Category Archives: Uncategorized

Parliament’s Acting as a “Shadow Government,” says Tony Blair

Brexit, There is no Third way , says Tony Blair, as he was handed an egg by a Tory Mp, saying, he wouldn’t throw it at him. Blair’s speech in full.

 Former Prime Minister and Labour Leader  the Rt Hon Tony Blair made a dramatic intervention today criticising the way the Tory Government lead by Theresa may conducted the the negotiations with the EU which  was not ” handled very well”, as he said adding it became 2 half in-half out.” .Mr Blair wanted his message, that  parliament was operating as a “shadow government by frustrating Theresa May over her Brexit deal and asserting control over the Government,” would accurately reach the entire nation, he gave a copy of a speech he made today at the Parliamentary Press Gallery monthly lunch, at which he was a guest speaker, to 200 Westminster reporters, MPs, Lords and influential media guests.  The former Prime Minister  backed MPs, arguing there was as much leadership on the backbenches as the frontbenches. He also suggested the Prime Minister  would be better off pulling the Commons vote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday 11 December, as she remains on course for near-certain defeat.

Just before the Westminster crowd sat to Lunch, their was a light hearted touch by Conservative MP for Beckenham, Colonel Bob Stewart who  told the former labour leader, who sent British troops on 12 intervention, the most controversial of them  was the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ” I wont be throwing this at you,” presenting him with an egg inscribed with ” to Tony with Love” .

Mr Blair He said  Prime Minster may  had tried to square the circle of Brexit, with a deal that was “pain-less” but “point-full” – but lamented that there was no “acceptable third way” on the issue.

He  argued that voters will feel betrayed by the deal put forward by the Prime Minister, and that a second referendum would be the only option if parliament ends up deadlocked.

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Attorney General Legal Advice confirms: UK Locked in Backstop

After Attempts to hide the legal advice over the EU Brexit agreement, the government suffered two defeats, and was forced at the end to publish it. 

Attorney General  Geoffrey Cox defending himself in the commons

Below is the attorney general advice in full.

The  government was forced to release this morning  ( Wed 5 December 2018) after being defeated in the House of Commons last night .

The government first tried to table an amendment to the six opposition parties motion, referring the matter to the privileges committee, which would have taken months to reach conclusion regarding the ministers contempt of parliament. Then the government was defeated in the second vote of contempt of parliament.

The tellers confirm the government defeat in last night’s vote

The leader of the house then gave in . The The Attorney General’s Brexit legal advice  was then  published in full today. It warns the United Kingdom could be left in “protracted and repeated rounds of negotiations” over the Irish backstop. The Attorney General  found that the protocol setting out the terms of the backstop “does not provide for a mechanism that is likely to enable the UK lawfully to exit the UK-wide customs union without a subsequent agreement”. Despite assurances from both London and Brussels that it is intended to be temporary – the protocol would “endure indefinitely” under international law until another agreement takes its place. The advice noted “In the absence of a right of termination, there is a legal risk that the United Kingdom might become subject to protracted and repeating rounds of negotiations.” “This risk must be weighed against the political and economic imperative on both sides to reach an agreement that constitutes a politically stable and permanent basis for their future relationship.” he concluded “This is a political decision for the Government.”

Here is the legal advice in full:

Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP Attorney General; Attorney General’s Office; W1A 2AA Continue reading →

Prime Minister: Russian Military Service Units planned Salisbury Novichok Attack

In strong Statement to  the House of Commons, Prime Minister Theresa May said there was strong material and TV footage evidence linking two officers with the GRU  ( The Russian Military Intelligence) with the Salisbury Poison attack. Traces of the poison was found in their hotel rooms, and CCTV footage showed them in the area.

The UK issued a European arrests warrant and will ask the Interpol to also issue international arrest warrant  against the two suspects who were named as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.  

The United States Ambassador to UK, Woody Johnson,  said his country stands with Britain in holding Russia accountable for its ” act of aggression ” on British soil.

Read The Prime Minister Statement to the House of Commons in ful

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The late Scribe of Cairo, remembered on his 12th Anniversary

On the 12th  anniversary of the Nobel Laureate “Scribe of Cairo” death – his obituary revisited, first penned as obituary on 30 August 2006 

The death on 29 August 2006  of Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz generated a quarrel between historians, literary critics and Egyptians on one side, and Arab journalists on the other. It was a re-run of the 1988 controversy, when Mafouz won the world’s most prestigious award–the Nobel Prize for literature–to the outrage of Arab nationalists who had condemned the author for his support of the late President Anwar Sadat’s peace initiative with Israel.

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How the Bicycle Helps Foreign Leaders Remember Boris’s Full Name?

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta forgot Boris Johnson’s name, during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May, Then remembered it by the bicycle image saying ” the bicycle guy ” ; let us hope in future he remember’s Jeremy Hunt’s name and doesn’t say .. the  Today Programme c*** guy  !!!

Answering a question about  his country’s long and historic relation with UK, the Kenyan leader wanted to express gratitude by recalling a British gift of fleet of ambulance delivered during a visit to Kenya last year by the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson

But President Kenyatta forgot the full name of Mr Johnson by, saying ” when last year the former foreign secretary…Boris….Boris… ah… Boris Johnson…. the bicycle guy ” ….

It was, to the amusement of hacks, a  highlight moment during a  press conference  marked by long-winded questions from local journalists …One Question lasted a full three minutes.

It seems that Mr Kenyatta was given training on memory management by specialists who train intelligence agents and spies. The trick is to visualise information you need to recall from your brain storage. So associate a person, a name or a place with an image, like Churchill’s  cigar, or Lady Thatcher’s handbag; or with sound, a music, a meal or even a big event.  And then in future you can recall the image, or other events or sounds  and it will then process the memory recall of the fill information or event.

Boris’ on a bicycle mage, it seems, was the visual tag which president Kenyatta put on the information related to the former foreign secretary and stored in his brain.

The Question many ask today, was , if Boris’ bicycle has now been the visual memory-file tag used by foreign leaders to remember him in years to come.. what  is the tag to be added to his successor for foreigners to remember?
Say in two years time or so, or may be less .. what Image, sound, big event information  would the forgetful Kenyan leader might associate with  Jeremy Hunt to remember  his full name  ? Let us hope he doesn’t then recall the famous Today Programme featuring Mr Hunt’s interview with James Naughtie ?

** Thanks to RT TV for the press conference clip

How The Bicycle helps Foreign Leaders Remember Boris Johnson’s Name

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta forgot Boris Johnson’s name, during his joint press conference with Prime Minister’s Theresa May.

Kenya’s leader was answering a question about the special and historic relation with UK when he mentioned the former foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who visited Kenya lasts year. The President  wanted to say how Britain gave his country a fleet of ambulances, but the only remembered Boris and forgot Johnson.  Mr Kenyatta  then remembered the full by recalling the  bicycle image in his mind. He was saying “… when last year your  former foreign secretary…Boris….Boris… ah… Boris Johnson…. the bicycle guy. ” ..

It was the highlight moment for the hacks and hackettes , during a presser marked by long winded questions from local hacks… one question lasted a full three minutes.

It seems that Kenyan leader  must have had the training usually given to intelligence agents and spying of remembering names, places, events and other information by visualising a certain image or a strong impact event associated with the name or the information. Hence  linking the image of the bicycle with Boris Johnson in Mr Kenyatta’s mind, or the memory storage in his mind enabled him to recall the full name.

Let us hope .. in two years time .. or less.. President Kenyatta would still remember the full name of of our current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt  without the need to  recall the famous Today Programme interview with James Naughty ?

Mr Trump Goes to Washington-And Takes It Out To The Woodshed.

By Kate Burrows-Jones, North America Editor

Sworn into office, the keys to power transferred, former President Obama thanked and acknowledged for a ‘magnificent’ transition, President Donald J. Trump brandished a rhetorical cane and set about delivering a verbal spanking to the Washington, DC establishment — much of which was arrayed on the stage behind him, including four of the five living former presidents.

The United States is in an unusual position having so many living former presidents that the booming smack was louder than it might have been. Powerful presidents and leaders who shaped generations sat behind him. President Jimmy Carter, President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (President George H W Bush was ill and could not attend) Their expressions could not be held back for all the years of practice and became a news topic. Michelle Obama’s shocked look was most prominent.

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Prime Minister Swings Lady Thatcher’s Handbag at Brussels

“No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain.”

Speaking from Lancaster House, where Britain announced entrance into the single market, the Prime Minister announced the UK’s departure, making her most detailed statements yet on the Government’s Brexit strategy.

By Kate Burrows-Jones
WorldMedia North America Editor

“The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. My job is to get the right deal for Britain as we do.”

The Prime Minister has declared that Britain will be independent of the European Union, a sovereign nation. She will pursue a clean break from the EU, making clear that Britain will no longer be part of the EU but emphasising its new role as a global trading nation, governed by a unified British people, not by a supra-national power.  She will restore parliamentary democracy to the UK.  Throughout the speech, the Prime Minister returned to the theme of a “Global Britain,” a world leader in free trade.

“Not partial membership of the European Union, associate membership of the European Union, or anything that leaves us half-in, half-out. We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave.”

The Prime Minister laid out a 12 point plan to leave the EU. The official account of the Prime Minister, @Number10gov, tweeted out the major points while the speech was in progress.

May has promised to be clear wherever possible with the British people, the public sector, and business leaders. The same rules will apply to all sectors after Brexit as before and the final deal will be put to a vote in both Houses of Parliament. This news produced a strong rally in the pound against the dollar and the euro.

British sovereignty and British rule of law will be restored; Britain will also leave the jurisdiction of the European courts: “We will take control of our laws.”    

Membership in the single market will not occur because membership would leave EU law with ongoing sway over the UK: “Luxembourg will not have law-making powers.” She stressed that membership in the customs union would bind Britain to EU rules and would need to take a new form. It could be negotiated.

The Prime Minister strongly pledged to strengthen the bonds of the united United Kingdom keeping the union intact of Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland acting in the interests of the devolved powers. She pledged to protect each one’s interests in any deal and to protect common resources.

Other key points include:

A deal that allows for the common travel area between the Republic of Ireland and the UK will be an important position for the UK. She stressed families and relationships as a foundation for an open travel area. The two countries had open borders before they both joined the EU.

The UK will take a position to protect the rights of EU nationals in Britain and British nationals in the EU.

A pledge to protect the rights of British workers following Britain’s departure from the Union.

The UK will go global, and seek to restore its position as a world leader in free trade, seeking agreements with the United States, the Commonwealth, India, and the European Union. She stressed both a desire for and a belief in the mutual benefit of free trade with the European Union.

The UK will take a leading role in science and innovation.

The UK will cooperate on crime, counter-terrorism, and foreign affairs as it has for 40 years protecting borders

To the mutual benefit of the UK and the European Union, she said a phased approach to Brexit must occur for the stability of both.

 

Cameron New Cabinet – so far

Prime Minister David Cameron reshuffled this cabinet with continuity and stability where it matters to assure markets, investments and businesses keeping the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home  Foreign and Defence secretaries as they are, while making changes where needed like no Deputy Prime Minister  and appointing a Media Culture and Sports secretary giving tough message to the BBC (whose coverage of the election campaign was often too unsubtle biased to the left)

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