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Hmmm:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/14/tory-remainers-getting-cold-feet-about-brexit-deal-rebellion

In other depressing news:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/14/g20-nations-still-led-by-fossil-fuel-industry-climate-report-finds

"The G20 nations increased subsidies for fossil fuels from $75bn (£58bn) to $147bn (£114bn) between 2007 and 2016, although they pledged to phase them out more than 10 years ago."

and these two gems:
"82% of energy in these countries still being provided by coal, oil and gas, a factor which has relied on a doubling of subsidies over the past 10 years to compete with increasingly cheap wind, solar and other renewable energy sources."

"Britain has made the fastest transition, with a 7.7% decline in the use of fossil fuels between 2012 and 2015, but the report warned that this could stall in the years ahead because the government had cut support for feed-in tariffs, energy efficiency and zero-carbon homes"

So we are doubling fossil fuel subsidies whilst cutting renewable subsidies. Happy days!

Politics also plays a big part in these decisions, as was the case in Wisconsin's $4.1 billion dollar subsidy to Foxconn. The state isn't expected to start seeing a return till 2042. They offered $230,000 per job, which will go much, much higher, as the number of jobs is going way down:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/29/18027032/foxconn-wisconsin-plant-jobs-deal-subsidy-governor-scott-walker

Are you arguing just for the sake of arguing, or do you really believe that countries/cities should offer huge tax incentives to the largest, most profitable countries in the world so that they will relocate there.

I mean, Amazon is literally owned by the richest man in the world. They already pay next to no tax. They should not be given even more tax breaks.

The original marathon ride?

I think we started at Tower bridge (cause 26.2 miles was way too far to ride) at 7am and proceeded to bolt it round canary wharf and down the embankment on perfectly empty roads with the workmen putting up barriers cheering us on. Lots of sudden group sprints for no reason. Then got stopped by security on the final sprint down the Mall. Retired to a greasy spoon for fry up breakfast. Great Sunday morning.

Hasn't the google campus closed down there?

Interesting report on the current state of negotiations and the options for the withdrawal agreement:
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/brexit-scenarios-final_0.pdf?wpisrc=nl_todayworld&wpmm=1

Page 3 has a great (terrible) chart. 4 of the possible 5 options end in a no deal and us crashing out.

Surely fracking is just an oil and gas industry answer to the question 'how do we keep making money as the domestic supply of gas drops?'

They have then sold it in to governments as 'this is a great way to secure your domestic gas supply'

Whereas the question the government should be asking is 'how do we reduce demand and phase out gas altogether?'

If they shifted the billions of pounds in subsidies that goes into oil and gas into insulating homes and buildings and installing ground source heat pumps in every house it would be a good start.

No Conservative leader can accept what the EU is offering. They are hamstrung by their own party and the DUP. So a change of leader will not change anything, other than making no deal even more likely.

But the Tories also will not call a GE, for fear of Labour taking power and the Tories then being in opposition for a generation.

Maybe a new referendum will help, but I'm not convinced of that either.

Agree that he is quite divorced from reality, but he is also a massive liar. He lies often and wilfully, about all kinds of things big and small and gets others to join in his lies.

Garland was nominated by Trump in March 2017.

Politics is broken in the US (and other places too obvs), but the republicans seem to be playing the broken game much better than the Dems.

Remember that Scalia died in Feb 2016, 9 months before the election. But Obama didn't push to nominate a replacement, because he didn't feel he had a mandate to appoint a new justice. Do you think the republicans would have waited 9 months till the election. Like fuck!

It's a very shitty system, and it does depend on your constituency, but if you don't vote for Labour, the Tories will get in for another term.

Considering this is 100% the Tories mess, could you vote for that to happen?

Or an AV style, where you list your 1st, 2nd and 3rd preference. But either way, my point was I don't think there is going to be a landslide vote for remain.

See the poll @aggi posted above. So many people are not following the negotiations and just want to get on with it.

All this fuss from Labour members about a people's vote. I don't think it is going to be the magic cure they think it will. What will the options be:

1. Deal
   
2. No Deal
   
3. Remain
   
   

I can't see any of those options getting 50% of the vote.

And the Brexiters are finally revealing their true intentions.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/18/rightwing-thinktanks-unveil-radical-plan-for-us-uk-brexit-trade-deal-nhs

Surely this will cause a massive backlash, as this isn't what people want or signed up to? I thought the hard right would have kept this all under wraps until we had actually left and then sprung this?

Official home office report on migration. This has made me so angry. Where the fuck was this 2 years ago!

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/18/immigration-report-is-much-needed-antidote-to-dog-whistle-politics

Always good to get an outside view of Brexit. This fun summary from the WP:

Doomsday scenario

When it was built a quarter-century ago, the Eurotunnel was hailed as an engineering marvel. The game-changing undersea rail link between Britain and the European continent helped spark our global age of frictionless, “just-in-time” trade and manufacturing. But the imminent departure of Britain from the European Union — just six months away — threatens to undercut one of the most elaborate transit networks and business models on the planet, disrupting daily life for businesses and people alike.

The $20 trillion European economy is built on open borders for delivering fresh English lamb to butchers in Milan or German disc brakes to BMW in Oxford — not in days, but hours.

British negotiators remain resolute that a new free-trade accord can be hammered out in time. Yet the British government is also warning British consumers and companies that they should brace themselves for a “no-deal Brexit” or “Brexit doomsday” — causing some degree of panic.

Now, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab is encouraging drug companies to stockpile extra medicine in case supplies cannot get onto the island. Cadbury has started hoarding chocolate for fear that ingredients will become difficult to obtain. On Thursday, the French minister for European affairs warned that British trains and planes might not be allowed into France without a deal, while the governor of the Bank of England told the cabinet that a no-deal Brexit would wreak havoc rivaling the financial crisis of 2008.

If London “crashes out” of Europe’s enormous single market and regulatory controls, Britain could find itself suddenly branded a “third country” under E.U. trade rules, subject to not only quotas and tariffs but also inspections at border control stations. British meats and seafood may be viewed as no different than a container-load of frozen chicken from Malaysia, which can take 72 hours to pass through an E.U. port.

It has gotten so bad that British authorities have had to downplay rumors the army would be deployed to maintain civil order.

Brexit fans, meanwhile, call threats of a no-deal doomsday a bluff — a propaganda project to instill fear. But polls show a majority of voters believes a no-deal Brexit is more likely than not, and experts don’t have a sunny outlook on what would ensue.

It would “quite likely to be the worst political, economic, and social crisis for a generation — maybe longer,” said Rob Ford, a professor of politics at the University of Manchester. — William Booth and Karla Adam

I'm exactly the same as snotters, have made it a life long point to never buy Nike after the sweatshop stuff came to light. I sort of new it was a bit foolish, cause Adidas and Asics are just as bad I'm sure, but it felt like doing something. Maybe I need to look into this a bit more.

Dyson and Amazon are still shit though, right?

I don't follow Seth, but have read a few of his threads and my impression was exactly the same as kl. He seemed (to me) to be predicting the imminent fall of Trump in every thread. I think when Cohen was raided he said it was 'THE BEGINNING OF THE END!'

Not doubting any of his facts or investigations, but his style grated and I stopped reading him after a while.

Here's a summary:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/05/thinktank-calls-for-major-overhaul-of-britains-economy

or a 10 point plan for those who like lists:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/sep/05/ten-points-for-a-better-britain-institute-for-public-policy-research

Good stuff from the IPPR. Would love to see a government enact all of these proposals.

The FT doesn't think Corbyn should be PM. I'm shocked!

Jesus, do you think he demanded those statements from Mattis and Kelly attacking Woodward so he could tweet them?

Not sure there should be too much excitement:

'while no less than three-quarters of those who voted Leave and think there deal will be a bad one would still vote the same way'

You would have thought that 2 years ago though, right?