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

[Cain]

Well, given The Sun broke electoral law with its most recent story about Corbyn "preaching to members of Al-Muhajiroun" (spoiler alert: he didn't), Murdoch might have a few more reasons to be pissed in the coming weeks.

[Cain]

In the meantime, I've been detailing the cock-ups by the security services for the (other) day job and...wow, they really cocked it up with the London Bridge attacks.

This NY Times article is as good as any. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/europe/london-assailants-terrorism-warning-signs-fbi.html?_r=2&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Europe&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article

Highlights:

- Members of Al-Muhajiroun, who are linked to 50% of terrorist attacks in the UK and are a banned group besides
- Attacked a government counter-radicalisation advisor in the street, calling him an apostate (specific term used popular with ISIS)
- Said advisor identified him as a Al-Muhajiroun member and "radicalised political Islamist"
- Was reported to the police for unfurling an ISIS flag in a London park
- footage of the police dispersing him and his friends for that ended up on the C4 documentary "The Jihadis Next Door"
- Picked up in Italy travelling with only a small backpack and a bunch of ISIS propaganda, heading to Istanbul
- told security guard he was going to be a terrorist
- was reported to British authorities by Italians

[Junkenstein]

Well, given The Sun broke electoral law with its most recent story about Corbyn "preaching to members of Al-Muhajiroun" (spoiler alert: he didn't), Murdoch might have a few more reasons to be pissed in the coming weeks.

Gods, I hope so. If there's a human that deserves a little suffering and personal embarrassment it's Murdoch.

On the DUP coalition guide, I'm guessing they've got their price figured out already - £400 million or so. From the not so distant fuel fuckup. Quick fix for a big bill right in front of them and may's team of top negotiators will be happy to pay it. What's 400 million when you're going to be killed over giving away untold billions in the next 18 months or so?

[Vanadium Gryllz]

The DUP are sounding worse and worse the more I hear.

[Junkenstein]

In the meantime, I've been detailing the cock-ups by the security services for the (other) day job and...wow, they really cocked it up with the London Bridge attacks.

This NY Times article is as good as any. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/europe/london-assailants-terrorism-warning-signs-fbi.html?_r=2&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Europe&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article

Highlights:

- Members of Al-Muhajiroun, who are linked to 50% of terrorist attacks in the UK and are a banned group besides
- Attacked a government counter-radicalisation advisor in the street, calling him an apostate (specific term used popular with ISIS)
- Said advisor identified him as a Al-Muhajiroun member and "radicalised political Islamist"
- Was reported to the police for unfurling an ISIS flag in a London park
- footage of the police dispersing him and his friends for that ended up on the C4 documentary "The Jihadis Next Door"
- Picked up in Italy travelling with only a small backpack and a bunch of ISIS propaganda, heading to Istanbul
- told security guard he was going to be a terrorist
- was reported to British authorities by Italians

If only there was some kind of warning signs that this could happen. When the clues are this obtuse, what can you do?

Seriously, if these aren't flags that get you seriously watched, what is?

[Junkenstein]

The DUP are sounding worse and worse the more I hear.

Add in what sf may do if they take the deal and it gets better. What better excuse to end absenting your seats than just to oppose them on a vote by vote basis? I think ni came in at 10/7 so it's close enough to be a spite veto, particularly after your allies have just had a whole thing about the ira.

[Faust]

SF wont take up their seats, that would give legitimacy to English Rule, and recognising the queen, which they still refute. However I bet the offer of a SNP, labour lib dem sf schizolition would have been tempting.

They refused to for the Brexit vote in Parliament and that would have been an even better opportunity.

However having the DUP having any say in matters in the UK... Would have been better off with the schizolition.

[Vanadium Gryllz]

The DUP are sounding worse and worse the more I hear.

Add in what sf may do if they take the deal and it gets better. What better excuse to end absenting your seats than just to oppose them on a vote by vote basis? I think ni came in at 10/7 so it's close enough to be a spite veto, particularly after your allies have just had a whole thing about the ira.

SF have said there's "A snowball's chance in hell" of them giving up absenteeism.

One can dream though.

[Faust]

Waterford Whispers news on the ball again:
Tories To Make Deal With DUP After Satan Pulls Out

[Faust]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/09/theresa-may-reaches-deal-with-dup-to-form-government-after-shock-election-result-northern-ireland?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

The DUP's 'price' for propping up a new Conservative government will include a promise that there would be no post-Brexit special status for Northern Ireland, the party's leader in Westminster has confirmed.
Nigel Dodds, re-elected as North Belfast MP, said that among their preconditions would be an insistence that there was no separate deal that would effectively keep the region with one foot still inside the EU
The DUP fears that special status after Brexit – a key demand of Sinn Féin – would de-couple Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

Decades of the peace process, thrown away like that. This is were it starts getting really ugly. If a border gets put in, expect a return to violence.

[Vanadium Gryllz]

SF unscheduled press conference happening... soon?

Biggest shock of the election or simply power-share details?

(please note I know very little about the politics of NI so apologies in advance for any stupidity)


EDIT: Nope

[Cain]

However, those rarely seen on the campaign trail, including Andrea Leadsom, Priti Patel and Liam Fox, could be out, says BBC political correspondent Eleanor Garnier.

Comebacks from Iain Duncan Smith, Michael Gove and prominent leave campaigner Dominic Raab were being floated, she adds.

Dinosaur government, with a side serving of viciousness, coming soon.  If you thought May was dictatorial and and authoritarian, you've not seen anything yet.  She's going to double down on all her worst tendencies.

[Junkenstein]

However, those rarely seen on the campaign trail, including Andrea Leadsom, Priti Patel and Liam Fox, could be out, says BBC political correspondent Eleanor Garnier.

Comebacks from Iain Duncan Smith, Michael Gove and prominent leave campaigner Dominic Raab were being floated, she adds.

Dinosaur government, with a side serving of viciousness, coming soon.  If you thought May was dictatorial and and authoritarian, you've not seen anything yet.  She's going to double down on all her worst tendencies.

Oh Ho Ho, ibs is back? Iain "I'm crying because my policies are obviously killing people" bastard-Smith?

Add in gove ND raab and it's a great echo chamber with no understanding of Ireland or the eu.

"No deal is best deal" coming soon.

[Cain]

Well, it's all rumours for now.  You know May.  Why state something publically when she can consult with, like, 3 people in secret and not let anyone else know what the fuck is going on?

I don't see this Parliament lasting more than a year.  Between the Tory backbenchers smelling weakness and some very high profile Tory MPs barely scraping through to a victory, I can see lots of incentives to overthrow the PM, and not a lot of good reasons for leaving her in place.  The austerity Tories are going to bitch about sending pork to NI, the liberal Tories are already freaking out at the prospect of working with the DUP at all...and then we have to remember that Tory succession basically runs off of successful regicide.  The Tory front bench is incredibly weak, anyone with half a brain and a talent for vindictiveness is going to think their time has come, and this is their one chance to seize power.

Of course, this would all be terribly amusing if we were not navigating the biggest constitutional crisis since the formation of the United Kingdom.

[Junkenstein]

I must say, the chances of Gove alone fucking things up is pretty high. When you factor in the whole party it's just a matter of time until someone sticks the knife in. There's plenty of people involved that can't/wont negotiate and will see any reasonable concessions to the EU as weakness so it really is inevitable. Abandoning negotiations halfway through for another election and starting again from scratch is quite likely.