TRUMP IS A See you next Tuesday

This is a very interesting article by David Starkey. Essentially he is saying that the rule of law and the judiciary has replaced parliament and politics as the source of government. Probably explains why so many MPs, and indeed our PM, are lawyers.

This is something that doesn’t really get sufficient attention in related debates on here, including from me, as it’s a bit arcane and tedious. One of the reasons things feel like they are less democratic, and one of the reasons why things are less democratic, is it was intentionally designed in. Less rule by law, more rule by lawyers and apparatchiks.

I remember talking of the ‘50 to 100 year problems’ the disastrous New Labour regime were causing, and this is well in the mix. Blair permanently nobbled British democracy and handed power to the unaccountable progressive aristocracy that run pretty much everything. This of course chimed with the European drift.

It’s hobbled everyone since. The tories may have been a useless shower by they were constrained by this and all the power centres of the country. Now even a Labour government finds the apparatchiks simply ignoring its directives.

It has to change; we cannot continue to be presided over by undemocratic structures beholden to an agenda that is deeply damaging to the non affluent and the country itself.

But has power ever been arrayed so completely in service to the interests of the elite ? Even the traditional sources of dissent, the universities and (most of) the media, are entirely aligned to the regime, while the police have been turned into a politicised instrument the government can only loosely control.

Which is why we are entering revolutionary times. More and more people are convinced I think, that things cannot be changed by conventional means which have been captured and used to perpetuate establishment power. Of course this leads to dangers to babies sitting in bath water and a lot more besides. Together with the rest of the kindling Blair and his contemporaries laid, and the impoverished and fractured societies that have resulted, it has all the makings of total disaster.
 
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This is something that doesn’t really get sufficient attention in related debates on here, including from me, as it’s a bit arcane and tedious. One of the reasons things feel like they are less democratic, and one of the reasons why things are less democratic, is it was intentionally designed in. Less rule by law, more rule by lawyers and apparatchiks.

I remember talking of the ‘50 to 100 year problems’ the disastrous New Labour regime were causing, and this is well in the mix. Blair permanently nobbled British democracy and handed power to the unaccountable progressive aristocracy that run pretty much everything. This of course chimed with the European drift.

It’s hobbled everyone since. The tories may have been a useless shower by they were constrained by this and all the power centres of the country. Now even a Labour government finds the apparatchiks simply ignoring its directives.

It has to change; we cannot continue to be presided over by undemocratic structures beholden to an agenda that is deeply damaging to the non affluent and the country itself.

But has power ever been arrayed so completely in service to the interests of the elite ? Even the traditional sources of dissent, the universities and (most of) the media, are entirely aligned to the regime, while the police have been turned into a politicised instrument the government can only loosely control.

Which is why we are entering revolutionary times. More and more people are convinced I think, that things cannot be changed by conventional means which have been captured and used to perpetuate establishment power. Of course this leads to dangers to babies sitting in bath water and a lot more besides. Together with the rest of the kindling Blair and his contemporaries laid, and the impoverished and fractured societies that have resulted, it has all the makings of total disaster.
On my drive down to Cumbria on Friday with my archivist chum, I was commenting on how much I have grown to like churches in my mature years as we passed several very interesting and picturesque ones. The conversation then got on to the Reformation, Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries, Tyndale, the printing press and the translation of the Bible into English. That undermined the power of the Church as the sole repository of truth and knowledge, if anyone literate could interpret the word of God.
I then thought how the Law has replaced the Church as the curator of arcane knowledge and lawyers are the new priesthood. The Law is so complex that it needs a special caste to interpret it, with all the dangers that can come from that. And these are the people who largely govern us. Think of how many politicians are lawyers and PMs like Blair and Starmer.
 
Regarding politicians doing 'ordinary' jobs before their political career, even 30p Lee has been down the pit.

We know because he has reminded us approximately 7,062 times of the fact.

In fact, he is the only man who has ever been down a pit.
 
The thing I don't get about Trump and his acolytes is that every rule he is breaking, every court decision he gets and every outrageous move he pulls can be used against them in future. In some cases defying norms can be a good thing. But just smashing everything up lays so many future traps. Another example of no long term strategy.
 
The thing I don't get about Trump and his acolytes is that every rule he is breaking, every court decision he gets and every outrageous move he pulls can be used against them in future. In some cases defying norms can be a good thing. But just smashing everything up lays so many future traps. Another example of no long term strategy.
This has occurred to me too. The revenge of Wall Street and the liberal establishment will be mighty if they leave the job unfinished. Paradoxically, that may explain some of the manic speed. They probably have two years to dismantle the blob, before mid terms can potentially neuter them. Then if voted out in 2028, they’ll be in deep trouble.
 
On my drive down to Cumbria on Friday with my archivist chum, I was commenting on how much I have grown to like churches in my mature years as we passed several very interesting and picturesque ones. The conversation then got on to the Reformation, Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries, Tyndale, the printing press and the translation of the Bible into English. That undermined the power of the Church as the sole repository of truth and knowledge, if anyone literate could interpret the word of God.
I then thought how the Law has replaced the Church as the curator of arcane knowledge and lawyers are the new priesthood. The Law is so complex that it needs a special caste to interpret it, with all the dangers that can come from that. And these are the people who largely govern us. Think of how many politicians are lawyers and PMs like Blair and Starmer.
There’s a bit of the Whig / Protestant take on events in that but setting that aside, I think you are right about the lawyers. It must be even worse under the napoeonic system on the continent.

I think similar about academic writing. It seems deliberately obtuse and impenetrable, and I think the aim of that is the same.

It’s not about precision because technical writing requires that, and arguably even more. And it is, well, clear - or as clear as can be anyway.
 
The thing I don't get about Trump and his acolytes is that every rule he is breaking, every court decision he gets and every outrageous move he pulls can be used against them in future. In some cases defying norms can be a good thing. But just smashing everything up lays so many future traps. Another example of no long term strategy.
Decapitation gets rid of a migraine
 
And in aircraft news ...

A second Boeing 737 MAX is returning from China undelivered amid ongoing tariff disputes with the US. N230BE returned from Boeing’s delivery center in Zhoushan last week.

And

Ryanair has a significant order backlog for Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft, including 150 firm orders for the larger upcoming Boeing 737 MAX 10 and options for 150 more. It’s no secret that aircraft deliveries across the board are happening slower than airlines and manufacturers alike would prefer. In addition to the existing challenges in global supply chains, Boeing are also experiencing the fallout of recent trade tariffs introduced by the Trump Administration. Some industry analysts have even predicted that Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary may consider ordering the Chinese-built COMAC C919 aircraft should the situation not improve.

I'd imagine its the usual bluff and bluster from O'Leary. Maybe he could get the ones the Chinese are sending back 😆

For reference Boeing make about 40 of these aircraft a month.
 
With the EU and USA going toe to toe on tariffs you'd have thought the UK could have got a wee Brexit benefit out of it. Oops

"Lufthansa is seriously considering registering its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners in Switzerland rather than Germany to avoid EU import tariffs of up to 200% due to ongoing U.S.-EU trade disputes. As Switzerland is not an EU member and thus not subject to these tariffs, it offers a cost-effective alternative for initial registration. This strategy is under active internal review. However, Lufthansa has not yet officially confirmed the move."
 
Maybe if our remainer politicians and civil service had tried a wee bit harder to implement Brexit they may have done.

But they didn't like the way folk voted so have dragged there collective heels.

But all is good mate. Yous will get your way back into the EU within the next 10 years and we can all be happy.
 
Maybe if our remainer politicians and civil service had tried a wee bit harder to implement Brexit they may have done.

But they didn't like the way folk voted so have dragged there collective heels.

But all is good mate. Yous will get your way back into the EU within the next 10 years and we can all be happy.
Thought you never mentioned Brexit radge;))
 
One of these moments where - very possibly inadvertantly - Trump calls people on the implications of their stances.

Of course there is more to it than this, but his point here on choking off the chinese tat machine goes right to the heart of what decent conditions for blue collar workers means, as well as what the planet needs.

So which is it, should kids have two dolls - and we reduce wealth polarisation and global warming - or thirty, and we don't ?

Or, in more general terms, gluttonous consumption or more equality - which is it to be? It might be an unpopular question in an era where virtue has been turned into the beneficiaries of the former demanding a state drip for the losers. But it is nevertheless the question of our times.

 
US and Ukraine sign natural resources deal


Interesting - in the sense of acknowledgement of what is true re Russia - language;

On April 30, the United States and Ukraine signed an agreement to establish the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. In recognition of the significant financial and material support that the people of the United States have provided to the defense of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, this economic partnership positions our two countries to work collaboratively and invest together to ensure that our mutual assets, talents, and capabilities can accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery..
 
One of these moments where - very possibly inadvertantly - Trump calls people on the implications of their stances.

Of course there is more to it than this, but his point here on choking off the chinese tat machine goes right to the heart of what decent conditions for blue collar workers means, as well as what the planet needs.

So which is it, should kids have two dolls - and we reduce wealth polarisation and global warming - or thirty, and we don't ?

Or, in more general terms, gluttonous consumption or more equality - which is it to be? It might be an unpopular question in an era where virtue has been turned into the beneficiaries of the former demanding a state drip for the losers. But it is nevertheless the question of our times.

A variation of that line has come out of the mouth of virtually every “anti-capitalist” I know….
 
A variation of that line has come out of the mouth of virtually every “anti-capitalist” I know….
To use one of their favourite words, it has always seemed rather performative to me, and our times seem to be proving it. As anti-fascist now basically signals fascist, anti-capitalist is coming to signal capitalist.
 
Trump meeting Carney. I wonder how they will get on.
 
@Stu what does this elbows up thing denote?
It originated in hockey in general and Gordie Howe in particular. Gordie was an all-time great, some say the greatest. He epitomised the Canadian physical style of play and was noted for using his elbows to fend off opposition players. The phrase is used as an expression of defiance and standing up for yourself.

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It originated in hockey in general and Gordie Howe in particular. Gordie was an all-time great, some say the greatest. He epitomised the Canadian physical style of play and was noted for using his elbows to fend off opposition players. The phrase is used as an expression of defiance and standing up for yourself.

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Sounds a bit like John McGinn's backside!

But I'll not be shouting 'Up the arse' anytime soon!
 
Puck that!
It puckin is. See Stu's post.
Google Pout GIF
 
He's probably a gunt as well! Nae luck 😆

JD Vance broke the National Championship trophy, then visited the Pope who died the next day, then visited India and a terrorist attack happened and war broke out, then endorsed his brother for mayor who lost 83-11%.

What’s next on the agenda?
 
He's probably a gunt as well! Nae luck 😆

JD Vance broke the National Championship trophy, then visited the Pope who died the next day, then visited India and a terrorist attack happened and war broke out, then endorsed his brother for mayor who lost 83-11%.

What’s next on the agenda?
Please visit tynecastle!!!