The passage of time in Wellington and elsewhere
Theresa May has told parliament that she accepts Brexit will carry consequences for the UK, as a letter delivered to Brussels began a two-year countdown to Britain’s departure from the EU.
The prime minister made a speech on triggering article 50 minutes after the European council president, Donald Tusk, confirmed he had received notification. He declared that “the UK has delivered Brexit” nine months after a bruising referendum campaign.
Donald Trump bars New York Times, CNN, Los Angeles Times and Politico from White House press briefing
Several major American news organisations were on Friday afternoon barred from a White House press briefing in a an unprecedented move by the Trump administration.
All so consistent. When you are a despot you want to make sure that news information is contrloled which includes portraying the media as the enemy and the problem. Next stage is to exclude the ones who are more of an problem and split any semblance of group protection.
This latest action was predictable. How does the US deal with its President now?
How can anyone overseas treat him with anything but caution and contempt rather than acquiescence and promotion?
An eventful week for world politics. Following his inauguration on the 20th Donald Trump has made many executive orders to try to make an impact and harassed parts of the government to have information presented in a manner that reflects well on him. In particular when his ego was hit with the lower number of attendees that for Obama’s first. A worrying week 1.
He managed to fit in a visit from Theresa May who did her best to suck up and it would appear fight for a trade deal.
She did her best to avoid any comment on his support for torture and came out with the usual trite comments about ‘the special relationship’. Any trade deal with leave the UK screwed as the UK is in a position of weakness and that is well known. As described below:
What would such a deal look like? Tariffs between the US and the UK are already low, so it is the dropping of a different kind of barrier that Trump would be after. That could be a softening of the food standards that have kept out hormone-injected US beef. Or granting access to the NHS to overcharging US drug companies. Or a relaxation in environmental or labour rules that, set with our onetime EU partners, proved too onerous for US firms until now.
An to add to the air of weakness and lack to principals May is not cozying up to Erdogan in Turkey– another despot in the making.
All because of cutting off ties with natural allies, being out in cold in a worse place than at present with Brexit and the necessary drive to fill in the gaps at any cost. But the proponents tell us it will be all so easy and positive. The place really is going to the dogs. Let’s hope there is some traction of changing that apparent reality.
New Zealand hits the headlines overseas as the PM changes. John Key resigned unexpectedly last week despite his high approval rating.
Apparently he wanted to go out at the top at a time of his making and there were family considerations.
Bill is well known in the St Pat’s Town circle – a regular at the Big Boy’s Breakfast and parents’ evening!
So it makes new in the Telegraph:
New Zealand’s ruling National Party appointed Bill English as the country’s new prime minister on Monday following last week’s shock resignation of his predecessor John Key.
The centre-right National Party caucus met to confirm the decision on Monday morning with Mr English to be officially sworn in at Government House in Wellington later in the day.
Mr English, 54, was Mr Key’s preferred candidate to succeed him after serving as finance minister and returning New Zealand’s budget to surplus. But critics say the 54-year-old lacks the charisma needed for the top job. Mr English has previously led his party, taking them to a big defeat in the 2002 election.
A farmer with degrees in commerce and literature, he has been in parliament since 1990 and was previously leader of the National Party in 2002 when it suffered its worst election defeat.
Living in New Zealand, for a change, helped with following the unfolding news story. I followed the news on the net during the afternoon. On the bus home I tuned into Radio 4 for the updates. Very traditional. And then at home we watched the final stages of the results and the winning speech of Donald.
It currently feels unreal but the repercussions could be huge. Time will will tell how much. The politics in the world are truly disruptured.
Well maybe everyone has been proven wrong again.
The man who could not win/ would not win-won.
Hard to believe mostly given his personality, temperament, racism, misogyny, and the other litany of faults. I watched the coverage come in and was surprised.
However, listening to the reflections, commentary since it is fair to say Clinton was not a good candidate and too many people were never going to vote for her. Too much history.
She did not offer a message. He did even is it is a dreadful one.
Echos of Brexit. There are so many people who have been screwed by the system and will go for anything that is not the status quo.
6 charts that explain how Donald Trump won the most incredible election in US history | The Independent
Donald Trump has won the election after the most remarkable result in US presidential history. The Republican candidate swept to victory in key swing states including Florida to beat Democrat rival Hillary Clinton. The surprise result defied months of polls which predicted victory for Clinton. Data available begins to paint a picture of how Trump managed to win the election’ he began the race as an outsider discredited for his lack of experience before convincing the Republican party and then the nation of his abilities.
… is one of the basic criteria for a functioning democracy. The UK is (still) a democracy in that sense. But it looks as though the creeps who run the country’s tabloid newspapers don’t understand that.
Which is why this statement from the Chair of the Bar Council is welcome:
“The judiciary of England & Wales is the envy of the world because it is independent of Government or any other influence. When we speak to lawyers in other jurisdictions, it is our judiciary that they particularly………