Tag: Mrs May

A Take On Theresa

Artist Enzina Fuschini showcases her take on Theresa May at an exhibition in Chelsea; the work is supposedly anything but political

Italian artist and designer Enzina Fuschini held a press preview for her ‘Impact’ exhibition at Chelsea’s 508 Gallery on the Kings Road last night.

Aside from eleven 100cm by 100cm oil on canvas works, ranging in price from £3,000 to 4,000, and one larger canvas at £6,850, this energetic “pictorial force” has included a timely portrayal of Theresa May. The painting contains all the colours of the Tory leader’s “red, white and blue Brexit” but, according to its artist, presents “her in a timeless style with an ageless expression”.

Of the work, a spokesman for Fuschini remarked:

“[Enzina sought to] portray the woman behind the politician. The painting is not political. She had already started the painting three months before the General Election announcement and intends to give the painting to Theresa May as a keepsake”.

‘Impact’ will be shown at 508 Kings Road Gallery, London, SW10 0LD until 19^th June.

One of thirteen works by Enzina Fuschini on display at the exhibtion

June 7, 2017
Messy Mackinlay

As the CPS charge Tory candidate Craig Mackinlay, Theresa May’s poor judgment is yet again illustrated

Yesterday, in spite of Craig Mackinlay, the Conservative candidate for South Thanet, being charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, Theresa May strangely leapt to his defence.

Mackinlay, a businessman, Tory MP for the constituency from 2015 and leader of the deputy leader of UKIP from 1997 to 2000, defeated then UKIP leader Nigel Farage at the last election by 2,812 votes. Allegations relating to his election spending returns that campaign are cause of his current woes and if convicted, the one-time Conservative Member of Parliament could face up to a year in jail for corruption.

In a statement, issued on his Facebook page on Friday, Mackinlay remarked:

My candidature in South Thanet is entirely unaffected and my campaign continues as before. I will not let this decision affect the hard work I do for my constituents and the hard work I hope to do for them after 8th June.

Our justice system is underpinned by the presumption of innocence and I am confident that I will be acquitted as I have done nothing wrong and acted honestly and properly whilst a candidate in 2015, and as all candidates do, acted upon advice throughout.

Clearly this is a shocking decision by the CPS, given that I’ve done nothing wrong and I am confident that this will be made very clear as the matter progresses.

I am very disappointed with the way this has been handled by the CPS and Kent Police, and I must question the timing of this decision given that Kent Police confirmed on 18th April that their file had been sent to the CPS to review and make their decision: why leave this until a few days before the election?

In response, Nigel Farage – a man, if Mackinlay is indeed convicted, plainly robbed in 2015 – commented:

Once again, it is bad judgment from Theresa May. Why on earth would you allow someone to go ahead as General Election candidate when this cloud was clearly hanging over him?

I’m pleased that somebody’s been charged. My only regret is that there aren’t quite a lot more of them. I personally believe that the law was being broken wholesale in by-elections and in the general election.

What does it mean? Well, effectively what it means in that constituency is that, whilst his name will stay on the ballot paper, I think the chances of people voting for him are now very slim.

So, I think that constituency will be a straight fight, now, between UKIP and the Labour Party, and I will be there [on Saturday] afternoon giving a speech at 5 o’clock to support our candidate.

Illustrating her dumbfounded loyalty, Theresa May, however, added:

The Conservative Party continues to believe that these allegations are unfounded. Craig Mackinlay is innocent until proven guilty and he remains our candidate.

Shame on Mrs May: She should have, whether innocent or guilty, put a stop to Craig Mackinlay again running for election months ago.

June 3, 2017
Betting on the Blues

Jon Vine on betting on Britain’s 2017 General Election

The General Election is just days away and bookmakers are experiencing a surprisingly stronger than usual uplift in interest from political betting punters. After Theresa May called an election back in April, the United Kingdom is going to the polls three years earlier than expected and bookmakers have unsurprisingly made her party, the Conservatives, huge odds-on favourites to win the most seats and an overall majority.

Political betting has become big business over the past few years and bookies expect millions to be wagered on this year’s election. One firm alone, William Hill, took £3 million on the last General Election in 2015 and £5 million on last year’s US presidential election.

With six days to go until the election takes place, the Tories are just 2/9 with bookmakers to win the most seats, and 1/4 to win with a majority. It’s a general 6/1 at time of writing that Labour win the most seats, with a Labour majority 10/1 with some firms.

However, although the Conservatives are the bookmakers’ favourites, momentum appears to be with Labour, and their election odds continue to be trimmed ahead of polling day.

Mrs May’s lead over Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on YouGov’s ‘Best PM’ tracker has dropped massively in recent weeks, and punters can expect more twists and turns over the next few days.

In-play betting on the 2017 General Election is expected to be more popular than any previous election, and betting on a range of election markets will be available on 8^th June itself, with ‘in-play’ General Election betting expected to be live with a number of major bookmakers even after voting ends and right through the night until a result is announced.

Polling booths will open at 7am on Thursday 8^th June and voting will take place until 10pm. Counting of votes will only begin when the polls closed, and by the early hours of Friday, June 9th, the result of the 2017 General Election will likely be known.

Betting is available on candidates in 650 individual constituencies, and live election odds are available on such sites as BetOnPolitics.co.uk website.

For BetOnPolitics.co.uk, editor Phil Lowe commented:

“The decision to call an election caught everyone by surprise, although, looking back, there were a few signals that the PM was up to something – a big one being the omission of a date in the political calendar for the Queen’s Speech”.

“Despite the polls coming out in recent days, Mrs May and the Conservatives will still be confident of victory on June 8th and the betting still suggests this will be the case. The initial talk of a ‘landslide’ victory for the Blues may have died down, but although the markets got the result of the EU referendum wrong, and were also wrong with the US election, all signs still point to a defeat for Labour”.

Example odds:

Chelsea and Fulham

Alan De’Ath, Labour Party – 25/1

Bill Cashmore, Green Party – 400/1

Greg Hands, Conservative Party – 1/500

Louise Rowntree, Liberal Democrats – 250/1

Kensington

Lady Borwick, Conservative Party – 1/50

Emma Dent Coad, Labour – 50/1

Annabel Mullin, Liberal Democrats – 14/1

James Torrance, Independent – 100/1

Islington North

Keith Angus, Liberal Democrats – 20/1

James Clark, Conservative Party – 40/1

Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party – 1/200

Knigel Knapp, Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 250/1

Maidenhead

Lord Buckethead, Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 250/1

Tony Hill, Liberal Democrats – 33/1

Pat McDonald, Labour Party – 33/1

Theresa May, Conservative Party – 1/500

Westmorland and Lonsdale

James Airey, Conservative Party – 13/5

Eli Aldridge, Labour Party – 200/1

Mr Fishfinger, Independent – 200/1

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrats – 1/7

June 2, 2017
Liar Liar Theresa May

Captain SKA re-release 2010 anti-austerity hit ‘Liar Liar’ and this time use it to target “you can’t trust her”, Theresa May

In 2010, a musicial protest group called Captain SKA released Liar Liar as part of their aim to become a “voice against austerity and neoliberal politics”.

The track made some headway, but now, remixed and refocused on Theresa May in particular, includes such lyrics as “strong and stable won’t disguise, we’re still being taken for a ride” and in summary mocks her “porkie pies”.

On Saturday, a spokesman for Captain SKA told The Morning Star:

“We’ve remixed Liar Liar for this general election because we want to do all we can to expose the horrific effects Tory policy has had on ordinary people”.

“Theresa May lies her way through interview after interview without addressing the real issues”.

“We want to do all we can to make sure Theresa May is kicked out of Downing Street on 8^th June”.

Elsewhere, in a Facebook post, the group – who’ve already reached the top 40 with their catchy tune – added: “Download [Liar Liar] now and force the BBC to play it on our airwaves”.

#MakeJuneTheEndOfMay #StrongAndStableMyArse #LiarLiar

May 28, 2017
A Milder May

As Theresa May’s lead in the poll halves and Jamie Oliver criticizes her policy on universal free school lunches for infants, we call on voters to act with their feet and remind the Tory leader that moderates still deserve to be heard

There’s no point denying Theresa May will win on the 8^th June and there’s no doubt she’ll win big. The ‘alternative’ – not that Jeremy Corbyn’s pathetic excuse for a party can even be called that – is beyond bad but, with news that the Conservative Party’s lead has halved to 9 points in a week, comes good news for those that do not subscribe to a desire for a one party state.

With the prospect that Mrs May – whose attempt to make her ‘Strong and Stable’ campaign about ‘Theresa’s Team’ rather than using the name of her own party is starting to backfire – will not have as big a majority as she expected, there is a chance there will be at least some form of opposition to the vicar’s daughter’s hectoring ways.

In constituencies like Kensington, for example, ‘Remain’ supporters should vote against a shown-to-be lazy MP, Lady Borwick, and back Annabel Mullin of the Liberal Democrats – a lady who issued several video messages yesterday pledging to ‘#HoldToriesToAccount’. A protest vote in this Tory stronghold would send the most powerful signal of all to Mrs May that her “red, white and blue hard Brexit” needs to be tempered and it would act as a reminder that the 48% must still be heard.

Elsewhere, food campaigner and restaurateur Jamie Oliver spoke for the majority when he put his head in his hands and told Channel 4: “Oh, it’s awful. It’s awful. She will regret that” of the Conservatives’ plan to scrap universal free school lunches for infants in their first three years at primary school. He continued:

“Well, first of all, I’m apolitical. So don’t go thinking I’m ranting about one thing or the other… As far as I see it, and I believe I’m someone that’s had my hands dirty for twelve years now and I know what I’m talking about, right? It’s completely short-sighted. It’s completely short-sighted”.

“And I want her [Theresa May] to be a brilliant Prime Minister. I want a brilliant female Prime Minister. Fundamentally, what she’s doing is taking from teachers and taking from the kids”.

“If you speak to Mark Carney and the people at the highest level of economics, if you speak to Oxford Cambridge University on the modelling, the economic modelling of public health and the cost of ill health and the investment. Like, it’s the best bang for your buck you’re going to get. Don’t take from the kids. Don’t take from the teachers”.

May 21, 2017
The Cat That Didn’t Get The Cream

Though Julian Assange’s cat may have looked on smugly yesterday, all its bail jumping owner achieved was to make himself appear arrogant and ridiculous

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has evaded British justice for 2,356 days and though, yesterday, he may have stood on a balcony and pontificated about how he won’t “forgive or forget”, all he achieved was once again to show himself as a tedious pillock and complete nuisance.

In the time this narcissistic Australian has been holed up in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in Knightsbridge, with his help, Donald Trump has become 45^th President of the United States of America and all avenues of Swedish prosecutors investigating him over an alleged rape exhausted. It is a shameful state of affairs and it is utterly wrong that this bail jumper continues to think he’s above British law.

In response to a question as to whether she would support Britain extraditing Assange to the US, another self-serving sort, Theresa May, conveniently dodged a bullet yesterday. This equally smug woman blandly answered:

“Any decision that is taken about UK action in relation to [Assange] were he to leave the Ecuadorian embassy would be an operational matter for the police”.

#BirdsOfAFeather

Picture: Julian Assange’s cat in the window of the Embassy of Ecuador in London on Friday 19^th May 2017 (with sweets thrown on the windowsill by supporters supposedly keen to feed it and its bail jumping owner), © Matthew Steeples.

May 20, 2017
Nick Harrington

Racist Tory councillor Nick Harrington tweeted: “You can keep your f***ing gypsies” after Ireland gave Britain ‘nul points’ in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. The bigot, magistrate and director of Ambay Software Ltd. then added: “Hard border coming folks!” but showed no remorse when contacted at his £400,000 home in Weston-under-Wetherley, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Though Harrington was subsequently suspended by the Conservative Party and has now taken his Twitter account down, other social media users subsequently exposed previously highly inappropriate posts that this vile shocker had made elsewhere .

May 14, 2017
Hero of the Hour – Chuka Umunna

Chuka Umunna MP speaks sense on Britain’s membership of the Single Market

This morning, Chuka Umunna spoke for many when he was interviewed on Radio 4’s Today programme.

The Labour MP commented:

We’re saying from the point of view of London where you’ve got over 600,000 jobs that are linked to our membership of the Single Market, whether you voted to Remain or Leave, you didn’t vote to be poorer.

Our membership of the Single Market was not on the ballot as it were, during that EU Referendum campaign. We’re saying that yes you can be outside of the European Union and be in the Customs Union, like Turkey for example and you be outside the European Union and in the Single Market like Norway.

You can actually reform the ways freedom of movement works within that context. For example, at the moment there’s one thing that we don’t do that could do now under free movement rules – which have never, by the way, been unconditional. So, for example, if somebody comes here, and they’ve been here for three months, they haven’t got work, and there’s no prospects of that, they can be asked to leave. We don’t do that at the moment.

And there are counties in the Single Market like, for example, Lichtenstein who have actually been able to apply quotas to the number of EU citizens coming. So, I don’t accept this kind of binary explanation of how things work.

We can actually stay in the Single Market, have the benefits it brings but also reform the way our immigration arrangements work.

Yesterday, Umunna was joined by sixteen general election candidates to launch a pamphlet called Stop Hard Brexit: Why London needs the Single Market. He should be saluted for this bold move and for his wise words today also.

May 13, 2017
Quote of the Week – Beasts & Crooks

Dennis Skinner on the now rejected Tory election fraud allegations

Yesterday, the Electoral Commission astonishingly rejected all but one of the allegations of electoral fraud against Conservative Party candidates and officials in relation to activities during the 2015 General Election campaign. A potential charge, against Craig MacKinlay, the MP for South Thanet, is all that now “remains under consideration”.

A quote and image shared on Twitter by writer Marcus Chown summed up the reaction of many to the news perfectly. It featured a picture of ‘The Beast of Bolsover’ Dennis Skinner MP and the following text:

Dennis Skinner: “Half the Tories opposite are crooks”.

Speaker: “Please retract”.

Dennis Skinner: “OK, half the Tories opposite aren’t crooks”.

In text accompanying what he shared, Chown added: “Whether it was Skinner who said this or someone else, it seems apt. #ToryElectionFraud”.

May 11, 2017
The Tossers vs. The 48%

The 48% must make themselves heard at the 2017 General Election; they must vote tactically and do all they can to prevent the landslide ‘Queen Bee’ Theresa May is headed for

With UKIP’s first MP on trial for 14 counts of electoral fraud, 30 individuals connected to the Conservative Party facing potential prosecution in connection to the ‘2015 Battlebus’ scheme and the Electoral Commission investigating Leave.EU’s dodgy finances, one could question the reasoning for Theresa May’s enthusiasm for a General Election.

Right now, British politics stinks and with a hopeless and hapless Labour Party that had to rely on a Coronation Street ‘star’ with an obsession with the word “toss” to get their campaign going yesterday, Mrs May’s home run is now sadly virtually in the bag. Her timing – brilliantly executed and Lady Macbeth-like in fashion, even her critics will admit – ensures she can “bury bad news” Jo Moore-style and ensures she’ll be able to make her woes go away. The vicar’s daughter and the kowtowing garden gnome she calls husband will likely get the landslide they want and with the Queen Bee and her party campaigning in previously deemed ‘unwinnables’, Theresa May is truly going for the jugular.

All right-minded people want to do right now is sit in horror with their heads in their hands, but actually, in fact, there is something we can all do. We must use our votes wisely and must use them tactically. This is not an election about “the many, not the few” and its not one about the “strong and stable” leadership of “Theresa’s May’s team”; it’s about Brexit and we must all use our votes to ensure Mrs May doesn’t forget that the 48% still deserve a voice.

#MakeJuneEndOfMay

May 10, 2017