UK Politics Thread part II

[Moonlight]

SNP sparks chaos in Scotland by killing off coalition with Greens to avoid being 'dumped' in row over environment and trans policies as Humza Yousaf is accused of 'political cowardice' by former ally and Tories push for confidence vote in his leadership

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...za-Yousaf.html

Devolution has been a disaster from the very beginning for Scotland, you can't run a country with amateur politicians not fit to run a bath, someone needs to stand up and say "Enough is Enough". They're on the edge of the abyss, much more of this bollocks and they'll be over it.

[Jimbuna]

Either way it'll be a close call.

How big a threat to Humza Yousaf is a no-confidence vote?

Scotland's first minister, Humza Yousaf, is facing a no-confidence vote after the collapse of his party's agreement with the Scottish Greens.

Mr Yousaf hopes to continue in power, leading a minority government at Holyrood, after deciding that the partnership with the Greens has "served its purpose".

But Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has described him as a "lame duck" first minister and says he will lodge a no-confidence motion.

So what happens next - and how big a threat is this for Mr Yousaf?

The SNP have 63 MSPs who can presumably be counted on to support Mr Yousaf and vote against the motion.

The Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Lib Dems have 57 MSPs between them who will likely back it.

The Scottish Greens have also now announced their seven MSPs will back the no-confidence vote – so it all depends on the sole Alba MSP Ash Regan.

Ms Regan is a former SNP MSP who defected to Alba - which is led by Alex Salmond - after finishing third behind Mr Yousaf and Kate Forbes in last year's SNP leadership contest.

If she was to either abstain or vote in favour of the motion, it would be enough to see the no-confidence vote carried.

But if she sided with the SNP, it would result in a 64-64 tie.

In that scenario, the presiding officer casts a deciding vote, which by tradition is always for the status quo - meaning Humza Yousaf would win the confidence vote.

Ms Regan is therefore in a strong bargaining position to strike a deal with the SNP in return for her support.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3g8dwn01gno

[Moonlight]

When Ms Regan left the party Useless Yousaf put the boot in and said that its "No Great Loss", what do you call a politician without any foresight?, a "Dickhead"?, it's not the correct answer but it sounds too good to leave out.
Now the boots on the foot of Ms Regan, is she going to kick him in the balls or is she going to be like any other woman who's been scorned and and slice those balls off, what ever she does a lot depends on this Transgender Bollocks he's supporting.
Ms Regan has become the new "King Maker" we shall see just how Ruthless or Weak a politician she is, might I remind Ms Regan that Yousaf wouldn't hesitate to deliver the killing blow if the boot was on his foot, isn't Karma a bitch Yousaf?.

This is why politics can be interesting, Yousaf dismissed Ash Regan as inconsequential, well he won't be calling her that this morning, Ash is Ms Regan's first name and it could be what's left of Yousaf's political career next week. I'm almost sure that the SNP are going to suffer badly at the next Election, I can even see their reign teetering on the edge of a cliff as well.

[Jimbuna]

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has spoken at an event in Dundee as he fights for his political future ahead of a no confidence vote.

He says he will not be announcing his resignation.

The first minister says he is confident he can win the no confidence vote.

A power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens was scrapped by the first minister yesterday leading to bitter words from the party that had supported the SNP-led Scottish government for three years.

The Scottish Tories plan a vote of no confidence in the first minister and Scottish Labour have now said they plan a similar vote on the entire Scottish government..

The votes cannot happen until next week.

==============================================

But on the other hand.

Regan 'relishes' chance to look at ways to work with SNP government

As we have been reporting, Alba's Ash Regan wrote to First Minister Humza Yousaf on Thursday after he announced the scrapping of the Bute House agreement.

She says her letter centred around progressing independence, women and children’s rights, and competent governance.

“I would relish the opportunity to sit down and talk through these areas and see if there are areas where we might be able to agree and work together,” Regan adds.

She also says she hopes that there might be an opportunity to speak to the Scottish government about accepting the recommendations of the Cass review into gender identity services.

[Moonlight]

Meet Lord Shameless! SNP outcry as former leader Ian Blackford asks the Tories and Labour to hand him a seat in House of Lords

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Shameless.html

The SNP’s policy is to abolish the Lords, so what the hell is Blackford up to?, he'll have some questions to answer from the SNP hierarchy as they wont condone this breach of protocol.
Maybe he' knows something we don't and it's an attempt to stay on the gravy train before everything comes crashing down around the SNPs ears. I'm sure he'll have an ulterior motive up his sleeve that doesn't include the SNP or the benefit of us Little Englanders either.
There'll be a lot of mileage left in this article before its all over and done with.

[Jimbuna]

Chris Philp defends government NHS record after Dan Poulter defects to Labour

A minister has defended the government's record on the NHS, after a former Conservative MP defected to Labour.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Dr Dan Poulter said he could not look his NHS colleagues and patients in the eye and stay on as a Conservative MP.

Home Office Minister Chris Philp denied the Tories were deprioritising the NHS.

He added that more was being spent on the health service than at any point in history.

On the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Dr Poulter, who works part time as a consultant psychiatrist, said the health service was now "unrecognisable" from how it was before he became an MP in 2010 and "patients deserve better".

The MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich added that Labour had a "track record" of improving the NHS and could be "trusted" with the health service.

Responding to Dr Poulter's resignation, Mr Philp told the programme: "I don't accept what Dan is saying at all.

"We're now spending £165bn a year on the NHS, that's more than ever, at any point in history."

He added: "That isn't the sign of a party de-prioritising the NHS. That is a sign of a political party, the Conservatives, investing heavily in our NHS because it is a priority."

He insisted the Conservatives did value public services and was investing "record amounts of money in both education and health".

Mr Philp also argued NHS waiting lists were now coming down despite the challenges of the pandemic and strike action.

Dr Poulter said he had "no animus" towards Prime Minster Rishi Sunak but was critical of the direction of his former party.

"We now have a Tory Party that resembles sometimes a little bit more a nationalist national party, rather than a party of the centre-right," he said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68915259

[Moonlight]

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Dr Dan Poulter said he could not look his NHS colleagues and patients in the eye and stay on as a Conservative MP.

Its took him 14 years to speak up and denounce the Tories over NHS failures?, I don't believe a word this currant says, there's a lot more going on with this story and the NHS isn't it.

[Moonlight]

Humza Yousaf 'poised to quit TODAY': SNP leader set to admit he cannot win confidence vote after extraordinary meltdown triggered by sacking Green coalition partners

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-partners.html

Will Yousaf's short reign come to an end today?, and, more importantly, will the SNP circus follow him out of the door?, big decisions will be made in Scotland pretty soon and the SNP could end up being the fall guy.
Maybe Ian Blackford knew about all this and was trying to get nominations for a seat in the House of Lords so he could stay on the Gravy train, he already knew the SNP were facing big trouble from the other parties this week and decided to jump ship first.

We'll know more later today but, one thing I can say with 100% confidence and that is "Never Trust a Politician to Tell The Truth".

[MGR1]

He's gone.

Most likely candidates are John Swinney (if he goes for it) and Kate Forbes.

Swinney has all the charisma of a plank of wood, he's been leader of the SNP before and wasn't very good at it, nor has he been all that succesful as a minister.

About the only thing you can say about him is that he's the safe choice and the Greens are more likely to accept him.

Kate Forbes won't be accepted by the Greens. She's a West Coaster and much more socially conservative, but she was reasonably successful as Finance Minister. However, she lacks long term experience.

Mike.

[Jimbuna]

I doubt he'll be missed.

[Jimbuna]

Cheeky Blighters!

A plan to draft new Irish legislation which would redesignate the UK as a "safe country" to which asylum seekers can be returned has been approved.

Irish government ministers collectively approved the plan brought to Cabinet by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

Last week she claimed more than 80% of recent asylum claims were from people who arrived in the state by crossing the border with Northern Ireland.

But the British government has said it will decide who it accepts into the UK.

The Irish government has recently expressed concern that the UK's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is encouraging more refugees to come to the Republic of Ireland.

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin said last week that asylum seekers were seeking "sanctuary here and within the European Union as opposed to the potential of being deported to Rwanda".

On Monday, Mr Martin was asked to clarify Ms McEntee's claim that 80% of asylum seekers come to the Republic of Ireland via the land border.

He replied that it was not statistical and "not a data-based sort of evidence base" but he added it was very clear that "there's a change in the nature of where migrants have come from".

Closing a 'loophole'
The situation has been complicated by a recent Irish court ruling.

In March, the High Court in Dublin ruled that Ireland's designation of the UK as a safe third country for returning asylum seekers was contrary to EU law, external, in light of the UK's controversial Rwanda policy.

On Tuesday morning, Ms McEntee brought her proposal to the Irish Cabinet in a bid to close the "loophole" that has arisen as a result of the High Court judgement.

"What this will do is enable us to redesignate the UK as a safe country for the purposes of returns," she told reporters on her way into the Cabinet meeting.

Ms McEntee also explained that Republic of Ireland already had a post-Brexit agreement in place with the British government to return asylum seekers who had travelled to the Republic of Ireland from the UK.

However, she said that because of the Covid pandemic and the recent High Court ruling the return agreement “has not been effective”.

Ms McEntee said her proposed legislation would address the ruling and close the loophole.

No 'legal obligation' on UK
However, a Downing Street spokesperson appeared to contradict her claims about the extent of the post-Brexit agreement between the Irish and UK governments.

Number 10 conceded that there are “operational arrangements” between UK and Ireland but said there was “not a legal obligation to accept the return of asylum seekers".

The spokesperson also confirmed that "under those operational arrangements no asylum seekers have been returned to the UK".

They added: "It’s up to the UK government who we do and do not accept into the country.”

Tuesday's statement from Number 10 echoes recent comments from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has already said his government is "not interested" in accepting asylum seekers back from Ireland.

"We're not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn't accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from," Mr Sunak told ITV.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czq588jqz8lo

[Moonlight]

Moment Monty Panesar is stumped by simple question in car-crash interview as he admits he doesn't know what NATO is despite withdrawal being his new party's top priority

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-priority.html

Its just typical George Galloway tactics, get all the thick migrants he can into his new political party and hopefully get them elected as an MP by even thicker migrants.

I think Westminster should have a political competence test for all MPs, not just for the new ones but for all of the thick bastards already already in there, it should also include the Lords as well, get rid of the Lords Spiritual tossers and you just might get rid of half of Westminster in one fell swoop.

[Jimbuna]

Simply put, he's an absolute knacker so he should fit in well with his mate George.