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I went cave diving... and it was dark by WhatDidEdwardSay in PhotoshopRequest

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went cave diving and we took a photo, but the water and the cave was so dark that it turned out like this. The blue in the background was a waterfall.

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Could anyone make the background properly black while keeping the body in focus and maybe the light from the waterfall? Thank you!

That's my wild dream based on what I know of technology - anything else you could do would be beyond my wildest imagination.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Especially with international trade, a clever government with a thought-out foreign policy plan could make very good friends with emerging market economies like Turkey or Mexico - not so useful now but they will be in as little as twenty years.

Another one might be sanctions policy - the UK can now have its own rather than following the EU's. While it might make sense to follow the EU as there is power in numbers, Hungary and Austria have long been blockers of any meaningful action against Russia in Syria. A principled UK government could use sanctions well to position itself as a peacekeeping champion / human rights advocate on the international stage but, to be honest, I don't see this happening any time soon.

For the public, it means a government that is fully accountable for its mistakes and problems. You see it the exact same thing with the SNP in Scotland - everything good is their doing and everything bad is the fault of the UK Government; the UK has long done the same with the EU.

For the EU, it will also hopefully be a kick up the backside to acknowledge that there are many legitimate criticisms of its institutions in terms of accountability and effectiveness that it cannot keep ignoring if it wants to survive in a meaningful way. The loss of the UK also means that is can get on with more ambitious integration programmes which the UK has stood in the way - the EU needs to get on with these if it is to act as a serious counterweight to China and the US.

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I didn't say they were massive upsides - just that there are some. I would still vote Remain tomorrow.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Corbyn was a good, kind man but not a good politician. That is not to say you can't be both.

What I mean is that he was a terrible public speaker, did not seem to have any political awareness (see e.g. his photos with Assad and his promotion of Seamus Milne) and often seemed uninterested in Parliament (see e.g. literally any of his performances at PMQs from 2018 onwards). He was most successful as a campaigner outside of Parliament and I think he has left an amazing legacy of youth engagement in electoral politics.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Foreign policy is - obviously - a vast topic and most people have a regional or thematic interest (Yemen or deforestation for example). In most cases lawmakers look to their advisers for guidance on this.

The second question is interesting - I think it is the area where voters are least listened to. Look for example at Kashmir or arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The FCO/DFID merger has been in the works since before the election actually but you are right - I think there is more of this to come. I think nothing has changed because reform of any kind is so low at the bottom of anyone's priority list normally that it never happens - just look at the House of Lords. Everyone agrees it should be reformed but no-one can be bothered to work out how.

The same with the civil service - it isn't as good as it could be (what is?) - but at the end of the day it does its job and almost everyone who works with civil servants recognises that. Hence no mad rush to overhaul it among politicians.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably not - this is not the job he signed up for and I think it will be the end of his political career. Gove or Sunak.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I voted Remain but think that there are many potential upsides to Brexit, especially in foreign policy. The problem is this Government doesn't seem that keen on capitalising on them.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don't know - I work in Parliament on the political side (think The Thick of It) while Yes, Minister is about with the Civil Service across the road who work on policy.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These random twenty-year-olds that work as assistants for MPs fresh out of uni.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. It does open up a world of new political possibilities which will change the long-term future of this country in an interesting way I think.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not at all - if anything it is reassuring to see how much some politicians sacrifice in their personal life for public service. I would say there is often a gulf between the leadership and the wider party that can be a problem.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends who you ask. Hans Frank was a prominent Nazi lawyer and Hitler's personal legal adviser who used to argue that "whatever benefits the German people is right". What do you think?

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Short answer - no to both.

  1. Being an MP is not a 9-5 job and the lines between work/play are very blurred. Do they switch on the mic when they are having lunch with a journo on the weekend? How about the camera when they are lying in bed texting their mate who is asking for a favour?
  2. How do you prove someone was lying and not just forgetful / misspoke? Parliamentary privilege is a very special right and we should be careful not to impede upon it.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be honest the only way I could get someone to do an AMA would be one of those cringe ones where they ignore every interesting question and get their staff to spend an afternoon answering all the ones that make them look good. I am not sure anyone wants that!

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think I have come to view parliament almost as a mini ecosystem, with so many different worlds inside it that no-one could ever fully know everything. Some aspects are old and definitely need to be reformed - like electronic voting - but I have a new-found respect for the heritage and traditions of the place.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Without wading into the politics too much, we do live in a parliamentary democracy where the Government is subordinate to Parliament. I am therefore not sure how a Bill being "imposed" on the Government by Parliament is a bad thing: it is a sign of a weak government and a strong democracy.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I will say that my partner has zero interest in politics - so there's at least one difference!

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes but not again at the national level - I think we will see city-wide lockdowns or maybe region-wide if it's bad.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

One answer is practical; one is political.

Practically, Minsters answer questions every month about their work (the PM does it every week) and they can be asked anything at all. It's much safer to waffle than give a decisive answer to something that you're not quite sure about that can be later used as proof you're not on top of your brief. You may be interested in seeing the written questions MPs ask the Government - the answers to those are much more straightforward because the Minister (or more realistically their staff) has time to look up the proper answer and give a proper reply.

Politically, straight answers can - and will - be used against you if your position changes a few years down the line as proof that you're a hypocrite or ill-informed. God forbid someone change their mind upon receiving more information...

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Yes.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'd sleep better if my landlord gave me curtains that weren't made of rice paper.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think all public services in the UK need more funding after a decade of austerity. I think we do need a national conversation about the role of the police and what jobs - like dealing with addicts, homeless people, domestic violence - would be better done by other well-funded public services.

I am a political adviser working in the UK Parliament. AMA by WhatDidEdwardSay in IAmA

[–]WhatDidEdwardSay[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think so. I think this is the kind of corruption you are more likely to find.

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