Snap General Election called

[Banquo]

Ian Botham, the famous idiot and tax dodger extraordinaire, is to head to the Lords

Tax dodger?

Living abroad to reduce tax liability. Hardly new thinking, but an odd thing to promote into the House of Lords, or at least it should be

Is that why he lives abroad?

[Digby]

Tax dodger?

Living abroad to reduce tax liability. Hardly new thinking, but an odd thing to promote into the House of Lords, or at least it should be

Is that why he lives abroad?

I don't know if he is still based overseas, but certainly for a long period he was very careful to limit the number of days in the UK lest he become liable for paying tax.

[Banquo]

Living abroad to reduce tax liability. Hardly new thinking, but an odd thing to promote into the House of Lords, or at least it should be

Is that why he lives abroad?

I don't know if he is still based overseas, but certainly for a long period he was very careful to limit the number of days in the UK lest he become liable for paying tax.

Oh I didn't know that, but then I haven't done the research you have. He lives in Almeria now.

[fivepointer]

Don't you have to be a UK resident to sit in the Lords?

[Banquo]

Don't you have to be a UK resident to sit in the Lords?

Don’t know that either. He may have two homes in any case. Wiki isn’t the best source

[Digby]

Don't you have to be a UK resident to sit in the Lords?

Don’t know that either. He may have two homes in any case. Wiki isn’t the best source

He has in the past had to be careful about the number of games he came over to commentate on because it would have put him over the top, especially once he'd spent a certain amount of golfing, family and infidelity time in the country already.

You have to be UK resident and paying tax in the UK to be nominated for the Lords, but I suspect you could do that for a very brief period, I don't think that's an ongoing requirement of membership.

[Mellsblue]

The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 states that all members of both the commons and the lords will be treated as domiciled for tax purposes.

[Stones of granite]

But on the flip side, she would be effectively endorsing the policies of 'this lot' without having any measurable power or influence (beyond the threat of resigning, which would lose some of its sting the second time around) and I don't know how much she would influence the calls for independence if she just came back to be the face of Boris's Conservatives.

Puja

Her choice, but public service is just that and one assumes she entered it to make a difference rather than watch from the sidelines.- its a moot point in all likelihood- my personal preference would be to have her back more prominently in UK politics. Mind, I've only just spotted she remains an MSP!

Just read she is to receive a peerage and will stand in at FMQ's, not sure if true.

Yes, she’s going to the Lords. A cynic might suggest, to get her out of the way.
It has been confirmed that Douglas Ross is to stand for election as Carlaw’s replacement, but so far he is the only candidate to declare, making it look even more like Central Office is pulling the strings. I expect they will get a couple of other willing hands to stand so that they can have something that looks like an election.

I know it's poor form to quote yourself, but I may be the only one who cares about this.

The Scottish Tories will, in fact, have a coronation with Douglas Ross remaining unopposed at the deadline today.

I suppose it may represent some kind of progress for the SC&U to appoint a career politician as leader, to replace a failed used-car salesman, but he will remain at Westminster until the Tories can find a Holyrood seat for him and in the meantime Ruth Davidson will fill in for him. When she's not at the Lord's, I guess.

It will be interesting to see how his relationship with Bluffer Boris works out. He has been described in the press as "close to the Prime Minister", but backed Remain, and quit his Government post over the Barnard Castle fiasco. I'm kind of wondering if the latter was part of the SC&U long term plan for him to distance himself from Bluffer to give him some credibility with the Scottish Electorate. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

[Digby]

Chatting to my nephew this morning about his A-level results and he's a little mystified and a little hacked off. He was contacted early doors by his 1st choice uni, i.e. today before he got his results, to say they'd take him whatever so in a sense it doesn't matter, but whilst he was a little worried he'd get an AAB rather than AAA he was expecting the possible B in the subject he scored lowest in for his mocks, in the event he did get an AAB but the B came in his thus far highest rated subject and one it makes no sense he was downgraded in, frankly he was an A* in that subject based on his mock and teacher assessments to date so heaven knows have they've adjusted for this. Had he gotten the B in the subject that was maybe a borderline A I think he'd have left it alone, especially with his 1st choice Uni saying he could go there whatever, but given the shock in which subject was downgraded I'm sure he'll appeal.

We've made a right fecking foul up of these exam gradings, both the processes and communications have been miserably bad, not even a C. And they spent a lot of time planning to still be this shit. Now there are grades coming out that make no sense, and nobody has any ideal what the rules are for appealing because of the late flipping and counter flipping by the Scottish and then UK governments

[Digby]

Just outstanding work from Cummings, Boris and Williamson these last few days. They had a bad plan which was executed badly with piss poor communication.

Anyone think Williamson is there for any reason but to get a kicking over GCSE results and then the return to school before being fired?

[Sandydragon]

Just outstanding work from Cummings, Boris and Williamson these last few days. They had a bad plan which was executed badly with piss poor communication.

Anyone think Williamson is there for any reason but to get a kicking over GCSE results and then the return to school before being fired?

Basically, this. He is (politically) a dead man walking.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Just outstanding work from Cummings, Boris and Williamson these last few days. They had a bad plan which was executed badly with piss poor communication.

Anyone think Williamson is there for any reason but to get a kicking over GCSE results and then the return to school before being fired?

Basically, this. He is (politically) a dead man walking.

This government doesn't do sorry, and it rarely does resignations - unless someone falls out with Johnson/Cummings. I think Williamson can fuck up as much as he likes as long as those two are happy with him. See Hancock, Patel, Grayling...

[Digby]

Just outstanding work from Cummings, Boris and Williamson these last few days. They had a bad plan which was executed badly with piss poor communication.

Anyone think Williamson is there for any reason but to get a kicking over GCSE results and then the return to school before being fired?

Basically, this. He is (politically) a dead man walking.

This government doesn't do sorry, and it rarely does resignations - unless someone falls out with Johnson/Cummings. I think Williamson can fuck up as much as he likes as long as those two are happy with him. See Hancock, Patel, Grayling...

See Cummings for their best example of just not giving a shit how they behave

[Son of Mathonwy]

Basically, this. He is (politically) a dead man walking.

This government doesn't do sorry, and it rarely does resignations - unless someone falls out with Johnson/Cummings. I think Williamson can fuck up as much as he likes as long as those two are happy with him. See Hancock, Patel, Grayling...

See Cummings for their best example of just not giving a shit how they behave

Yep. Bulletproof, or if not quite that then zombie-like in his ability to take bullets and carry on.

[Digby]

This government doesn't do sorry, and it rarely does resignations - unless someone falls out with Johnson/Cummings. I think Williamson can fuck up as much as he likes as long as those two are happy with him. See Hancock, Patel, Grayling...

See Cummings for their best example of just not giving a shit how they behave

Yep. Bulletproof, or if not quite that then zombie-like in his ability to take bullets and carry on.

or now letting Javid take a senior advisory position at a JPs having very recently held something of a senior position in government with some leanings toward finance.

I get Boris might want to help Sajid out after the drama over the advisors, but this really isn't appropriate behaviour

[Son of Mathonwy]

See Cummings for their best example of just not giving a shit how they behave

Yep. Bulletproof, or if not quite that then zombie-like in his ability to take bullets and carry on.

or now letting Javid take a senior advisory position at a JPs having very recently held something of a senior position in government with some leanings toward finance.

I get Boris might want to help Sajid out after the drama over the advisors, but this really isn't appropriate behaviour

If it doesn't get them arrested, they'll do it.

[Digby]

Boris marches out to bravely announce the buck stops somewhere in the middle.

[Digby]

Good news, those being asked to self-isolate who are on benefits will be able to get £13 a day. This will certainly ensure everyone you'd want to isolate will do so

[Digby]

Agent Cummings adds to his credentials as a super forecaster by again not being able to forecast his way out of a wet paper bag, he hires another weirdo racist and then oddly the weirdo racist has to be fired for suggesting live rounds be fired by the police at BLM.

Bloody alarming that someone like Cummings has been given such authority over the country in the name of taking back control, but will of the people be done.

[Digby]

Oh and ID cards are on the agenda again. Something actually in principle I don't object to even if many will, but I do have practical concerns about being able to maintain such a large database along cost and security grounds

[Stom]

Oh and ID cards are on the agenda again. Something actually in principle I don't object to even if many will, but I do have practical concerns about being able to maintain such a large database along cost and security grounds

What’s the difference between the ID card database and passport database?

[Puja]

Oh and ID cards are on the agenda again. Something actually in principle I don't object to even if many will, but I do have practical concerns about being able to maintain such a large database along cost and security grounds

What’s the difference between the ID card database and passport database?

A passport database is something one signs up for and isn't able to be polled by electoral services, HMRC, etc. ID card would have to be mandatory and, if it didn't mesh with a lot of other services, you'd have to question the point of having it.

I'm with Digby - I'm not actively against the very concept of ID cards (I look at the system in Estonia which allows people to vote online with envy), but I cannot see this government being capable of delivering it competently and would be dubious about any UK government's capability to do so.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

But that's okay, he's an expert in trade - but we've had enough of experts - but...

[fivepointer]

He's no expert in trade.

Even if he was, are we not as a free sovereign nation not capable of filling the post with a home grown person who is?

[Digby]

Oh and ID cards are on the agenda again. Something actually in principle I don't object to even if many will, but I do have practical concerns about being able to maintain such a large database along cost and security grounds

What’s the difference between the ID card database and passport database?

A passport database is something one signs up for and isn't able to be polled by electoral services, HMRC, etc. ID card would have to be mandatory and, if it didn't mesh with a lot of other services, you'd have to question the point of having it.

I'm with Digby - I'm not actively against the very concept of ID cards (I look at the system in Estonia which allows people to vote online with envy), but I cannot see this government being capable of delivering it competently and would be dubious about any UK government's capability to do so.

Puja

Boris Johnson loathes the idea of an ID card, and given he's a man who stands for his principles it's likely he'll bury this latest attempt. Or at least he did loathe the idea until he was one in charge.