tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12969077206154690812023-11-15T06:00:00.382-08:00Puffery and TaradiddlePuffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-39029094998359407842020-12-18T07:34:00.003-08:002020-12-18T09:03:54.523-08:00Nikki Stix – Mum, Wife, Friend, Legend.<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="text-align: justify;">You don’t have to have been on
Twitter for long to realise that it can bring out the worst in all of us.
Emboldened by the anonymity the platform affords, we can pretty much say what
we like to whomever we like. Socrates, had the great man been around today, would
have been appalled at how far we’d drifted. He’d have urged us to think before
we tweeted. ‘Is it true, is it kind or is it necessary?’ he’d ask. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Alas, the great man is not around and so, in
the absence of his wise counsel, we forget to ask ourselves those three questions,
and we carry on regardless.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yet occasionally – and it really
is rare - you come across someone who rises above all of that. Someone who is
instantly ‘special’. Someone who stands out from the rest. Someone who wants to
make the world around them – and that includes their virtual world – a better
place. Nikki Stix – for it is she – managed to do all of that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nikki was instantly likeable – fun,
engaging, amusing, clever. And the Brexiteer’s Brexiteer. She was passionate
about it and campaigned hard for us to leave. She hated the division it caused
and her tweets would always accentuate the positives, never the negatives.
Sure, she had a pop at Femi, Grayling and O’Brien from time to time – but who
on our side worth their salt did not? But her aim was always to bring together,
not divide. She lamented how the discourse had deteriorated over the four
years. But despite this deterioration, she remained upbeat, strong, and
principled. Easy for even those on the ‘other’ side to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nikki’s battle with cancer was
well documented – she shared her struggles with a candour and openness that
helped many – people who were also ill, people who had lost loved ones, and
people who were going through struggles of their own. But she shared never to
garner sympathy, only ever to inform and inspire. And she did it effortlessly,
with humour and with good grace - never afraid to give a little bit more of
herself to build up those around her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But today, Twitter became a
little darker for many of us. Somewhere, a light was switched off. All of us
knew Nikki was ill and we knew that the last few months had been bad – she’d
kept us updated as she had always promised she would. Yet despite that, today’s
news came as a bolt from the blue. A cruel kick in the teeth at the end of a
cruel, relentless year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This morning, as usual, we’d
logged in, coffee in hand, and scrolled as we always did. And as usual we’d see
a tweet from someone we follow and we’d chuckle and nod or perhaps tut and shake
our heads. As usual, we’d like, reply, maybe retweet. But we’d already moved on
with our day. Actions barely important at the time, becoming so quickly inconsequential.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But then a tweet that stopped us
in our tracks. We didn’t move on with our day. We sat, staring at Mike’s
message, barely able to take it in. Tears for someone we’d never met, but who
all of us knew so well. Tears for someone who’d invited us with her on her
journey. Tears for someone who had shared, selflessly, her ups and downs. But
this final ‘down’ was crushing. We’d not been prepared for that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Comments started pouring in.
Thousands within minutes. She was described as a ‘force of nature’, an ‘inspiration’,
a ‘member of the family’, a ‘fighter’. And she was all of that, and more. And
amongst the comments, names familiar to all of us. Names I mention not because they
are any more important than the thousands of others, but proof that her appeal
and influence transcended the usual twitter bubbles: Iain Dale. Dan Hodges. Alex Deane. Madeleine Grant.
Adrian Hilton. Dan Wooton. All of them expressing their shock and sorrow. But
perhaps it was Claire Fox who said it best:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oh, I am
devastated to hear this. She was such a good friend to me on here, and a </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">voice
of reason. She will be missed so much. You were a real fighter for freedom and
fought your own health fight with guts. What a woman!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But of course, sad though we are,
our loss is nothing - nothing at all - compared to that of Nikki’s family, Mike
and their little dictator. It’s hard to imagine what Christmas will be like for
them, this year and for every Christmas after. But when Mike has the time, he’ll
look through the messages sent today. He’ll see the impact she had on so many
lives. And he’ll keep them safely stowed away. And as the original 3 foot
dictator becomes the four foot dictator, then five, who knows, maybe even six, she’ll
always be able to look back at what her mother meant to so many people whom she’d
never even met. And she’ll be proud to say: ‘That, boys and girls, ladies and
gentlemen, was my mum.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">RIP Nikki Stix. You absolute
legend. X</span><o:p></o:p></p>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-78923374173158865222020-06-08T11:49:00.016-07:002020-06-09T07:51:43.992-07:00What Would James Do?
<p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">It’s not difficult - if not altogether pleasant - to imagine James
O’Brien’s routine just before he goes to bed at night. You can see him,
blue-striped pyjamas, top tucked into the bottoms, clambering into bed, his LBC
headphones still on, asking: ‘Now, James, what would <i>you</i> like to say?’ In
response, he will read – aloud, naturally - a few pages from his best-selling
pamphlet. And, sated by his own wisdom, he’ll lay his head on his pillow,
checking before he closes his eyes that a small notebook and pencil are on his
bedside locker. Because James knows that his best tweets are composed at night.
He knows pearls of wisdom will come to him in the darkness and that they must
be scribbled down - no matter what the hour - before they are forgotten. In the
morning, he’ll piece his notes together, draft and redraft and then throughout
the day, release his ‘impromptu’ tweets to his legion of adoring fans.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">Now, don’t laugh, but I have
recently discovered that it’s not only his fans who should be digesting
O’Brien’s tweets. Every one of us should be taking the time
to read them. Because within those carefully crafted 280 characters, lies wisdom, within every tweet, a pathway to truth. Allow me to
explain.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">In evangelical churches in
America, it’s not uncommon for Sunday School children to be given colourful
bracelets inscribed with the letters ‘WWJD’. When faced with a situation where
they are unsure of the right thing to do, the children are encouraged to look
at the bracelet, ask ‘What would Jesus do?’ and act accordingly. It’s rather a
quaint way of reminding children of what is right and what is wrong. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">O’Brien’s Twitter feed is my WWJD bracelet. If ever I’m unsure what side of an
argument to take, I ask a similar question: ‘What would James do?’ But
unlike the American Sunday School children encouraged to ask the question and do exactly
what they believe Jesus would have done, I ask the question about James and
take precisely the opposite stance. And I’ve discovered that as a strategy,
it’s absolutely failsafe. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">Ever since he brought out his
book, an enjoyable pastime for many has been to highlight just
how often a man who had the chutzpah to call his book ‘How To Be Right’
had been shown to be hopelessly wrong. On Nissan, he was wrong. On Darren Grimes,
he was wrong. On Frank Lampard, he was wrong. On Arkadiusz Jóźwik, he was
wrong. On regulatory alignment in the Good Friday Agreement, he was wrong. On
the shipping of meat from Australia to the UK, he was wrong. <span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">On the recent election, he was wrong. </span></span>
And most famously, on paedophile Carl Beech, he was horribly, dangerously,
irresponsibly wrong. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">But while it is fun to laugh at
James O’Brien and his unerring ability to be wrong, there’s a much more serious
side to the lies that he peddles. We are told repeatedly how divided we are as
a country. But this is a division that is stoked and encouraged by the likes of
O’Brien himself. A self-appointed voice of liberal progressives, he - just like
his chums Grayling, Campbell, Simor, Dunt and Maugham – won’t accept opposing
views. If you disagree with him, not only are you wrong, you’re morally
bankrupt to boot.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">Take this weekend for example.
The protests right across the UK - ostensibly about the murder of an unarmed
black man in America – surprised no one when they turned ugly. London witnessed
a complete breakdown in law and order with 27 police officers injured, despite an incredible claim from the BBC that the protests had been ‘largely peaceful’. The protests
continued on Sunday with attacks on war memorials, Union flags and Churchill
statues - events largely unreported by our mainstream media. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">Events down in Bristol,
however, were given almost wall to wall coverage. Because there, we had the
‘good’ kind of agitation. A statue of former slave owner Edward Colston was
torn down, rolled through the streets and dumped in the city’s harbour, to
cheers from the assembled mob. <span> </span>But
while many cheered, there were just as many across the country – including the
Home Secretary, Priti Patel – who were left uncomfortable at the way the police
in Bristol had capitulated. It was a discomfort that O’Brien took little time to exploit:</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin: 0cm 33.1pt 8pt 36pt; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">‘How you feel about that statue
is how you feel about slavery. Don’t let anyone pretend otherwise.’</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">A tweet wrong and objectionable
on so many levels. There’s not a man, woman or child in the UK who looks back
on slavery with anything other than disgust. How you feel about ‘that statue’
says <i>absolutely
nothing</i> about how you feel about slavery. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">While there may be arguments
for the removal of a statue erected in the memory of a renowned slaver, the
erasing of history – no matter how distasteful we find that history to be – is
a dangerous and slippery path. We mocked the Taliban, revelling as they did in
removing historical artefacts with which they disagreed. The truth is very few heroes of British
history share the values we cherish today. Most of them will have done things
uncontroversial at the time, but disagreeable to us now. But we examine history
not lazily to shame its participants, but rather to learn from it. To be cautious
about the removal of a statue is to be cautious about the expunging of history and
says nothing at all about how we feel about slavery.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">And even if we do agree that
the statue should come down, allowing a rabid and feral mob to make this
decision is to admit we no longer live in a country where law and order matter.
This is not how such decisions should be made. On Sunday, many questioned the
‘how’, if not the ‘why’ of the statue coming down. Indeed, a YouGov survey
today showed that 53% of Britons support its removal, but only 13% approve of
the way it was done. This suggests a preference for democracy over mob rule and
says nothing at all about how we feel about slavery.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">He knows all of this, but
division is his stock-in-trade.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">For anyone following O’Brien’s
feed over the last 12 weeks, his interventions at the weekend will have come as
no surprise. Since the outbreak of the virus, his LBC phone-in and his twitter
feed have been awash with anti-government bile. You could be forgiven for
thinking that in a time of national crisis, old enmities might be set aside,
that ‘the common good’ might trump time-honoured rivalries. But not O’Brien.
Not only has he refused to do this, but he has actively and openly wished for
our government to fail. And if you wish for your government to fail on
Covid-19, it necessarily requires that more people must lose their lives. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">It explains the relish with
which he announces the latest numbers. ‘The worst in Europe!’, ‘The second
worst in the world!’, ‘The carnage in our care homes!’ He knows that the
numbers are not yet comparable with countries whose method of counting deaths
are different to our own. He knows that attempting to measure rates at this
stage in a pandemic is premature. He knows that both population size and
density are factors. He knows our care homes have not been hit as a hard as
many in Europe. He knows that the UK is not New Zealand.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">He knows all of this, but
division is his stock-in-trade.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">Brexit is, of course, how he made
his name. In the four years following the vote, O’Brien dedicated every waking
hour to ensuring that the wounds from a fractious campaign be opened further
still. The country had voted and the time for debate was over. The time had
come, no matter how you voted, to work together to make sure that Brexit was a
success. But again, not for O’Brien. He was in Barnier’s camp, not Britain’s. He backed Juncker, not Johnson. He wanted the EU to hold the
upper hand so that his prediction of a broken economy could come to pass. He
wants Brexit to fail. And if Brexit is to fail, it necessarily requires people
to lose their livelihood. But that they might, remains of less importance to
O’Brien than being able to remind us all that he'd told us so.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">And just as he suggested that
if you didn’t agree with a statue being torn down you somehow supported
slavery, his mantra over the four years was that if you voted Brexit, you were
not only stupid, but racist. That you didn’t like ‘brown’ people or Polish
people. And yet he knows that the UK has consistently been shown as one of the
least racist countries in Europe. It’s demonstrable, as O’Brien himself might
say.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">He knows all of this, but
division is his stock-in-trade.</span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">The truth is, O'Brien is part of the problem. If you
want to understand something of the current divisions in our country, studying his perennially miserable Twitter account is a perfect place
to start. He preaches inclusion, but only ever moves to exclude. He preaches
tolerance, but brands those who disagree with him fascists and Nazis. He
preaches progressiveness, but his rhetoric sets the country back years. He
preaches love, but only ever offers hate. In short, he encapsulates everything
that is wrong with the modern-day 'progressive' left. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia",serif;">Anyone
who has any interest in playing a part in building a more united, hopeful,
successful Britain should always remember to ask themselves: ‘What would James do?’ And
then, without hesitation, do precisely the opposite. </span><span style="color: black;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia"></font><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
<font face="georgia"></font><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">
<font face="georgia"></font><br /></p>
Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-34496551159154789982020-05-26T06:16:00.003-07:002020-06-12T06:30:14.931-07:00The Brexit Proxy War
<p style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">‘We’ve left
the EU and therefore the Leave/Remain argument is over. The only argument now
is what sort of deal we have with the EU’</font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">Heartening words, indeed, from the
Labour leader yesterday, in an interview for the Telegraph’s weekly political
podcast. Perhaps this intervention, from a man who battled so hard for three
years to reverse the Brexit vote, was a sign that the country was finally
exiting the four years of bitterness and division that the 2016 referendum had
unleashed. <span> </span>Perhaps it indicated a brighter
future that would see erstwhile political opponents come together to fight for
a brighter future. Yes, well, not quite. Just as Starmer was declaring the
Leave/Remain argument over, a story was breaking that demonstrated that far
from being over, the argument was just as bitter as it had ever been before.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">For the weekend was about to be
dominated by one major story – that of a disgraced, lying, and hypocritical charlatan
of a political advisor. But in addition to the ubiquitous Alastair Campbell’s round
of unchallenged media interviews, another storm was brewing – one involving present
day political advisor, Dominic Cummings. The Mirror revealed that he and his
family had travelled 250 miles from London to Durham, breaching lockdown advice
in order be closer to family as both Cummings and his wife battled the virus.
The story changed often throughout the day – Cummings’ parents were replaced by
his sister in one version, babysitting was replaced by food deliveries in
another. It was all Alastair Campbell could do to keep up in advance of his
next media appointment.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">One of the most amusing aspects as
the story unfolded was how the left were suddenly able to describe with
absolute precision the government’s lockdown policy – a policy which for weeks
they’d dismissed as ‘vague’, ‘difficult to understand’ and ‘confusing’. Not
since the scales fell from the eyes of a stricken Saul of Taursus deep within
the old walls of Damascus had clarity been so quickly restored. Suddenly, the
rules couldn’t have been easier to understand, with everyone now an expert. And
yet time and time again, they failed to pinpoint exactly how Cummings had
broken the law. </font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">The government, unsurprisingly,
backed their man, with Cabinet Minister after Cabinet minister tweeting
support. Shapps, sent out by captain Boris Johnson as the night-watchman,
batted watchfully in the press briefing, ducking the inevitable bouncers that
were sent down. He reached close of play – but only just. Next man in must
surely be Johnson – he simply can’t afford to slip any further down the batting
order if he wants to turn this around. Coming back from injury is hard – but
more than ever, he needs a captain’s knock.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">But inevitably, as the Cabinet
rallied around Cummings, there was much talk in the media about the
government’s loss of moral authority. That by refusing to bow to the pressure
to dispose of PM’s advisor, the government was losing credibility. But here’s
the thing. This government was elected with one of the highest shares of the
vote since the heady days of the Blair government and enjoys one of the safest
majorities of any in recent years. Yet despite this – and solely because of
Brexit – it is a government that is both at once hugely popular and deeply
loathed. And those that loathed it before this weekend, deeply loath it just as
much today. Those who voted for it in December would vote for it again
tomorrow. </font><br /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">And just as Left-leaning Twitter
was embarrassing itself, so too was the UK media. Andrew Marr, a man who Andrew
Marr regards as one of the UK’s most formidable interviewers, was reduced to
asking a bemused Grant Shapps how many toilet breaks Cummings Junior had taken
on the way to Durham. He pretended that the fact that Shapps was unable to
provide these details was ‘extraordinary’. But unlike Marr, surely most of the
country must have been relieved that the Secretary of State for Transport was
unfamiliar with the toilet habits of someone else’s 4 year old child. I know I certainly
was. </font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">But of course, aside from the
despicable media pile-on – at a time when there is so much we <i>should</i> be talking about - there’s
another, altogether more sinister angle to this story. This is a story that only
has legs because someone in Durham decided that it was their job to regulate
the lives of Dominic Cummings, Mary Wakefield and their 4 year old child. Surely
it was never the intention of our lockdown to pit the public one against the
other in some kind of macabre Maoist nightmare. Perhaps it’s for this reason
more than any other that we should hope Johnson and Cummings don’t bow to the
pressure. Instead, we need them to end this lockdown and allow us as quickly as
possible to return not to a ‘new normal’ but to the old.</font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">Anyone who is willing to be
honest this weekend knows that Dominic Cummings’ real crime was not driving to
Durham. It wasn’t stopping at the side of the road for a toilet break. It
wasn’t even his dress sense – although that probably does require intervention at
the very least from the fashion police if not necessarily their metropolitan
counterparts. No, Dominic Cumming’s crime was to deliver an unlikely Brexit win
and a stonking 80-seat Conservative majority that would allow the Withdrawal
Bill finally to be passed. Everything else this weekend is simply noise. </font></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><font face="georgia" size="2">Most people seem to agree that
Dom Cummings is not a particularly nice bloke. I certainly hold no torch for
him. But this weekend’s witch hunt says significantly more about those baying
for his blood that it does about Cummings himself. Were they not so blinded by
hatred, they might more quickly see what kind of people Britain has become. But
while they continue to refuse to see this, nothing Keir Strarmer says will make
any difference – the Brexit argument will run and run and run.</font></p>
Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-84081543491159312642019-09-26T06:09:00.005-07:002020-06-01T12:32:09.161-07:00No Surrender<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">As Ian Blackford, Anna Soubry, Chukka Umunna and
Caroline Lucas laughed and cheered outside the High Court on Tuesday morning,
who would have thought that less than 36 hours later, they’d be wishing that
the 11 learned judges had ruled the other way. Posing smugly for the cameras –
basking in a victory in which they had played no part – they couldn’t have
foreseen the mauling opposition MPs would receive on their unexpected return.
For it was a day of astonishing government rearguard action - certainly
not the triumphant return to parliament Remainers had been hoping for.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox set the tone. With a
performance likely to draw a sternly worded letter from Brian Blessed’s
lawyers, he left returning opposition MPs in no doubt who he blamed for the
current Brexit impasse, describing the opposition front bench as 'spineless’,
and parliament itself as ‘cowardly’. ‘It has no moral right to sit on these
green benches,' he boomed. ‘This parliament is a disgrace.’ 17.4 million people
rose as one.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">The statements that followed, while never likely to
live up to Cox’s, were delivered to a half empty chamber. Yes, they had been
given a roasting and many no doubt had scuttled sheepishly back to their
offices. But the empty seats were an odd way to demonstrate to the British
people the importance of not losing a minute of parliamentary time at this
moment of ‘national emergency’. It was, after all, the reason the prorogation
had so upset them.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">They returned, however, for the main event of the day
which – despite Cox’s heroics – was always going to be the statement from the
Prime Minister, only recently returned from New York. But rather than the
chastened, demoralized and apologetic figure the opposition had been hoping
for, Johnson gave without doubt the most charismatic performance of his short
tenure. One after the other, opposition leaders rose to attack. One after the
other, Johnson swatted them away. In a blistering attack, he reminded them that
they were perfectly entitled to get rid of him. Call the election you all claim
you want, he goaded.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Pushed time and time again to apologise, Johnson
refused. Pushed time and again to desist from referring to the Benn Bill as the
Surrender Bill, he doubled down. But given that Johnson genuinely sees the bill
as a surrender, surely, he is entitled to say so? Surely, no amount of
opposition posturing can turn that word into an offensive term?</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">And here’s the thing: If you genuinely think that
‘surrender’ is an offensive term and if you’d genuinely prefer a bill you pass
in the House of Commons not to be referred to as a ‘Surrender Bill’, it’s
better not to make it a surrender bill. If you’d rather the Prime Minister
didn’t talk about capitulation, it’s better not to force him to capitulate.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Seeing how badly their day was going, opposition MPs
performed a reverse Michelle Obama: ‘When Boris goes high, we go low.’ Such was
the paucity of their arguments, they reached deep into the bottom drawer of
dirty tricks and took out the Jo Cox card. In what it is hard to imagine was
not a coordinated move, female opposition MPs, referencing the 2016 murder of
the Labour MP, stood up and linked threats to their lives to Johnson’s
‘inflammatory language'.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">It was not the first reference to her death. Earlier
in the day Geoffrey Cox had pronounced the current parliament as the ‘dead’
parliament – surely an irrefutable fact. But Labour MP Alison McGovern took to
twitter to describe his comments as ‘beyond a joke’, urging the Attorney
General to remember Jo Cox’s death. A ridiculous response, but dutifully
retweeted by Cathy Newman, never one to miss an opportunity to put the boot in
on a powerful man.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">But it was Paula Sherriff’s intervention that was the
most explosive. ‘We stand here under the shield of our departed friend
with many of us in this place subject to death threats and abuse every single
day.’ Had she stopped there, her point would have been valid. But unable to
help herself, she instead blamed the Prime Minister for these threats saying
that he ‘should be ashamed’. Johnson dismissed her claim - that he was
responsible - as ‘Humbug’, unleashing an outpouring of anger on the opposition
benches.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">But how, given the rhetoric that has poisoned our
political landscape of late, was it Geoffrey Cox’s use of the word ‘dead’ and
Johnson’s use of the word ‘surrender’ that triggered such an outpouring of
opposition anger? It wasn’t ‘coup’ or ‘dictator’ that appalled them. Not ‘far
right’ nor ‘extremist’. Neither ‘Nazi’ nor ‘fascist’. ‘But 'surrender'?
Clearly beyond the pale.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Predictably, David Lammy was appalled. The same David
Lammy who compared the ERG to Nazis – in a statement he said wasn’t ‘strong
enough’. John McDonnell was shocked. The same John McDonnell who spoke of killing
Margaret Thatcher and lynching Esther McVey. Ed Davey was furious. The same Ed
Davey who had called for a ‘a Remain alliance to decapitate that blond head in
Uxbridge and South Ruislip’. Jo Swinson was almost in tears. The same Jo Swinson,
the leader of a party whose members last week, in a cheerful conference
ditty, urged Tony Blair to ‘fuck off and die’. Jess Philips was moved to ask an
urgent question on parliamentary language. The same Jess Philips who threatened
‘to knife [Jeremy Corbyn] in the front.’</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">And away from parliament, last week a rapper whose
name I did not recognize then and which I have forgotten since, emerged at an
awards ceremony clutching the fake decapitated head of Boris Johnson. He held
it aloft to cheers and laughter. It was a sickening display both from the
artist and his audience. But where was the opposition outrage then?</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">None of this, of course, is to make light of genuine
threats to our politicians – female MPs in particular. The abuse many of them
receive is vile. Jo Swinson is perfectly entitled to want to stop Brexit. Anna
Soubry can of course leave the Conservatives and argue for a second referendum.
They do so from a deep and genuine belief that they are right. And they should
be able to do so without threat or intimidation. But to claim that this abuse
results from our current Prime Minister’s description of a Bill he loathes is
laughable.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,"times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia" size="2">But then we know that the offence taken last night in
parliament was affected, the tears crocodile. Labour MPs weaponized the death
of a slain colleague in a deeply callous and unpleasant manner in an attempt to
deflect from the shortcomings of their own parties. Had Johnson apologized to
Sheriff, or had he stopped referring to the Benn Bill as the 'Surrender Bill'
it would have been tantamount to accepting that two unconnected events were
linked. He was right to do neither.</font><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font face="times"></font><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia,"times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia" size="2">When Lady Hale read out the Supreme Court’s ruling on
Tuesday morning there was much jubilation. Gloating MPs tweeted pictures of
themselves already sitting back in the House of Commons, eager further to
humiliate the Prime Minister. But events yesterday served only to reinforce
what we already knew. This parliament is finished, discredited and without
mandate. It has to go. The opposition wasn’t upset by the Prime Minister’s language
last night. They were upset that no matter what tricks they play, no matter how
much they delay, the public cannot be fooled. As Geoffrey Cox warned,
Christmas is coming.</font><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-49085327577391626712019-09-17T02:39:00.005-07:002020-06-12T06:31:50.960-07:00Bettel the Devil You Know<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<font face="georgia"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"> <font size="2">And tuning into Luxembourg late at
night,</font></span><br />
</font><div style="margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"> And jazz and blues records during
the day,</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"> Also, Debussy on the third programme,</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"> Early mornings when contemplation
was best.</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><font face="georgia" size="2"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms",sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"> 'On
Hyndford Street’, Van Morrison</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></font></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif;"><font face="georgia"><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<font face="georgia"><span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p>
</span><font size="2"></font><br />
</font><div style="margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Had it not been
for Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison, I’m not sure that I could name
one thing that Luxembourg had ever given the world. By all accounts the great
man from East Belfast couldn’t get enough of the country’s radio station and no
doubt mourns still its 1992 demise. But the radio station notwithstanding (and
I take Van’s word that it was a fine one), what has Europe’s smallest nation
state ever given us? I dipped in to its Wikipedia page hoping that
the list of ‘Notable Luxembourgers’ there would remind me of some of the greats
who I’d simply just forgotten. However, the list seemed to be not so much a
list of famous artists, scientists and sports stars, but rather a list of
everyone who has ever lived there - with Jean of Luxembourg and Henri of
Luxembourg clearly two of its more memorable inhabitants. An odd place, then,
for our current Prime Minister to come unstuck.</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">No doubt
chastened by criticism that he wasn’t doing enough to secure a last-minute
Brexit deal, Johnson arrived in Luxembourg determined to show he meant
business. The day began with talks with the man who (allegedly) has done more
than any other to support Luxembourg’s underwhelming wine industry, Jean Claude
Juncker. While, as expected, these talks didn’t provide anything close to a
breakthrough, they had the distinct advantage of passing without incident. Au
contraire – as I think at least a third of Luxembourg's population might say –
there was even talk about further, more intensive talks. Perhaps a Brexit deal
could be struck after all.</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">It was later in
the afternoon that things began to unravel. From his meeting with President
Juncker, Johnson went on to meet the country’s hitherto unknown Prime Minister,
Xavier Bettel. On his way into the Luxembourg Ministry of State, Johnson had
been subjected to heckling from an impromptu group of anti-Brexit protesters.
So impromptu, in fact, that they knew exactly where and when to gather,
were able to secure a loud speaker system, and had the presence of mind to hand
out large EU flags and Ode to Joy hymn sheets. It was almost - almost - as
if they’d been given advance notice.</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Rightly fearing
that a press conference against this backdrop was something of a stitch up,
Johnson and his team repeatedly requested that the press conference be held
inside, away from the baying crowd. Not an unreasonable request, you might
think. However, Bettel, who presumably had already told his mother that he was
going to be live on TV, refused and insisted on carrying on
regardless. Gesturing to the Boris Johnson-sized gap beside him, Bettel played
to the gallery: 'It’s his responsibility,' he said. 'Your people - our people -
count on you. But the clock is ticking, use your time wisely.' The British PM
upstaged and embarrassed by his Luxembourger counterpart.</font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">And oh, how
Remain Britain laughed. The usual suspects danced on to Twitter mocking the ‘incredible
sulk’, praising the statesmanship of the Luxembourg PM and celebrating the
brave protestors. Shelagh Fogarty, host of a daily three-hour anti-Boris
phone-in show, could barely contain her delight, giggling as the story broke live during
her show. In a first for LBC (and in what was a clear contractual breach),
James O'Brien was relegated to only the second most sanctimonious host of the
day. Dr. Jennifer Cassidy, an Oxford University politics lecturer was similarly
enchanted: ‘Take a bow Luxembourg, take a goddam glorious bow.’ Anna Soubry,
leader and entire membership of Change UK was appalled. ‘Our Prime Minister is
a disgraceful, mendacious buffoon who brings great shame on our country,' she
tweeted. 'For the sake of our worldwide reputation and children and
grandchildren’s future let’s stop this #Brexit crisis.' </font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">But Johnson
doesn’t need Fogarty or Cassidy or Soubry. Nor does he need perennial critics
David Lammy or Owen Jones or Gavin Esler. He needs the country to like him. And
recent polls suggest that they do. And the incident outside the Ministry of
State will again play well with his target base. Yesterday’s stunt was so
blatant, the attempt to humiliate so unashamed, that Johnson refusing to take
part will have resonated with many at home, standing in stark contrast as it did to the passive
humiliation that was the hallmark of Theresa May's pitiful dealings in Europe. </font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">And if proof
were needed that yesterday may not have been the disaster Remain had hoped,
Johnson found, in the midst of the Twitterati pile on, a surprising ally.
Nicholas Soames – who I recently discovered was Randolf Churchill’s son’s
brother’s daughter’s son – took to Twitter to express solidarity with the
man who only two weeks previously had booted him out of the conservative party. ‘Very poor
behaviour by Luxembourg #showoff @BorisJohnson quite right not to be made a
fool of #franklyunhelpfulgrandstanding,' tweeted the erstwhile Tory grandee.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">David Jones, a
former Brexit minister, agreed: 'If Remain supporters are revelling in this
gratuitous rudeness to a British Prime Minister, they should examine their own
motives. Most patriotic people would say it’s another good reason to leave on
31 October.' And the problem for Remain is that there are plenty of patriotic
people in the UK. Yesterday gave Number 10 a very clear rallying cry: If
that is who they are, if that is how they behave, why would we want to
stay? </font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">So here we are.
Another ‘disastrous day’ for Boris Johnson. ‘Humiliated’ on the world stage.
‘Shown up’ as the ‘charlatan’ Remain want him to be. And yet, who’s to bet that
we won’t see yet another fillip in the polls. When Remain laughed today, they
laughed at Britain. They sided with a non-entity of a politician from a
non-entity of a country against their own prime minister. But Boris won’t mind.
They are not his target audience. The rest of the country will have seen our
Prime Minister refusing to dance to the tune of a Prime Minister of a country
with fewer subjects that a girly swot in her final year of GCSEs. And they’ll
have loved it. </font><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia","times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<font face="georgia"><font size="2"><span style="font-family: georgia,"times new roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Van Morrison’s
back catalogue is impressive. Indeed, were he so-inclined, he could probably
dedicate at least one song to every family in Luxembourg. Were he to dedicate
one to Boris Johnson, perhaps he’d choose ‘There’ll Be Days Like This.' And indeed,
there will. But Boris loves days like this. It’ll be Jeremy Corbyn, Jo Swinson
and Remainers, up and down the country, who will be hoping he doesn’t have many
more.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-58461156640346244072019-09-12T07:20:00.003-07:002020-05-27T17:17:23.780-07:00Don't Judge...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<font face="georgia"><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Kwasi Kwarteng (or Quasi Kwarteng
as Ian Blackford prefers to call him) is today responding to accusations
of ‘Trumpian behaviour’ after his appearance on the newly revamped Andrew Neil Show
last night <span> </span>The allegations surfaced when, despite
taking care to back the judges himself, he pointed out that: <span> </span>"Many Leave voters up and down the
country are beginning to question the impartiality of the judges. They’re saying,
‘why are they getting involved in politics?'" And even though many leavers
up and down the country are saying precisely this, he was accused of disingenuously
using leave voters to hide his own criticism of the court’s decision.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">It came after courts in Scotland ruled that the
recent prorogation of parliament was ‘unlawful’. <span> </span>In a clear departure from the Gina Miller case
in a London court last week, the Scottish judges said the decision to prorogue
was indeed ‘justiciable’. They concluded that Boris Johnson’s advice to the
Queen had been ‘unlawful’ and that consequently the prorogation itself was ‘null
and of no effect’. Parliament, against all the odds, could yet be recalled and
perhaps John Bercow’s farewell tributes – cut cruelly short after a paltry 90 minutes - could
rightfully resume. </font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Much though there is to loathe
about the outgoing Speaker of the House, his theatre will be greatly missed.
Who can forget, over the last 18 months, the frequent bellows of ‘Division!’ after countless crucial late-night
Brexit votes? <span> </span>Division, indeed. Our
country is split down the middle. Our parliament is split down the middle. Our
families, we are constantly told, have been split down the middle. (Although a
family that fissures over Brexit is surely a family with other issues beside). And
now, it seems, even our courts are split, North v South.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia" size="2">If you voted leave, you’re
furious that Brexit has not yet been delivered after 3 and a half years. If you
voted remain, you’re furious that not everyone else voted the way you did. If you voted leave, you think we’re going to thrive once the EU 'shackles' have been cast off. If you voted remain, you think (perhaps not without justification given the Yellow Hammer release) that we’re going to hell in a handcart. .But
no matter what side you are on, you're sure to have an opinion. I have yet to meet anyone in
Britain who does not feel strongly either way.</font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><o:p></o:p><font size="2">And much has been made of the
effect this strength of feeling has had on our political journalists. Hitherto,
our media, by and large, had managed to hide individual leanings, if not necessarily
editorial bent. But now, there’s barely a journalist in the land who you couldn’t,
with some certainty, guess how they voted in the 2016 referendum. A few exceptions
exist, of course. The scrupulous Andrew Neil, whose excellent questioning led to Kwarteng's 'Trumpian' slip, national treasure Kay Burley, who didn’t
vote at all and James O’Brien, who has remained resolutely tight-lipped on the
subject, making it hard to call his Brexit stance, one way or the other. But for
the most part, journalists’ colours have been nailed firmly to respective masts.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">This is not overly to criticize our
print and television journalists. Yes, they should strive to be impartial – and
on most issues they do. But Brexit, for many, it seems, like Boris Johnson's plans to link Ireland and Scotland, is a bridge too far. And
perhaps this is unsurprising. It’s not an issue from which one can easily untangle oneself. If they voted remain – and many of them did – they, like many of the remain
voters in the country, fear Brexit. And if you fear, something, it’s often hard
to hide it. If they voted leave - and a couple of them did - they, like many leave
voters in the country, despise a Parliament they see as determined to stymie Brexit. And if you despise something, it’s often hard to hide it.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">And so, to our venerable judges. The
decision at yesterday’s Court of Sessions in Scotland was met with glee by one half of the country and dismay and fury by the
other. 52% of the country raised collective eyebrows at yet another establishment
blow. 48% of the country, attempting to hide raised eyebrows, moved swiftly to
declare that judges must be respected. Not so much the judges from last week,
but definitely those from this. And it was from this 48% that Kwasi got his
comeuppance. Perpetually offended Afua Hirsch called him out, on twitter: “Shame
on @KwasiKwarteng. Confirmation we have a government that has zero respect for
the separation of powers, the rule of law, or the proper functioning democracy.”
There was no mention in Afua’s tweet of how much she respected the judges from
the Gina Miller case only a few days earlier.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">But how, then, have the judges
remained impervious to Brexit? They have risen above politics where you and I
have not. They have remained neutral where many in the media have not. On an
issue that for three years has been all-consuming for the rest of us, they have
remained calm and disinterested. And woe
betide you if you suggest that any of the three judges in the Scottish Court of
Session yesterday may have had a pre-existing opinion on Brexit. Judges, cry
Remain, are immune from the pressures of politics. We mustn’t question their
decisions or their impartiality. Well, not this week, in any case.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">But this is the problem with
taking the political into the realm of the judicial. Despite the Remainer outrage
at anyone who dared question yesterday’s decision, even a cursory glance at the
judges’ final declaration shows it to be patently political. They decided that the
purpose of prorogation was for the government to ‘avoid scrutiny’. This is a court
judging on political motive. To do so, is, by very nature, to become political.
And where does it stop? Can every political decision taken by a government be
taken to a court and overturned? Surely, whether you voted remain or leave, we
must agree that political motivation should not be decided on in a court of law.</font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">Kwasi last night acted
responsibly – he stuck to a line that doubtless he didn’t believe. He was firm –
he said he had full trust in our judges. But he was also right to say that many
people disagree. Because it is true. And to accuse him of being Trumpian for
doing so is a low blow. But the gloves in this fight came off a long time ago. May, of course, didn’t notice that they had. But Boris Johnson and his team, none of them wearing gloves in the first place, are fighting back. Leavers have had a tough few months. They’ve had to
watch in embarrassment at the final days of May. They’ve had to watch in fury
as a remain parliament passed the Benn Bill - the most duplicitous Bill, they argue, since the 42nd President of the United States denied sexual relations with an intern. And to top it off, they’ve had to watch
in astonishment as the most arrogant man in the House brought forward a Humble
Address. Yesterday’s court decision was almost the final straw. And Kwarteng was within his rights to point out that many leavers are losing faith
in the ‘establishment’. </font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2"></font><br /></font></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><font face="georgia"><font size="2">If there’s any justice, the
Supreme Court will overturn yesterday’s decision and confirm that politics and
law should - no, must - remain separate. If they don’t, our democracy takes yet
another hit. If it is to survive, it can’t take many more. </font><o:p></o:p></font></span></div>
<font face="georgia" size="2"></font><br /></div>
Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-59904815663293539892012-10-12T09:20:00.002-07:002020-06-12T06:32:46.521-07:00Trifextra Week 37<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2d2d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><font face="georgia" size="2">This
weekend <a href="http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/" target="_blank">they</a> are challenging us to write 33 of our own words to build upon the
following:</font></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2d2d; font-family: Cardo; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><font face="georgia" size="2">On the count of three...</font></span></b></blockquote>
<font face="georgia"><font size="2"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2d2d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">We can choose to include those words if we want, but they do not count toward the
33 words of our own.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2d2d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2e2d2d; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Anti-climax</u> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2e2d2d; font-family: inherit;"></span> </font></font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><font face="georgia" size="2">“On the count of three!” she cried. </font></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><font face="georgia" size="2">I’ll be honest, it surprised me. I’m no Lothario, but I’ve
had my share of pillow talk. Being ‘counted in’, though, was certainly a first.
</font></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><font face="georgia" size="2">And it quite spoiled the moment.</font><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-91878191380482694342012-03-03T09:52:00.006-08:002020-06-12T06:33:05.542-07:00Trifextra: Week 6<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="georgia" size="2">
It's another 33-word challenge over at <a href="http://www.trifectawritingchallenge.com/2012/03/trifextra-week-six.html#comment-form" target="_blank">Trifecta</a>. Stories so short that even I could manage one. The challenge was to complete the following story in exactly 33 words:</font></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><font face="georgia" size="2">The phone rang at 4am.</font></b></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><font face="georgia" size="2">Betrayal</font></u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><u><font face="georgia"></font><font size="2"></font><br /></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="georgia" size="2">
Still awake, Jen watched him scramble to put it to
silent. Eyes now shut, she allowed him
to think her asleep. As he tiptoed out,
she curled up and pulled the sorrow close.</font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<font face="georgia"></font><font size="2"></font><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-17715763756069381632012-02-17T20:52:00.001-08:002023-09-09T14:57:33.707-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As told by Macbeth<br />
<br />
Seriously, those three witches must have been on something.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-59083813217994735922011-11-02T09:51:00.000-07:002023-09-09T14:59:52.663-07:00The Photograph<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.velvetverbosity.com/2011/05/11/100-words-51011/">Velvet Verbosity's</a> 100 Word Challenge - FORGETTING</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm tired. Physically, I'm tired. But more, I'm tired of what I've become. I look around the tiny apartment, its lack of soul underscored by the smells and sounds drifting up from the busy Bangkok street below. Nothing in the apartment is mine. Nothing in the apartment is me. Shattered, I slump on the bed. Again, I reach into my pocket and pull out the crumpled photograph: the two of us with our girls on the beach, only six months before I left them. </span></span> </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Accepting what my life has become is not easy. Forgetting what it once was is impossible.</span></span></div>
</div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-15381394194042637742011-05-07T11:15:00.000-07:002020-05-27T03:55:00.295-07:00Family<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Velvet Verbosity's 100 Word Challenge - FAMILY</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">The nurse asked if there was any family she should contact. She said a familiar face would help. I thought for a second. There were five people I could have suggested. My first wife, but she had left me for the gardener. Or my second, but she had left me for my younger brother. Perhaps my third, but she had left me without saying why. Probably not my fourth – she had left me for my third. And my fifth had left me at the altar. I shook my head and told the nurse there was no-one she needed to call.</span></span> </div>
</div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-71537658130890114842011-04-29T11:51:00.000-07:002023-09-09T15:00:08.328-07:00The Note<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.velvetverbosity.com/2011/04/25/100-words-wrapping-up-national-poetry-month/">Velvet Verbosity's</a><span id="goog_701637461"></span> 100 Word Challenge - BATHED</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">His death hit me harder than I'd expected. Never close, we hadn't spoken in years. His inability to love could be summed up by any number of episodes from my childhood. But it wasn't isolated incidents that drove us apart. His detachment had become a constant theme of growing up. Successful at everything he did, he bathed in his own self-importance rather than immerse himself in the duties of fatherhood. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">That he had been found hanged, shocked me. That the note they found in his pocket spoke of his failure at the only thing he'd ever cared about, broke me.</span></div>
</div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-77231927916992663772011-04-23T10:40:00.000-07:002020-05-27T03:55:16.095-07:00Letters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_701637460"></span>Velvet Verbosity's<span id="goog_701637461"></span></a> 100 Word Challenge - DISTANCE</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Even on the front line they bring us letters. They keep us sane. As we cower in the trenches, voices of mothers and fathers, wives and girlfriends play in our heads. Shattered faces betray conflicting emotions as each man responds to his own. Smiles for one. Tears for another. Empty, staring eyes for most. Sometimes they bring us a little closer to home. But as minds drift, the twisted, cloying smell of rotting flesh, overflowing latrines and chloride of lime cruelly reminds us that the distance from loved ones hasn't changed at all. And that for many, it never will.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1296907720615469081.post-34611137813485641102011-04-14T22:36:00.000-07:002023-09-09T15:00:18.716-07:00The Voice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.velvetverbosity.com/2011/04/12/100-words-damn-right/">Velvet Verbosity's</a> 100 Word Challenge - IMP</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">She told me it's often referred to as the 'Imp of the Perverse'. I'd sat in her chair, as I'd done every Tuesday for years, and told her of The Voice. I'd smiled at her description. Perverse, I understood. But I'd always imagined imps as cheeky and playful. Yet The Voice dancing and singing in my head is far from playful. I sit on the floor, my head in my knees, and rock, waiting for it to go. But it's getting louder. I begin to claw at my neck with my fingernails. It tells me that drawing blood is fine.</span></span> </div>
</div>Puffery and Taradiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03370901115592944241noreply@blogger.com7