General Election 2017

British Prime Minister Theresa May's office says the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed principles to support her Conservative minority government.

This week's election left the Conservatives several seats short of a majority in Parliament, so they are seeking a deal with the Northern Ireland-based DUP, which won 10 seats. The deal sits uneasily with some Conservatives because of the DUP's opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

The Protestant unionist party also had links with outlawed paramilitary groups during the years of Northern Ireland's "Troubles."   Pot, kettle, black. May's office says that the DUP had agreed to in outline to a "confidence and supply" arrangement. That means the DUP will back the government on key votes, but it's not a coalition government or a broader pact. Downing St. says the Cabinet will discuss the agreement Monday.

Oh dear, them corbynistas are upset - again.   Well, tough!!   To keep him and his gang out of No 10 I'd be more than happy to sup with the devil. LL

UK premier strikes tentative deal with N Ireland party.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May struck a deal in principle with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party on Saturday to prop up the Conservative government, stripped of its majority in a disastrous election.


The result has demolished May's political authority, and she has also lost her two top aides, sacrificed in a bid to save their leader from being toppled by a furious Conservative Party. But the ballot-box humiliation has seriously — and possibly mortally — wounded May's leadership just as Britain is about to begin complex exit talks with the European Union.

Downing St. chiefs of staff Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, who resigned Saturday, formed part of May's small inner circle and were blamed by many Conservatives for the party's lackluster campaign and unpopular election platform, which alienated older voters with its plan to take away a winter fuel allowance and make them pay more for long-term care. More at link.

https://www.mail.com/int/news/uk/5263964-uk-premier-strikes-tentative-deal-with-ireland-par.html#.1258-stage-hero1-1

Lots of going on. And the sign-wavers don't seem to have noticed that Corbyn lost.....

They don't seem to understand that even if you add all the small parties to Labor they only add up to 315, whereas the Tories plus the DUP makes 328. LL

I'll be amazed if they don't riot.

Lamplighter wrote:They don't seem to understand that even if you add all the small parties to Labor they only add up to 315, whereas the Tories plus the DUP makes 328. LL

This is the point that most of them seem to have missed. Are they incapable of adding up?

Sabot wrote:

Lamplighter wrote:They don't seem to understand that even if you add all the small parties to Labor they only add up to 315, whereas the Tories plus the DUP makes 328.    LL

This is the point that most of them seem to have missed.  Are they incapable of adding up?

Hallo, ma petite! No, what is making them mad is they have lost all the 'freebies' Corby daggled in front of them to buy their votes. They have no idea of what a socialist government is likely to do - all they think of is a money-full ride. LL

What they are ignoring is that we already have 'free tuition' - and by the laws of unintended consequences, it's actually been BAD for students from poorer backgrounds.

They still have to pay rent, etc., but they are in competition with better-off students from the EU to whom Sturgeon also generously gives 'free tuition'. But not if they're from England or Wales....

Incidentally, why is it that the people who do the most screeching about 'love' always have the ugliest, most hate-filled, screwed-up faces?

This tells its own story:

Something else that's being overlooked in all this - Scottish Labour has pretty much gone its own way and is ANTI-Corbyn, so he can't count on them if he tries any dumb stunts.

The geographical breakdown of votes shows that support for Corbyn is almost 100% confined to the cities - he did indeed make the Hillary Clinton error. The shires won't put up with ugly faces screeching because they want Free Stuff.

Boris Johnson denies plot to topple UK PM Theresa May.

LONDON (AP) — British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has denied plotting to topple Prime Minister Theresa May, who has been weakened by the Conservative Party's disastrous election result. But May's hold on power remained tenuous Sunday as she tried to finalize a deal with a small Northern Irish party to prop up her minority government.

Former Treasury chief George Osborne — who was fired by May last year — called her a "dead woman walking," and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was ready to contest another election at any time.

Johnson, one of the Conservatives' most popular politicians, tweeted that an article in the Mail on Sunday newspaper headlined "Boris set to launch bid to be PM as May clings on" was "tripe." "I am backing Theresa May. Let's get on with the job," he said.

The Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority in Thursday's election. May called the snap vote in a bid to strengthen her mandate ahead of exit talks with the European Union. Instead, she has left Britain's government ranks in disarray, days before the divorce negotiations are due to start on June 19.

May's party won 318 seats, 12 fewer than it had before the snap election, and eight short of the 326 needed for an outright majority. Labour surpassed expectations by winning 262. Many senior Conservatives say May should stay, for now, to provide stability. But few believe she can hang on for more than a few months.

"I think her position is, in the long term, untenable," Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry told Sky News. "I just don't see how she can continue in any long-term way." To stay in power, the Conservatives are seeking support from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party. May's office said Saturday principles of an agreement had been reached, but the two sides later clarified that they are still talking.

"We have made good progress but the discussions continue," said DUP leader Arlene Foster. Downing Street said it hopes to finalize the deal next week, after Parliament resumes sitting. The two sides are looking to form a "confidence and supply" arrangement. That means the DUP would back the government on confidence motions and budget votes, but it's not a coalition government or a broader pact.

The alliance makes some modernizing Conservatives uneasy. The DUP is a socially conservative group that opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and had links to Protestant paramilitary groups during Ireland's sectarian "Troubles."

Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan told ITV that she could support a confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP, but any closer deal would be "a step too far." The government does not have long to ink a deal. It is due to present its platform for the next session in the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on June 19. The speech will be followed by several days of debate and a vote — and defeat would almost certainly topple the government.

Corbyn said Labour would try to amend the Queen's Speech to include its own commitments to end austerity and boost public spending. Without the amendments, he said Labour would try to vote down the speech.

"I don't think Theresa May and this government have any credibility," Corbyn said, predicting that there could be another election within months. "I'm ready for another general election," Corbyn said. "This is just the first step."

Corbyn said Labour would try to amend the Queen's Speech to include its own commitments to end austerity and boost public spending. Without the amendments, he said Labour would try to vote down the speech.

Oh, shut up, Steptoe, you lost by fifty seats, which everyone seems to be forgetting.

https://order-order.com/2017/06/11/labour-repeatedly-tried-to-do-deals-with-the-dup/

Labour have boarded the outrage bus over the Tories doing a deal with the “bigots and terrorist-sympathisers” in the DUP. They have some nerve…

In 2010 Labour tried to do a deal with the DUP. Gordon Brown wrote a letter to the DUP leader trying to buy his support. The then Northern Ireland Secretary Shawn Woodward worked on an “economic package” to secure DUP support. This morning Alastair Campbell said a deal with the DUP could undermine the peace process. On May 7, 2010, Campbell sat in a meeting where a Labour-DUP deal was proposed. Glorious hypocrisy from Bad Al…

Ed Miliband last night blasted the Tory-DUP deal as a “coalition of chaos”. Yvette Cooper this morning says it is “troubling“. Owen Jones says: “If Labour had ever done a deal with the DUP I would have been out there protesting it”. According to the DUP’s Ian Paisley Jr, Miliband’s Labour also tried to do a deal with the DUP in 2015:



Oops!

From two years ago:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-30424810/alex-salmond-snp-could-work-with-sinn-fein-or-dup

Alex Salmond: SNP could work with Sinn Fein or DUP
The former first minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, has told BBC Newsnight he believes that the SNP could play a decisive role in forming the next UK government - for the first time in a generation.
In an interview following his decision to contest the Westminster seat of Gordon at May's general election, Mr Salmond said he would refuse to work with the Conservatives but the Scottish Nationalists could work with Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein, if they took up seats, or the DUP.
"We would work with people who pursue objectives.... if there are policies in common of course we could work with them."

Oops!

PS Eck - you couldn't have 'worked with Sinn Fein/IRA', as they refuse to take their seats because of the Oath of Allegiance - another statistic everyone seems to have forgotten in this muddle.

General Boles‏ @GeneralBoles 5h5 hours ago
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'Right Jeremy, let's try again shall we? If you have 262 seats, and Theresa has 318 seats, who won the election?'

Pity she hadn't torn it up before the election.

Ridge questions Thornberry's grasp of maths after she claims Labour DID NOT lose election.

Emily Thornberry left Sophy Ridge speechless this morning after insisting that Labour had not lost the election – despite the mathematical impossibility to govern.

Emily Thornberry was ridiculed for living "in denial" when she rejected the fact that Labour had lost the election on Sky News this morning.

Jeremy Corbyn's party won 262 seats and – even with the help of the SNP and Liberal Democrats – could not form a majority government.

Ridge looked dumbfounded when the shadow foreign secretary revealed that the Labour cabinet was preparing for government.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/815730/Ridge-Emily-Thornberry-Labour-win-election?utm_source=traffic.outbrain&utm_medium=traffic.outbrain&utm_term=traffic.outbrain&utm_content=traffic.outbrain&utm_campaign=traffic.outbrain

'They don't want you!' Andrew Neil slaps down Nicola Sturgeon's bid to hijack Brexit talks.

Nicola Sturgeon was shut down by Andrew Neil for desperately claiming a vote for the SNP would strengthen Scotland's voice in Brexit talks - despite the Government and the European Union saying she was not invited into negotiations.

The SNP leader faced tough questions about her policies as she insisted Scotland should be allowed a seat at the table as the UK’s future relationship with the bloc is decided.

During his leaders interview with Nicola Sturgeon last night, Andrew Neil said: “You say a vote for the SNP will strengthen your hand in the Brexit talks, you’re not in the Brexit talks.”

To which Mrs Sturgeon replied: “Well you know what, we should be as should Wales and so should Northern Ireland.

“The Prime Minister has brought about this election, that gives the people of Scotland the opportunity.

“And I’m saying to people in Scotland whether you voted Leave or Remain, whether you voted Yes or No in 2014, this is an opportunity to strengthen Scotland’s voice in these Brexit talks and strengthen the influence we have in terms of the positions the UK Government take.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/810493/Andrew-Neil-slaps-down-Nicola-Sturgeon-bid-hijack-Brexit-General-Election

Thornberry's an idiot of long-standing, and a nasty piece of work too, like so many Corbynistas:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30139832

Labour's Emily Thornberry quits over 'snobby' tweet




Emily Thornberry has resigned from Labour's front bench after sending a tweet during the Rochester and Strood by-election which was branded "snobby".
The shadow attorney general apologised for the message, which showed a terraced house with three England flags, and a white van parked outside.
UKIP said she had "sneered, and looked down her nose at a white van in Strood with the cross of St George on it".
Labour leader Ed Miliband was "angry" at her, a senior figure told the BBC.
The resident of the house, Dan Ware, said Ms Thornberry - the MP for Islington South and Finsbury - was a "snob".
"I've not got a clue who she is - but she's a snob," he told the Sun. "We put the flags up for the World Cup (in 2014) and will continue to fly them.".....etc

'They don't want you!' Andrew Neil slaps down Nicola Sturgeon's bid to hijack Brexit talks.

No-one wants Sturgeon, including huge chunks of Scotland, where she shed nearly half a million votes and 40% of her troughing MPs. In less than three years, she's destroyed what took better people than her decades to build up.

She's also totally untrustworthy, and is now labelled a 'clype' - just about the worst insult there is here.

Anyway, she needn't worry, I am sure Scotland will have an input into the talks - but it's Ruth Davidson that will doing the inputting, not the SNP's lame duck leader.

Queen's Speech to be delayed for a few days. LL

I don't think it's quite as sinister as it sounds, LL. Thing is, Her Maj doesn't just get her Speech handed to her on a sheet of A4.......

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/12/queens-speech-delayed-has-printed-goatskin-paper-takes-days/

The Queen’s Speech is going to be delayed because it has to be written on goatskin paper and the ink takes days to dry.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman suggested at a briefing of journalists in Westminster on Monday morning that the state opening of parliament, scheduled for June 19, will be pushed back.

Government sources have now confirmed that the reason for the delay is the amount of time it takes to write the legislative agenda onto special archival paper.

The difficulty lies in the simple fact that the contents of the Queen’s Speech are yet to be finalised after voters returned a hung Parliament on June 8.

There are reportedly copies of a Conservative majority Queen’s Speech and a Labour majority Queen’s speech written on the goatskin parchment paper and ready to go.

But with the Tories and Democratic Unionist Party still negotiating a deal to prop up Theresa May’s minority Government the contents of the Speech are still to be finalised.

Once the details are set in stone they can be committed to the goatskin paper and sent away for binding before being presented to the Queen.

The Cabinet Office has confirmed that the speech is not printed on vellum, which is made of calfskin, but goatskin paper which also takes a few days for ink to dry.

However, despite its name, goatskin paper is not actually made from goatskin.

The material is in fact high-quality archival paper which is guaranteed to last for at least 500 years.

I don't think it's quite as sinister as it sounds, LL.

I was taking the p*ss, bonny, I was watching the reaction on BBC News to this latest news. LL