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David Lidington
@DLidington
Former Chair & now Distinguished Fellow @rusi_org. President @conseurope, UK chair #Königswinter & #AuroraForum Ex Cabinet & MP [email protected]
Princes Risborough, England
Joined February 2012
Posts
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    Erm, the Implementation Period is actually part of the Withdrawal Agreement. It's in Part 4 of the Agreement, articles 126 to 132. No Deal exit = no Withdrawal Agreement = no Implementation Period.
    “You disaggregate the elements of the otherwise defunct Withdrawal Agreement.. You reserve the payment of the £39b.. That is in the context of the Free Trade Agreement, that we’ll negotiate in the implementation period, after we’ve come out on Oct 31st” @BorisJohnson #BackBoris
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    In 1972 Ted Heath's govt gave refuge to 28 k ppl of Indian descent expelled from Uganda by Amin. Heath's decision was hugely controversial but those refugees made massive positive contribution to UK life. Hope our govt now will match Heath's sense of duty & generosity of spirit
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    I've seen no evidence of the courts getting involved in politics but rather English & Scottish courts grappling with important legal/constitutional questions referred to them by UK citizens- and coming to different reasoned judgements.
    “The more the courts get involved in politics that is of detriment not only to politics but also the courts” Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng says judges involved with decisions on #Brexit are not biased, but says they are “interfering” #AndrewNeilShow bbc.in/2lI5bt8
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    Govt's Integrated Review, pub 2021 with PM foreword, rightly hailed UK as "soft power superpower", due to strengths inc "The BBC is the most trusted broadcaster worldwide, reaching 468m people every week, in 42 languages"(p 9) Best to strengthen & reform, not denigrate & weaken
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    In the light of comments today just reposting this of Maidan, Kyiv, 5 December 2013: I think Ukrainians understand fully that the EU (flaws & all) is a democratic project (one 🇺🇦 wants to join) and Putin's Russia is not.
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    Thoughts & thanks to the civil servants who'll be working all night to prepare options to put to Ministers for decision at #Cobra tomorrow.
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    Sadly, this or something like it was an inevitable consequence of unilateral action to rip up a treaty (let alone a treaty the same UK govt negotiated & claimed as a diplomatic triumph)
    "2 years ago we made a promise to the Northern Ireland Protocol. We are determined to break it."
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    This is nonsense. Three of the four named worked for me when I was a Minister. They gave me candid advice (& not always what I wanted to hear) but were scrupulous in trying their best to deliver on whatever decisions elected Ministers eventually made.
    Labour call the deep state a "conspiracy theory" and "disinformation". The only trouble is the UK does have a deep state desperately waiting to serve Labour. Look at Sue Gray, Matthew Rycroft, Antonia Romeo, Simon MacDonald etc. Since when was disagreement "disinformation"?
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    The most shocking element of this is that Mr Farage, in denouncing NATO expansion, shows no awareness or sympathy for the fact that the new democracies of Central Europe ardently pressed to join NATO as security against the risk of renewed Russian aggression & imperialism
    West provoked Ukraine war, Nigel Farage says bbc.in/3zlreeI
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    This decision seems both morally wrong & against UK interests. Surely those accepted onto #Chevening will be at particular risk from Taliban & among "brightest & best" whom our government rightly wants to attract to UK. Hope @BorisJohnson & @DominicRaab will review urgently
    Deeply disappointing to hear - on top of everything - that Afghans who received Scholarships from the UK government to study in the UK this year have now been told they will not be granted visas due to "administration issues". Surely someone can sort this out?
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    Differences between Cons, Lab & SNP over Gaza are tiny. A great pity the respective Whips offices couldn't put their heads together to craft a motion that all could support. Raucous squabbles and faux outrage over Commons procedure make us look like an unserious country
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    I wrote to @BorisJohnson yesterday to congratulate him on his election, to wish him well & to say I've decided that after 20 yrs on the front bench it's the right moment to move on. I shall leave the govt when @theresa_may offers her resignation to The Queen.
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    A reminder that for all its faults, flaws & misjudgements #BBC & esp @bbcworldservice & @BBCWorld is seen globally as bastion of editorial independence from state: loathed by autocrats like Lukashenko & followed by their citizens for that reason.
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    I’m shocked that @spectator published this. A serious lapse of judgement. Mr Liddle ‘s foul comment isn’t a just some bad joke to be dismissed. What’s he saying to British Muslims in our armed forces, police, NHS, schools, factories etc etc? #disgusting
    This is appalling in the @spectator by Rod Liddle. His suggestions are that Muslims should be unable to vote. What do we call that - Outright prejudice. This in 2019, when 3 Muslims have been murdered since 2013 for being - British Muslims. Despicable.