For the benefit of my foreign readers, and I suspect, several of my Brit readers, too, I should explain that 'Change UK' is the name - well, it was yesterday but who knows today? - of a political group - it is still not exactly a party - formed from sundry malcontents from all the main Parliamentary parties who huffed off a couple of months ago. I think, at the last count there were 7 or 8 of them, all sort of human, except Anna 'Sour Brie' Soubry who is obviously a wind-up toy! They are led, if that is quite the right word, by that dopey, black bloke called 'Chuck Yer Munna', or something like that!
Anyway, I have been keeping a careful eye open to try and discern what they are actually for! So far, it appears, the only thing they agree on - although I'm not too sure about 'Sour Brie' who never agrees with anyone on anything - is that they want to revoke Article 50 which was passed by Parliament with an enormous majority only a couple of years ago. Good luck with that one, 'Chuk Yer Munna', and in the unlikely event that you get your way, stand by for riots on the streets - led by me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcGHr7reCkI
Posted by: JK | Monday, 20 May 2019 at 17:35
Well done, JK, that's a corker!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 20 May 2019 at 18:18
Anyway, I have been keeping a careful eye open to try and discern what they are actually for......
Well that's simple.
Keeping their snouts in the Westminster/Bruxxles trough
End of...
Posted by: david morris | Monday, 20 May 2019 at 19:33
With his snout firmly in the Rooskie trough, heeeeeeeeeere's "Crooked Nigel"! ...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/20/electoral-commission-visit-brexit-party-offices-funding-gordon-brown-paypal
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Monday, 20 May 2019 at 19:37
Loz, it was inevitable that Labour would stoop to something or other to mitigate their failure to support brexit. Gordon Brown usually crawls out of the woodwork in such times.
Posted by: Glesga | Monday, 20 May 2019 at 22:32
Well SoD, the Russians have to keep in practice until the next US Presidential election.
Posted by: John Duckett | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 03:48
True enough John.
If those St Petersburg trolls are sick and tired of the PayPal sign up screen and typing "Ivan the Terrible" 500 times (500 X £500 = £250k = Brexit party donations, for the Gaffer coz I know maths ain't his strong point), they must be dreading next year's effort!
Whatever happened to Sexy Alexey, D&N's personal Rooskie troll, assigned by Vlad himself? I'm off to Winchester in a couple of weeks taking a bunch of mates to visit the Rifles museum, Roundtable and Cathedral. The Rifles museum has a fantastic Waterloo diorama, over which I reckon I could run and run for about 4 hours non-stop just on the final phase of the battle where it was Colonel Colborne, not Wellington, wot won it. And the Roundtable of Knights of the Roundtable fame, well as y'all know, I'm descended from Ap-Lake, so for all intents and purposes it's a family heirloom; I'll be making lengthy enquiries as to how they came by it, and if unsatisfactory, I might weell ask for it back.
But I come up a bit short on cathedrals, Alexey should be just the man. Perhaps he could come along and join us?
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 08:12
I note that the Brexit party is accused of complying with the law.
I have no doubt that "Open Britain" likewise complies with the law, indeed it specifically advises donors that donations under £ 499 do not need checking. Must get a lot of them though, they pay for the use of Millbank house and a full-time staff of 90. See Guido for the details.
Posted by: Pat | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 09:10
Back to the question, the chuks are seeking to get away from their parties. In some cases the parties are at fault, in others the MPs.
Posted by: Pat | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 09:24
One of the pre-reqs for the Libertarian revolution is banning (eh, Libertarian? ... Ed) political donations.
Rather, each citizen should have a £25 voucher (ah, vouchers, gotcha, Milton Friedman would be proud ... Ed) per annum to donate to the political party of their choice, and not a penny more.
Then at last the pols will be free to think about what's good for their new donors, aka the peeps, not unions, private sector monopoly owners, and Vlad Putin's trolls and bots.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 11:18
A bit of maths for the Gaffer, should be ok though ...
1. 46.8m (number of eligible UK voters) x £25 = £1.17bn per annum.
2. Ban on political donations.
I guarantee you that will be the best £1.17bn ever spent by the state, anywhere, ever in the history of mankind, and the ban will be the best statute ever to go on the books.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 11:24
I expect that Vlad and his friends would soon be printing their own vouchers! How about an option to pay your voucher into the charity of your choice?
Posted by: backofanenvelope | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 11:56
Yep, BOE, I'd go with that!
"SoD's Beer SPIV" (Special Investment Vehicle, very fintech, you wouldn't understand) is a worthy cause that's always in need of funding too.
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 14:13
We have small groups like UK Change over here. They are the occupants of a political purgatory from which there is no escape; garish radical centrism.
Posted by: Bob | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 15:38
How do you know I don’t understand SIVs? Like your Dad I know lots of things.
Posted by: Backofanenvelope | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 18:06
Oooh, looks like Teflon is at the head of the last assault column AND trojan horse, and leading them both into action in the central position! ...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/05/21/brexit-latest-news-cabinet-row-no-deal-philip-hammond-claims/
What can this mean?
Well, if you re-examine the Tourcoing map ...
https://weaponsandwarfare.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/i004.jpg
... you'll see the marvellous fractal nature of it. The Froggies have dashed into the central position, thereby splitting the allied forces into three. But also, to destroy the central position they have done a double Cannae on it! Wow. This is truly the most underrated battle in the history of warfare. I don't think I've ever seen anyone do that anywhere else - except in the "warfare by other means" that just happened today!
After 3 full frontal assaults on the centre, all of which bounced, Teflon's just done a pincer movement, aka double-Cannae, to desperately try to finish off the enemy. The Trojan horse on one flank - that is the Withdrawal Agreement that can be amended to death by Remainers, and the vote in parliament on having another referendum on the other flank - the first time she's played this card, her final reserve, I've spoken about before. And both timed to hit the enemy flanks in concert!
By God this woman does war honour.
Win or lose, at least she had the intelligence and coherency to derive from an objective a strategy and a tactic that was rigorous and consistent from top to bottom.
The big and simple question: Did she call it right?
I contend that going for a Cannae at the strategic level - going for hard Brexit or hard Remain - was a certain failure. Her analysis was the only one that had any chance of success. But that's not to say it will.
Well, as the Gaffer is fond of saying: We shall see what we shall see!
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Tuesday, 21 May 2019 at 18:10
This last minute effort from the remain mobsters to have a go at Farage was not unexpected and no doubt coordinated with the remain media. Gordon Brown emerging from his coffin is proof of this. Bank transfers are a permanent record of donations.
Posted by: GWC | Wednesday, 22 May 2019 at 00:17