May & Corbyn vote together for a hard Brexit | LibDems

Yes, an unashamed puff for the LibDems. I wish I could say "Vote Labour to avoid the megaclusterfucknado of Brexit", but there's no hope of that from them.

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Labour MEPs are, fortunately, much more independent and genuinely working to help people.

Yesterday I met Michel Barnier to discuss the rights of citizens. People cannot live their lives not knowing what their freedoms will be. The Leave campaign promised they wouldn't be affected - let's make sure that promise is delivered. pic.twitter.com/lDkOqxicqy

— Seb Dance MEP (@SebDance) 22 November 2017

Zelo Street: Voter Consultancy Ltd - The Reality

After several Tory MPs signalled their opposition to some of the Government’s Brexit proposals, and the clumsy intervention by the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph naming them all on its front page, we now have a much more sinister targeting of those MPs which verges on harassment. This latest intervention has come from a company called Voter Consultancy Ltd via paid-for Facebook advertising... Zelo Street: Voter Consultancy Ltd - The Reality

Best for Britain: Russian Roulette

We are calling on Dominic Grieve, chair of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, to hold an immediate inquiry into reports of Russian attacks on British democracy.

Don't let Russia play roulette with our democracy. Add your name: Russian Roulette

Action Days countering Antisemitic Hate Speech

On the occasion of the Action Days countering Antisemitic Hate Speech, the No Hate Speech Movement is calling for civil society organisations, youth organisations and governmental institutions to join our efforts to counter the increasing antisemitic hate speech and to speak up for diversity and Human Rights as basic values of peaceful democratic culture.

Please join the Action Day by sharing this image on your social media channels and website.

Campaign for an Exit to Brexit

With every passing day the risk of a “no deal” Brexit looms larger and larger. A no deal that would see us not just out of the single market but facing tariffs on our trade, rising prices, collapsing businesses and unemployment queues growing. And this Conservative Brexit Government doesn’t even seem to care. The Brexit extremists in the cabinet are even talking it up as a good thing. It makes one thing clearer than ever – you, the people, should have the final say on leaving the EU. Will you add your name and join our campaign for an Exit to Brexit? Add my name With the polls suggesting that more and more people regret Brexit and everyone is disappointed in the Government’s handling of Brexit, these next few months could be crucial. And it’s looking increasingly likely that the best chance of keeping Britain in the single market is to stop this Conservative Brexit Government just forcing through any Brexit they negotiate. So please, it only takes a few seconds, but please join our campaign for an Exit from Brexit today: Yes, I'm in! Thank you, Tom Tom Brake is Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Exiting the European Union and International Trade. MP for Carshalton and Wallington

UK Government response: “Put the final Brexit deal to a referendum with revoking Article 50 as an option.”.

From the Dept. of "Did we really expect anything else from these arrogant, destructive fuckwits?"

The UK Govt. was petitioned to: “Put the final Brexit deal to a referendum with revoking Article 50 as an option.”.

Government responded:

On 23 June 2016 the British people voted to leave the European Union. The UK Government is clear that it is now its duty to implement the will of the people and so there will be no second referendum.

On 23 June 2016 the British people voted to leave the European Union. The referendum was the largest democratic mandate in UK political history. In the 2017 General Election more than 85% of people voted for parties committed to respecting that result.

There must be no attempts to remain inside the European Union, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum. The country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty of the Government to make sure we do just that. Rather than second guess that decision, the challenge now is to make a success of it - not just for those who voted leave but for every citizen of the United Kingdom, bringing together everyone in a balanced approach that respects the decision to leave the political structure of the EU but builds a strong relationship between the UK and the EU as neighbours, allies and partners.

Since the referendum, the whole of Government has undertaken a huge work programme to make sure that we begin negotiations from a position of strength. This has included analysis of over 50 sectors of the economy. Ministers have also travelled up and down the country to listen to the hopes and concerns of businesses, civil society and the general public.

Parliament passed an Act with a clear majority giving the Prime Minister the power to trigger Article 50, which she did on 29 March in a letter to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk.

In her speech in Florence on Friday 22 September, the Prime Minister set out a creative and pragmatic approach to securing a new, deep and special partnership with the European Union. The speech set the tone for the fourth and fifth rounds of negotiation talks on Monday 25 September and Tuesday 10 October . The talks were robust, constructive and have given us a lot to be positive about.

The people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe. We want a deep and special partnership with the EU. We aim to get the right deal abroad and the right deal for people here at home. We will deliver a country that is stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than ever before.

As a matter of firm policy, our notification will not be withdrawn for the simple reason that the majority of the British people voted to leave. We are determined to see that instruction through and now look forward to forging a new relationship with the European Union.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Click this link to view the response online.

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This was a petition started immediately after the referendum and is now closed.

There is another petition with essentially the same objective that remains open (and got the same response). You can sign it here. It will be debated in Parliament and every little vote  in favour will help.

The Brexit Blog: By accident or design, a 'no deal' Brexit is getting closer

Theresa May’s commons statement on Brexit progress was a strange, confused and confusing mixture indicative of the strange, confused and confusing situation we are now in. On the one hand it showed some glimmers of realism about how in any ‘transition period’ ECJ jurisdiction would continue... The Brexit Blog: By accident or design, a 'no deal' Brexit is getting closer

FT: IMF cuts UK growth forecast and warns Brexit is starting to bite

The International Monetary Fund singled Britain out as a “notable exception” to an improving global economic outlook on Tuesday, as it confirmed a cut to its long-term forecast for UK growth and said negative effects of Brexit were beginning to show... IMF cuts UK growth forecast and warns Brexit is starting to bite

Debunking the Specious Arguments of the Gun Lobby

This is the game: The news breaks of a horrible massacre using one of America’s 280,000,000 small arms. The scene of dozens of dead bodies in a single place breaks through the lassitude Americans have developed about the daily massacre of their fellow citizens.

The gun lobby is ready. The PR campaign begins while the police are still putting bodies in bags. These three arguments are most common... Debunking the Specious Arguments of the Gun Lobby

The Government has responded to the petition “Hold a referendum on the final Brexit deal”

I can't even with the arrogance and stupidity of this. This info just arrived.

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The Government has responded to the petition “Hold a referendum on the final Brexit deal”.

Government responded:

    On 23 June 2016 the British people voted to leave the European Union. The UK Government is clear that it is now its duty to implement the will of the people and so there will be no second referendum. 

    The decision to hold the referendum was supported by a clear majority in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On 23 June 2016 the British people voted to leave the European Union. The referendum was the largest democratic mandate in UK political history. In the 2017 General Election more than 85% of people voted for parties committed to respecting that result.

    There must be no attempts to remain inside the European Union, no attempts to rejoin it through the back door, and no second referendum. The country voted to leave the European Union, and it is the duty of the Government to make sure we do just that. Rather than second guess the British people’s decision to leave the European Union, the challenge now is to make a success of it - not just for those who voted leave but for every citizen of the United Kingdom, bringing together everyone in a balanced approach which respects the decision to leave the political structure of the EU but builds a strong relationship between Britain and the EU as neighbours, allies and partners.

    Parliament passed an Act of Parliament with a clear majority giving the Prime Minister the power to trigger Article 50, which she did on 29 March in a letter to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. As a matter of firm policy, our notification will not be withdrawn - for the simple reason that people voted to leave, and the Government is determined to see through that instruction.

    Both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to vote on the final agreement reached with the EU before it is concluded. This will be a meaningful vote which will give MPs the choice to either accept the final agreement or leave the EU with no agreement.

    The people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe. We want a deep and special partnership with the EU. We aim to get the right deal abroad and the right deal for people here at home. We will deliver a country that is stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than ever before.

    Department for Exiting the European Union

Click this link to view the response online.

This petition has over 100,000 signatures. The Petitions Committee will consider it for a debate. They can also gather further evidence and press the government for action.

The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee.

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

Russian trolls slip up again

That awkward moment when the Russian government forgets to turn off location services on their disinformation network Twitter accounts. pic.twitter.com/SqV2eArN7g

— Vets Against Trump (@commondefense) 27 September 2017

The account is now protected since this incident, which is hilariously pointless as most observers had already spotted it was a far-right fake account.

For completeness, here's what Twitonomy can still tell us about the account:

• It uses a VPN (timezone doesn't correspond to anywhere in the US) 
• It's a group account - which would be expected even if it were genuine 
• The times it tweets at correspond to UTC-9 (not currently being used) or UTC + 11, which is in... Guess?

Why Art. 50 was unnecessary for Brexit

David Allen Green explains why the whole damn thing could have been done much more sensibly.

My argument on why A50 should not have been the method used in Brexit.

Part of my "How to Brexit" post at @FT: https://t.co/nm4D6xFVdY pic.twitter.com/HHsrNlXCtJ

— Law and policy (@davidallengreen) 18 September 2017

FT article is NOT behind a paywall.

Brexit Forensics - Faisal Islam on the UK car industry

One of Sky News's most respected journalists analyses different aspects of the effects of Brexit, as currently envisaged (a complete dog's breakfast in jingoism sauce), on the UK. I'll try to post the start of each Twitter thread as it is published.

Appropriately, given the recurrent and (in the opinion of many - remember this? The Brexit Blog: The German car industry and Brexit) unwarranted optimism about the UK car industry saving jobs post-Brexit, this is the first thread.

.. First Brexit Forensics is about to debut on All Out Politics - Car industry

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) 18 September 2017

Click on this link to read the full thread.
There will probably be comments from RuTrolls and bigots. Ignore them.

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A longer version exists:

done #LongRead 2 for #brexitforensics launch
Car industry worried: Customs conundrum cant be solved "just-in-time": https://t.co/tpAxkAbupk

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) 18 September 2017

Several points worth going into on this latter thread:

• Manufacturing across several countries doesn't just involve queues at Customs and filling in a few forms, while hoping you won't be refused entry. There are also complex tax issues, including VAT. This is part of what is meant by by the UK being a "gateway to Europe" for many businesses.
• 50% increase in stocks is massive: it means money is tied up in inventories rather than being reinvested in the future of the company.
• The chances of May successfully lobbying the EU for anything unless Brexit is cancelled are pretty damn remote, but it does give us an idea of what the UK is in for under her rule.

MOAR bots

Try not to laugh too hard. This is the rally that the RuTrolls, bots and other usual-suspect fashbois were promoting on social media and a horrendously ugly webshite called motherofallrallies-dot-com.

Looks like the propaganda isn't working as well as they'd hope.

Live shots from the pro-Trump "Mother of All Rallies" going on in DC right now.

...Turns out bots can't rally. #MOAR pic.twitter.com/AO8nboy4pM

— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) 16 September 2017

UK Parliament to debate PR

This info just arrived.

Parliament is going to debate the petition –

“To make votes matter, adopt Proportional Representation for UK General Elections”.
https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/168657

The debate is scheduled for 30 October 2017.

What’s next for the Brexit withdrawal bill | Jack of Kent

On Monday night MPs voted, in principle, in favour of the greatest shift in power from legislature to executive in modern British constitutional history.

The vote was for the “second reading” of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill...

Read on: What’s next for the Brexit withdrawal bill

Trump’s Signals to White Supremacists Aren’t Dog Whistles. They’re Flares. – Mother Jones

...Not only were extremists excited by Trump’s campaign. Not only were they using it to recruit on a scale they hadn’t imagined before. They felt that the campaign was signaling to them actively and deliberately—and the more we dug, the more we realized they were right... Trump’s Signals to White Supremacists Aren’t Dog Whistles. They’re Flares. – Mother Jones

The Brexit Blog: Why remainers shouldn't 'get behind Brexit'

As the chaos, damage and costs of Brexit mount, Brexiters are predictably, and seemingly ever more furiously, demanding that remainers should ‘get behind Brexit’ and ‘stop talking the country down’. This is inane at every conceivable level: absurd as a concept, unjustifiable in principle, unrealistic in practice... The Brexit Blog: Why remainers shouldn't 'get behind Brexit'

I see no Russian trolls!

The weirdness continues.

This Russian account tweeted just once: a smear of ProPublica, that somehow got 23k RTs. pic.twitter.com/S4F1lsIJEz

— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) 25 August 2017

Parity!

... as sterling has reached 8 year lows versus € had a big impact on trade weighted sterling, because most of our trade is with Europe

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) 24 August 2017

Collapse of £ manifestly had more negative impact on consumers via real earnings than beneficial impact on manufacturers via competitiveness

— Alian5 (@LiberalWrittler) 25 August 2017

So far, in 2017, statistics show this unarguably correct...drag on consumption real -6 month lag post-ref, outweighing exporter boost so far https://t.co/LuVgLBfZmj

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) 25 August 2017

Profile of a Russian troll

The Monuments Must Go: An Open Letter From Great, Great Grandsons of Stonewall Jackson | Democracy Now!

Full text of letter from William and Warren Christian, the great, great grandsons of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson to Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Members of the Monument Avenue Commission.

Dear Mayor Stoney and Members of the Monument Avenue Commission,

We are native Richmonders and also the great, great grandsons of Stonewall Jackson. As two of the closest living relatives to Stonewall...

Read on: The Monuments Must Go: An Open Letter From Great, Great Grandsons of Stonewall Jackson | Democracy Now!

Mic.com: The History of Confederate Monuments

The truth behind most of the Confederate monuments being torn down tells an even larger story than you'd realize — @JackSmithIV explains. pic.twitter.com/Ppu2ojdO71

— Mic (@mic) 19 August 2017

The Brexit Blog: The German car industry and Brexit

The German car industry occupies a particular and peculiar place within the Brexiter imagination. Particular, because it is invariably cited to ‘prove’ that an excellent UK-EU trade deal is inevitable. French cheese and Italian Prosecco occasionally feature in pursuit of the same argument but less often, perhaps because Brexiters hope that referencing German cars will make some “Vorsprung Durch Technik” rub off on their threadbare case.

At all events, the centrality of German car makers to the case for Brexit was expressed repeatedly during the Referendum campaign by, for example, Peter Hargreaves, the biggest individual donor (£3.2M) to the Leave campaign...

Read on: The Brexit Blog: The German car industry and Brexit

Collaboration Helps Consolidate European Movement UK - European Movement

The European Movement UK (EMUK) is consolidating its presence through formal collaboration with like-minded organisations. We now have an official partnership with Scientists for EU, Healthier IN the EU, and an affiliation agreement with Britain for Europe.

We are at a time when opposition to plans to exit the European Union is becoming more organised. Theresa May lost any mandate she thought she had for a hard Brexit after the General Election and now more and more people are uniting behind the belief that leaving the EU is a disastrous mistake and we need to steer the UK away from the cliff edge...

Read on: Collaboration Helps Consolidate European Movement UK - European Movement

Brexit means...

Not sure who to credit for this absolute gem. Nails it. pic.twitter.com/s1bdGWOR5E

— Julie Owen Moylan (@JulieOwenMoylan) 9 August 2017

Brexit round-up – referendum promises, EU position, UK position, Ireland, single market, Brexit bill, ECJ – Jack of Kent blog

As I am taking a break from active tweeting (and am instead just promoting my posts and so on), this is a round-up of interesting links on Brexit and similar stuff...

Read full post: Brexit round-up – referendum promises, EU position, UK position, Ireland, single market, Brexit bill, ECJ – Jack of Kent blog

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Jack of Kent contains much useful analysis of the legal ramifications of Brexit and is well worth a follow.

Brexit Costs Over A Hundred Times EU Membership Per Day | Byline.com

Over A Year After The Brexit Vote, Britain Can Start To Count The Costs Of Its Democratic Folly

Humans without spreadsheets are nothing.

Thankfully we have spreadsheets.

Over a year since the UK's decision to dice with disaster, the costs of Brexit can start to be counted. The amount due to the EU by way of spending commitments made by Britain for the years ahead could be as high as £100 billion. When sterling crashed the day after the vote, £2 trillion was wiped from stock markets. The cost to the UK economy in 2016 was £1.6 trillion likely to rise for 2017 as the impact continues. But people don't seem to grasp this...

Full article: Brexit Costs Over A Hundred Times EU Membership Per Day by J.J. Patrick

Anti-immigrant rhetoric

Dealing with #Racism? Here's the Top Four Comebacks :-) pic.twitter.com/SlM7RQy2W2

— Far Right Watch (@Far_Right_Watch) 5 August 2017

Hamilton 68: Tracking Putin's Propaganda Push... Aug 2 2017

For full, up-to-date details, see Hamilton 68: Tracking Putin's Propaganda Push... To America

Top Themes
Updated on August 2, 4:26 AM
We examined unique stories that appeared each day in the lists of Top and Trending URLs from July 21 to July 31, 2017. Articles were categorized according to issues they addressed, including primary, secondary, and tertiary themes, as many stories speak to multiple issues. The three most common primary issues out of the 91 stories analyzed involved US partisan politics, the conflict in Syria, and the investigation of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. Digging deeper, the 54 stories related to partisan politics include 30 hostile to the Democratic Party, 14 supportive of President Trump, 2 hostile to the Republic Party establishment, and 2 targeting the U.S. Intelligence Community. Of 18 stories related to Syria, 14 attacked US actions, while 4 lauded the actions of Russia and their allies. The 9 articles targeting Robert Mueller and his investigation were uniformly hostile.

Transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia - Washington Post

The Washington Post has obtained transcripts of two conversations President Trump had with foreign leaders: one with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and another with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: Transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia - Washington Post

The transcripts include annotations to help readers understand what is happening.

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Highlights - Mexico

1. Trump threatens potential tariffs on Mexican goods. 
2. Trump vows to help fight the “tough hombres” driving the Mexican drug trade. 
3. Trump seems to acknowledge that his threats to make Mexico pay had left him cornered politically. 
4. Trump asks that they avoid publicly disagreeing over how the wall will be funded. 
5. Trump describes the wall as “the least important thing we are talking about.” 
6. Trump tells Peña Nieto to stop saying publicly that his government would never pay for the wall. 

A couple of comments on the comments: 

• Peña Nieto may make a habit of speaking Spanish in formal situations, in spite of having an excellent grasp of English, but it would be a mistake to assume this stems from any sense of insecurity. It gives him a distinct advantage in that it gives him more time to observe the other's reactions and choose his next move.
• Trump's insistence on using Peña Nieto's forename in a formal meeting between heads of state is not merely ignorant and rude; it shows that he thinks he can treat sensitive international negotiations the way a salesman would try to soft soap someone into signing a contract.

The rest more or less speaks for itself. Trump alternates between flannel and empty boasts about the election. It's entertaining and eye-opening at the same time. The man clearly believes he's been put at the head of some mafia-like organisation; his contempt for his electorate is rivalled only by his contempt for the truth.

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Highlights - Australia 

1. Trump tells Turnbull that accepting the refugees “will make us look awfully bad.” 
2. Turnbull tries to explain to Trump that the refugee deal is consistent with the travel ban 
3. Turnbull tells Trump that the deal is “really, really important” to Australia. 
4. Trump says the refugee deal is “going to kill me.” 
5. Trump calls the agreement a “stupid deal” that will make him “look terrible.” 
6. Trump tells Turnbull “I have had it” and ends the call.

The two are birds of a feather and they still can't work anything out.

Trump pulled out the oil industry playbook and players for Paris | Benjamin Franta | Environment | The Guardian

Since President Trump announced on June 1 that the U.S. would cease implementation of the Paris Agreement, pundits have argued about whether the American pullout will truly affect greenhouse gas pollution one way or another, since, after all, the Paris Agreement was not legally binding to begin with.

We don’t know the future, but we do know the past, and here’s something we shouldn’t miss: we’ve seen this before...

Read full story: Trump pulled out the oil industry playbook and players for Paris | Benjamin Franta | Environment | The Guardian

Daily Show: Make Trump Tweets Eight Again

You have to pretty much be a deaf, dumb and blind hermit living in a cave in deepest Mongolia to remain unaware of The Dunderhead's habit of going on long, unhinged Twitter rants, often in the middle of the night. Whatever the purpose of these ravings - and some are clearly designed to distract from whatever murderous behaviour the Republican Party is currently indulging itself in - they do betray an immature, obsessive and narcissistic mind.

So for those of you who have yet to discover it, here's a little Chrome add-on provided by the Daily Show: Make Trump Tweets Eight Again.

Try it, you won't regret it.

Incidentally, this also works for tweets embedded in a blog post or newspaper article.

How fake news is being tackled across Europe – Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology – Medium

Social media and other digital technologies have made it easier to produce, distribute and access news and information online, often without verification or editorial judgement. Research by Columbia University and the French National Institute show that 59% of links shared on Twitter are shared without being read. This has helped fake news to flourish online...

Read the full story by Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology at How fake news is being tackled across Europe – Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology – Medium

Brexit: Statement by Guy Verhofstadt and the EP Brexit Steering Group | News | European Parliament

EU Press release

The Brexit Steering group met Michel Barnier, EU negotiator for Brexit on Tuesday 25 July and issued this common statement after the 2nd round of negotiations between the EU and the UK.

“Last week was the first real round of Brexit negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom. It was an opportunity for the two parties to review the main issues and map out where further explanations are necessary,” said the Members of the EP Brexit Steering group.

“However, if we want negotiations to succeed within the limited time we have, progress on more detailed content will have to be made sooner rather than later. We can only start talking about a new EU-UK relationship if sufficient progress has been achieved in the three main withdrawal areas: citizens’ rights, the financial settlement and the border issue on the island of Ireland.”

“The European Parliament cannot be clear enough that sufficient progress means progress across the board, and not just in one or two areas. The European Parliament will formally and in due time indicate when the point of ‘sufficient progress’ has been reached”

“To be precise, the European Parliament will remain vigilant regarding citizens’ rights and will continue to push for full rights for EU citizens in the UK as well as UK citizens in the EU. It is a core mission of the European project to protect, not to diminish, the fundamental rights of all citizens."

“The European Parliament specifically seeks to fully safeguard the rights concerning family reunion, comprehensive healthcare, voting rights in local elections, the transferability of (social) rights, and the rules governing permanent residence (including the right to leave the UK without losing this status). Simultaneously, we seek to avoid an administrative burden for citizens and want proposals which are intrusive to people’s privacy off the table, e.g. proposed systematic criminal checks.”

“Last but not least, the European Parliament wants the Withdrawal Agreement to be directly enforceable and to include a mechanism in which the European Court of Justice can play its full role.”

You can read the original Press Release here: Brexit: Statement by Guy Verhofstadt and the EP Brexit Steering Group | News | European Parliament

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Analysis

Reading between the lines, it's very clear that the UK delegation is doing bugger-all and acting in what their EU counterparts consider to be arrogant bad faith. The members of the Brexit Steering Group may rest assured that they are not the only ones getting this impression.

Meanwhile, the futures of at least 70 million people - UK residents and UK citizens elsewhere in the EU - are hanging directly in the balance. Not just because of residence rights and all the red tape eliminated by virtue of being part of the EU. Nor just because the UK is expected to pay for accrued liabilities, such as pension rights for EU27 citizens who have worked in or for the UK. There is serious concern about the risk of violence breaking out again in Northern Ireland. What happens to Gibraltar? While both UK and Spain are in the EU, there is a truce over sovereignty there as well.

The list is almost endless. It will be impossible to get through in 1 year and 8 months, which is all that remains before the Article 50 notification period ends. An extension to that period is only possible if  all EU27 countries agree to it. Sending arrogant, incompetent, unprepared morons, to not so much negotiate as go out of their way to antagonise their opposite numbers, is exactly how not to demonstrate the good faith necessary to convince other countries to give that desperately needed breathing space and the equally desperately needed "transition period" of 5 years to get the Brexit-caused red tape sorted out without destroying too many lives.

Further reading:

• Guardian: Fail to prepare, prepare to gloriously succeed in Brexit negotiations
• David Allen Green: The true saboteurs of Brexit (FT blogs)
• Independent: Former British EU negotiator says Brexit was a 'terrible idea' and even the Government doesn't understand how bad it will be (not the snappiest of titles - AT)
• Quartz: How Brexit negotiations are going, in one photo

Theresa May's Annual RevEUw - Richard Corbett

After one calamitous year, one snap general election and a one billion pound windfall for Northern Ireland in order that the DUP would prop up her minority government, the only certainty that the first anniversary of Theresa May‘s premiership has given us is not that Brexit might be a disaster but that it will be...

Read on: Theresa May's Annual RevEUw - Richard Corbett

Listening to America Survey

So, this arrived in my inbox this week. As President Putt-shot is away from the WH, on real business for once, this may be signed by him, but it has sod-all to do with him. It's his GOP mafia using his mailing-lists to try to find new ways to bamboozle his (now assumed to be their) voters. And, of course, distract them from the increasingly damaging revelations about collusion with Russia, attempts to extract sensitive data from states in order to carry out mass voter suppression, the ongoing effort to destroy healthcare for the poor and vulnerable in order to give tax breaks to the rich, Trump family corruption, etc. There's a lot of etc.

Yes, it's offensive. Yes, it perpetuates the "us and them" myth, essentially telling the uneducated, uninformed bigots  they assume they're targeting, that people with different opinions either don't exist or - worse - don't deserve to.

So, dear American readers, I suggest you take the survey and freep their fat white male asses. NOW.

Politicians have spent too much time bickering and not enough time listening. So today we’re turning off that awful, blistering noise of Washington.

Instead, I want to hear from YOU.

I want to hear from the American heartland -- the REAL America that lives outside of the DC-media fantasy world.

With our six-month mark approaching, I want you to take the Listening to America Survey to tell me the true sentiments, concerns, and interests of REAL America.

The mainstream media and Hollywood dominate the airwaves and drown out the voices of the real hardworking Americans who make our country run.

They love to tell you how you feel. Enough!

The only person that can speak for you is YOU.

Just like on the campaign, I always like to go directly to the people. I asked our supporters to help prepare for our three big debates against Hillary. I asked what issues we should address. I asked for help creating our platform. And I take our message straight to you through emails and social media.

So please take this moment to turn off the very loud noise of Washington and take the Listening to America Survey before our 6-month mark approaches.

Thank you,

Donald J. Trump

Don't forget to pass the info on to as many people as possible.

Official Scottish & Welsh response to EU (Withdrawal) Bill

Responding to the introduction of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon and First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones have today issued the below joint statement.

This week began with the Prime Minister calling for a constructive and collaborative approach from those outside Whitehall to help get Brexit right. Today’s publication of The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is the first test as to whether the UK Government is serious about such an approach. It is a test it has failed utterly...

Read the full statement here.

Net Neutrality

JULY 12TH: INTERNET-WIDE DAY OF ACTION TO SAVE NET NEUTRALITY

The FCC wants to destroy net neutrality and give big cable companies control over what we see and do online. If they get their way, they’ll allow widespread throttling, blocking, censorship, and extra fees. On July 12th, the Internet will come together to stop them.

More information at battleforthenet.com.

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Go protest here: gofccyourself.com!

Conservatives are again denying the very existence of global warming

As we well know, climate myths are like zombies that never seem to die. It’s only a matter of time before they rise from the dead and threaten to eat our brains. And so here we go again – American conservatives are denying the very existence of global warming.

Working backwards from a politically-motivated conclusion

The claim is based on what can charitably be described as a white paper, written by fossil fuel-funded contrarians Joseph D’Aleo and Craig Idso along with James Wallace III. Two months ago, D’Aleo and Wallace published another error-riddled white paper on the same website with fellow contrarian John Christy; both papers aimed to undermine the EPA’s Endangerment Finding...

Read the full post: Conservatives are again denying the very existence of global warming

EU with a View: an Economist's Take on the Brexiteers' Free Trade Fantasies by @FiratUenlue

A look at data from major trading nations shows that no FTA has a cats chance in hell of closing that gap for the UK pic.twitter.com/dhL5lMR4tD

— Firat Unlu (@FiratUenlue) 10 July 2017

I find it very difficult to explain the huge merchandise gap with "EU red tape holds back UK exporters" pic.twitter.com/Ev7m3o8lIG

— Firat Unlu (@FiratUenlue) 10 July 2017

Same pattern in Korea... pic.twitter.com/cYtBuxAI9O

— Firat Unlu (@FiratUenlue) 10 July 2017

May's Brexit plan will hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU | Politics | The Guardian

Theresa May’s proposal to protect the rights of EU citizens after Brexit is so poor, it will badly damage the rights of Britons living in Europe, campaign groups have told the European commission.

In an official response to the EU Brexit negotiating team, British in Europe and the3million have said that if May’s proposal is adopted it would represent a “severe reduction of the current rights” enjoyed by Britons in Europe.

Last week they expressed fears that Britons would be the “sacrificial lambs” in the Conservatives’ mission to reduce immigration...

Full article here: May's Brexit plan will hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU | Politics | The Guardian

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Websites of:

• British in Europe
• the3million (EU27 citizens in the UK)

Artist colleagues of Khadija Saye demand swift justice for her and all Grenfell victims | Letter published in The Guardian

How many days have now passed since the horrific night of Wednesday 14 June, when at least 79 were killed in London’s Grenfell Tower fire? In that time, how many incriminating emails and documents may have been deleted or shredded? We are concerned that, up until now, and as far as we are aware, there have been no arrests, seizure of documents, sealing of offices or freezing of accounts. It took two days for arrests to be made in the 2004 Morecambe Bay disaster, and one day only in the 2012 Costa Concordia sinking. Both led to successful prosecutions.

We artists and curators, colleagues of the gifted photographer Khadija Saye, who worked with her in the Diaspora Pavilion in Venice this year, were devastated to learn that our treasured and beloved sister was killed in the Grenfell fire (Report, 17 June), along with her mother Mary Mendy. We were heartened by the bravery and skill of the emergency services, as well as the outpouring of love and support from citizen volunteers...

Read full article and sign the petition: Artist colleagues of Khadija Saye demand swift justice for her and all Grenfell victims | Letter | UK news | The Guardian

BPAS "Please ask your MP to stand up for Northern Irish women"

As you know, abortion is currently illegal in Northern Ireland except in the most extreme circumstances, and as a result hundreds of women are forced to travel to England every year to end a pregnancy they feel unable to continue. Despite being UK citizens and UK taxpayers, the government has refused to provide NHS-funded abortion care for NI women, and therefore they must personally meet the cost of not just their travel but also the treatment they need.  But today, MPs have tabled an amendment to the Queen’s Speech to allow NI women access to NHS-funded abortion care in England – and we need your MP to join the fight.  Tell your MP to support calls for Jeremy Hunt MP to reverse the current policy. You can email here – it takes just 1 minute and all you need is your postcode. Hundreds of Northern Irish women are forced to travel for abortion care, at a huge personal and emotional cost, every year. Tell your MP to do all they can to ensure that, until women are able to access the care they need in NI, they can access NHS-funded abortion care in England. Thank you for your support, The bpas team

Copyright © 2017 BPAS, All rights reserved. Master list Our mailing address is: BPAS 30-31 Furnival Street London, Lnd EC4A 1JQ United Kingdom

Nick Clegg on Theresa May and Human Rights

Following on Theresa May repeated threat to repeal human rights legislation using the pretext of fighting terrorism, an email signed Nick Clegg (former LibDem leader) just arrived.

Theresa May has vowed to tear up the Human Rights Laws. That's scrapping your rights, my rights, our rights.

That's what this divisive Tory Party would do if they win another five years of power with no proper opposition.

I have sat around the cabinet table with Theresa May and other Tories and I can tell you from personal experience that they are capable of doing it without blinking^[1].

We must stop them. Not only for our sake, but for the sake of future generations. Currently, too many of our marginal Tory-facing seats are on a knife-edge, and we can only win with your help. Will you help me win?

We are the only ones who can take seats off Tories and stop this group of internet-banning, Human Rights-bashing, Brexit headbangers from vandalising our communities across our beloved country.

To stop them, we need to win seats and to do that, we need more money to target swing voters in our marginal Tory-facing seats.

Of course, it's not always the LibDems who are best-placed to oust a Tory throughout the country, so consult the Tactical voting guide to see how best to vote out the Conservative in your constituency.

Support your favourite party, even if it's not the one you're voting for, with a small donation. Party funding is skewed in favour of the Conservatives at the best of times, but this difference is exacerbated during a General election. Get an eyeful of this:

That's for the 3rd week of the campaign. If you think that's a little one-sided, then you can chip in (even a small amount helps) to one of the other parties' fighting fund:

• Donate to Labour
• Donate to Liberal Democrats
• Donate to the Greens

I haven't included any Scottish, Irish or Welsh parties, because they seem to be doing fine and it's the English constituencies that vote overwhelmingly for the Right.

If anyone starts scaremongering with cries of "coalition of chaos", laugh at them. If they claim we need a "strong and stable" government, remind them that's what dictatorships paint themselves as.

And if they try to sow doubt with words like "hung Parliament" then tell them that yes, we do need a Parliament with the balls to stand up to stupidity and bluster, with MPs who'll vote for what they believe to be right for their constituents and the country, not what some offshored business magnate wants.

Vote for your NHS, for your pension (it takes a lifetime to earn one), for your future.

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[1] They blink?

Best for Britain Tactical Voting Dashboard

We are delighted to announce that we have just launched the Best for Britain Tactical Voting Dashboard.

This shows you which candidate in your area has the best chance of winning against an extreme Brexit candidate and publishes the key statistics for your seat.

Here's what you can do:

1. ⌨️ Put your postcode or constituency name into the Tactical Voting Dashboard
2. 👀 Check which candidate Best for Britain recommends
3. 📱Share the results on Facebook and Twitter (if you do, you’ll see a great graph showing how we can beat extreme Brexit in your constituency). Encourage friends to do the same!

No matter where you live, sharing this dashboard could have a real impact on who is elected to parliament. Make sure your voice is heard.

Thanks for your support,

Eloise Todd CEO,

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Best for Britain
Copyright © 2017 Best for Britain, All rights reserved.
Our postal address is: 11 Manchester Square London W1U 3PW

Petitioning Theresa May to Keep the Ban on Fox Hunting

National Secular Society - What do the main parties have to say on secular issues?

The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat¹ parties have all released their manifestos for the General Election. Read our analysis of what they say on issues from equality to human rights, Islamist extremism and education.

We'll continue to update this article as the other parties publish their manifestos.

Read full post: National Secular Society - What do the main parties have to say on secular issues?

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1. Now includes Green manifesto

Labour manifesto 2017

It seems Labour got caught short with the announcement of the general election, although all the infighting can't have helped. It's always seemed logical to me that a manifesto should be something you keep up to date & revise regularly. In any case, they did finally manage to get the manifesto out before the originally-announced end of May (for an election date of 8th June!), so here it is, all 126 pages of it:

THE LABOUR PARTY MANIFESTO 2017

A few remarks:

• Yes, there it is costed. There's a document that specifically does this.
• Many will be puzzled by the subtitle in the Negotiating Brexit section: "Labour accepts the referendum result and a Labour government will put the national interest first", since it is generally accepted by everyone who has studied the question that the two are incompatible.
• There is also a promise to lower the voting age to 16. Not a squeak about Brits living abroad.

Anyway, read it yourself, make up your mind. Sorry, no audio, BSL or big print version.

Liberal Democrat manifesto 2017

The Liberal Democrat manifesto was officially launched on 17th May and seems to have been pretty well received on the whole, not just for the content but also for the clear language and clarity of presentation. You can download it here. A variety of formats is available:

1. The potted web version;
2. the full 100 page effort, with important background info for each section, clear explanations of policy and how it will be funded;
3. a 12 page "easy read" version in large print which doesn't take the reader for an idiot. Can be used as a checklist in conjunction with (2);
4. an audio version, for the sight-impaired;
5. a BSL version for the deaf;
6. a braille version

There's supposed to be a PDF on the costing of all this, but it doesn't work. Apart from that, whether you're a LibDem or not: this, guys, is how it should be done. Read and learn.

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Disclaimer: I am a member of the Liberal Democrat party but I try to be unbiased.

That being said, the below is absolutely not at all unbiased and I make no apology for it, as the LibDems are financed solely by personal donations. No big corporations, no unions, just people.

Donate to the LibDems

LibDems: The Nasty Party is back – Tory manifesto will hit families from cradle to grave

With the announcement of the Conservative manifesto today, Theresa May has shown her true colours. I’ve scarcely seen a colder, more mean-spirited agenda in my entire career.

There’s no doubt about it: the Nasty party is back. The Tories are hitting families from cradle to grave by snatching school lunches from children and homes from the elderly.

This isn’t hyperbole – the policies speak for themselves...

The full text of former LibDem leader Nick Clegg's take on the universally-decried Tory manifesto is here: The Nasty Party is back – Tory manifesto will hit families from cradle to grave

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Some of Theresa May's claims concerning the manifesto are also examined here at Factcheck.org

A copy of the 88-page manifesto in PDF format can be found here.

No Hate Speech Movement

"Hate speech, as defined by the Council of Europe, covers all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including: intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism, discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of immigrant origin."

(Don't read the comments to this on YouTube: they are of course mostly ignorant hate from the very bullies the movement seeks to reeducate).

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Objectives of the No Hate campaign

• To raise awareness about hate speech online and its risks for democracy and for individual young people, and promoting media and Internet literacy;
• To support young people in standing up for human rights, online and offline;
• To reduce the levels of acceptance of online hate speech;
• To mobilise, train and network online youth activists for human rights;
• To map hate speech online and develop tools for constructive responses;
• To support and show solidarity to people and groups targeted by hate speech online;
• To advocate for the development and consensus on European policy instruments combating hate speech;
• To develop youth participation and citizenship online.

The official site of the No Hate Speech Movement is here.

You'll also find the latest posts on their site in the FEEDS section of this blog.

Happy Europe Day

Europe Day, held on 9 May every year, celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historical 'Schuman declaration'. At a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between Europe’s nations unthinkable.

His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. A treaty creating such a body was signed just under a year later. Schuman’s proposal is now considered to be the beginning of what became the European Union.

Best for Britain – Do what is Best for Britain

I believe young people have been the biggest losers of elections in our recent history. Unless attitudes towards voting change, young people are set to lose big again in this upcoming election.

The ‘snap’ has been prompted by Brexit. Young people voted overwhelmingly to stay in the European Union. People aged 16-17 even campaigned, alas unsuccessfully, to have their say last June. Since the referendum, we have gone from soft Brexit, to hard Brexit, to something approaching extreme Brexit. All I know is that very little concern has been shown for the interests of the 71% of 18-25 year olds who voted to Remain. We are worried about our job prospects being squandered. We are worried about key human rights being protected. We are worried about losing programmes like Erasmus+. All in all, we are worried about our futures...

Read the rest here: Best for Britain – Do what is Best for Britain

FAZ - EU Commission fears failure of negotiations

FAZ - EU Commission fears failure of negotiations

You can find Jeremy Cliffe's The Economist blog on German politics here: Kaffeeklatsch

Brexit and health and social care - News from Parliament - UK Parliament

The Health Committee publishes its report on the effect of Brexit on health and social care.

• Read the conclusions and recommendation
• Read the full report: Brexit and health and social care—people & process

Background
The UK's withdrawal from the European Union—"Brexit"—will affect many aspects of the provision of health and social care in the United Kingdom. Given the range and complexity of the questions involved, we took evidence in advance of the triggering of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). This report was intended to be the first phase of our inquiry, addressing the immediate. Further phases of our inquiry have necessarily been cut short by the general election but we hope that our successor committee will return to this issue...

Read full report: Brexit and health and social care - News from Parliament - UK Parliament

We compared the Tories' policies to a BNP manifesto. And bloody hell [VIDEO] | The Canary

Theresa May has refused to take part in televised leadership debates for the general election. And one reason may be because she knows her government’s policies and record would not stand up to scrutiny. But one journalist did scrutinise the Tories’ policies – comparing them to those of the British National Party (BNP) in 2005, under then leader Nick Griffin. And the results are shocking...

Read more: We compared the Tories' policies to a BNP manifesto. And bloody hell [VIDEO] | The Canary

Government responded to “Exempt Non-EU NHS professionals from £35,000 salary threshold”

So, there was this petition, which ran as follows:

Exempt Non-EU NHS professionals from £35,000 salary threshold

Since April 2016, Non-EU citizens wishing to remain permanently in the UK have been required to earn £35,000 a year on a single contracted salary. I find this rule discriminates unfairly against those who chose to work in the NHS, where such a salary is impossible within first 5 years of employment.

Like many others I came to the UK to complete my MSc and now wish to remain working for NHS making differences to people's lives on a daily basis. I have been living here for over 7 years and working extra hours during nights/weekends to meet the threshold however it is not good enough to secure my place here unless something changes. 

Sadly there are many others facing the same hardship and I believe that the threshold should be lowered to at least the average UK salary £28,000 for NHS staff.

The petition having reached 10K signatures (it's open for signatures until 3rd May), the relevant Govt. department was required to issue an official reply. The current Secretary of State for the Home Department is Amber Rudd (see photo). The Petitions Committee will also take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence.

Please note: this response was issued after the announcement of a General Election on 8th June.

The Convention - "Brexit and the Political Crash" 12 & 13 May, 2017

This email just arrived and may be of interest to people in and around London.

The European Movement is pleased to be supporting The Convention, an exciting event happening this May discussing "Brexit and the Political Crash". The following message is from its Director, Henry Porter:

Within hours of the General Election being announced, the inevitable process of narrowing the debate on Brexit began. We believe this is wrong and that Brexit deserves much greater scrutiny than has been allowed in Parliament, or is likely over the course of the election campaign. For two days at the start of the campaign  - and just after the French election campaign - the Convention on Brexit and the Political Crash, will examine the detail of Brexit and place it in the context of huge cultural and political developments in the US, Russia and Europe. BOOK TICKETS We are living in momentous times and the key to surviving them is to make sense of the deep forces at work, which is why we have taken Abraham Lincoln’s slogan - ‘think anew, act anew.’ We look forward to welcoming you to Central Hall Westminster on May 12 and 13 for two days of indispensable debate, analysis and conversation, when you, too, can have your say. Yours sincerely, Henry Porter Director of The Convention

Copyright © 2017 European Movement UK, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: European Movement UK Suite 1912A, Portland House Bressenden Place London, SW1E 5RS United Kingdom