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Political Backstabbing, Prying Embassy and a Party for Pooh · Mark and Pete

• 0:05
  Political backstabbing prying embassy and the party for Pooh.
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  Welcome to Mark and Pete 2 blokes with half an opinion
• 0:16
  right then let us. Proceed Painful politics.
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  In the cut and thrust of politics, you need to be sharp
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  on the attack because to ignore the point or turn away, you'll
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  get a knife in the back. Well, my goodness, it's been a
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  dramatic week yet again in British politics.
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  Well, as we have seen unfolding in the media, Robert Jenrick was
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  initially sacked by Kemi Badenoch, yes, the Conservative
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  leader. Why?
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  Well, it came to light very quickly as a sequence of events
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  that he was in cahoots with Nigel Farage, Yes, UK, the
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  Reform UK leader. Now, what was interesting about
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  this particular story is that Nigel Farage, at the time when
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  this news broke, was already in a media interview.
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  Mr. Pete, I say to you, this whole backstabbing of politics,
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  he seems to be exacerbating, it seems to be growing.
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  Is there no end to the sharp knives of politicians?
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  Yes, it's interesting how Kerry Bannock acted very swiftly when
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  she learnt of the betrayal of Robert Jenrick, who was just
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  trying to leave the party. I mean it, that's not really a
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  betrayal, is it? Well, I guess you could say
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  it's. Leaving the signature.
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  Yes, I think it's more like that.
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  It's more like a rat leaving the Symphony ship than a patrol.
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  But yeah, yeah, it's it's it's one of those things where you it
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  it could be done for just practical reasons, pragmatic
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  reasons. Look, I'm not going to get
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  anywhere in this party in any way.
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  This party is going to lose badly.
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  So I better hitch myself to another wagon.
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  Switching metaphors, it could be a genuine change of heart from
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  generic. He has shown an enthusiasm for
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  the issues that that reform UK are big, unlike problems with
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  mass immigration, those sort of things.
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  Has he changed? He used to be I believe rather
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  pro the EU at one stage and has had a big bit of a change.
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  Are these genuine changes or are they changes for, as I said,
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  pragmatic reasons? It's difficult to tell because I
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  think it, it's rather, I think it's a different situation.
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  I don't think he's thinking in those terms.
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  I'm thinking in the, I think he's thinking in these terms,
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  Mr. Mark, I think he's thinking, as he's generally thinking this
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  I must be Prime Minister and that's the best for the country.
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  So it's, it's, that's quite a common thing with people who
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  become MPs. So I, I think it's all is
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  subservient to that there, you know, playing the long, playing
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  the long game. But yeah, it, it is very
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  unseemly. And I, this is my final point in
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  this opening remark, Mr. Barker, that is this, this is no way for
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  politics to develop effectively. You see, Reform UK is a
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  different party to the Conservative Party and just
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  taking old Tories who've let the country down over the past 14
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  years or so is not a way to bring about a new party.
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  Nigel Farage I don't think needs to be bringing in these people.
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  Now he has put an end date, I forget the exact date sometime
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  in May when he said the transfer window is closed.
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  Yes, football. Metal football.
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  Yeah, yeah. But yeah, so that's, I just
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  don't think it's the way forward.
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  You should. You shouldn't be having in old
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  tourists. You should be bringing in new
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  people. Well, indeed, in fact many
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  people have already criticised Reform UK for being almost like
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  the Tory reject party. Now I think that's a little bit
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  unkind because we know one one of the reasons why this was
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  happening. In many ways this probably broke
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  slightly in a manner that I think the Reform UK did not
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  really have in in their plans when Generic was obviously in
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  discussions with Nigel Farage. It's very clear that there had
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  been conversations and it was admitted later that that was the
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  case. But I think that what they were
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  trying to do is to time it in such a fashion that it would hit
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  the local elections coming up in May.
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  But here's coming back to the. Point, I guess that, I guess,
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  Mark, no, you say that. I guess that was the betrayal
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  that Kimi had in mind, yeah. Correct.
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  Now the thing here, which is I think is crucial, if you looked
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  at, dare I say, generics cutting comments, he was scathing of the
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  Tory party. Now what you've got to bear in
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  mind, which was interesting here when you were watching this
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  unfold in real time, was that generic meant that he claimed
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  that this was the last shot, as he was saying, to fix a broken
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  Britain. Now many people will probably
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  agree with that and then the people have recognised the fact
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  that Britain is not in the best state.
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  What was interesting is his turning of the knife on the
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  Tories, as well as Kemi Battanok herself.
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  And I think that of all the political speeches that I've
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  ever seen, certainly over the many, many years that I've sort
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  of watched and listened to politics, there are there have
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  been a number that sort of stand out.
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  But I think this one is going to remain in the mines for a long,
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  long time. Because what basically generic
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  is saying is that not only has now abandoned the Tory party,
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  but he's basically saying to that core electorate that's it,
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  it's over. The Tory party are broken.
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  They're incapable of of fixing the problem, let alone of course
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  the incumbent, which of course is the Labour Party.
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  But I think that this is another debate.
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  But what is the consequence? Because I think that let's be
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  honest, the Reform UK have got a momentum now.
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  Was it right to bring in generic?
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  Was that a good thing? Well, people can debate that.
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  But I think what you can see now is that I actually feel that
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  there's probably going to be more of these, not necessary
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  from the Tory party. There was a slight glimmer of
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  insight where Nigel Farage said, well, look out for a Labour
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  defection. It might be the case, but I
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  think that most people recognise is that politics is changing.
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  And in fact, what's interesting is for a bit of history, folks,
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  yes, here it comes. Because what many people have
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  said is that the Tory party of today is very similar to the
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  principle of what happened to the Liberals in the turn of the
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  20th century. They were a dominant party, and
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  it all fell away. They became a provincial, you
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  know, almost in the wilderness party.
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  You could argue that they've never really recovered.
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  But the fact is that I think that that's the way that the
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  Tory party will go as well. Yes.
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  Well, I mean, yeah, the the state of UK politics, it isn't a
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  bad way, but it needs to be. I mean, to go through a big
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  change, you expect this sort of upset of backstabbing and moving
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  across the floor to different to the from the from one party to
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  another to happen. But that's a good thing, because
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  we need change. We definitely need change.
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  But here's the thing, and I know that we talked about this
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  because yes, Mark and Pete well ahead of the game in many ways,
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  people we've talked about this in previous shows, may be the,
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  what essentially the reform UK is doing is they're almost
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  bringing like a war cabinet together.
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  Essentially it's it's comprising of different people from
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  different backgrounds to be able to address the real issues.
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  Those who are really passionate about changing the the country's
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  future and bringing together not just the culture of the company
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  and bringing that identity back, but addressing, yes, the
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  economy, poor infrastructure, definitely education, health
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  service and of course foreign policy.
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  All of those things definitely need to be tackled, but I don't
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  think that one party can do it. But ironically, look at what's
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  happening with Reform UK because essentially they're bringing in
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  all of these different experts with different experience.
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  I actually think that potentially done well and let's
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  see what happens in the next elections, but I actually think
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  that they could be the party for the future and will be ones to
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  look out for to address some of these big issues.
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  Well, let's move on to a different story.
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  But this is something that certainly has rumbled in the
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  political world, but potentially could have an implication on
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  you, Mr. Pete, me and the rest of the public.
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  It's all about digging a hole. Ming the mischievous mole,
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  thought political spying was his role until Victor the
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  investigative mole caught him in a political loophole.
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  Yes, now China, Yes, of course. Well, I know you were wondering
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  where that was going. Well, the fact of the matter is,
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  is that many MPs are urging the government to reject China's
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  controversial plans to have a mega embassy.
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  Now, this is something that is a big initiative.
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  Not only is it something that's going to affect local residents,
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  it potentially could affect the whole of Downing St. and the
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  rest of the country. Mr. Pete, are you concerned
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  about having a big mega China embassy, or do you think that
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  this is just simply part of the diplomatic process that any
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  country should go through in building relationships with a
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  foreign country? I, I don't think it's just that.
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  No, I, I, this is my take on it, Mr. Mark.
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  I'm saying that that the Chinese can't be trusted in these
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  situations. I mean, I don't know whether you
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  should be able to trust them. I mean, shouldn't they be after
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  Chinese interests? So, you know, given the
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  opportunity to spy, shouldn't they do it?
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  That's perhaps a debate for another day, but I think that
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  recognising that that's what they'll be doing, should you
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  have this massive embassy in the part in parts of London where
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  they would give them, using the technology of today, the
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  possibility of gaining access to secrets in some way.
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  We don't know exactly what they have, what they would have
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  planned, but they would have perhaps lots and lots of plans
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  on how they're going to use such an embassy.
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  I mean, if you're going to give the Chinese a new embassy, let
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  them have it out in Ruislip or somewhere like that.
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  I. Think that's.
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  Where the VAT headquarters said let, let, let respond on the tax
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  returns with it. But you know, I mean, even that
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  we wouldn't want them to, I suppose.
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  But you know, but I, I think that they need to be careful
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  with this sort of a Trojan horse.
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  It's not quite the Trojan horse analogy because, you know, it's
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  not a wartime situation, but by analogy it is there in that we
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  have to recognise that the Chinese, you know, a country we
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  can deal with, a country where they can be our friends as of
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  course as a country, but that doesn't mean we should trust
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  them. Because you, as the great Ronald
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  Reagan once said, this is how you deal with such people.
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  You trust and verify, you know, you trust them as, but trust
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  them as far as you can throw them.
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  Maybe you trust them, you as in you have a relationship with
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  them, but then you verify that that they're actually are up to
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  good and you so you need to keep them away from sensitive ways.
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  So no, I don't think it's a good idea.
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  I don't know. It's not the size of the embassy
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  per SE. It's it being in a sensitive
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  location? Well, now here's the thing.
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  Because back in 2018, China's government actually bought the
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  site for a staggering 255,000,000 lbs.
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  That was then. Now, what's interesting is local
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  residents who are part of this Royal Mint core where Beijing
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  wants to develop say that they're already gearing up for a
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  legal challenge if this is approved.
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  So I've got a thought. Why don't they just simply have
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  a desk in MI5MI6I mean, it'd be much cheaper.
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  Surely too close to the truth. Maybe no, maybe not.
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  But the fact of the matter is, is that look, I do agree with
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  you. On the one hand, we should have
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  a China sort of embassy there. The question is, and I think
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  this is where it really comes, is to what depth of breadth of
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  which that particular operation is equipped.
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  Now, some people were saying because of the way the
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  technology is working today, that we have to be, as you quite
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  rightly say, be very, very cognizant about what China is
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  doing, not just from a people perspective.
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  But remember, China is very influential from a technology
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  perspective, whether it be the chips that they make.
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  Yes, I'm not talking about your fish and chips.
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  I'm talking about the technology chips because you've been eating
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  the wrong thing there. I could explain a lot, but the
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  point being is, is that we do value their technology.
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  We value their innovation. They are very much a production
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  powerhouse. So we do need to trade with
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  them. But I think that what we need to
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  have is a balance, isn't there? And this is always very
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  difficult because when you have, you know, something like an
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  embassy, it's effectively a haven, isn't it?
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  You know, what goes on in those behind those closed doors
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  eventually should really be sacred ground that they should
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  not be infiltrated. So I think that politics is a is
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  a tricky thing because it isn't just about the security, it's
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  also about the other side of it. It's also about politics in
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  international trade. It's about law, it's about
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  compliance and many other things.
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  So from your point of view, I guess where do you stand then?
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  So are you more in favour that we should just go ahead with it?
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  What not I was saying that that that we should give them an
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  embassy, but I think it the location is problematic.
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  I don't I don't think the fact that they've bought it means
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  that they have to have planning permission for massive embassy
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  there true. You know, councils are so, so,
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  so much sticklers for certain regulations over what you can
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  build where you would have thought concerns over national
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  security would come under their purview when it comes to
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  granting the the right to build something.
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  So I mean, I would say no, I I would say no, Not that they
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  shouldn't have a massive embassy, but that they should
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  have a massive embassy somewhere else.
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  I don't see a problem with them being offended by it, which
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  though I'm sure they will well, might be impossible.
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  They are already. But I think, you know, you just
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  have to be realistic. And I'll put it like this, stop
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  trying to suck up to the Chinese.
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  They are our not, if not quite our enemies.
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  They are our our adversaries in terms of economic and and
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  espionage and so we need to be careful.
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  Well, as as we all know, as a sort of alluding, alluding to
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  China, keep your friends close, keep your enemies even closer.
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  Well, let's let's move on to a different story, which is maybe
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  something slightly more light hearted. 100 reasons to
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  celebrate Hurrah with Winnie the Pooh.
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  Make a hullabaloo at 100 Acre Wood.
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  He's now 100, it's true. And a birthday celebration for
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  Piglet Eor and Tigger 2. So picnic and party which no
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  child can poo poo. Well, yes, indeed.
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  Yes, at last, yes, we finally reached it.
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  Yes, Winnie the Pooh Aaml's creation is 100 years of age.
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  Now what's going to happen is, is that the collection and those
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  who are offering the legacy of Winnie the Pooh and managing it
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  from publishers and others want the country in the to celebrate
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  Winnie the Pooh. Now, I will say that in my
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  opinion, Winnie the Pooh gets my vote to be the next Prime
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  Minister. Mr. Pete, what say you about
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  celebrating Winnie the Pooh? And and maybe, you know, he of
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  little brain could probably help in politics.
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  Yes. Well, I can see.
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  Yeah, I see the reference to he of little brain, meaning Keir
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  Starmer, presumably. Yeah, the.
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  Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh being 100 years
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  old, quite a celebration. Now there were various different
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  aspects to this. I, I was just joking that, you
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  know, that, that that phrase about Winnie the Pooh could be
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  attributed to Keir Starmer. We were talking about the
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  Chinese Embassy recently. Well, of course, the, the leader
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  of China has been likened to Winnie the Pooh because of his
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  magnificent figure. And he, he's none too pleased
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  about it. And I, I remember a few years
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  ago that, you know, reference to this was, was banned.
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  And when something's banned in China, it's really banned.
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  But of course, we're not in China.
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  So there's no way that this, that we're going to be give way
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  to this, even though of course, we're very scared of the Chinese
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  because they might, they might infiltrate the market beat
• 18:03
  podcast, you never know. But it's going back to Winnie
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  the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh is one of those
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  cultural things. There's a story, a series of
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  stories written by an Englishman that just just have a special
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  place in the heart of English people, but not just English
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  people across the world. Of course, there is the Disney
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  version of Winnie the Pooh, which is good.
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  You know, I'm not a not against it, which with that distinctive
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  voice, we'd certainly answer it. But it's, it's just a whims, a
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  lot of whimsical stories with a lot of feel good.
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  Apart from if you're Eeyore and you know it, it just is
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  something worth celebrating. Because if you need to, we need,
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  I think, to celebrate the good things in life, but the good
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  things about our culture, you know, we like constantly doing
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  ourselves. Winnie the Pooh is such an
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  English character with such an English style about it,
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  including the wood, you know, the woodland.
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  So we should celebrate it especially.
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  Well, Ashdown Forest, which is actually the real 100 Acre Wood,
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  it is something iconic. And to your point, it's very
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  British. You know, for everything from
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  what we've seen from Shepherd's drawings to obviously AM Milne's
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  narrative, it's it's really through the years affected many
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  generations, you know, children enjoying, you know, toys, Winnie
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  the Pooh toys. I remember when I was growing
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  up, I had an inflatable Tigger. It was one of my prized
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  possessions and I was always keen to sort of expand them to
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  other Winnie the Pooh characters.
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  Yes, I must stop doing that now. But either way, the point being
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  is, is that if you think about parents who then teach their
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  children, who then in turn teach their children about the
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  stories. What's interesting is Mark
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  Pearson, who's the chief executive officer of Ashdown
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  Forest, said we look forward to welcoming all the visitors who
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  can follow in the footsteps of A, A and Milne witnessing the
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  charm of the landscape and the need to look after it for the
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  next 100 years to come. Yes, that's very poignant.
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  And I think that, you know, the more than we can see poo steps
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  going on everywhere, poo sticks as well.
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  Have you ever played that? Maybe some of our owners are not
• 20:21
  familiar with that, but you? Yeah, firing is sticking to a
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  real plane. Yes.
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  Who? Comes out of the other end.
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  Yes, exactly. So overall, I think it's it's a
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  fantastic celebration. I invite everybody to get
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  involved in Winnie the Pooh. Stories and and it's one of
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  those bait. It's one of those things where
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  it's, it's, it's a celebration of the sort of, of childhood
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  because he's a child's toy, isn't he?
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  Winnie the Pooh in the story and in reality there there was a toy
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  that he was based on. And it's those everyday little
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  things that we need to celebrate.
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  Like in the Bible, we have, you know, praying to God give us
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  today Our Daily Bread. You know, the, the daily thing
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  you need. And with poo, I suppose Winnie
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  the Pooh, knowing his procivities, would say perhaps a
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  little something sweet, which is something he was known for, say,
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  because it was all about the honey.
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  But you, you know, so those little touches, you know, bears
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  like honey, little bit of something sweet.
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  It's a, it's a, it's, it's just a nice story.
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  And I think niceness is often underrated.
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  Yes. And when I look about the
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  different stories that we've sort of talked about here from
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  some of the things that about going on in politics with the
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  rather unsavoury ways that things are going on, of course,
• 21:40
  of the shenanigans with international affairs and
• 21:43
  politics and what we just talk about, I just think that
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  everything's got a whiff of poo.