Tag: Boycott

The Story: Frequently lumped together in discussion of a so-called progressive "squad," four Congresswoman, each elected to the House for the first time in 2018,...

The prime minister had suggested she would “engage constructively” with the indicative votes process, set up by a cross-party group of MPs led by the former Conservative minister Sir Oliver Letwin. But Downing Street sources confirmed that the government would whip Conservative MPs to oppose the business motion kicking off Monday’s votes. The deeply divided cabinet, which May’s own chief whip, Julian Smith, described in a BBC interview on Monday as the “worst example of ill-discipline in cabinet in British political history”, will be instructed not to vote. “I’ll leave it to historians to make their judgments on history,” he said. The prime minister’s spokesman said “soft Brexit” was “not terminology the prime minister has ever used”, but underlined her continued objections to Britain remaining part of a customs union. Would the UK be better off in or out of a customs union? Many Brexiters on the Conservative benches, including within the cabinet, are vehemently opposed to accepting a customs union. I’ve said that before. But we are approaching the point where the stakes are now so very high, and so transcend party politics and what this country is about, and the fundamental British value that political power rests on consent, that I think these things are coming on to the table.” Downing Street suggested it would be for the cabinet at its weekly meeting to decide how to proceed, if, as expected, MPs supported a softer deal on Monday. But government sources suggested May could still aim to bring her deal to parliament for a fourth time on Wednesday – when Letwin and his colleagues plan to set aside another day of parliamentary business, potentially to pass legislation implementing the outcome of Monday’s votes.

Better Together, the nonprofit advocating for the consolidation of St. Louis and St. Louis County, is tackling problems as would businessmen, who might be good at making money but don't know politics, said former city and county official Mike Jones, in an interview on the Inside the Post-Dispatch podcast. "For me, going to the business community for political guidance is like going to a goat for wool," said Jones, a columnist and member of the editorial board for the African-American paper the St. Louis American. "Every now and again you'll find somebody who knows how to do something besides vote. But that's not usual." "You're going to see protests in the streets," Jones said. "I'm saying if there's any testosterone left in black politicians, you will have a collective boycott of everything that happened. Better Together staff have argued in the past that the proposal would represent black communities well. They have also said that they believe it will pass in the city and county, a point the nonprofit repeated on Wednesday night.

Disgraced former Fifa President Sepp Blatter has criticised Sweden's government for its diplomatic boycott of the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, saying they "should have been there from the start". Blatter led Fifa for 17 years but was suspended from the sport in 2015 as a huge corruption scandal rocked football’s governing body. He is in Russia after being personally invited by the Vladimir Putin. The Swedish government on the other hand has only sent a representative to Russia now that Sweden made it to the knockout stage, ending a diplomatic boycott of the World Cup launched in solidarity with the UK over the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. They should support their team. It's not politics," he said. But when it comes to the World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world, you should be here." Swedish Enterprise and Innovation Minister Mikael Damberg is now in Russia representing the country’s government, who insist that their "political views remain the same" despite ending the boycott. Blatter, who is Swiss, will be hoping his home nation can get the better of Sweden on Tuesday as the two outsiders square off in Saint Petersburg for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals. MEMBERS' QUIZ: Test your knowledge of Sweden at the World Cup

More Rabat (AFP) - More than a month after its launch, an unprecedented boycott campaign in Morocco against three well-known brands has revived criticism against links between the country's business and political elite. Spreading like wildfire across social media, the campaign is targeting Afriquia service stations, Sidi Ali water and Danone milk -- leaders in their sectors -- and calling for a drop in prices. The boycott carries "a symbolic message from the middle class" against the marriage between political power and big business, political analyst Aziz Chahir told AFP. - 'Conflicts of interest' - The Moroccan press frequently covered conflict of interest throughout the 2000s, placing a sharp focus on the royal family and the National Investment Company -- since transformed into a holding company and renamed Al Mada. The enrichment of the country's ruling elite resurfaced in 2011 as the popular revolts of the Arab Spring swept across the region. Consitutional reform that year fuelled hopes for change, but the current government -- formed in 2017 by the Islamist PJD party -- brought in more technocrats and businessmen, along with accusations of conflict of interest. Elalamy says he has complied with the law and asked for an inquiry into the transaction to prove his innocence. "Nothing in the law prohibits businessmen from holding government positions," Abdelali Benamour, head of Morocco's Competition Council, told AFP. Fouad Abdelmoumen of Transparency Moroc said: "The state has not put in place mechanisms that define conflicts of interest and that contain excesses." The alliance between business and politics appeared again in headlines Tuesday, when Salaheddine Mezouar -- former finance minister, trade minister and head of the NRI -- was elected head of Morocco's private business sector.

Sometime over the past few days his conk had fought a losing battle with a hard object – possibly the prime minister’s fist – and a large scab had formed over its bridge. It wasn’t the best of looks. Especially when combined with the large bags that have formed under his eyes. Boris was outraged that nobody thought the government was taking the situation sufficiently seriously. The reason fewer Russian nationals were getting whacked in other countries was because Putin just thought it was beneath him. When Conservative Jack Lopresti asked if Russian cyber-attacks should be classified as cyber-attacks or acts of war, the foreign secretary was unequivocal. We were now officially at war. Now the foreign secretary could just do what he liked unilaterally. Just as they had last time. England would still play.

Seth Meyers' monologue from Monday, September 25. » Subscribe to Late Night: http://bit.ly/LateNightSeth » Get more Late Night with Seth Meyers: http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/ » Watch Late Night with Seth Meyers Weeknights 12:35/11:35c on NBC. LATE NIGHT ON SOCIAL Follow Late Night on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LateNightSeth…