by Oui
Sun Aug 25th, 2019 at 07:01:32 AM EST
Not the Queen but the Courts to decide on confidence no-deal Boris and the improbability UK Parliament is allowed to vote.
Boris of London: game-set-match. Serving strawberries anyone?
Boris Johnson seeks legal advice on five-week parliament closure ahead of Brexit | The Guardian |
Boris Johnson has asked the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, whether parliament can be shut down for five weeks from 9 September in what appears to be a concerted plan to stop MPs forcing a further extension to Brexit, according to leaked government correspondence.
An email from senior government advisers to an adviser in No 10 - written within the last 10 days and seen by the Observer - makes clear that the prime minister has recently requested guidance on the legality of such a move, known as prorogation. The initial legal guidance given in the email is that shutting parliament may well be possible, unless action being taken in the courts to block such a move by anti-Brexit campaigners succeeds in the meantime.
Continued below the fold ...
by Oui
Sat Aug 24th, 2019 at 09:19:37 PM EST
Money Can't Buy Greenland
Good for You Denmark!
To Greenland's Frozen Coast - photography by Rachel Fletcher
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Wed Aug 21st, 2019 at 05:26:59 PM EST
Especially his warlord John Bolton ...
US seeks to seize Grace 1 as Gibraltar moves to release | The Gibraltar Chronicle - Aug. 15, 2019 |
The US Department of Justice has applied to seize the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar, just hours before the Gibraltar Government was poised to release it.
Gibraltar had been due to lift the detention on the ship this morning but the move by the US means the decision has now been adjourned until 4pm today.
The developments were revealed by Joseph Triay, the lawyer for Attorney General Michael Llamas QC, during a short hearing in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.
Mr Triay said: "This application was to have taken a very different turn. It was to have been an application for no further order of detention."
The grounds for the US application are not clear at this stage but the court was told it was a request from the Department of Justice for mutual legal assistance.
Royal marines forced crew of Iranian tanker to kneel at gunpoint , says captain
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Aug 18th, 2019 at 07:17:11 AM EST
Plan A to get a no-confidence vote and Labour leaders Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street 10 is doomed to failure. This discussion is now behind us as ALL sides refuse to compromise. I wished I could believe there were negotiations between prties going forward in secret. I think that's not the case. There are talks through the media and it's leading nowhere.
There is just a slim chance Boris Johnson and his command of the playbook can be thwarted by a disunited opposition ... so sad.
As I posted a few hours back ...
Extraordinary times requires extraordinary solutions ... there will be a very short window of opportunity to rid the UK of Boris Johnson ... any deal to get an agreement to block a no-deal Tory-Brexit is fine with me ... in the first week of September I will accept any plan ... there is no one who should put his "position" first ... the caretaker Government should be just for a single purpose ... nothing else matters ... the UK will sink in a hole managed by all parties. There is no clear cut option ... what mess they created. Can Corbyn even manage to unite his "opposition" party ... no Constitution ... amazing country ... was Ireland united when the Titanic was launched in 1912? Another disaster waiting to happen ... just like a slow motion Hollywood film. No captain and the band keeps playing ... 🎭 🌘
h/t Bernard
○ Brexit: A Titanic Disaster
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Thu Aug 8th, 2019 at 08:23:46 PM EST
In another thread, a worthwhile discussion takes place about no-deal Brexit, early election and by-passing the House of Commons to force through the Tory-Brexit plan. Hatched man is PM's chief advisor Dominic Cummings. The rebels within the Conservative party will not accept the doomsday scenario the Brexiteers are preparing for Britain. The early days in September will be crucial to give Parliament their say or lose their voice on Brexit.
○ Re: "constitutional crisis"
○ Occupier Downing Street 10
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Wed Aug 7th, 2019 at 03:01:47 PM EST
At Last, Raab the Truth Teller
America, the land of opportunity for the Tory legacy of Boris Johnson.
Raab says Brexit will bring 'huge series of upsides' for UK trade | The Guardian |
Brexit will bring "a huge series of upsides" for the UK in international trade, Dominic Raab has promised at the start of a symbolically important trip to North America, during which he will press the White House about the need for a rapid deal.
Raab, a die-hard leave supporter, will be conscious of the need for positive words from Washington on a quick post-Brexit trade deal as a counterpoint to warnings over the likely economic impact on the UK of a no-deal departure from the EU.
A powerful group of Congress members warned last week that they would block any trade deal with the UK if Brexit affected the Irish border and jeopardised peace in Northern Ireland.
The UK's emphasis on a US deal was further illustrated with the news that the international trade secretary, Liz Truss, would also visit the country this week. She is to meet trade groups, officials and Congress members over four days, her department said.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Aug 4th, 2019 at 06:34:48 AM EST
[Update-1] Changed title from my original rant:
One of Those Trump Shit States
Thank you white man, for the dog whistling and permanent state of election rhetoric ... how are the nra related funds coming in for MAGA 2020? F*cking idiot! And all Repugs casting their vote behind his name.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sat Aug 3rd, 2019 at 10:09:32 AM EST
There are unlimited ways to bely The People with paid for propaganda. Western democracy is dead, long live cleptocracy of pure capitalism. As the forests burn across the globe, a step function in our warming climate with a big melt of glaciers on Greenland, Iceland, Himalayas and Antarctica. Populists leaders put in place by big money sponsors of coal and fossil fuel and delivering on those promises. Can it get any worse?
The wealthy capitalists will always turn on the poorest dwellers of planet earth ... the goal to increase their suffering and spurn ultimate death? Pharma and "health care"? Not so, the opiod crisis is more than a signal ... plus the pricing to boost unlimited profits for the stockholder, not the stakeholders. More billions spend on reaching the Moon or even Mars ...
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Thu Aug 1st, 2019 at 07:28:26 AM EST
More about the status of the expected non-negotiations on Tory-Brexit between Boris and the EU ... urgent!
More below the fold
by Oui
Tue Jul 30th, 2019 at 09:10:34 PM EST
Hot summer doldrums ... bear with me. :-)
Too busy wth personal matters, left this in concept for too many days!
I have not touched the dossier for awhile, however the refusal of Robert Mueller to answer any and all questions about Fusion GPS or Christopher Steele surely rekindled my interest.
From the onset I expressed my doubts about the veracity of the Orbis Business Intelligence or [Christopher] Steele dossier. A so-called opposition research in close cooperation with Fusion GPS and British intelligence. I called it early on another dodgy dossier from the British and a (former) MI6 spy. An important role was played by advisor Sir Andrew Wood to give credence to the "raw" intelligence.
The "progressive" community where I blogged since 2004 were believers in Hillary Clinton and the primaries proved to be wrecking the solidarity and unity of the community @BooMan.
The Democrats got their majority in the House and thus chaired all Committees and are able to set the agenda. A reverse of the second Obama administration who had to contend with a Republican opposition in U.S. Congress.
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Jul 28th, 2019 at 01:51:36 PM EST
Follow-up of my previous diary ...
○ Boris Invests In Next Election Win
Johnson's key adviser must face sanctions for contempt, demand MPs | The Guardian |
Prominent MPs on the committee investigating fake news and disinformation want Boris Johnson's aide Dominic Cummings, who has been found in contempt of parliament, to face sanctions in his new role at the heart of government. These could include docking his salary, denying him a security pass and putting pressure on the prime minister to force him to give evidence to parliament.
Johnson's decision to appoint Cummings as a key adviser outraged many MPs because it came less than four months after parliament unanimously passed a motion, tabled by the government , to censure him for failing to testify at the fake news inquiry.
Continued below the fold ...
by Oui
Thu Jul 25th, 2019 at 09:58:19 AM EST
Part of the new battle for the hearts and minds of the People's Vote: the West is split into the Green Movement and the Conservative rightwing pure capitalism. Just have a look how the international reactions are coming in to congratulate the new resident of Downing Street #10.
'Frequent false statements': Johnson's new role attracts mixed global reaction | The Guardian |
Boris Johnson's elevation to prime minister has been greeted with mixed reaction internationally; while the praise has been enthusiastic from some quarters, including Donald Trump and far-right world leaders, it has been less than overwhelming from some of his European counterparts.
After Trump had offered his hearty congratulations , newspapers in the US were far less effusive.
In Brazil, the country's authoritarian far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, joined in Trump's praise, saying Johnson could "count on Brazil in the pursuit of free trade ... and the defence of freedom and democracy".
Continued below he fold ...
by Oui
Tue Jul 23rd, 2019 at 11:50:29 AM EST
No surprise there ... any thoughts on the coming months leading up to the real deal Brexit before 10-31-2019?
The exciting period leading up to this Tory election has taken the excitement in the Strait of Hormuz to the backburner ... the flames need to be contended with. Will Hunt stay on as FM?
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Jul 21st, 2019 at 11:44:20 AM EST
Heading into Ukraine's July 21 parliamentary elections, new President Volodomyr Zelenskiy is riding a high. Having swept into office in late May with 73% of the vote, Zelenskiy is poised to take a commanding share of the Ukrainian Rada (parliament), if not an outright majority.
Most polls have his Servant of the People Party with somewhere between 42% and 48% of the vote, figures that are unheard of in a system in which a top party rarely wins more than one-third. The next most popular party, the pro-Russian Opposition Bloc, has only 15% of the vote according to polls. [Source: Brookings Institute]
○ How Pro-Russian Oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk Is Regaining Power in Ukraine
Ukraine parliamentary vote: Fresh start or a U-turn? | DW |
Radical plans
Sunday's election will be decisive for Zelenskiy: For his radical fresh start, the former comedian needs a broad majority. Zelenskiy wants to reform almost all sectors, press ahead with digitization and fight corruption. He has also hinted at a reckoning with the legacy left by former President Petro Poroshenko.
Continued below the fold ...
by Oui
Fri Jul 19th, 2019 at 06:52:07 AM EST
Miscalculation by Dutch PM Mark Rutte: an Atlanticist, conservative and long-time Theresa May supporter ...
○ News Analysis: Strong signal by northern eight unlikely to be game changer in eurozone reforms
○ Due to Brexit, smaller countries fear French and German dominance
Serving personal interests and lobbying for an IMF position for Jeroen Dijsselbloem ... the joint press conference with President Trump dwarfed all Dutch talking points ...
More below the fold ...
by Oui
Thu Jul 18th, 2019 at 07:49:21 PM EST
Nothing here to see ... just as the domestic quarrel issue, Der Boris honors the Sicilian code of silence, the omertà.
○ Il sindaco di Londra Boris Johnson in Umbria ospite dell'oligarca Evgeny Lebedev | Umbria24 - Nov. 2012 |
Boris Johnson refuses to answer questions over party in Lebedev mansion | The Guardian - 4 hrs ago |
Boris Johnson is refusing to give details of a trip he made to Italy when he was foreign secretary for a weekend-long party held at a restored castle owned by the media billionaire and socialite Evgeny Lebedev.
The Guardian has learned that the likely next prime minister went to Palazzo Terranova in Perugia in April 2018 at the invitation of Lebedev [4th invitation], the owner of the London Evening Standard and the Independent who is renowned for hosting glamorous events for the world's rich and famous.
Continued below the fold ...
by Oui
Sun Jul 14th, 2019 at 09:55:14 AM EST
Two whistleblowers in BBC documentary covering anti-Semitism in the Labour party found their way to smart libel lawyer Mark Lewis doing pro-Israel cases for free.
With Panorama's hatchet job on Labour antisemitism, BBC has become pro-Tory media | Middle-East Eye |
It is difficult to describe as anything other than a hatchet job the BBC Panorama special this week that sought to bolster claims that the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn has become "institutionally antisemitic".
The partisan tone was set from the opening shot. A young woman whose name was not revealed tearfully claimed to have been abused with antisemitic taunts at a Labour Party conference.
The decision not to disclose their interviewee's identity is understandable in the circumstances. It would have discredited the whole narrative Panorama was trying so hard to build.
The woman's name is Ella Rose, a senior official in the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM), an organisation representing Jewish and non-Jewish members of Labour at the forefront of attacks on Corbyn. Rose has a secret past too: she once worked at the Israeli embassy in London.
Jewish Labour Movement was refounded to fight Corbyn
○ The Jewish Labour Movement is fighting our friends and propping up our enemies | JC |
Continued below the fold ...
[Some links added are mine - Oui]
by Oui
Tue Jul 9th, 2019 at 10:16:33 AM EST
Will this sentencing stand in Italy's highest court??
○ Processo d'appello contro i responsabili dell'Operazione Condor
○ Operazione Condor, 24 ergastoli a ex capi di Stato e 007 per 23 italiani uccisi
Italian court jails 24 over South American Operation Condor | The Guardian |
Prosecutors in the case drew on the precedent set in 2000 by the arrest in London of the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet under the principle of "universal jurisdiction".
Continued below the fold ...
by Oui
Fri Jun 21st, 2019 at 06:41:00 AM EST
Clock ticking towards a US-Iran military confrontration in the Persian Gulf region ...
○ Coping with Iran: Confrontation, Containment, or Engagement? | RAND - 2007 |
Is Trump willing to risk destroying a civilization existing thousands of years before the journey of Columbus and the discovery of the Americas in 1492 AD?
This event on the same day the USA named as a rogue state ...
○ US joins four rogue countries seen as likely forces for bad, poll finds | The Guardian |
I have been writing this for a number of years now! The election of Trump tipped the scale towards a force of evil ...
○ Donald Trump Decided to Strike Iranian Missile System, Then Changed His Mind | Newsweek |
More below the fold ...
