The Brexit thread

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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby seemslikeadream » Sun Apr 07, 2019 11:23 am

Inside the World of Cambridge Analytica = BCCI 2.0
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40900



Shahmir Sanni

“This is now a criminal investigation.” Name’s of those I believe are under investigation by the NCA: @michaelgove, @GiselaStuart, @matthew_elliott, @patel4witham, @BorisJohnson, Dominic Cummings, Stephen Parkinson, Victoria Woodcock, Henry De Zoete, Thomas Borwick, Darren Grimes
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https://twitter.com/shahmiruk/status/11 ... 0789841922




https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=oFb7u1r7f3A


George Soros Intelligence Network
Published on Mar 21, 2019
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The UK Electoral Commission is convinced: There is evidence that big parts of the funding of the pro-Brexit referendum campaign comes from dubious sources.

The focus is on British businessman Arron Banks, a string-puller and close friend of former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Almost 9 million pounds in donations are said to have originated from his offshore accounts.

The "ZDFzoom" documentation looks at the question: "Was the Brexit referendum also a conspiracy to test the limits of democracy?" The research suggests that voters were to be influenced by obscured means and influenced as effectively as possible. "ZDFzoom" author Dirk Laabs not only keeps track of the cash flow, but also talks to insiders from the campaign and confronts her head, the former head of UKIP, Nigel Farage. In an interview with ZDF, Farage also talks about the influence American consultants had on the campaign. Steve Bannon, former Advisor to US President Trump, was one of the key advisers in the game.

Specifically, it is about millions of loans, which the Pro Brexit campaign is said to have received from Banks. The money may not come from Banks himself, but from companies based on the Isle of Man and Gibraltar, who, by doing so, would have interfered in the election campaign. Meanwhile, the National Crime Agency investigates. It is tasked to reveal the hitherto veiled campaign funding.

Nigel Farage, in an interview with "ZDFzoom" author Dirk Laabs, speaks candidly of how close the camps have worked and how important Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon was to Britain's campaign: "Previously, I had no allies in the United States Media, no voice, then Steve helped us. If you suddenly have multiple voices on your side, it all changes." Farage says he and Steve Bannon have understood that "sometimes people want 'a wrecking ball' that destroys the old system of 'pompous politicians'." A whistleblower who has worked for the Leave campaign is convinced, "The various Brexit campaigns broke the law, relying on a whole network of companies to spend more money, without which the EU referendum would have ended differently."

"ZDFzoom" author Dirk Laabs explores the following questions in this documentation: Which questionable methods were used to convince the majority of the British for Brexit? Which interests and profiteers are behind it? Also, Laabs asks stakeholders in Brussels, what measures should be taken with regards to the European elections, and what possibly could be done, to make future digital campaigning more controllable or regulated.



Halt #Brexit For A PUBLIC INQUIRY "

Petition PASSES 50,000 SIGNATURES after #VoteLeave withdrew their appeal AND PAID THEIR FINE FOR THEIR #VoteLeaveBrokeTheLaw electoral offences.

We NEED your HELP!

Please SIGN IT and please REPEATEDLY RETWEET IT.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/241848


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:lol: :lol: :lol:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdviJzEwShE
Mazars and Deutsche Bank could have ended this nightmare before it started.
They could still get him out of office.
But instead, they want mass death.
Don’t forget that.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby seemslikeadream » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:35 pm

Caroline Orr

Just look at these two headlines from @RVAwonk and @peterjukes. How can we doubt now that with Mercer and Putin input there is not a global conspiracy to target minorities from Russian Oligarchs and American Billionaires

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https://twitter.com/RVAwonk?ref_src=tws ... r%5Eauthor





Tom Watson

There must be a full judicial inquiry with criminal powers into Arron Banks and his http://Leave.EU chums. We cannot allow those who cheat and lie to mock and subvert our democracy (using millions from who knows where) to prevail.
https://twitter.com/tom_watson/status/1 ... 1713839104


Pro-Brexit Leave.EU group accused of faking videos and forging images of migrants committing crimes
Campaign group led by former Ukip donor Arron Banks accused of 'fake news' over viral video

12 hours ago
Pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU has been accused of faking a viral video of illegal "migrants" and forging images purporting to show immigrants committing violent crimes.

The group, which is led by businessman and former Ukip donor Arron Banks, staged a video that it claimed showed how easy it was for migrants to cross to Britain illegally, according to Channel 4 News.

The video was released in the weeks before the 2016 EU referendum and was watched hundreds of thousands of times. But Channel 4 said satellite data showed that the boat had never left UK waters, and footage appearing to show the "migrants" entering the country was filmed before they left UK shores.

It also reported that Leave.EU had staged images that the group said showed a migrant attacking a young woman in Tottenham, north London.

The photos appearing to show the violent attack were reportedly sent by an associate of Mr Banks to Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU's head of communications.

Top articles1/6READ MORE
Extinction Rebellion protest - live: Climate change activists glue themselves to fence outside Corbyn's house

Channel 4 said leaked emails showed Mr Wigmore had then forwarded them to the group's media team with the message: "Migrants beating up girl in Tottenham Saturday...Can we get this ready to go as a press release."

It is unclear why the photos were seemingly never released.

In response, Mr Banks told Channel 4: “Leave.EU is the biggest viral political campaign in the UK, with 3.7 million engagements last week on Facebook alone, dwarfing political parties and other groups.

“Channel 4 is packed with ex-Guardian journalists and left wing activists, who create fake news for a living!

“The campaign must be doing something right to annoy all the right people consistently.”

Leave.EU claims to show how easy it is for migrants to sneak into Britain in 'faked' video
But Labour MP Jo Stevens, a member of the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee, said: “The video of the boat is very obviously fake and put together in a fake way. The photographs are a little bit more difficult to spot that, but clearly fake news with a deliberate intention of stoking hatred and anti-immigrant feeling and rhetoric.”

Opposing protesters flock to parliament on would be date of Brexit

Show all 30

Leave.EU has previously been hit with hefty fines by the Electoral Commission in relation to activities during the EU referendum campaign.

The group was fined £70,000 last year for breaking election laws and in March was hit with a further £60,000 punishment for data breaches.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 73461.html


Revealed: Brexit group covered up its targeting of right-wing extremists


Arron Banks repeatedly lied to cover-up his Brexit campaign’s effort to attract far-right extremists.

Leave.EU paid for Facebook adverts targeted at supporters of the National Front, the BNP, Britain First and the EDL.

But when the BBC asked for a response to a story they planned to run, Mr Banks sent a barrage of emails in an attempt to get the story dropped.

Leaked emails, seen by Channel 4 News, show Mr Banks insisted the BBC’s accusation were “wholly wrong” – despite his own staff telling him the story was true.

One Leave.EU employee told him: “Those are our ads, we have targeted those groups since the beginning of the campaign as they gain most traction.”

Another Leave.EU staffer proposed telling the BBC: “We pay for target ads for all political parties, not just right wing.”

But Mr Banks replied: “Not the right answer.”

Instead, Mr Banks told the BBC: “It’s wholly wrong to say we have targeted extreme right parties… your report needs to reflect this or it will be biased and if we have to we will take whatever legal action we need.”

Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU’s Head of Communications, even appealed to the head of BBC Westminster, Robbie Gibb, in a further attempt to prevent the story from being run.

Mr Gibb is now Theresa May’s head of communications.

In a series of late night emails to Mr Gibb, Mr Banks described the story as a “smear campaign” and threatened to make a formal complaint.

Afterwards, Mr Banks emailed another Leave.EU director, saying: “I don’t think they will Run it after all that lot . You will have a busy week next week since Robbie will react by giving us massive exposure.”

The BBC dropped its investigation. They told us this was because they were unable to establish that Leave.EU had targeted far right groups deliberately.

A version of this story about Leave.EU targeting the far right was eventually reported by the Sunday Times.

In his book about the referendum campaign, Arron Banks recounted the incident, claiming: “Robbie Gibb is being quite helpful and says he’s trying to hose it down.”

The former Chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, told us: “These are serious allegations and that the BBC’s Director General should investigate why the story was dropped”.

The BBC told us our story is “untrue” and that they had resisted pressure from Arron Banks.

Instead, the broadcaster said it dropped the story because their reporter was unable to establish that Leave.EU had targeted far right groups deliberately.

The BBC said Mr Gibb was not the editor involved with the story and had no say in the decision not to run it.

And it said it has seen no evidence to substantiate claims their editorial standards were compromised in any way.

Robbie Gibb told Channel 4 News: “These allegations are ridiculous and without merit. I remain proud of my contribution to the BBC’s impartial coverage of the 2016 EU referendum campaign.”

When asked for a response to this story, Leave.EU questioned our methods and journalistic integrity – and also threatened to post one of our journalist’s personal phone number on social media.

https://www.channel4.com/news/revealed- ... extremists


Following Channel 4’s revelations that Nigel Farage’s Leave EU campaign faked inflammatory photos of sexual attacks and staged videos about migrants, Byline Times has evidence of more racist propaganda sourced from the Kremlin.
Peter Jukes17 April 2019


As uncovered last year, leaked emails from Andy Wigmore, Arron Banks and Leave EU officials revealed numerous clandestine meetings with the Russian Embassy in London in the run up the EU referendum. Among these emails is also an exchange about “weaponising migrants”.

In the spring of 2016, as the Syrian refugee diaspora was reaching its crisis, and just as the referendum was entering its final days, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the head of the US European Command NATO accused Russia of intervening in Syria to deliberately displace populations that were seeking asylum in Greece and Macedonia.

Evidence from Leave EU websites shows that they were relying heavily on racist Russian misinformation throughout their campaign.

“Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponising migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve,” General
Philip Breedlove said. His condemnation was followed up by other European leaders, including the then foreign secretary Philip Hammond who said “the only country who would like us to leave the EU is Russia.”


File photo dated 16/06/16 of Ukip leader Nigel Farage launching a new Ukip EU referendum poster campaign featuring migrants queuing to get into the EU under the slogan Breaking Point. A visually similar anti-Brexit billboard featuring Brexit supporters has been unveiled in Westminster today.
When the Russian Embassy responded to Hammond’s accusation of intervening in the Brexit debate, the Leave EU team leapt in to defend Putin’s stance. Arron Banks asked for the following press release to be composed:

“We’ve heard a lot about Russia weaponising migrants in recent days but the bigger problem has been Cameron weaponising Russia in the EU referendum”, said Leave.EU cofounder Arron Banks. “Russia has been built up into this great, looming threat which only the EU can save us from. It’s ridiculous- what has it’s attempt to expand Ukraine at Russia’s expense achieved besides an ugly civil war? What has its trade war against Russia achieved besides ruining British dairy farms?’

The Leave EU team then discussed sending a letter of support to Ambassador Yakovenko and debated whether it was “too overtly Russophile”. But evidence from Leave EU websites shows that they were relying heavily on racist Russian misinformation throughout their campaign.

Overtly racist Pro-Putin Propaganda

In 2014, Nigel Farage told Alistair Cambell in GQ Magazine that Vladimir Putin was the statesman he most admired: “The way he played the whole Syria thing. Brilliant.” He had met Ambassador Yakovenko the year before and started a series of almost monthly appearances on RT.

“Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponising migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve,”

General Philip Breedlove
By the time of the EU referendum, Russian news agencies like RT and Sputnik were clearly pushing a pro-Brexit agenda, particularly focusing on (mainly false) allegations of rape and criminality by asylum seekers and migrants.

One of Leave EU’s most popular videos was mainly sourced from Russian propaganda and deliberately portrayed foreign migrants as sexual predators.


Four weeks before the referendum vote in June 2016, Leave EU created a video videos called ‘Worrying Scenes in Europe’ mainly based on clips from RT.

One disturbing sequence in the video is all Leave EU’s creation. It apparently shows sexual assault by dozens of men (alleged to be refugees). But the clip is actually of an assault that took place in Tahrir Square in Egypt in 2013.


There’s little doubt Leave EU knew the real source and deliberately doctored the contents to make them ‘disturbing scenes from Europe’ rather than Egypt. The original footage from Lively has been pixelated and cropped the original video to disguise the real location.


As Britain faces possible European Elections at the end of May, Farage’s new Brexit party is leading in the latest EU election polls.

The Leave EU/RT video has been viewed 1.4 million times and is still available on its Facebook page which is now devoted to promoting Farage’s Brexit party.

Democracy in Danger: How Safe is Britain’s Next Election?

Hardeep Matharu, 29 March 2019

With the country on the edge of a snap general election or second referendum in an age of digital psyops, is our electoral system equipped for votes to be free and fair?

Filed under:
Argument Democracy in Danger Democracy Interference, collusion and alternative war UK Politics
https://bylinetimes.com/2019/04/17/how- ... amophobia/
Mazars and Deutsche Bank could have ended this nightmare before it started.
They could still get him out of office.
But instead, they want mass death.
Don’t forget that.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby Grizzly » Wed May 01, 2019 1:16 pm

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“The more we do to you, the less you seem to believe we are doing it.”

― Joseph mengele
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby RocketMan » Wed May 01, 2019 4:09 pm

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-I don't like hoodlums.
-That's just a word, Marlowe. We have that kind of world. Two wars gave it to us and we are going to keep it.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby stickdog99 » Wed May 01, 2019 8:56 pm



I thought it was going to be Sartre.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby BenDhyan » Thu May 23, 2019 2:42 am

Seems time is running out for Theresa....

May 'could announce departure date on Friday' – as it happened

updated 7h ago 09:57 Late night summary

Andrea Leadsom, former leader of the House of Commons, resigned from government today. In a letter to Theresa May, she said “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result”. Outlining four main reasons for her decision to quit, Leadsom added how she no longer “believes that we will be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed.” Leadsom later told reporters saying she disagreed with the Withdrawal Agreement Bill’s new elements.

Theresa May responded with a letter. May said she was “sorry” to lose someone of her “passion, drive and sincerity”, but disagreed with her comments about the Governments Brexit approach. May wrote: “I do not agree with you that the deal which we have negotiated with the European Union means that the United Kingdom will not become a sovereign country.”

A source in the 1992 Committee of Conservative backbenchers said the executive had voted tonight on whether to allow a new confidence vote that could oust Theresa May from premiership. The votes are now sealed in an envelope, and would only be opened if May fails to resign by 10 June.

There was speculation that May could announce her resignation as early as this Friday 24 May when she will meet Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, BBC reports.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2019/may/22/brexit-latest-news-may-statement-mps-deal-pmqs-gove-suggests-planned-vote-on-withdrawal-agreement-bill-could-be-shelved-live-news

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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby RocketMan » Thu May 23, 2019 3:26 am

It's been running out for months... But I guess now is the beginning of the end. Or maybe just the end of the beginning?

May's conduct regarding the Brexit has been shocking in its disdain for democracy, even for these amoral bastards. Britain has not had a functioning government for months. I believe one factor in this is the ruling class's contempt for Corbyn and absolute fear of a Corbyn government. Rightwing circles in both Labour and Tories are united in their desire to corrode Corbyn's support by any means necessary, and if it takes May to shred the credibility of the UK political process, so be it.

Unfortunately Corbyn has recently come off as weak and vacillating, so the bastards may, once again, win the long game. :mad2 \<]
-I don't like hoodlums.
-That's just a word, Marlowe. We have that kind of world. Two wars gave it to us and we are going to keep it.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby BenDhyan » Fri May 24, 2019 5:43 am

Finally....and welcome Boris...

UK PM Theresa May announces resignation, will quit on June 7

Published time: 24 May, 2019 09:07

Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed her resignation in a solemn address given outside her former residence at No. 10 Downing st Friday in a long-awaited move.

The process for electing a new leader should begin next week May said, after confirming that she had informed the Queen of her decision to step down while expressing regret that she had failed to secure a Brexit deal.

“I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist party on Friday, 7 June so that a successor can be chosen,” May said in front of the steps of 10 Downing Street.

May will continue to serve as the British leader until the process of electing a new leader is completed.

“The second female Prime Minister but certainly not the last,” May concluded her remarks, with her voice wavering.

“I do so with no ill will but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love,” May ended, sounding almost tearful as she sharply turned away from the podium.

Reports circulated throughout the week that the Prime Minister would resign Friday, after repeated failures to secure a Brexit deal that would pass through the British Parliament while simultaneously appeasing exasperated EU negotiators in Brussels.

https://www.rt.com/news/460150-theresa-may-resigns-brexit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS



I'm cruel I know.... :wink:

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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby coffin_dodger » Fri May 24, 2019 10:11 am

...and so, the residents of the UK get another leader that they have not voted for. They're not even bothering with the pretence of Prime Ministerial elections, these days.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby RocketMan » Fri May 24, 2019 10:15 am

coffin_dodger » Fri May 24, 2019 5:11 pm wrote:...and so, the residents of the UK get another leader that they have not voted for. They're not even bothering with the pretence of Prime Ministerial elections, these days.


Yep. The British political system is utterly and fundamentally fucked. There will be no more going back to normal after this process, whatever happens.

Why David Cameron is not generally reviled and excoriated about this daily and publicly escapes me.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby coffin_dodger » Fri May 24, 2019 11:31 am

Why David Cameron is not generally reviled and excoriated about this daily and publicly escapes me.


Because he came from nowhere - and returned there, swiftly. I think most people have trouble mentally recalling him, full stop. Posh, plastic skin and total insincerity are my recollections.

I'm not sure UK politics are fucked - it's more a case of 'business as usual', but with less facade. Maybe they'll just appoint a new PM without elections at all, from now on. What's to stop them? :fawked:
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby DrEvil » Fri May 24, 2019 4:03 pm

Does it really matter who is prime minister? People voted for the Tories and they're still the ones driving the car off the cliff. May just decided to bail out and let someone else drive the last mile.
"I only read American. I want my fantasy pure." - Dave
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby chump » Sat May 25, 2019 12:00 am

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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby seemslikeadream » Mon Aug 05, 2019 12:31 pm

Brexit: Hundreds of gagging orders taken out by government
Sky's Adam Parsons reveals a culture of secrecy surrounding no-deal Brexit preparations by government departments.

Whitehall
Sky News used freedom of information requests to help uncover the NDA culture
Sky News can reveal that the government has taken out hundreds of gagging orders as part of its preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

The orders, formerly known as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), are legally binding contracts to stop confidential conversations being talked about in public.

They are typically used to maintain secrecy around corporate deals or to protect intellectual property.

However, we have discovered that the use of these NDAs has become prevalent across great swathes of the UK government.

Using freedom of information requests, Sky News asked departments to reveal how many NDAs each had taken out as part of their preparations for Brexit.

One of the letters sent out by Whitehall
Sky News previously revealed how the government awarded £75m of Brexit-related contracts to consultancy firms
All responded, although not all of them actually answered the question.

The Department for Transport (DfT) told us it had 79 separate NDAs by the end of February. Of these, we understand that around 50 had been signed in the preceding three months, at an average of around four per week.

More from Brexit

Although the names of those involved have obviously not been made public, we understand that the DfT's gagging orders involve hauliers, public transport companies, infrastructure operators and petrol retailers.

Some told us they felt frustrated that a government "obsession with secrecy" had hindered constructive debate and exchange of information.

The Department of Health and Social Care revealed it had taken out 26 gagging orders, while the Department for Exiting the European Union confirmed it had taken out seven.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has fewer than five.

The Home Office refused to answer the question, saying that it would be too burdensome to research the answer.

However, Sky News has since confirmed that the Home Office has taken out at least 100 gagging orders, simply in relation to ports. It is unclear how many gagging orders it has in relation to the rest of its work.

Chief executive of the British Ports Association, Richard Ballantyne, told us: "Signing NDAs can disrupt the necessary flow of information with the wider logistics industry, who we often work very closely with, as well as with colleagues in Europe.

"We have found it difficult to share some information that may have helped smooth preparations with ports and customs authorities in Ireland and mainland Europe, who until relatively recently had reported little direct contact with authorities in the UK on this matter."

Ministry of Defence sign
The Ministry of Defence is among nine departments saying it was not party to any NDAs
Nine departments, including the Department of Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education, said had not taken out any NDAs in relation to Brexit.

Several others told us that the information "was not held centrally", while the Department for Business said that it was "not in the public interest" for the information to be revealed, even though the same details had been provided by every other section of government.

Others, though, were more evasive. Both the Treasury and the Department for the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs, told Sky News that they had signed NDAs, but refused to elaborate on the numbers they had signed.

They said that it would be too burdensome to calculate, suggesting that it would take a worker more than two days of work to collate the information.

We spoke to many in British business who said that Whitehall's use of these gagging orders had frustrated their Brexit plans.

The Food and Drink Federation said: "One of our frustrations throughout the process of no-deal planning has been an inconsistent approach to confidentiality across government.

"Documents are often shown to us, but we're then told we cannot take them away from meetings and share them with members and more widely. This limits our ability to provide high-quality feedback.

"Where NDAs have been employed this clearly creates a two-tier relationship with industry, with some businesses being insiders and others kept out of the loop. Quite apart from the practical consequences, it is no way to build trust."

Rod McKenzie, managing director of the Road Haulage Association, said that the use of non-disclosure agreements had "hindered and frustrated" his industry.

Lorries form up on the A526 outside Dover for the second of two trials at the former Manston Airport site in Kent
The industry body for hauliers said it had been effectively gagged from communicating with its members
He said: "NDAs have been used far, far too much. It is not fair and it is simply wrong to use them in this way. They are gagging trade associations like ours from telling our members about the effect of Brexit.

"I understand that government doesn't want its plans for a no-deal Brexit to end up in newspapers, but there comes a point when we have to tell our members what is actually going on, and we have been gagged from doing that on a continual basis."

The Department for Transport told Sky News: "Good government relies on practical decisions being informed by the best advice available and requires the opportunity to make a full consideration of all the available options, without threat of premature disclosure during this live process.

"The decisions involved will have wide implications for the UK, and it is absolutely vital that the process is able to proceed in a safe space, and that officials and ministers are able to have those discussions, and raise potential options and risks, necessary to fully inform the best possible policy decisions."
https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-hundr ... rQaDqNnSqI
Mazars and Deutsche Bank could have ended this nightmare before it started.
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Don’t forget that.
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Re: The Brexit thread

Postby seemslikeadream » Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:44 am

PM to create 10,000 new prison places and extend stop-and-search

Home Secretary Priti Patel: "Stop-and-search works."
An extra 10,000 new prison places will be created and stop-and-search powers expanded, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised.

The first new prison in the £2.5bn programme will be at HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire, where expansion plans have previously been announced.

The government said the plans showed it was "serious about fighting crime".

But Labour's shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, said "random" stop-and-search was a "recipe for unrest".

The government's focus on law and order will add to speculation that No 10 is preparing for an autumn general election, said BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake.

Reality Check: Have police numbers dropped?
Does stop and search reduce crime?
The prison and policing plans for England and Wales follow other recent initiatives from Downing Street about the NHS and immigration.

Last month, the government also pledged to recruit 20,000 extra police officers, nearly replacing the number of officers lost since the Conservatives returned to power.

Police officers in England and Wales

Figures for 31 March each year

Source: Home Office

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "We know the greatest deterrent to crime is the perception of the likelihood of getting caught. Prevention is really what we're after."

But on the same programme, Lord Heseltine accused the government of "economic irresponsibility", saying it was "trashing money around the place like there is no tomorrow, aimed very specifically at very clear electoral targets".

What are the plans for prisons?

The 10,000 new prison places are expected to be created by building new jails and expanding existing ones, at a cost of up to £2.5bn.

The first new prison will be built alongside the maximum security jail at HMP Full Sutton, the Ministry of Justice said. But plans already announced there have drawn objections from police, who said it would increase violent crime in the jail.

Previously decommissioned prison venues will also be refurbished and brought back into use, the government said.

Mr Johnson wrote in the Mail on Sunday that the investment was "long overdue".

He also argued that too many serious violent or sexual offenders are coming out of prison long before they should, and tougher sentences were needed.

"We need to come down hard on crime," he wrote. "That means coming down hard on criminals. We need to reverse the balance of fear.

"I want the criminals to be afraid - not the public."

Is the money for prison places new funding?

In 2016, former justice secretary Liz Truss unveiled a white paper promising a £1.3bn investment in prisons, adding an extra 10,000 places by 2020 - later pushed back to 2022.

The Ministry of Justice said it was on course to create 3,360 places at two new prisons by 2023.

Government sources said the £2.5bn funding would allow it to deliver 10,000 places on top of that, including projects already at a planning stage such as HMP Full Sutton.

But a spokesman for the Prison Reform Trust said the suggestion that all 10,000 places were new was "misleading" given earlier announcements.

The trust said prisons needed 12,000 more places just to eliminate overcrowding and accommodate new prisoners who have already been sentenced.

"We know the aggressive rhetoric of 'prison works' invariably drives up the use of imprisonment long before the capacity to deal with that has been created," said Peter Dawson, the trust's director.

"Tough rhetoric is no substitute for understanding the evidence."

How is stop-and-search changing?

A pilot scheme making it easier for police to search people without reasonable suspicion, in places where serious violence may occur, is being extended to all 43 forces across England and Wales.

In March, when he was home secretary, Sajid Javid first introduced the scheme in seven police force areas: London, the West Midlands, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Wales and Greater Manchester.

The latest move sees restrictions over using section 60 stop-and-search lifted more widely, giving officers across England and Wales a limited time period to search anyone in a designated area in order to prevent violent crime.

Inspectors will now be able to use section 60 without seeking the authorisation of a senior officer and there will be a lower threshold for its use, with police only needing to reasonably believe that violence "may" occur, not that it will.

Police given more stop and search powers
The key facts about rising knife crime
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "Stop-and-search works. We hear again and again from police that [they] need to be empowered."

She said powers needed to be used in the "right, legal and professional way" but their use was supported by families of victims of knife crime, from "communities that have suffered so much trauma and pain".

The announcement comes days after a police officer was stabbed in the head with a machete in east London.

The Liberal Democrat's home affairs spokesman Ed Davey accused Mr Johnson of repeating the "failed policies of the past" and said extending stop-and-search disproportionately affected black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Why are some people concerned about stop-and-search?

Stop-and-search powers have been controversial for many years, with evidence that they are sometimes misused and that they disproportionately target black people.

In 2017-18, black people were 9.5 times more likely to be searched than white people, a gap which has grown in recent years.

Jonathan Hinds, who campaigns against its misuse, told BBC Radio 5 Live he had been stopped three times within a mile by three different police officers.

He warned black people faced being "targeted by these draconian powers".

Police carrying out stop-and-search in London
London was one of seven areas where the stop-and-search pilot scheme was initially trialled
Elena Noel, co-chair of Southwark's anti-knife crime forum, said action was needed to halt the "crisis" but "independent data does not show that stop-and-search stops knife crime and violence".

A study of stop-and-search over a decade in London by the College of Policing found it to be "inconsistent" and "weak" as a deterrent.

Labour accused the Conservatives of trying to "appear tough" instead of dealing with the root causes of crime.

Ms Abbott said evidence-based stop-and-search was an important tool, but "random stops have only poisoned police community relations" and were a "tried and tested recipe for unrest".

What are the police saying?

The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents police officers, said it welcomed forces across the country being given the same tools to tackle knife crime.

John Apter, the federation's national chairman, said: "We can't have a postcode lottery on keeping the public safe."

"We are in the grip of a wave of violent crime on a scale we've not seen before, with young people being killed or stabbed on our streets, and we have to do something about it," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.


Youth mentor Dijon Joseph and Ch Supt Simon Messinger discuss stop and search
He acknowledged concerns about stop-and-search and said police officers would be as professional as possible, with many wearing body cameras.

But he said they also had to respond to people who could be "incredibly hostile, aggressive and violent".
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49309112?ns ... ws_central


Brexit Britain 'could face food shortages'
New border checks mean lengthy delays, which could see fresh groceries rotting in trucks caught up in bureaucracy.

7 Aug 2019
Some of the UK's favourite fresh foods may be unavailable for weeks, or even months, if the country crashes out of the European Union without a deal, the UK's food and drink lobby warned on Wednesday.

Retailers such as Tesco have also warned that leaving the bloc on October 31 without a transition agreement would be problematic because so much fresh produce is imported and warehouses are stocked full before Christmas.

The industry - which employs 450,000 people - views Brexit as the biggest challenge since World War II, dwarfing previous crises such as the horsemeat scandal of 2013 and the mad cow disease outbreaks of the 1980s and 1990s.

"We know there will be disruption at ports, and that will have knock-on effects," Tim Rycroft, the Food and Drink Federation's chief operating officer, told Al Jazeera.

"There will be shortages - [though] no one will starve; this won't be like the war."

The UK only produces half the food it consumes, and retailers are concerned food with short shelf-lives could be left to rot in the back of trucks while lengthy new customs procedures build backlogs of deliveries.

In advance of the original Brexit deadline of March 29, supermarkets and retailers spent millions of pounds working with suppliers to increase stocks of dried goods including pasta, bottled water and toilet paper.

But after three years of Brexit discussions, it is still unclear on what terms the country will leave the bloc, with options ranging from a last-minute exit deal or delay to an acrimonious divorce.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that unless the EU agrees to a new divorce deal, he would then lead the country out of the bloc on October 31 without an agreement.

Halloween fright

When winter approaches, the UK becomes more dependent on imported food, so a Halloween no-deal Brexit is potentially more disruptive.

Britain imports around 60 percent of its food by the beginning of November - just the time that delays caused by a no-deal Brexit could be clogging up ports and motorways, Rycroft said.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, which have a short shelf-life of only a few days, cannot be stored for long so any checks at Calais could lead to significant disruption at Dover, Britain's biggest port.

The cost of preparing for a no-deal exit, including reserving warehouse space, using alternative distributors and losing orders in congested ports, would cost the industry up to 100 million British pounds ($121m) a week, Rycroft earlier told Reuters News Agency.

A government spokeswoman said it was working to support industry: "The UK will be leaving the EU on 31 October and our top priority is supporting consumers and businesses in their preparations for Brexit."

Alternatives?

The UK food and drink industry accounts for 19 percent of the manufacturing sector by turnover and employs more than 450,000 people in Britain across 7,000 businesses including Associated British Foods Plc, Nestle and PepsiCo.

Some of the bigger companies have tested different ports to avoid the main route of Dover-Calais while pharmaceutical companies have reserved air freight capacity to fly in supplies if needed.

Brexit supporters say there may be short-term disruption from a no-deal exit but that the UK will thrive if cut free from what they see as a doomed experiment in integration that has led to Europe falling behind China and the United States.

Rolls-Royce said on Tuesday it was ready to cope with the fallout from a disorderly Brexit after the aero-engine maker spent around $120m to increase inventory, among other preparations.

We now need government to follow through and manage some of these consequences
Tim Rycroft, UK Food and Drink Federation

Research

Concerns over a no-deal Brexit are being raised in other sectors, too.

University research faces the triple threat of reduced tuition-fee income, the loss of EU grants and post-Brexit visa difficulties for researchers, the Lords Science and Technology Select Committee has warned, urging ministers to match EU levels of research funding after the UK leaves the bloc to protect university income streams.

As the UK is a net beneficiary of EU research funding, this amount will be greater than the amount the UK currently contributes to the bloc's research pot.

"The government intends to spend 2.4 percent of GDP on research and development by 2027," said committee chair Lord Patel. "But we conclude that it will be extremely difficult to meet this target unless funding for research in universities is secured and the UK can attract researchers from overseas."

Haulage

Delivery truck drivers also face the "absolutely outrageous" scenario of sitting in two-day-long queues without food or toilets if the UK crashes out of the EU, hauliers have warned.

"I think people under-estimate the scale of the complexity of it," said Duncan Buchanan, policy director for the Road Haulage Association.

"I believe the reasonable best-case scenario that authorities are working on is between 24- and 48-hour delays on all vehicles - all vehicles, all lorries going through the port."

And no welfare provisions are being put in place for the drivers, he said.

"We have huge road delays. We have serious problems. If a lorry is caught up 24 hours on the motorway, where does the driver go to the toilet? This is absolutely outrageous that drivers can be treated like they're completely unimportant.

The UK has 85 days to sort out these issues before the country leaves the EU by automatic operation of law on October 31.

"We now need government to follow through and manage some of these consequences," Rycroft told Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/ ... 56780.html



Brexit food shortages: Government being secretive over public health risks of no deal
Supplies face ‘unprecedented’ disruption, yet ministers have not shared assessments with public for fear of sparking panic-buying by consumers

Ben Chapman6 days ago
The UK faces food shortages in the aftermath of a no-deal Brexit that will disproportionately hit poorer households, yet the government is being secretive about the true extent of the problem in an attempt to avoid consumers panic-buying, according to a leading food policy academic.

Writing in The Lancet, Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, warned that the UK’s food supply faces levels of disruption “unprecedented” in peacetime.

The government estimates that half of lorries entering the country will be unable to cross the border smoothly and that the flow of trucks could drop by a third within a day of a no-deal Brexit, helping to push up food prices by more than 10 per cent as costs rise and supplies fall.

Fresh fruit and vegetables will be the worst hit, with 19 per cent of the UK supply coming from Spain alone, said Professor Lang. Almost 40 per cent of all food consumed in the UK comes from the EU or from other countries via EU trade deals.

Professor Lang warned that Britons, particularly those on lower incomes, already under-consume fresh fruit and vegetables, and food banks are not fully prepared for shortages, which could have a negative impact on diets and public health.

The front pages on what would have been Brexit Day

Show all 12

Problems will be exacerbated by the proposed timing of Brexit on 31 October, because November is when UK food businesses’ usual planning and storage arrangements are already under pressure in the pre-Christmas period, wrote Professor Lang.

The main food bank organisers have informed the government that their local groups do not have enough food, volunteer support, and storage capacity to deal with increases in demand.

They have called for a hardship fund to be established to ensure people have enough money to feed themselves properly.

Professor Lang said that the public had so far been kept “largely in the dark” about the government’s view on the gravity of the situation that could unfold.

The government’s estimates for the impact have not been shared with the public, “yet it is the public whose dietary options are now expected to be disrupted”, warned Professor Lang.

He questioned whether Mr Johnson’s £100m advertising campaign about no-deal Brexit announced last week would share the government’s true prognosis about food prices and availability.

“At what point will the public be engaged and informed to help prepare for a no-deal Brexit?” asked Professor Lang.

“A troubling new food planning case study appears to be unfolding.”

His warning echoes that of Bank of England governor Mark Carney, who said on Friday that food shortages, job losses and business closures are likely in the wake of a no-deal Brexit.

“The challenge is, particularly in food, it’s perishable, so you can’t stockpile today for demand in November and it’s heavily, heavily dependent on those ports being open,” Mr Carney told BBC Radio 4.

He added that the automotive, food, chemicals and transport sectors would be most affected.

“The economics of no deal are that the rules of the game of exporting to Europe or importing from Europe fundamentally change and there are some very big industries in this country where that which is highly profitable becomes not profitable, becomes uneconomic and very difficult decisions will need to be taken.

“That has knock-on effects on the economy in the short term.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/busi ... 39486.html



Former UK Parliament constitutional advisor warns legal loophole could lead to no-deal Brexit

Former Commons Clerk Lord Lisvane issued a note of caution to Boris Johnson.

Emilio Casalicchio
8/11/19, 10:00 AM CET

Lord Lisvane said a tactical delay "would be extraordinarily contentious, and would be open to the strongest criticism" | U.K. Parliament
LONDON — Boris Johnson could shut down parliament after a vote of no confidence to prevent MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit, a former House of Commons clerk has warned.

Lord Lisvane, who served as the most senior constitutional advisor to the House between 2011 and 2014, was scathing about the reported plans by Johnson to ignore a vote of no-confidence and delay an election until after the Brexit date. He said that while it would be possible to suspend the Commons through a "Sittings of the House Motion" to force a no-deal departure from the EU, the tactic would be an “open subversion” of the laws governing parliamentary terms, and “constitutionally destructive.”

Downing Street has refused to rule out the prospect of Johnson ignoring a no-confidence vote aimed at stopping a no-deal Brexit.

Under the Fixed-term Parliament Act (FTPA), MPs would have 14 days after a no-confidence vote to pass a vote of confidence either in the existing government or a newly formed one, otherwise a general election would be triggered.

It means a prospective successor to the prime minister would need to have formed a government at the request of the Queen before a second confidence vote is held.

MPs who want to prevent a no-deal Brexit have been discussing whether a cross-party government of national unity could be formed to seize power and block a no-deal departure from the EU by extending the Article 50 negotiating period.

But Lord Lisvane said the idea would bring the Queen “uncomfortably close to the political mechanics.”

“Involvement of the Monarch in this way must be avoided,” he wrote in an explanation to POLITICO. “What would be infinitely preferable would be for there to have been a motion ... which demonstrates that an alternative grouping can command the confidence of the House.” If such a motion passed, the Queen could then "confidently" ask the leader of that group to form a new government.

But he warned that the government could also move a “Sittings of the House Motion” in an effort to keep the House from sitting and passing a motion in support of a new government.

“To do so would be an open subversion of the (admittedly unsatisfactory) FTPA process, and would be open to fierce (and justified) criticism on the grounds that it would prevent the House of Commons coming to a view which might be supportive an alternative PM,” Lord Lisvane said.

The peer argued an amendment MPs tacked on to the Northern Ireland Bill, which requires the Commons to debate regularly as long as Stormont is not reformed, would do little or nothing to solve the issue.

A separate constitutional expert, who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, said any attempt to stop MPs sitting during the 14 days would “imply the Government thinks there is someone else who could command the confidence of the Commons.”

The expert said this would amount to a "constitutional crisis" in which "the most basic of democratic norms" was being violated, pushing MPs to find an “extra-parliamentary” way to communicate that they want to install a specific new prime minister.

The expert said one way to avoid the issue could be to amend the original motion of no-confidence, spelling out who should take over as a successor prime minister.

Such a move would not come under the FTPA and would not trigger the 14 day countdown to an election, but would force Johnson to resign under constitutional convention, they argued.

Tactical election delay

Lord Lisvane said a tactical delay “would be extraordinarily contentious, and would be open to the strongest criticism on the grounds that (1) it was an abuse of the power conferred by the FTPA and (2) that it brought The Queen into that contention.”

He added: “In constitutional terms both would be highly undesirable and constitutionally destructive.”

Authors:
https://www.politico.eu/article/legal-l ... d-lisvane/
Mazars and Deutsche Bank could have ended this nightmare before it started.
They could still get him out of office.
But instead, they want mass death.
Don’t forget that.
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