29 November 2018

Diary of a Corbynista

Political party backs Theresa May!

by Don Urquhart

22 November

I read in the i that the Minister for Education plans to introduce a “bucket list” of things children should do at primary school.  He was inspired by a visit to St Werburgh’s Primary School in Bristol.  Number one on their list is “Visit a Farm”.  Now a teacher I know would love to organise a visit to a farm to support her GCSE pupils.  None of them has ever been near a farm and there is no prospect of funding being found for them to get to one.  St Werburgh’s list might be fine for them but there are too many schools which cannot afford teachers and books let alone visits to planetariums (entrance at the Royal Observatory £5 per child).

23 November

She seems increasingly isolated.  None of the big hitters in the Tory Party are making the case with her or for her.  There is the odd backwoodsman who will say we should all get behind the Prime Minister as if this were a patriotic duty and indeed her strategy now is to go over the heads of her MPs – get herself on the media and put the frighteners on the populace at large.

Dr Johnson told us that Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.  You might query whether just constantly kicking the real issues down the road makes you a scoundrel but without a shadow the last refuge bit is right.

She is not the first national leader to see herself as the crucial top banana.  There was the chap who expressed the view:  L’Etat c’est moi, but that was the Sun King and a long way from Mrs May of Maidenhead.

24 November

When I cry out in my sleep it could be the cat jumping on my private parts but last night it was a bloodcurdling nightmare.

May’s deal is signed in Brussels.  Then the deal is voted down in The Commons.  The PM resigns and there’s a leadership contest between BoJo and Justine Greening.  The Tory faithful go with her and she institutes a People’s Vote where the choices are Remain or WTO (sometimes known as “No-Deal”).  Remain wins.

Neither insurrection nor General Election!  We are stuck with a less robotic Tory leadership enjoying a honeymoon period.

Thank goodness it was only a nightmare.

25 November

Theresa May’s letter to the people over the heads of MPs.

With Brexit settled, we will be able to focus our energies on the many other important issues facing us here at home: keeping our economy strong, and making sure every community shares in prosperity; securing our NHS for the future, giving every child a great start in life, and building the homes that families need; tackling the burning injustices that hold too many people back, and building a country for the future that truly works for everyone.

Trouble is that after 8 years of austerity with Mrs May up to her neck in it, her “trust me” ship sailed long ago.

Here’s what Kim, one of austerity’s many victims had to say a couple of days ago on WOWVoices:

As this year’s budget was being read out in Parliament, I received a letter from the DWP saying my PIP had been stopped because I hadn’t sent in my renewal form! I had!

When I called I got told I’d have to make a new claim and to expect to wait 6 weeks for it to be sorted out. I called my benefits advisor who had helped me with the form and she called them. They told her that they did in fact have my form and it was a complete error on their behalf.

But it could still take a while to ‘fix’ the error.  Cue letters regarding my ESA being stopped and my mobility car being recalled.  I ended up at the Drs having had a panic attack!  I have just had enough. I am scared and have no faith in the system.

26 November

On Andrew Marr yesterday the Foreign Secretary referred approvingly to the British public as BOBs (Bored of Brexit) and we will be told many times over the next few weeks that we are instructing our legislators to just get on with it.

Before the Germans marched into Poland thus defenestrating his appeasement policy, Prime Minister Chamberlain manipulated and intimidated the BBC and the newspapers into suppressing negative news and opinions about the dictator.

After the disastrous Norway campaign of spring 1940 the House of Commons showed its mettle.  Although the Prime Minister had nominally a majority of 250, rebel Tories allied themselves with Labour and Liberal parties to defeat him with Leo Amery providing the coup de grace:

We are fighting today for our life, for our liberty, for our all; we cannot go on being led as we are.  I have quoted certain words of Oliver Cromwell.  I will quote certain other words.  This is what Cromwell said to the Long Parliament when he thought it was no longer fit to conduct the affairs of the nation: “You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing.  Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go.”

27 November

Over the next few days Tory MPs and their spouses will be looking at themselves in the mirror rehearsing things like:

A special welcome for Sir Barry and Lady Clutterbuck or

All rise for Baron and Baroness Clutterbuck of Brexit.

Buzzfeed reports that a task force of Civil Servants will be deployed over the next 2 weeks to “convince” Tory MPs to keep the Prime Minister in a job:

Drawn up of senior advisers from Downing Street, officials in the Cabinet Office Europe Unit who had worked for Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins, and aides from the Brexit department, the team was given a small office and the rather unimaginative name “Project Vote”.

These people cost at least £2,000 per week each; I assume that in the absence of a Magic Money Tree they will be paid for by the Conservative Party.

28 November

If there is a televised debate between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, he would do well to talk to his own agenda.  Her aim will be to suggest that Labour has no solution to the Brexit impasse she has authored.  He should ignore this and seek answers from her about the carnage her party has wrought over the last 8 years.  Here’s what the Guardian reports:

More than 100,000 children in UK at risk of Christmas hardship.

The DWP response:

There’s no reason for people to be without money over Christmas because advance payments are widely available. Anyone applying for Universal Credit can get an advance of up to 100% upfront, payable on the same day if someone is in urgent need.

A quiz question for the future:

Which was the only British political party to 100% support Theresa May’s Withdrawal Plan?

Answer:

Sinn Fein