UK General Election 8th June: Shake it all about?

[Junkenstein]

Some HA HA?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36717447

Ex-Conservative chancellor Ken Clarke has called the Tory leadership contest a "fiasco" and made disparaging remarks about the candidates.
Footage of the veteran MP preparing for an interview was released by Sky News.
He said Andrea Leadsom had said some "extremely stupid things" and predicted Michael Gove would take the UK to war "with three countries at once".
He was talking to ex-foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind. Neither appeared to realise they were being recorded.

Mr Clarke, who has himself lost out when standing for Conservative leader three times, said he would probably end up supporting Home Secretary Theresa May.
He praised her but said she was a "bloody difficult woman", telling Sir Malcolm: "But you and I worked for Margaret Thatcher."
Turning to his assessment of Brexit campaigner and energy minister Mrs Leadsom, the Europhile Conservative MP said: "She's not one of the mindless, tiny band of lunatics, who think we can have a sort of glorious economic future outside the single market.
"So long as she understands that she is not to deliver on some of the extremely stupid things that she's been saying."

Fucking classic. We can only hope for more commentary of a similar nature in the future.

[Bruno]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36712550

Mr Juncker spoke of Leave camp "retro nationalists". "Patriots don't resign when things get difficult, they stay," he told MEPs in Strasbourg.
He also said he did not understand why those in the Brexit camp in the UK would want to wait before beginning the formal withdrawal process.
"Instead of developing the plan, they are leaving the boat," he said.

Current rumours include that George RR Martin is writing the plan. He promises it's nearly done and they'll have it soon.

Come to think of it, It's been a while since England suffered a plague of dragons. I'd say they're probably due.

[Cain]

Sterling's hit a new overnight low in the Asian markets.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Sterling's hit a new overnight low in the Asian markets.

I just looked at it over the last 30 days.  It's awful. 

[babyjesus]

relax.

Breathe.

Tptb definitely want to punish brexiteers and anybody in that path for obvious reasons. And they can.

But given half a chance and if of a certain size markets either self correct or it costs a buttload of money or something worse (like rigging LIBOR and gold prices in tandem with serial bankomplices) to eternally or even longtermally kill a currency.

The pound predates modern democracy and has survived threats as varied and sundry as anything in the wholly bible. It will survive the short selling sharks from the EU banks (on life support).

2000 years from now when only fruit flies, cock roaches and blue green algae populate the planet the Brit pound will still be a fully convertible currency with a stable history as a reserve currency within a larger basket of reserve currencies.

word!

[Faust]

Hopefully it will recover 5p or so in the next couple of months, or It's going to be a very expensive winter.

[Cain]

Liam Fox got his dying (political career) wish.  Michael Gove comes third and is out.  Should've stuck with Boris, angled for a Home Minister position, then stabbed him in the back, Michael, not done it in plain sight for the world media to see.  Theresa May versus Andrea Leadsom, her of the somewhat inflated CV.

[LMNO]

OK, I have no frame of reference for these women.  Anyone care to give a brief and fair primer?

[Cain]

OK, I have no frame of reference for these women.  Anyone care to give a brief and fair primer?

Theresa May.  Secretary of State for the Home Office under David Cameron since the 2010 elections.  Campaigned to remain in the EU, but has taken a hard line on immigrants in the past.  Has the grudging respect of the Home Office civil service and police...they don't necessarily like her, but when they see the shower of shit that is happening in most other departments, they realise how much worse things could be.  Is the longest serving Home Office minister since RA Butler in 1962, so her political infighting skills should not be understated, especially when compared with the revolving door that was installed during Labour's last period in power.  Very "law and order" candidate, has significantly toughened up and re-organised several aspects of how the police work and given them broader powers to monitor social media.  Likes shoes (also the Telgraph's readers are probably feet fetishists, which is the only reason that particular piece ever got published).

Andrea Leadsom.  Is the junior minister at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, working under Amber Rudd.  Supported the Leave campaign.  Previously worked as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, was apparently a disaster" ... "The worst minister we ever had" ... "She found it difficult to understand issues or take decisions. She was monomaniacal, seeing the EU as the source of every problem. She alienated officials by continually complaining about poor drafting".  Apparently asked tough questions during the Libor rigging scandal, however. Abstained from voting to legalise gay marriage in the UK.  Criticised the head of the Bank of England for suggesting Brexit may lead to a short term economic downturn.  Allegedly inflated her CV.  Pretty much a nobody until the referendum, and very much second-tier even in campaigning for that.  Is backed by Boris Johnson.

[LMNO]

Andrea Leadsom... Is backed by Boris Johnson.

Sheeeeeet.  That's all you had to say, mate!

Honestly though, thanks for the recap. 

[Cain]

Also worth noting about Leadsom:

"She told Tim Ross of The Daily Telegraph: "I am a very committed Christian. I think my values and everything I do is driven by that." She participates in "various Bible studies groups" with other parliamentarians and prays "all the time"."

Edit: its also probably worth mentioning the tax-dodging, too.  She hasn't read up to that bit in the Bible about rendering unto Caesar though.

Edit 2: also worth reading for a laugh https://twitter.com/misszing/status/751080106194501632

[Cain]

Oh, and May is refusing to affirm the ongoing residency and employment rights of currently residing EU citizens.  In other words, she is saying deportment is potentially on the table.  This would, in turn, open up the possibility of retaliation from the EU and the deporting of British nationals overseas.

Remember, out of the two, May is considered the moderate and reasonable option.

[MMIX]

Also worth noting about Leadsom:

"She told Tim Ross of The Daily Telegraph: "I am a very committed Christian. I think my values and everything I do is driven by that." She participates in "various Bible studies groups" with other parliamentarians and prays "all the time"."

Edit: its also probably worth mentioning the tax-dodging, too.  She hasn't read up to that bit in the Bible about rendering unto Caesar though.

Edit 2: also worth reading for a laugh https://twitter.com/misszing/status/751080106194501632

Tangentially related -
I was recently watching a clip of the BBC coverage of the return of Apollo 13 and I was quite shocked that the language they used was religiously neutral/agnostic.
Cliff Michelmore: "We're now coming to the moment, the last moments of Apollo 13, as it comes in, as it begins its re-entry. The best thing anyone can do now is just to HOPE."
James Burke: [snip]" there's very little anyone can do except wait and CROSS THEIR FINGERS . . ."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A82Ol8J1g_I

It kind of slapped me in the face that I now live in a world where every mothers son/daughter in the broadcast news business would have prayed those poor benighted astronauts all the way to the moon and back.

I'm starting to feel very old and seriously alienated.

My memory may be screwed but my perception is that it all stems from the bitch Thatcher who stood on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in 1979 and PRAYED at the nation. I mean, WTF, she PRAYED at us!

And now we seem to be drifting inexorably into 51st statehood where you can't get elected unless you confess that some invisible friend is your lord and saviour. [I wanted to make that lord/lady, but I don't think that would fly - yet]

/threadjack

[Cain]

Could be.  I'm not entirely sure where it's coming from, but I know I don't like it.

There have also been subtle efforts to try and bring the Tory party into some kind of religious mission.  Mostly fringe MPs, like Ms Leadsom get picked up, or else you have poseurs like Cameron because, and lets be honest here, most Tories don't care about much other than power of an earthly, material and secular kind (and I can respect them for that).

In other news, reported hate crimes are up 42% for the second half of June.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36746763

More than 3,000 hate crimes and incidents were reported to police in the second half of June this year, an increase of 42% on 2015, National Police Chiefs' Council figures show.

The reports were made between 16-30 June and half of this period falls after the UK voted to leave the European Union on 23 June.

At the peak in offending on 25 June, 289 offences occurred across the UK.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the "sharp rise" was unacceptable.

[Junkenstein]

Well it's always nice to have anecdotal evidence confirmed. Helps me think I'm not just seeing shit or being more aware of it after the fact.

In other news, Leadsom's quit, because 'tis the season. So it's May.

Ian Hislop was on Question time this week. Very little screen time but the stabs and asides at the other attendees was quite nice. Someone at QT must have owed him a favour to shove him on the same show as Galloway and Falconer. Very impressive "I want to keep my job, regardless" by Falconer with Praise for Blair and Corbyn. The Corbyn line is particularly amusing as he was one of the many who also quit their job recently.