Donald Trump decided late on Saturday against imposing a broad lockdown on New York and its neighbours after a strong pushback from local political leaders and warnings of the panic it could spark.
Archiv: regions / local
Trump says coronavirus quarantine on New York, New Jersey, Connecticut not necessary, CDC issues 14-day ‚travel advisory‘
„A quarantine will not be necessary,“ he tweeted, noting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would issue a „travel advisory“ later in the evening.
The CDC shortly after issued a Domestic Travel Advisory urging against „non-essential domestic travel“ in the tri-state area for 14 days.
Martial Law Would Sweep the Country Into a Great Legal Unknown
n 1946, after the war ended, the Supreme Court ruled in Duncan v. Kahanamoku that the statute authorizing martial law in Hawaii did not enable military trials of civilians, and it warned against the “subordination of executive, legislative and judicial authorities to complete military rule”—but it offered no further guidance about the circumstances that would justify a declaration of martial law, or about the consequences of such a declaration. Nor has Congress ever tried to clarify the criteria for or limits of martial law.
Cuomo says possible NY quarantine ‚would be chaos and mayhem‘
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo responds to President Donald Trump considering a short-term quarantine of coronavirus „hot spots,“ including New York.
Cuomo: Quarantine would be federal declaration of war on states
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reacts to President Donald Trump floating the idea of a temporary quarantine for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Trump considering quarantine for New York and parts of New Jersey, Connecticut
Trump suggested the quarantine would be travel based, meaning people inside the quarantine area couldn’t travel to other places in the country. He also said he would talk to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) about the possible quarantine.
Cuomo said he had talked to the president Saturday morning but that they hadn’t discussed a quarantine.
Gouged prices, middlemen and medical supply chaos: Why governors are so upset with Trump
Masks that used to cost pennies now cost several dollars. Companies outside the traditional supply chain offer wildly varying levels of price and quality. Health authorities say they have few other choices to meet their needs in a ‘dog-eat-dog’ battle.
More than 90 infections linked to Seoul call center, numbers feared to rise
Commercial and office spaces on the first to 12th floors of the building, which include a wedding hall and a Starbucks franchise, have been shut down, while the city government is closely monitoring residents who live on the 13th to 19th floors of the building, he said.
The health ministry, meanwhile, said that five of the 207 workers were found to be followers of Shincheonji, which is associated with more than 60 percent of South Korea’s total infections.
All five have so far tested negative,
S. Korea’s virus cases rebound amid cluster infection in Seoul
Seoul’s confirmed cases jumped by 52 to 193, with at least 65 cases linked to a call center in Guro Ward and another 14 cases linked to Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital in Eunpyeong Ward. Another 13 cases in Seoul came from an apartment building in Seongdong Ward.
Incheon’s cases rose by 12 to 25, with 14 cases linked to the Guro call center. Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul and Incheon, saw confirmed cases climb by 12 to 175, with 26 cases tied to Shincheonji and 13 cases tied to the Guro call center.
South Korea hopes its coronavirus epidemic has peaked—but there’s risk of a ‘second wave’
According to the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), there were 131 new cases as of March 10, compared to 248 and 367 new cases the previous two days, respectively. However, the KCDC does note the decline in Daegu and Gyeongbuk region—where the majority of cases are—is because nearly all members of the Shincheonji church at the center of the outbreak now have been tested.
German Voters Get First Chance to Weigh In on Political Chaos
Germany’s political establishment was rocked earlier this month after the CDU’s chapter in Thuringia cast its lot in with the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, or AfD, to install the eastern state’s premier. The fallout sent shockwaves across the nation and was the main catalyst for Kramp-Karrenbauer’s resignation.
To add to the sense of chaos, tensions around extremist activity in Germany intensified late Wednesday, when an assailant killed 11 people, including himself, in the city of Hanau near Frankfurt.
American Federation of Musicians Local 47 Endorses Bernie Sanders for President
The American Federation of Musicians Local 47 is proud to endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the United States in the 2020 Primary Election.
Members of the Los Angeles musicians union’s political action committee voted unanimously to recommend that the AFM Local 47 executive board – the elected leadership body of the 7,000-member union – endorse Sen. Sanders as the candidate who best represents the interests of musicians. On Tuesday, the board in turn voted unanimously to endorse Sanders in an unprecedented move for a union historically removed from taking official stances in presidential elections.
Merkel’s Succession Plan Unravels as Protégée Ends Leadership Bid
Angela Merkel’s succession plan is in tatters. Who runs Germany next is anyone’s guess
Angela Merkel’s grand transition plan has derailed after her handpicked successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, unexpectedly called it quits on Monday.
Kramp-Karrenbauer, better known as AKK, announced she would not stand as the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) candidate to be German chancellor in the next federal election. She is also stepping down as the party’s chairwoman, according to the CDU’s press office
Germany’s Kramp-Karrenbauer to Step Down as CDU Leader
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer plans to step down as leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, a spokesman for the party said in a statement on Monday. Kramp-Karrenbauer will also not seek to run as chancellor candidate for the CDU in the next election.
Italy’s center-left seen beating League in key regional vote: exit poll
An exit poll for state television RAI said the PD incumbent was seen taking between 47.0%-51.0% of the vote, while the rightist candidate looked on course to take 44.0%-48.0%.
Boris Johnson thanks voters for backing Tories in Tony Blair’s old constituency
“And I can imagine people’s pencil’s hovering over the ballot paper and wavering before coming down for us and the Conservatives, and I know that people may have been breaking the voting habits of generations to vote for us.
“And I want the people of the North East to know that we in the Conservative Party and I will repay your trust – and everything that we do, everything that I do as your Prime Minister, will be devoted to repaying that trust.
Boris Johnson announces plans for spending spree in north
Boris Johnson is considering a raid on a £80bn fund to fuel an infrastructure blitz in regions that helped deliver his election victory, it has emerged.
Speaking in Tony Blair’s former seat, Sedgefield, which voted in a Tory MP last week, Johnson said his party “will repay your trust” and that voters had “changed the Conservative party for the better”.
Boris Johnson visits north-east England after Conservative gains
Speaking in Tony Blair’s old constituency, Boris Johnson has thanked Conservative activists and voters across north-east England for the party’s electoral gains in the region.
General election 2019: PM to visit north after Labour heartland gains
Boris Johnson is to visit the north of England later, hours after celebrating his party’s biggest election win for 30 years by sweeping aside Labour in its traditional heartlands.
I’m standing to be Stoke North’s MP on an Independent platform. I will vote and campaign to deliver brexit, Increase funds to our public services, regenerate our area and reform our democracy. No Party Whip. No special Interests. Just honesty and integrity. #MD4MP
(02.12.2019)
We urge Brexiteers in Stoke-on-Trent Central to vote for .@gareth_snell- he voted for the deal and opposes a second referendum. A democrat and Brexiteer. Vote for Gareth tomorrow.
We urge Brexiteers in Barnsley East to vote for .@Steph_Peacock she respects the result, opposes a second referendum and voted for the deal. A true champion for her constituents and democracy. Vote for Stephanie Peacock tomorrow.
✅ 21 times voted to deliver Brexit ✅ 3 times voted for a Brexit Deal I have stood with Don Valley voters now I ask you to stand by me. #flint4donvalley
We urge every Brexiteer in Blackley and Broughton to vote for Graham Stringer. He campaigned to leave and opposes a second referendum. Vote for Graham Stringer on December 12th.
We urge every Brexiteer in Grimsby to back .@OnnMel she opposes a second referendum and voted for Boris Johnson’s deal. A champion for Grimsby, democracy and Brexit.
We urge everyone in Barnsley to vote for .@DanJarvisMP- who opposes a second referendum, and who voted for the withdrawal deal. A true democrat. Vote for Dan Jarvis on December 12th.
Two Israeli Communists among Protestors Injured at Kafr Qaddum
One of the two Israeli Communist demonstrators injured at Kafr Qaddum is evacuated by Palestinians, last Friday October 4. (Photo: Zo Haderech)
Minister in charge of police says ‚very violent‘ culture to blame for Arab sector violence
Public Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan draws ire of Joint List leader who calls the remarks ‚racist‘ and accuses the minister of victim blaming; comments come in wake of protests against lack of police response to rise of violence in Israel’s Arab communities.
Arab Israelis vow to continue protests against violence, police neglect
Many Israeli-Arab communities have experienced a recent surge in violence, with some 70 people killed in 2019, marking a 20% increase from last year. This September, 13 Arab-Israeli civilians were murdered.
Arab leaders place most of the blame on the Israeli authorities, accusing police of not putting enough effort into fighting illegal firearms.
Wall Street Is Killing Local Newspapers
Perhaps the most infamous recent example was the breakdown of the 127-year-old Denver Post. Since private equity firm Alden Global acquired the paper, it has cut two out of every three staff positions — twice the industry rate for downsizing.
To add insult to injury, the firm has been using staff pension funds as its own personal piggy bank. In total, they’ve moved nearly $250 million into investment accounts in the Cayman Islands.
Italy’s 5-Star Backs Local Pact with Center-Left PD
By joining forces in Umbria, traditionally a PD stronghold, 5-Star and the PD hope to halt a long streak of victories by the center-right, which has triumphed in seven regional ballots since the national election in March 2018.
Success at the Oct. 27 Umbria vote would probably pave the way for similar alliances in the next few months in the regions of Emilia-Romagna in the industrial north, and Calabria in the poorer south.
Brexit Party Take Over Hartlepool Council
The defecting 10 met with the Brexit Party at Nigel Farage’s rally in Sedgefield two days ago, where they informed Richard Tice of their decision. Guido suspects this will be far from the last council taken over by the Brexit Party if we don’t leave on the 31st…
ARE YOU SERIOUSLY CHEERING A FELONY AGAINST A CONGRESSMAN
‚Too bad‘: Trump reacts to burglary at Cummings‘ Baltimore home after week of attacks
President Donald Trump appeared to sarcastically call out a break-in at Rep. Elijah Cummings‘ Baltimore home after a week of attacking the prominent African American lawmaker over the conditions of his Baltimore district — even comparing the city’s murder rate to third world countries.
„Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed. Too bad!“ the President tweeted on Friday morning.
Liberal Democrats win Brecon and Radnorshire by-election as Johnson suffers first defeat as PM
Jane Dodds, the Lib Dems‘ leader in Wales, won with 43.5% of the vote, ahead of former Tory MP Chris Davies on 39% after he triggered the by-election following his conviction for submitting false expenses.
Brecon and Radnorshire by-election: Polls close in first test for new PM Boris Johnson
Polls have closed in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election as new prime minister Boris Johnson faces his first test at the ballot box.
Live updates as Brecon and Radnorshire by-election polls open
Polls have now opened in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election.
The 93 polling stations in the constituency are open until 10pm tonight.
Brecon by-election: Loss will pile huge pressure on Johnson putting Tory majority to ONE
Mr Davies was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £2,500 towards legal costs, whilst also forced to carry out 50 hours of community service.
He was again chosen by the Tories to fight for the crucial Parliamentary seat after more than 10,000 constituents signed a petition to remove him.
Better to have a few rats than to be one
Finally, while we would not sink to name-calling in the Trumpian manner — or ruefully point out that he failed to spell the congressman’s name correctly (it’s Cummings, not Cumming) — we would tell the most dishonest man to ever occupy the Oval Office, the mocker of war heroes, the gleeful grabber of women’s private parts, the serial bankrupter of businesses, the useful idiot of Vladimir Putin and the guy who insisted there are “good people” among murderous neo-Nazis that he’s still not fooling most Americans into believing he’s even slightly competent in his current post. Or that he possesses a scintilla of integrity. Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood than to be one.
Baltimore Sun editorial board lashes out at Trump: ‚Better to have a few rats than to be one‘
The Baltimore Sun editorial board ripped President Trump as the „most dishonest man to ever occupy the Oval Office“ on Saturday in a scorching piece after Trump referred to Rep. Elijah Cummings‘ (D-Md.) 7th congressional district, which includes west Baltimore, as a „rat and rodent infested mess.“
@RepCummings is a champion in the Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague. We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership. #ElijahCummingsIsAPatriot
CNN’s Victor Blackwell tears up defending hometown over Trump attacks
CNN’s Victor Blackwell became emotional while responding to President Donald Trump’s tweets calling Rep. Elijah Cummings‘ (D-MD) district a „very dangerous & filthy place“ and calls out the President’s repeated use of the word „infested“ while attacking minority lawmakers.
Baltimore stands up for its city after Trump tweets ’no human being would want to live there‘
Trump tweeted Saturday morning that Baltimore was a „disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,“ saying that „no human being would want to live there.“
The President’s rant was directed at Rep. Elijah Cummings, who represents Maryland’s 7th Congressional District and recently lambasted conditions at the border.
Boris Johnson stokes early general election speculation and denies sounding like Labour politicians
“The story has been for young people growing up there of hopelessness, or the hope that one day they will get out and never come back. The crucial point is it certainly isn’t really the fault of the places, and certainly isn’t the fault of the people growing up there.
They haven’t failed. It’s we, us, the politicians, our politics has failed them.”
PM Boris Johnson pledges £3.6 billion boost for ‚left behind towns‘ after promising Manchester-Leeds rail link
In a clear pitch to traditional Labour voters, Mr Johnson insisted that politicians had failed people in the North.
He said: “The centre of Manchester, like the centre of London, is a wonder of the world.
“A few miles away from here, the story is very different.
“The story has been for young people growing up there of hopelessness, or the hope that one day they will get out and never come back.
“It could have been me”–participants of memorial and protest wear black, shed tears for woman killed by U.S. soldier
(02.06.2019)
“It could have been me…” At an emergency memorial and protest held June 2 to remember the murder of a woman by a serviceman in the U.S. Marine Corps in Chatan, Okinawa in April, participants prayed for the victim to rest in peace and confirmed the importance of thinking of the incident not as someone else’s sorrow but as an event directly involving each and every person in Okinawa.
‘Talk Caravan’ brings Okinawa base dispute to national level
(12.06.2019)
In a prefectural referendum in February, a decisive 72 percent of voters in Okinawa expressed opposition to the base relocation.
Tamaki’s pledge to halt the base transfer led to his overwhelming victory in the gubernatorial election last September.
Peterborough byelection result: Labour scrapes past Brexit party to hold seat
Forbes won 10,484 votes, beating the Brexit party’s Mike Greene, who took 9,801 votes, a margin of just 683. The Conservatives were beaten into third place with 7,243 votes. Turnout was 48%.
Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, left the count through a backdoor just minutes before the result was announced.
Shock as Labour squeak by in Peterborough by-election – but with less than a third of a vote – giving a chilling glimpse of Corbyn at No10 if Tories flunk Brexit and have to fight Farage in election
In a result that will alarm Tory headquarters Lisa Forbes took the seat despite winning less that a third of the vote – showing how Jeremy Corbyn could sneak a general election victory.
The narrow result saw the Brexiteer vote split between the Brexit Party and the Tories – combined they would have been enough to easily win the seat in an area what voted Leave in 2016.
The upstart eurosceptic party candidate Mike Greene lost the marginal by less than 700 votes to Corbynite Ms Forbes.
Labour win the Peterborough by-election
After a long night of counting, and an even longer campaign, the Labour party have been declared the winners of the Peterborough by-election. Lisa Forbes, the Labour party candidate, will replace Fiona Onasanya who was ousted from the seat earlier this year after she was convicted of perverting the course of justice. Forbes won 10,483 votes in the election, ahead of the Brexit party on 9,801, and the Conservatives on 7,243.
The #PeterboroughByElection result #bbctw
Peterborough by-election: Polls close in contest
The polls have closed in the Peterborough parliamentary by-election, with the result due in the early hours of Friday morning.
Peterborough by-election: RESULT NIGHT LIVE BLOG
Keep up-to-date with everything that is happening through the Peterborough Telegraph live blog below.
Voters head to the polls in Peterborough by-election
The polls in the Cambridgeshire city opened at 07:00 BST and will close at 22:00.
Results are expected in the early hours of Friday and coverage can be watched on BBC One’s This Week from 23:35.
Peterborough by-election: Tories ‚in hiding‘ as Brexit Party prepares for victory
Peterborough voters prepare for landmark by-election
Vote triggered after former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was jailed for lying about a speeding offence.
Brexit Party Storms Ahead In Peterborough By-Election As Voters Tire Of Two-Party Rule
Estimating around 70% of his support is coming from Conservative voters angry at Theresa May’s failure to deliver Brexit, however, Greene says: “They are standing up and saying ‘I support Brexit’ and it’s a bit of an ‘I Am Spartacus’ moment. The fears that have been pushed on them by the media and institutions are dropping away and it’s like ‘I Am Spartacus, I vote Brexit’.”
EU Election Blame Game
The Guy Newsroom can confirm from personal experience the levels of sheer unbridled incompetence at many local councils’ electoral departments. Trying to blame Brexit is a bit rich when exactly the same problems were reported five years ago, five years in which councils have still failed to get their acts together…
Azov neo-Nazis came to terrorize this small Ukrainian town and destroy the Lenin statue. The local people came out in anger and chased the fascists off.
The Labour donkey is dead
Where I live, in West Yorkshire, everywhere I go – to work, to the shops, to the pub, speaking with neighbours and friends – people have never been more openly political and unafraid to air their opinions. Talk is of democracy and its denial by Westminster; of traitors and authoritarians. The kind of language that would once only be used by marginal, radical groups has become the new normal. Even the local papers, not known for their political coverage, echo the public’s disgust at the denial of the referendum vote.
Rude Tories force Theresa May’s chief of staff out of secret WhatsApp group after slagging her off constantly
RUDE Tories have forced Theresa May’s chief of staff out of a local WhatsApp group after slagging her off constantly.
Gavin Barwell said he’d had enough of everyone attacking the party boss and dramatically quit the group, it was revealed yesterday.
PM’s chief of staff helps to lose Tory council seat in Woking
(03.05.2019) Gavin Barwell, as Inside Croydon’s loyal reader will know, is the former MP for Croydon Central. After writing the book How To Lose A Marginal Seat, Barwell duly lost his parliamentary seat in 2017.
Since then, he has been in a £150,000 per year job in Downing Street, advising the Prime Minister, Theresa Mayhem, as her chief of staff. And haven’t they been doing a real bang-up job?
Top Tory ‘surprised anyone bothered to vote for us’
“I am so sorry at the loss of many excellent Tory councillors,” he told the Observer. “But frankly, given the performance of the government, it’s pretty amazing that anyone turned out to vote Conservative at all.”
A grassroots movement to force out the prime minister is gaining ground in the wake of a set of election results that saw the Tories lose an astonishing 1,300 councillors. MPs and local constituency chiefs also warned May that agreeing a Brexit deal with Labour would lead to the party’s annihilation.
Theresa May sends desperate plea to Jeremy Corbyn to agree a Brexit deal
She today wrote in the Mail on Sunday: ‘To the leader of the opposition, I say this: let’s listen to what the voters said in the elections and put our differences aside for a moment. Let’s do a deal.’
Independents surge in local elections
By Friday evening, with seven councils still to declare, 1,009 candidates who stood as an independent or for minor parties had been elected, 236 more than before polling day.
Many of these ‚other‘ candidates represent so-called “hyperlocal” parties, which operate in only one council or ward.
Jeremy Hunt makes another Tory leadership pitch by speaking out against staying in EU customs union
Theresa May is considering agreeing a cross-party deal with Labour to keep Britain in the tariff-free wall, which would bar Britain from striking new trade deals with other countries on goods but would allow agreements solely on services.
This growing voters‘ revolt just might change the course of British history
Middle England’s seismic revolt against the Conservatives has officially begun. After losing over 1,200 seats in local elections, the party will likely be obliterated in European elections later this month.
Senior ministers rally around to save Theresa May ahead of showdown meeting to decide her fate
Graham Brady, the head of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, is expected to meet Ms May on Tuesday to again urge her to set a date for her departure.
If she refuses, they will consider rewriting the rules to allow a fresh vote of no confidence this summer – a move the 1922 stepped back from last month.
What would Maggie say? As the Tories face disaster exactly 40 years after the Iron Lady swept to No10, social historian DOMINIC SANDBROOK asks: Can the party survive?
Only a fool believes the political landscape will never change. As the Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan once told his aides: ‘There are times, perhaps once every 30 years, when there is a sea-change in politics. It then does not matter what you say or what you do. There is a shift in what the public wants and what it approves of.’
As it happens, Callaghan said those words almost exactly four decades ago, as he was preparing to lose the 1979 election to Margaret Thatcher.
Local elections: Conservatives lose more than 1,300 councillors
The Conservatives have lost 1,334 councillors, with Theresa May saying voters wanted the main parties to „get on“ with Brexit.
Labour also lost 82 seats in the English local elections, in which it had been expected to make gains.
‚A plague on both your houses!‘ Disillusioned voters hammer Tories AND Labour in local elections while the Lib Dems praise ‚awesome‘ gains as main parties lose hundreds of seats and furious voters spoil their ballots amid Brexit backlash
– Votes took place in 248 English councils and 11 Northern Ireland authorities amid a backdrop of Brexit anger
– Tories lose 409 seats and Labour 60 with results in from 109 of 248 councils in humbling backlash for both
– However Lib Dems gain 283 seats amid predictions they could get up to 500 in their best showing for years
– Labour and Tories suffer biggest losses in North and South East heartlands after internal rows over Brexit
– Voters shared pictures of spoilt ballot papers, writing ‚Brexit means Brexit‘ and ‚Get May Out‘ as a protest
Local elections: Lib Dems benefit as voters snub Tories and Labour
Thursday’s elections precede European Parliament polls later this month, when both the Brexit Party and Change UK – who did not stand candidates in the local ballots – will also look to exploit voters‘ dissatisfaction with bigger parties.
Some had made their anger explicit on Thursday by scrawling protest messages such as „Brexit“ and „traitors“ on their ballot papers.
‚TRAITORS‘ – Local elections results 2019: Furious Brexit voters hammer Tories AND Labour in bloodbath at the polls
The Tories have lost more than 350 seats and a dozen councils across England overnight as fuming Brits abandoned them – and Labour have dropped three major councils too.
Will Nigel Farage’s Brexit party sink the Tories?
But this time, few MPs from any party seem keen to talk about this week’s local elections — or the impact they are likely to have on Brexit, Theresa May’s tenure in No. 10 and the future of British politics in general. This is because they know that the European elections, which are just three weeks away, will have a huge influence on all of these questions.
The European elections are the vote that was never meant to happen.
May’s ‘silver lining’: Election guru says Tories will do better than expected at local elections because Brexit Party isn’t standing and UKIP are not contesting many seats
– Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is not involved and Ukip only has a few candidates
– The election guru suggested infuriated Tories might stay at home instead
– But he warned the election would still be ‚difficult‘ for the Conservatives
The Brexit party turned up in Newport, south Wales last night. A true Labour heartland. Usually.
The 2019 Local Elections
For those new media darlings Change UK and the Brexit Party (and that’s the only time you’ll see the B-word mentioned in this piece; isn’t that refreshing?) there are no or almost no candidates at all. These local elections came too early for them; as this column has pointed out on several occasions, the local election cycle turns more slowly than the 24-hour news cycle.
It’s because of interpretation difficulties like this that we have the Projected National Shares of the Vote, calculated by the BBC and by Rallings and Thrasher as estimates of what might have happened had the whole of the country voted. In 2015, when most of the councillors being elected this year started their terms, the BBC’s Projected National Shares were 35% for the Conservatives, 29% for Labour, 13% for UKIP and 11% for the Liberal Democrats;
Anyone who votes for either @UKLabour or @Conservatives on Thursday is voting to stop Brexit or cripple and disempower the UK with @theresa_may ’s WA+PD and thereby voting to close down Democracy.
Come Thursday night – Watch and learn.
Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted the Conservatives could lose 800 seats in Thursday’s local elections.
Tory Deputy Chair Admits Local Elections Will Be “Difficult”
‘Well I’m really frustrated with politicians as a whole, not just Conservatives… because of where we are with Brexit”. Optimistic…
The Tories are feeling the heat as voters desert them in droves for the Brexit Party
“We’re doomed”: The mood of Conservative councillors facing the electorate varies from nervousness to despair
Seasoned campaigners were shocked by the level of anger they encountered on the nation doorsteps – invariably from Brexiteers who felt betrayed.
One councillor in the East Midlands told me:
“I had somebody who was so furious he started getting a nosebleed. Even then he kept talking about the local Conservative MP letting him down.”
Someone from the North West, in a Conservative council, suggested that this week it was even harder pounding than last week:
“The decision to hold the Euro Elections is a disaster for us. For a start, it confuses matters. People think we might be canvassing for them and then really go mad. Before we have a chance of talking about local issues they start the conversation by saying they will definitely not be voting for us in the Euro Elections.”
What would be a good night for the Conservatives in the 2019 local elections?
But the most significant set of local elections are ones the Conservative Party won’t meaningfully contest, and were last fought not in 2015, but 2014: local council elections in Northern Ireland. All 11 local councils are up for re-election, and in an ideal world for the Tory party, these elections would confirm that the Democratic Unionist Party very strong performance in 2017 was not a passing phase but that the party is actually getting stronger.
INSIGHTS into the WORLD / What the ‘Indo-Pacific’ means for Japan
The Australian government adopted the “Indo-Pacific” term in 2012 as a pivotal idea in its diplomacy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe used the same term for the first time in August 2016 during the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), held in Nairobi, when he unveiled a “free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.”
Viewing the Inter-Korea Summit from Australia
The recently held Inter-Korea summit seems to have created some progress towards a peace treaty, and the potential for the nuclear disarmament of North Korea. While the countries of the immediate region and United States are deemed to have the most a stake in a less hostile posture on the Korean peninsula, Australia also has a significant interest in the development of greater trust and cooperation between the two Koreas.
Moon vows utmost efforts for denuclearization
Q: What role do you want Japan to play to solve North Korea’s nuclear issues and achieve peace and security on the Korean Peninsula?
A: Japan will be able to fulfill a very important role in the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula. I think this is true for such various fields as close cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the United States for the achievement of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and North Korea for the security of the North Korean regime. In particular, I think dialogue between Japan and North Korea should be resumed. If Japan-North Korea relations are normalized, that would greatly contribute to peace and security in Northeast Asia beyond the Korean Peninsula.
Japan and North Korea should talk, South Korea’s Moon says
Japan and North Korea should begin talks to normalize relations between the two countries and contribute to peace and stability in the region, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told a Japanese newspaper on Tuesday.