Saturday, September 07, 2019

France 24 – The Debate: Has Johnson Lost Control? Move to Block No-deal Brexit Triggers Call for Snap Poll


Brexit: The End of the Road for Johnson? | DW Quadriga


Showdown in the United Kingdom. PM Johnson versus parliament; deal versus no deal. The Brexit endgame has begun. Guests: Friedrich Thelen (political adviser), Jon Worth (blogger), Alex Forrest Whiting (DW)

Could Trump Be Crueler Than We Thought?


Donald Trump may be crueler than we had all thought but the people around the world are better than we ever believed.

Sir Nicholas Soames Says Tories Started Resembling 'Brexit Sect'


THE GUARDIAN: Expelled party rebel also attacked Boris Johnson’s leadership and called Jacob Rees-Mogg a ‘fraud’

Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames has launched a searing attack on Boris Johnson’s leadership and Jacob Rees-Mogg, whom he called a “fraud”, adding the Conservative party is lurching towards a divisive, potentially catastrophic form of “hard-right” conservatism.

In an interview with the Times, Soames – who is the grandson of Sir Winston Churchill – said the Conservatives were starting to resemble a “Brexit sect”, after he had the whip removed for rebelling against the Johnson government along with 20 other MPs.

“I am worried about the Tory party because give or take the odd spasm we have always been seen as pragmatic, sensible, good at our job, sane, reasonable and having the interests of the whole country,” he said. “Now it is beginning to look like a Brexit sect.” » | Lanre Bakare | Saturday, September 7, 2019

Thursday, September 05, 2019

PM Says 'Rather Be Dead In A Ditch' Than Delay Brexit – As His Brother Resigns As Minister


It was already a bit of a stretch to see losing his majority, expelling more than twenty colleagues from his parliamentary party and losing three Commons votes as part of an ingenious plan masterminded by his chief adviser Dominic Cummings.

Will Brexit Mean Early Exit for Boris Johnson? | Inside Story


More than three years ago, a majority of voters in the UK said they wanted to leave the EU. But what followed has been a lot less clear.

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, failed to break the latest deadlock over Brexit. On Wednesday, MPs voted down his attempts to trigger a snap election. They also passed a bill blocking the possibility of a 'no-deal' exit from the EU.

Johnson had said he was willing to consider that if no new withdrawal deal was agreed. So, where does that leave the Brexit process? And Johnson's own future?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests Alex Deane, Managing Director and Head of Public Affairs UK at FTI Consulting and former Chief of Staff to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron; Larissa Brunner, Policy analyst at the European Policy Centre; Asa Bennett, Brexit Commissioning Editor at the Telegraph.


The Kochs & the Nazis: Book Reveals Billionaires' Father Built Key Oil Refinery for the Third Reich



Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Ken Clarke Calls Boris Johnson 'Disingenuous'


'I do think the Prime Minister has a tremendous skill in keeping a straight face whilst he's being so disingenuous' - Ken Clarke reacts to the government's defeat. Boris Johnson has been defeated again as MPs pass bill blocking no-deal.

Trump’s Attorney General and Vice-President Exposed for Routing Money into Trump Hotels | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC


VP Mike Pence is coming under fire for staying at a Trump Golf club in Ireland, 180 miles away from his government meetings, after a strong ‘suggestion’ from Trump. Pence’s stay comes days after reports of Barr spending $30,000 on a holiday party hosted at Trump’s D.C. hotel. Richard Painter, former republican White House ethics lawyer, slams Trump for ‘illegal’ and ‘immoral and illogical’ actions, arguing his administration is out to ‘milk the taxpayer right, left and center.’

All or Nothing: Can Parliament Stop Boris Johnson's Brexit Blitz?


Corbyn and Johnson Clash over No-deal Brexit: 'Anti-democratic and Unconstitutional'


Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn clashed over Brexit in their first meeting in parliament since the summer recess. Johnson labelled a rebel bill designed to prevent no deal 'Jeremy Corbyn's surrender bill' and accused opposition MPs of undermining his attempts to negotiate a new deal with the European Union. Corbyn claimed Johnson was attempting to force no deal in a manner that was 'unprecedented, anti-democratic and unconstitutional'.


THE GUARDIAN: Britain is mired in democratic crisis – but it goes much deeper than Brexit » | Aditya Chakrabortty | Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Kindertransport: A Fantastic Act of Love


Tuesday, September 03, 2019

PM Loses Majority after Tory MP Quits ahead of Crucial Vote


With Phillip Lee's defection to the Lib Dems and the expected vote later, MPs have returned from their summer break straight into a defining moment for Brexit.

Brexit : au début d’une nouvelle semaine cruciale, Johnson perd sa majorité


LE MONDE: Tandis que le premier ministre s’adressait à la Chambre, le député Phillip Lee a quitté les rangs du Parti conservateur pour rejoindre ceux du LibDem.

A Westminster, mardi 3 septembre, Boris Johnson a tenté de convaincre, pendant près de deux heures de discussions, les députés conservateurs « rebelles » de ne pas soutenir l’opposition contre un Brexit sans accord. « Nous avons promis au peuple que nous mettrions en œuvre le Brexit. Nous avons promis de respecter le résultat du référendum et nous devons le faire maintenant. Ça suffit ! », s’est agacé Boris Johnson lors de sa prise de parole pour l’ouverture d’une rentrée parlementaire houleuse.

« Tout le monde dans ce gouvernement veut un accord, mais c’est vraiment cette Chambre des communes qui a rejeté trois fois l’accord de sortie [conclu entre l’ex-chef du gouvernement Theresa May et Bruxelles] et il ne peut tout simplement pas être ressuscité », a-t-il ajouté. » | Le Monde avec AFP | mardi 3 septembre 2019

The Brexit Ultras Cheer Him, But the Boris Johnson Pantomime Will End


THE GUARDIAN: The prime minister’s performance on the reality of no deal works by suspension of disbelief. The EU will not indulge it

Brexit is not the first thing Boris Johnson has found difficult, but it might be the first difficult thing he cannot simply abandon. The path by which he arrived in Downing Street is strewn with jettisoned jobs, principles and relationships. He finds other people’s needs burdensome, and is used to shrugging them off. But now he is yoked to an onerous national duty. His discomfort was obvious in parliament today.

Johnson’s traditional repertoire of glibness and bluster served him poorly as his authority and his majority were chipped away. His statement on last week’s G7 summit was upstaged by a Tory MP, Phillip Lee, ostentatiously quitting his seat on government benches and swapping it for a berth with the Liberal Democrats. When MPs, including former chancellor Philip Hammond, demanded evidence of progress in Brexit talks, the Conservative leader could not even wriggle with eloquence, let alone defend himself with facts. He did not look like a man with well-laid plans coming to fruition. » | Rafael Behr | Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Brexit Debate: A Very British Coup?


Monday, September 02, 2019

Doctor Dares 'Muppet' Rees-Mogg to Report Him after No-deal Clash


THE GUARDIAN: Politician called neurologist ‘shameful’ for raising concerns about supply of medicines

The consultant neurologist who clashed with Jacob Rees-Mogg over contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit has challenged the politician to report him to the General Medical Council.

David Nicholl, who drew up a risk register of epilepsy and neurology drugs for the government’s Operation Yellowhammer plans for no deal, said he was not going to take lessons from a “muppet” who had no medical qualifications.

“If he has got doubts about my probity, I am more than happy to be referred to the GMC,” said Nicholl.

“I am not bothered about Jacob Rees-Mogg. I’m not going to take a single word of health lessons from a muppet like him. What does he know about epilepsy or neuropathic pain?” he added. » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Monday, September 2, 2019