Snap General Election called

[Sandydragon]

I was shocked to read today that Nadine Dorries, a health minister, had contracted coronavirus.

Who the fuck would give Nadine Dorries any responsibility?

[Sandydragon]

I see Chris Grayling has been appointed chair of the intelligence committee...

Bit of an oxymoron there

Definitely a moron.

[Puja]

ICYMI - Parliament can no longer work from home because Rees-Mogg says so. They had a perfectly functioning method of contributing and voting from home which was used during lockdown, but now that's eased, Rees-Mogg has decreed that they all have to travel in, regardless of the risk. If they don't want to travel or are in a household that's shielding, that's absolutely fine, it just means they can't vote on things. Surely no problem in a parliament at all!

Democracy!

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/co ... 45256.html

Also, Mark Francois thinks he's hilarious. Note the pause for laughter which doesn't come.


Puja

[Digby]

It's just very bizarre behaviour from Mogg. I've yet to find one person I know, friends, family, business (many of them staunch Tory voters) who is accepting of the reasons given that Parliament must vote in such fashion, indeed the overwhelming reaction is much closer to it being lunacy than it being a sensible way out of lockdown

[Mellsblue]

JRM is a prat (I’m being nice) but the govt, as of yesterday, have belatedly done the correct thing and MPs are allowed to vote by proxy if they can’t attend for any reason.

[Mellsblue]

It's just very bizarre behaviour from Mogg. I've yet to find one person I know, friends, family, business (many of them staunch Tory voters) who is accepting of the reasons given that Parliament must vote in such fashion, indeed the overwhelming reaction is much closer to it being lunacy than it being a sensible way out of lockdown

The polls back this up. I think he was in a very small minority who thought it a good idea. Coincidentally, I’d imagine that minority is almost identical in number to the ERG.

[Sandydragon]

It's just very bizarre behaviour from Mogg. I've yet to find one person I know, friends, family, business (many of them staunch Tory voters) who is accepting of the reasons given that Parliament must vote in such fashion, indeed the overwhelming reaction is much closer to it being lunacy than it being a sensible way out of lockdown

The images of MPs queuing in such a long line to cast a vote are just embarrassing. Like you, I can't find anyone who thinks its a good idea.Trying to send a message that they are back to work with the rest of us I understand. But you could have the lower chamber full (in social distancing mode) and allow full participation online. Message duly sent.

Now it looks like the Business Secretary, Sharma, may be ill and was seen to be suffering in the Commons yesterday. So he is now self isolating plus anyone else he was in close contact with.

Utter fucking lunacy of the highest order.

[Stones of granite]

It's just very bizarre behaviour from Mogg. I've yet to find one person I know, friends, family, business (many of them staunch Tory voters) who is accepting of the reasons given that Parliament must vote in such fashion, indeed the overwhelming reaction is much closer to it being lunacy than it being a sensible way out of lockdown

The images of MPs queuing in such a long line to cast a vote are just embarrassing. Like you, I can't find anyone who thinks its a good idea.Trying to send a message that they are back to work with the rest of us I understand. But you could have the lower chamber full (in social distancing mode) and allow full participation online. Message duly sent.

Now it looks like the Business Secretary, Sharma, may be ill and was seen to be suffering in the Commons yesterday. So he is now self isolating plus anyone else he was in close contact with.

Utter fucking lunacy of the highest order.

Let's look on the positive side here. If Sharma returns a positive test, it will at least give the contact tracers something to do.

[Stones of granite]

JRM is a prat (I’m being nice) but the govt, as of yesterday, have belatedly done the correct thing and MPs are allowed to vote by proxy if they can’t attend for any reason.

That's very generous.

I'm no class warrior, and the very few people that I have met who have his kind of background (if not exactly his kind of wealth), I have got on with reasonably well. One, indeed, I play curling with and against from time to time.

But, there is something about JRM's manner that makes me want to rearrange his face with a fire shovel.

[Digby]

It's just very bizarre behaviour from Mogg. I've yet to find one person I know, friends, family, business (many of them staunch Tory voters) who is accepting of the reasons given that Parliament must vote in such fashion, indeed the overwhelming reaction is much closer to it being lunacy than it being a sensible way out of lockdown

The images of MPs queuing in such a long line to cast a vote are just embarrassing. Like you, I can't find anyone who thinks its a good idea.Trying to send a message that they are back to work with the rest of us I understand. But you could have the lower chamber full (in social distancing mode) and allow full participation online. Message duly sent.

Now it looks like the Business Secretary, Sharma, may be ill and was seen to be suffering in the Commons yesterday. So he is now self isolating plus anyone else he was in close contact with.

Utter fucking lunacy of the highest order.

It did though remind me of this




Just to add to the social distancing Barry Gardiner attended the protests in London yesterday, which is understandable if perhaps not advisable given a role at the Commons. If any MP does undertake such a thing will they be self-isolating for 14 days before returning to the Commons?

[Mellsblue]

It's just very bizarre behaviour from Mogg. I've yet to find one person I know, friends, family, business (many of them staunch Tory voters) who is accepting of the reasons given that Parliament must vote in such fashion, indeed the overwhelming reaction is much closer to it being lunacy than it being a sensible way out of lockdown

The images of MPs queuing in such a long line to cast a vote are just embarrassing. Like you, I can't find anyone who thinks its a good idea.Trying to send a message that they are back to work with the rest of us I understand. But you could have the lower chamber full (in social distancing mode) and allow full participation online. Message duly sent.

Now it looks like the Business Secretary, Sharma, may be ill and was seen to be suffering in the Commons yesterday. So he is now self isolating plus anyone else he was in close contact with.

Utter fucking lunacy of the highest order.

Let's look on the positive side here. If Sharma returns a positive test, it will at least give the contact tracers something to do.

How’s voting, committees etc going in Holyrood? Vicious rumours you’ll have the IT up and running in a few weeks.

[Stones of granite]

The images of MPs queuing in such a long line to cast a vote are just embarrassing. Like you, I can't find anyone who thinks its a good idea.Trying to send a message that they are back to work with the rest of us I understand. But you could have the lower chamber full (in social distancing mode) and allow full participation online. Message duly sent.

Now it looks like the Business Secretary, Sharma, may be ill and was seen to be suffering in the Commons yesterday. So he is now self isolating plus anyone else he was in close contact with.

Utter fucking lunacy of the highest order.

Let's look on the positive side here. If Sharma returns a positive test, it will at least give the contact tracers something to do.

How’s voting, committees etc going in Holyrood? Vicious rumours you’ll have the IT up and running in a few weeks.

I'm pretty sure committees have been suspended.
No idea about the remote voting. It was meant to be in place a couple of weeks ago, but I've heard nothing.

ETA: I was wrong about the committees. They've been scaled back, but some are still running. I guess through zoom or something similar.

[Digby]

If our elected officials are using Zoom for meetings they're unbelievably stupid. Okay we live in an age of driving to test if you're blind, but there's no way the security of a platform like Zoom should be considered sufficient, their standard of security is suitable for arranging a socially distanced picnic with your in-laws, on which basis Zoom would ideally be withdrawn from the market to make it harder to arrange a picnic with the in-laws

[Stones of granite]

If our elected officials are using Zoom for meetings they're unbelievably stupid. Okay we live in an age of driving to test if you're blind, but there's no way the security of a platform like Zoom should be considered sufficient, that standard of security is suitable for arranging a socially distanced picnic with your in-laws, on which basis Zoom would ideally be withdrawn from the market to make it harder to arrange a picnic with the in-laws

I don't know if they use Zoom or some other video conferencing programme. I was just being lazy and typed "zoom" instead of "some videoconferencing programme".
I agree, I would hope that you use something a bit more secure.

[Mellsblue]

If our elected officials are using Zoom for meetings they're unbelievably stupid. Okay we live in an age of driving to test if you're blind, but there's no way the security of a platform like Zoom should be considered sufficient, that standard of security is suitable for arranging a socially distanced picnic with your in-laws, on which basis Zoom would ideally be withdrawn from the market to make it harder to arrange a picnic with the in-laws

I don't know if they use Zoom or some other video conferencing programme. I was just being lazy and typed "zoom" instead of "some videoconferencing programme".
I agree, I would hope that you use something a bit more secure.

From what I know, UK and Wales parls do use Zoom but it’s not the same as the one available to hoi pilloi like us.

[Digby]

If our elected officials are using Zoom for meetings they're unbelievably stupid. Okay we live in an age of driving to test if you're blind, but there's no way the security of a platform like Zoom should be considered sufficient, that standard of security is suitable for arranging a socially distanced picnic with your in-laws, on which basis Zoom would ideally be withdrawn from the market to make it harder to arrange a picnic with the in-laws

I don't know if they use Zoom or some other video conferencing programme. I was just being lazy and typed "zoom" instead of "some videoconferencing programme".
I agree, I would hope that you use something a bit more secure.

From what I know, UK and Wales parls do use Zoom but it’s not the same as the one available to hoi pilloi like us.

Still, all that concern about Huawei when they're giving stuff away for free on Zoom and WhatsApp

[Digby]

Just to be clear if I used Zoom for company business, and that business wasn't when can we meet up for a pint, I'd expect to get fired for gross misconduct. A bit different if you're a garden centre discussing when your next shipment of plants is due perhaps

[morepork]

So the PM contracts it, spends a week in the ICU, and this Mogg creature imposes in-person voting, now someone else has it?

That's just genius.

[Stom]

I mean...I use Zoom all the time, but no-one's going to be getting state secrets by listening in! It's not made for politicians or anything where more than a few thousand £ is at stake.

[Mellsblue]

I’ll repeat. It’s not the Zoom you plebs use for your family pub quiz. GCHQ have been involved in security measures.
Given there are cameras in the chamber, in the committee rooms and you can pretty much watch rolling coverage on a dedicated BBC channel I’m not sure what the problem is.
I’m sure anything sensitive/critical/confidential will not be discussed via Zoom. The other answer is govt goes about its business with no scrutiny, as per Holyrood (#stopthecoup), or by packing everyone into the chamber and committee rooms.....

[Digby]

I’ll repeat. It’s not the Zoom you plebs use for your family pub quiz. GCHQ have been involved in security measures.
Given there are cameras in the chamber, in the committee rooms and you can pretty much watch rolling coverage on a dedicated BBC channel I’m not sure what the problem is.
I’m sure anything sensitive/critical/confidential will not be discussed via Zoom. The other answer is govt goes about its business with no scrutiny, as per Holyrood (#stopthecoup), or by packing everyone into the chamber and committee rooms.....

I'm sure they do have secure communication tools, I do wonder if they have access to those in sufficient numbers. And I'd like to think they're not discussing anything confidential on public platforms, but I have my doubts, and the problem is I assume they do discuss matters more sensitive in meetings than we might expect to be given access to as the public. Although I would have liked to listen in on the strategy to defend the indefensible that is Dominic Cummings, unless that was just Cummings telling crown minsters what their position was

[Son of Mathonwy]

So the PM contracts it, spends a week in the ICU, and this Mogg creature imposes in-person voting, now someone else has it?

That's just genius.

Rees-Mogg brought it forward but 261 MPs voted for it. it's government policy, not the (merely) the whim of an extremely odd person.

It'll be interesting to see how many MPs get infected in the near future.

[Puja]

JRM is a prat (I’m being nice) but the govt, as of yesterday, have belatedly done the correct thing and MPs are allowed to vote by proxy if they can’t attend for any reason.

Good news, thanks.

Puja

[Sandydragon]

If our elected officials are using Zoom for meetings they're unbelievably stupid. Okay we live in an age of driving to test if you're blind, but there's no way the security of a platform like Zoom should be considered sufficient, their standard of security is suitable for arranging a socially distanced picnic with your in-laws, on which basis Zoom would ideally be withdrawn from the market to make it harder to arrange a picnic with the in-laws

They were using Zoom (blame the Cabinet Office for that) but after a number of other government departments suggested it was a bit daft, and NCSC agreed, they are now using other options.

At least for anything that isn't already publically available, which most parliamentary proceedings are.

[Sandydragon]

So the PM contracts it, spends a week in the ICU, and this Mogg creature imposes in-person voting, now someone else has it?

That's just genius.

Rees-Mogg brought it forward but 261 MPs voted for it. it's government policy, not the (merely) the whim of an extremely odd person.

It'll be interesting to see how many MPs get infected in the near future.

Actually it is his plan. This (not unsurprisingly) wasn't in the manifesto but the government whips were doing their usual thing and it gets passed, despite some internal rebellion.