with QC stating that Scottish Parliament could call a Referendum without the authorization of the Westminster Parliament. 

Whether it is legal or illegal for Scotland to declare independence is irrelevant. What is relevant is the question of what could happen if Scotland were to unilaterally declare independence. In the years after the 2016 Referendum on EU Membership, the movement towards Scottish independence has been reinforced by a General Election in which SNP has reaffirmed its position as the party of Scotland going against what happened in other parts of the United Kingdom where the Conservative Party won in Labour Party heartlands.

The present crisis in the British Monarchy doesn't help. For many years, the Monarchy has been the glue that kept together the United Kingdom. A weaker Monarchy is a recipe for trouble. In geopolitical terms, Scotland is moving towards EU while the rest of Britain is in limbo. For the moment, at least some kind of balance has been in Northern Ireland with the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Trying to keep the United Kingdom in its present form by force could lead to civil war. But if the use of force is out of the question, how would people on both sides of the border react if the Scottish Parliament decides to call a Referendum or decides to declare independence unilaterally. In the 1920s, there was the partition of Ireland giving birth to the Republic of Ireland in the south of Ireland and the Province of Northern Ireland in the north of Ireland. A century later, could this be the time for Scotland?

 

Royal Family: The rift between William and Harry has now been made official

Royal Family: The rift between William and Harry has now been made official

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/12/prince-william-harry-and-i-are-now-separate-entities

Since the abdication of Prince Edward (later known as Duke of Windsor), this is the most crucial event in the life of the Royal Family. The glamour and romantic aura are over. Now comes reality.

Reality knocks when one Labour Party contender calls for the abolition of the Monarcy and another calls for the abolition of the House of Lords - two of the pillars of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has been kept as one thanks to the Monarchy. Without it, it will be England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland playing separate roles. The union can survive other kinds of political upheavals, but the union would not survive the fall of the Monarchy. Centuries of common history would come to an end.

Why is this happening? Because the Labour Party is in tatters and is in denial and SNP is using the present circumstances to achieve its lifelong mission of destroying the United Kingdom.

In politics, the issue is to have candidates that can perform

In politics, the issue is to have candidates that can perform

A politician is a salesman that sells ideas and strive to meet up expectations. Voters look at the salesman. Is he a credible salesman? They listen to what that the salesman says and ponder about how likely the salesman is to deliver what he promises to deliver. They might like or dislike what is on offer. If they dislike what is on offer, they might go against it and if they like what is on offer they might even disregard their first impression about the salesman (or salewoman).

The Liberal Democrats had been all over the place and in the spate of a few years have had more leaders that there were General Elections. Correct me if I forget all the names. After Paddy Ashdown came Charles Kennedy, Sir Menzies Campbell, Vince Cable, Nick Clegg, Tim Farron, Sir Vince Cable, Jo Swinson, Baroness Sal Brighton, Sir Ed Davey, and Mark Pack? For the duration of one Parliament they were in power in coalition with the Conservatives under David Cameron.

The Liberal Democrats - with a few exceptions - defined themselves as pro-EU. After the 2016 Referendum, the made themselves one of the stumbling blocks in the quest for Brexit. They desperately pursued the possibility of a Second Referendum with the hope of keeping Britain in the European Union. When that failed to cristalize, they went for a General Election that they strongly believed would give them what they wanted but from the start the struggle to reach an agreement with other political forces to overcome party political differences. They divided the Remain Camp because they couldn't possibly reach an agreement with Jeremy Corbyn. The fact that several Labour MPs and several Conservative MPs decided to join them was not an incentive to reach such agreement. She went as a far as saying that she would go against Article 50 and de-facto keep Britain in the European Union despite the outcome of the 2016 Referendum on EU Membership. This last act signalled the beginning of the end for Jo Swinson's leadership. The British Electorate could possibly stomach the idea of a Second Referendum. They couldn't possibly support somebody that talked about getting rid of the Article 50 straight away.

The issue for Scottish voters - Jo Swinson was at the time a Scottish MP - was to decide between an SNP that openly stood for Remain and also for Scottish Independence and a Liberal Democrat MP that stood for Remain but against Scottish Independence. The political fate of Jo Swinson was sealed. She lost her seat and as a direct consequence of losing her seat she could not continue as Lib Dem leader.

Voters didn't like the saleswoman, didn't believe that the saleswoman could deliver what she was offering and many even didn't like what she was offering. In the process, every single Labour MP and every single Conservative MP that defected to Lib Dems lost their seats. Even the possibility of a hang Parliament eluded them. 

The agony for both Lib Dems and Labour is self-evident. For Labour, as some Labour representatives have publicly stated, the aim is to restore public faith. The party is a divided as before. It is difficult to find a unity candidate. London set itself apart from the rest of the Labour movement when Labour voters outside London decided that the only possible choice was to support the Conservative Party.

To say that the Labour Party has a mountain to climb would be a historic understatement. As long as whoever replaces Jeremy Corbyn is seen as a representative of the Jeremy Corbyn lobby, the Labour Party will struggle to recover.

Now, all eyes look towards the 2020 May Elections and in particular towards the London Mayoral Election in which an opponent of Jeremy Corbyn - Sadiq Khan - is likely to win a second mandate. Given the absence of candidates visibly able to unseat Sadiq Khan, the London Mayoral Election could serve to unite a very divided Labour Party.

Do you see Sadiq Khan as potential Labour Party leader? Nobody mentions Andy Burnham - present Mayor of Greater Manchester. Former Member of Parliament and former Cabinet Minister and a likeable individual far detached from Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and one of the centre-left politicians born in Liverpool - a northerner. If the Labour Party has any hope of bringing back traditional labour voters into the fold, choosing a man from Liverpool with proven political record would not be a bad choice. Sadiq Kahn would appeal to London. Andy Burham would appeal to the country as a whole. 

Whoever is chosen now as leader could end up being the leader of a party forever in opposition but if the struggle ends up being a war between London and the rest of the country the Labour Party will have to decide between being a political party for London or being a political party for Britain. 

 

Labour Party Candidate in Scotland - Another case of Anti-Semitism

Labour Party Candidate in Scotland - Another case of Anti-Semitism

Brexit: Labour at war trying to expel Labour MP in Scotland

Brexit: Labour at war trying to expel Labour MP in Scotland

While Jeremy Corbyn tries to block Brexit by voting against the deal negotiated with the European Union and also votes against the Programme Motion once the House of Commons voted in favour of the deal, a Labour MP who is against Brexit is about to be thrown out by the Labour Party, expulsion promoted by Unite.

It seems that there isn't enough with the profound distrust of the Leadership of the Labour Party. There isn't enough with hatred against Jews in the Labour Party. Now, they are talking about throwing out even those who in theory should be kept in the Labour Party because they share the views of the Leader of the Labour Party on the EU. 

The Labour Party Leader is as detached from the realities of Britain as he is detached from the views of his own political party. Despite threatening his MPs with a three-line whip, 19 of his MPs support the deal agreed with the European Union. And for individuals like Hillary Benn MP that is the author of what became the Benn Act, well.... the Prime Minister delivered a deal and the deal was approved by the House of Commons. Now, in despair, Jeremy Corbyn is trying to have a new Referendum. Why not a General Election? Because he knows that he doesn't command the views of his own political party and he is right in the middle, in a very unconfortable position.

The Conservative Party is the party of Brexit. The Liberal Democratic Party is the party of Remain. And under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership the Labour Party has become the party of nothing and the promoter of ideas that goes against everything Britain stands for. Banning private education? Supporting the enemies of Britain and risking to build barriers against the main ally of the United Kingdom namely the United States of America. Misguided on national politics. Misguided on geopolitcs. This basically sums up Jeremy Corbyn.

Brexit: When you change one part of a deal you create a different deal.

Brexit: When you change one part of a deal you create a different deal

John McDonnell can talk about Customs Union as much as he wants but the fact remains that when you change one part of a deal that has already been agreed you change the deal and therefore have to return to the negotiations table and this menas yet another delay. What does another delay mean for the European Union? It means a delay in the proceeding, blocking the European Commission, leaving the European Parliament in the dark about who is and who isn't a Member of the European Parliament. The amount of time spent by EU authorities in negotiation after negotiation is time that the EU has not spent in other more fundamental issues for the European Union. John McDonnell, as other Labour MPs, is doing this not because of Brexit but because he has a political agenda to throw a spanner in the works with the belief that this would put him and his party in a better position come a General Election.

The SNP has a very public agenda. For the SNP, Britain is not what matters. For the SNP what matters is Scottish Independence to be achieved regardless of whatever happens to the United Kingdom. What hasn't enter the SNP's minds is that should Scotland become independent Scots will be foreigners in what remains in the United Kingdom and therefore a border will have to be erected across the border with England that will prevent freedom of movement of Scottish citizens. They will. have to have Scottish passports and apply for a visa to enter England or any other part of the United Kingdom. They will have to have their own currency supported by their own Scottish bank. They will have to have their own Armed Forces and they will lose all contracts and benefits they have at the moment as an integral part of the United Kingdom.

For the Liberal. Democrats, everything is about winning and elusive General Election. They became the fourth political party after the SNP and they are now rejoicing because rogue members of other political parties decided to join them. The question is: how long will happiness last? When a General Election comes those who chose to joined the Liberal Democrats might find themselves out of Parliament.

For the DUP, there is a very clear threat. If there was a General Election today in Northern Ireland, there is no guarantees that they will keep or increase the number of DUP MP in Westminster. In the wilderness, the DUP will have little say in Westminster and no say at all in Northern Ireland because the Northern Ireland Assembly has been paralized for the last three years when Sinn Fein IRA in violation of the Good Friday Agreement decided to leave the Northern Ireland Assembly. Sinn Fein IRA doesn't want Northern Ireland to exist. They want to annex Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland. For the DUP, there is a double wammy effect. The DUP doesn't like Abortion and doesn't like Same Sex Marriages. Because there isn't a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly, the Westminster Parliament in what constitutes de-facto Direct Rule imposed in Northern Ireland Abortion and Same Sex Marriages because there is no Northern Ireland Assembly that could oppose Abortion and Same Sex Marriages.

Rebel Conservative MPs are just playing into the hands of the Labour Party, a Labour Party that is divided and of which many Labour MPs don't want Jeremy Corbyn as Leader because of the danger of him becoming Prime Minister.

The only deal that could be put to the vote in a Referendum is the original deal that has the approval of both EU and UK and, even so, the European Union Parliament will only consider the deal that has been agreed by both EU and UK. As stated at the beginning, if you change one part of a deal you change the entire deal and this would lead to a new process of negotiations. Further delays for the United Kingdom and further delays for the EU that in the meantime will have no budget and will be facing UK Veto in the European Commission. 

  

Whatever your views on Catalonian independence, widespread brutality is not the answer

Whatever your views on Catalonian independence, widespread brutality is not the answer

Fourteen year jail sentences for elected Catalonian representatives and widespread brutality is not something that should be happening in Spain and this is happening under a Socialist Spanish Prime Minister.

Condenas a 14 años de prisión para representantes electos Catalanes y brutalidad generalizada no es algo que debería estar ocurriendo en España y esto está pasando bajo un Primer Ministro socialista.

The scenes we see in Catalonia are the kind of scenes that we would usually see under the rule of totalitarian regime and not under democratic rule. The official position of the British government is "it is not our business". It is the business of the Spanish government'. This position is diametrically different when we talk about events happening in other countries where people are severely mistrated by the authorities.

Las escenas que vemos en Catalunia son el tipo de escenas que usualmente veriamos bajo el gobierno de un régimen totalitario y no bajo un gobierno democrático. La postura oficial del gobierno británico es 'no un tema que nos concierna'. Es un asunto que concierne el gobierno español. Esta postura es diametralmente diferente cuando hablamos sobre acontecimientos que ocurren en otros países en que la gente es severamente maltratada por las autoridades. 

Spain is an European Union member country and elected Catalonian MEPs are not allowed to sit in the newly elected European Parliament. One imagines that the European Union wants to build new understandings based on consensus but this is not consensus. This is purely and simply repression.

España es país miembro de la Unión Europea y a MEPs catalanes no se les permite integrarse al Parlamento Europeo recientemente electo. Uno imagina que la Unión Europea desea generar nuevos entendimientos basados en consenso pero esto no es consenso. Esto es lisa y llanamente represión.

Even for those who are highly criticial with regards to the actions of the pro-independence movement, the way fellow Spaniards are treated should be a reason to be extremely concerned. When looking for examples of brutality, ordinary Spaniards are usually told about the Guerra Civil (Spanish Civil War) and what happened soonafter the Guerra Civil but in this particular case this is happening under a Socialist government.

Inclusive para aquellos critican severamente las acciones del movimiento pro-independencia, la manera en que compatriotas españoles son tratados debería ser una razón para estar extremadamente preocupados. Cuando recordamos ejemplos de brutalidad, a los españoles se les habla sobre l.a Guerra Civil Española y lo que ocurrió después de la Guerra Civil Española pero en este caso particular esto está ocurriendo bajo un gobierno socialista.  

For Catalonian seeking to escape, there is no safety across national borders. In the days of General Franco, they could go to France like many did including a famous and celebrated poet idealized by Joan Manuel Serrat. With the existence of the so called European Arrest Warrant, for political reasons Catalonians are being arrested and sent back to Spain where they face an uncertain future.

Para los catalanes que quieren escapar, no hay sitios seguros al otro lado de las fronteras nacionales. En los días del General Franco, podían ir a Francia como muchos fueron incluído un famoso y celebrado poeta idealizado por Joan Manuel Serrat. Con la existencia del denominado European Arrest Warrant, por razones políticas los catalanes están siendo arrestados y enviados a España donde afrontan un futuro incierto. 

When courts are used to cancel the fair outcome of an election, democracy is gone

When courts are used to cancel the fair outcome of an election, Democracy is gone

The cancelation of Brexit is the worst possible outcome for all. Parliament was already downgraded in peoples' eyes. For a second, it seemed that trust in Parliament was going to be restored when Article 50 was triggered and it appeared that Parliament was going to respect the will of the Electorate. The romance was short lived when the corrupt gangs showed their true colours.

The greatest fraud is the Scottish National Party that pretends to stand for Scotland's interest when in fact it is selling Scotland down the drain, transferring powers from Westminster to an unelected mafia that will ultimately lead the European Continent to a disastrous war. They pretend to stand for the British people when in fact they couldn't care less about Britain. They openly campaign for the partition of Britain. It is their lifetime goal. 

They are followed at close range by the Liberal Democrats - a travestu of a political party that goes where the wind blows playing for position. All principles were thrown away to form a coalition with the Conservative Party that generated the procedural mess Britain is in today. The Fixed Term Parliament Act was born out of that mess. Had not been for the Fixed Term Parliament Act, Britain would be having a General Election to at least try to clear the air.

The next in line is the Labour Party. Another fraud. For decades they have been calling Nazi, Fascist, and Racist their political opponents. The attacked National Front, British National Party, UKIP and of recent the Conservatives and the Brexit Party using such labels. Well, the real Jew haters are in the Labour Party and very much in control of the Labour Party.

The British political system is not dysfunctional because of the electoral system. It is dysfunctional because it is controlled by rotten and crooked individuals supported by mass media that are equally rotten and crooked..The direct consequence has been the degradation of Democracy in Britain. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons

The Opening Speech in the House of Commons by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson started by once again setting up the deadline for Britain to leave the European Union. Brexit should have happened on March 29th 2019 but postponement after postponement the country found itself having to organize European Parliament Election and having to witness the circus of the election of the new President of the European Commission that was in fact not elected but appointment. The former German Defense Minister was in fact the only candidate on the ballot put forward after a struggle between Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.

This is a very strange time in British politics in which those opposing Brexit seem to be supporting the IRA that walked away from the Northern Ireland Assembly leaving Northern Ireland in the doldrums transforming so called Devolution into a meaningless word.

The country voted for Brexit and therefore it was a fundamental error to have a Remain Prime Minister and a Cabinet in which too many were Remain supporters including Jeremy Hunt who stood for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Jeremy Hunt would have been another version of Theresa May. 

This is a binary question. To be or not to be and nothing in between. All the talk about a deal was no more than delaying tactics used by those who were opposed to Brexit from day one. We are not going to see 'Leg Touching' Philip Hammond, although he might rise to try and torpedo the Conservative government.

Parliament will return at the beginning of September but the threat is in the air. If Parliament tries to block Brexit, Parliament will be put aside. The present Parliament has degraded democracy setting up obstacles and hurdles to prevent the implementation of Brexit.

Nicola Sturgeon would do better if she faced her own responsibilities in Scotland where the rate of suicides is rising and the rate of those dying because of drug abuse is rising. The SNP Paradise is much more of a version of Hell on Earth. The talk about Scottish Independence is no more than a diversion not to deal with the real issues Scotland is suffering from.

Britain: the difference between political stability and a permanent state of war is that people tend to accept the outcome of elections and referendums

Britain's Brexit: the difference between political stability and a permanent state of war is that people tend to accept the outcome of elections and referendums

When you look at certain African countries you understand that for political stability to exist people need to accept the outcome of elections and referendums. As long as the voting process is fair and transparent, whether voters like or dislike the outcome of the public consultation, life goes on peacefully under the rule of law. When soon after the election or referendum, the population refuses to accept the outcome of the public consultation there will be riots possibly leading to civil war and assassinations and an entire country will be in a constant state of flux.

Many people in the United Kingdom that blatantly refuse to accept the outcome of the Referendum on EU Membership should take a closer look at what happens when the outcome of a perfectly legal public consultation is rejected or ignored by those who are supposed to respect the outcome of a public consultation. Do they want Britain to be in a permanent state of flux? Do they want widespread violence in the United Kingdom?

If as reported, the Army is sent to deal with the civilian population, what do you think the consequences will be if as presumed people get injured or even killed on British streets? Would this be conducive to political stability and peaceful coexistence?

For a very long time, there hasn't been a civil war in Britain but people should be reminded that the fact that there hasn't been a civil war does not mean that there couldn't be civil war in the not so distant future. London is not Britain. Scotland is not Britain. They are parts of Britain. This is not about what London wants or Scotland wants. It is about what Britain as a whole wants.

Brexit: The closer the date of withdrawal, the muddier the waters

Brexit: The closer the date of withdrawal, the muddier the waters...

The official date for British withdrawal from the EU is set but the closer we get to the date the muddier the waters get with a political establishment that is in a state of flux. There are different agendas and according to a particular agenda the scene changes. One particular actor in the said agenda has been Vince Cable - former Liberal Democrat MP - that lost his seat after a very much criticised coalition with the Conservative Party. The Coalition only lasted five years but the consequences for the Liberal Democrats have been long lasting. From being the third party of British politics, the Liberal Democrats are now fourth behind a political party - the Scottish National Party - that is neither British nor Scottish given its political goal of surrendering more and more powers to the European Union.

In 1997, Tony Blair as Prime Minister proceeded to implement Devolution. The idea was to keep Scotland on board after by promising to re-instant the Scottish Parliament. Under John Major as Conservative Party Leader and Prime Minister, the Conservatives had been practically wiped out and Scotland was being run by a Labour/Liberal Democrat Coalition but the threatening presence of SNP was on the horizon. Devolution was an appeasement attempt that went badly wrong. Soon after Devolution, the Labour Party paid a very high price and the SNP took the reins of politics in Scotland pushing ever farther towards Scottish Independence.

During a Conservative government, David Cameron was forced to make promises to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom but it was barely enough to convince Scottish voters not to vote for secession in the Scottish Independence Referendum. The SNP didn't get what it wanted but it became the third party in British politics, pushing Liberal Democrats into fourth place.

The 2017 General Election, a failed attempt by Prime Minister Theresa May to gain an absolute majority made a bad situation worse. The Conservative Party lost its majority and a weakened SNP still had a sizeable representation in Westminster.

Brexit has polarised political parties and both Labour and Conservative became several parties in one. Political fragmentation is all too evident. Labour is divided and Conservatives are divided and what is more nobody could hide what is happening even if they tried to hide what is happening.

This is what led Vince Cable - a party leader without a seat in the House of Commons - to propose the creation of what he calls a new centre party in British politics. Whether this is his way to try to rebrand the Liberal Democrats or a genuine intention to create a new political force remains to be seen. Labour is either pro-Corbyn or anti-Corbyn. The Conservatives are many things. There are those who are openly pro-May, those who are openly anti-May and those who prefer not to show any allegiance while they await developments that will allow them to keep their real intentions under wraps.

March 2019 is not just relevant because it is the month and year when Britain will come out of the EU. For many politicians whose political lives depend on EU membership this means having to think about plan B and plan B effectively means coming back to national politics and having to struggle to remain relevant. The will be competing with those already involved in national politics and competition will be fierce. There is British politics before Brexit and there will be British politics after Brexit.

What Vince Cable talks about - the creation of another political force - could happen naturally as a direct consequence of British politics after Brexit. Both Labour and Conservatives will have to deal with their inconsistencies to remain viable political forces because as things stand it is difficult to see what Labour and Conservatives really stand for.

The grass roots of both Labour and Conservatives are not forgiving. Some MPs might decide to jump out before being pushed. What we know as Deselection is already happening and the partition of so called mainstream political parties is now a real possibility.

Personally, I want Members of Parliament that really mean what they say and political parties who have a clear and demonstrable agenda. A radical change in British politics is long overdue for the sake of having a viable Democracy.




 

EU: Deafening Silence concerning Spanish abuses

EU's Deafening Silence

When something happens in Venezuela or Burma (I call it Burma, not the fancy name Myanmar), politicians are all too quick to react and to interfere in internal matters. When the country involved in abuses is an EU country, there is a deafening silence. People beaten on the streets, elected representatives arrested and threat of direct rule doing away with Democracy... just a list of niceties for which the Spanish government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is directly responsible, contradicting the view that "65 per cent of Catalans want to remain as part of the Spain". You could say that Mariano Rajoy himself contradicts such view because he panicked and resorted to violence instead of allowing the Referendum to happen normally to prove his point of view. Spain went several decades backwards. Judging by the number of Latin American people fleeing Spain and trying to settle down in Britain, those who are desperately trying to keep the United Kingdom in the European Union are shooting themselves on the foot because reality goes against their assertions about prosperity. What prosperity? Spain has been in doldrums for quite a while to the point that no political party has been able to gather enough votes to form a majority government and for quite a while Spain was de-facto without a real government.

I wonder what the reaction of the British mass media, the European mass media or the world mass media would have been if Nicola Sturgeon and the leaders of the Scottish Pro-Independence Movement and/or the people of Scotland had been treated in the same manner the people of Catalonia and its elected representatives have been treated. The European Union has just brushed Spanish violations of human rights and of political rights under the carpet.

In the EU, nothing is final. The fact that Austria, Poland and Hungary were taken to court when they asserted their sovereign rights on Immigration will generate heated debates. In Germany, Alternative für Deutschland entered the Bundestag as the third largest party and in Austria the Freiheit Partei is bound to be a member of the ruling coalition. Expect further developments.