Paris’ Quest to Sink London City – Leaked Memo

2 Comments

1. 

   Oui on July 18, 2017 at 1:49 pm

   In top of the news stories on intelligence ‘leaks’ and RussiaGate, the Rupert Murdoch publications are all over the place … Louise Mensch, Orbis ‘dodgy dossier’ and the former British MI6 agents Chris Steele and Andrew Wood. Murdoch is also busy in UK and Australian politics. Don’t forget he has befriended the Clintons and Israel’s Netanyahu. Who is worried about the Trump clan?

   Tories refuse to deny Rupert Murdoch role in Michael Gove’s cabinet return | The Guardian |

   The government has refused to deny that Rupert Murdoch asked Theresa May to reappoint Michael Gove to the cabinet or face a bad press in his newspaper titles, insisting that cabinet roles are selected on “merit and experience”.

   Tom Watson, the deputy Labour leader, wrote to May last month to inquire whether Murdoch had sought any influence over cabinet appointments and Gove’s future.

   In the government’s response, Damian Green, the first secretary of state, did not address Watson’s questions about Murdoch directly but said that decisions about cabinet and ministerial roles were taken by the prime minister alone.

   …
   “I asked Theresa May to deny a deeply worrying allegation that had been made to me about her and she refused to do so,” Watson said. “It’s such an easy thing to deny – unless it’s true. People will draw their own conclusions.

   “With 21st Century Fox’s bid for Sky being considered by the government right now, questions about Rupert Murdoch’s influence over Theresa May were already being asked. This makes them all the more relevant.”

   Gove returned to the cabinet as environment secretary in June following the general election, which led to the Conservative’s majority disappearing. This was less than a year after May fired Gove as justice secretary on the back of his ill-fated attempt to lead the Conservative party.

    « click for more info »

   Following his departure from the cabinet, Gove was hired as a columnist by the Times, which is owned by Murdoch’s News Corp, on a reported £150,000 a year. Gove then became embroiled in a row earlier this year when it was reported that Murdoch was in the room when he interviewed the new US president, Donald Trump.

   Gove has spoken of his admiration for Murdoch in the past, telling the Leveson inquiry into press ethics in 2012 that the media mogul was “one of the most impressive and significant figures of the last 50 years.”

   ○ Theresa May likely to face coup attempt by some Tory MPs in autumn

2. 

   Oui on July 19, 2017 at 3:53 pm

   This interesting comment was posted @EuroTrib in diary by Frank Schnittger on Brexit …

   Re: Whistling in the wind… (4.00 / 6)

   There is no “somehow”. Brexit is in an instance of Anglo narcissism, which has been the defining characteristic of both English and US political theory since the days of Henry VIII.

   Of course there are instances of narcissism in other countries. But the UK and particularly the US elevated narcissism to the official state religion.

   In the UK’s case, we look back fondly to our days as a pirate state when our ships terrorised the Atlantic. And then we look back even more fondly to the stately days of the Georgian period when our financial, legal, educational, and military systems coalesced into a superbly efficient wealth extraction machine.

   All of the nonsense about “freedom” – which under capitalism means the freedom to act irresponsibly, even criminally, for personal profit in business – and “independence” all boil down to a holy and sanctified state of personal and tribal exceptionalism.

   The EU an affront to that, because it is clearly a superior power. So are immigrants because they infringe on the sacred right of narcissistic bigots to define their own social borders and exclude those they deem unworthy.

   Facts and logic themselves cannot be allowed to intrude into the holy sanctum of selfish ignorance which characterises this tribal mindset.

   Most European countries have first hand experience of the effects of this kind of nonsense. They’ve moved on.

   The UK and US haven’t. They’re still stuck firmly in the 18th/19th centuries, refighting the same imperial battles and winning the same imaginary wars.

   Why do less educated voters support this, even though they’re damaged by it? Because they identify with it. They define themselves as oppositional-defiant warriors against external invaders and usurping authorities.

   As an aside, one of the interesting things achieved by Corbyn is to recapture some of that oppositional-defiant ground from the Tories. If he can finish that, the Tories will lose the working classes completely.

   This isn’t the entirety of the Anglo psyche because we still have a strongly cosmopolitan middle class with broader horizons. But it’s a foundational element, especially for certain demographics.

   It’s difficult to imagine them changing their minds. They’ll simply have to die out before the UK – or whatever is left of it – can move on.

   by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Tue Jul 18th, 2017 at 08:04:22 PM PDT