Brexit - the next steps

[Nearly Sane]

NS,

Even if there was, Laura Kuenssberg was saying on Radio 4 earlier that they wouldn't then need further Parliamentary approval if they wanted to postpone the original date. That could be the plan - seek a GE for before 31 Oct, then unilaterally push the date back.

Sorry, whose plan is this? I Don't think the Tories can go for an election with the date pushed back - Farage won't do an electoral  deal on that basis, several Tories won't vote for that.

[bluehillside Retd.]

NS,

Sorry, whose plan is this? I Don't think the Tories can go for an election with the date pushed back - Farage won't do an electoral  deal on that basis, several Tories won't vote for that.

I assumed her to mean that if the combined opposition could be duped into accepting a promise of a GE before 31 Oct instead of legislating to prohibit no deal (the idea being that the first act after winning the GE would be to take no deal off the table and/or to agree with the EU an extension to Art 50) they could be conned if the GE date is then extended as an admin matter. That's the elephant trap Blair was talking about earlier - if it came about there'd be insufficient time left to come back and legislate to take no deal off the table.   

[Nearly Sane]

Which is why surely no one should accept it without getting a postponement of the 31st October date?

[Nearly Sane]

Sam Coates from Sky just tweeted this


Cabinet ministers to be told draft legal text on Northern Ireland plan has been drawn up and ready to be introduced BUT

A source says draft legal text is just the existing protocol with the relevant articles on the backstop crossed out - not exactly a worked up plan

[bluehillside Retd.]

NS,

Which is why surely no one should accept it without getting a postponement of the 31st October date?

Exactly so, but Corbyn's cleft stick is that if he backs away from a GE Johnson will point and say, "but that's exactly what you've been demanding for the last three years". If he does go for it though, Johnson will bank on the opposition vote being so split that it'll leave him enough room to carry the day (having been enough of a Poundland dictator to win back lots of the Brexit party votes they lost last time out).   

[Gordon]

Reports that Boris Johnson is to make a statement outside Downing Street at 6pm - according to the Guardian live politics blog it isn't a GE announcement.

[Spud]

Everybody bear in mind that he was right about who planted the Novichok.

[Nearly Sane]

Wankmaster General

[bluehillside Retd.]

So that was a damp squib:

1. Make election stump speech

2. Blame potential no to no deal-voting MPs for risking cutting the legs from under a negotiating position that would never work in any case

3. Say you don't want an GE (while planning to announce one on Thurs) 

[Gordon]

He's a waste of space, and that was a waste of time.

[Roses]

The Brexit debacle is going from very bad to catastrophic, Britain appears to be going to hell in a handcart.

[Anchorman]

He's a waste of space, and that was a waste of time.

   



Cumming's poodle being  himself.

[Stranger]

"'Let's stick together', says Prime minister who is about to sling out 20 MPs from his own party for doing exactly what he did just a few months ago"

John Crace on twitter

[Nearly Sane]

So that was a damp squib:

1. Make election stump speech

2. Blame potential no to no deal-voting MPs for risking cutting the legs from under a negotiating position that would never work in any case

3. Say you don't want an GE (while planning to announce one on Thurs)

Well apart from the PM saying he is happy to break the law but then we know that to be true.

[Gordon]

John Crace in good form, as usual.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/02/boris-takes-a-leaf-out-of-cummings-game-theory-for-dommies

[wigginhall]

Boris says he doesn't want an election, but he does.  Corbyn says he wants one, but he doesn't.   The usual clarity.

[Nearly Sane]

Boris says he doesn't want an election, but he does.  Corbyn says he wants one, but he doesn't.   The usual clarity.

It's a bit like the logic puzzle where one guard always tells the truth, and the other always lies except everyone always lies.

[Christine]

Apparently Labour have said they won't vote for a GE unless certain conditions are met, two of them being that a no-deal exit is off the agenda and the Government agree to abide by the law.  I can't find a link, I heard it from a colleague who cited The Guardian.

Re Johnson pointing at Corbyn and saying "you've been asking for an election for years, hypocrite"  I think Johnson would be ill-advised to raise any issues of honesty or hypocrisy given his track record.  Why on earth would anyone take his word for anything?

The Metro had lovely pictures of the new puppy on 3 pages this morning, including the front.  I hope most people aren't as stupid as Cummings appears to think they are. 

[jeremyp]

Stupid claim. Would be like saying all those who voted for Labour under Tony Blair voted to kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Equally stupid.

I don't know if you are aware but Tony Blair is pretty much a political pariah for exactly that reason.

[Nearly Sane]

Apparently Labour have said they won't vote for a GE unless certain conditions are met, two of them being that a no-deal exit is off the agenda and the Government agree to abide by the law.  I can't find a link, I heard it from a colleague who cited The Guardian.

Re Johnson pointing at Corbyn and saying "you've been asking for an election for years, hypocrite"  I think Johnson would be ill-advised to raise any issues of honesty or hypocrisy given his track record.  Why on earth would anyone take his word for anything?

The Metro had lovely pictures of the new puppy on 3 pages this morning, including the front.  I hope most people aren't as stupid as Cummings appears to think they are.

It seems only sensible to have those conditions though I'm not sure how they can be met completely particularly the 2nd.

[jeremyp]

Would there be a 2/3 majority for an election without a postponement of the 31st October date?

I'm looking forward to this. The Conservatives will be voting to end a Conservative government and everybody else will be voting to keep them in power.

Then, I assume there will be a no confidence vote to try to form an interim government. If this wasn't my country, it would be hilarious.

[Nearly Sane]

I'm looking forward to this. The Conservatives will be voting to end a Conservative government and everybody else will be voting to keep them in power.

Then, I assume there will be a no confidence vote to try to form an interim government. If this wasn't my country, it would be hilarious.

I think they, everybody else,  don't need to vote against it, rather just abstain.

[jeremyp]

I think they, everybody else,  don't need to vote against it, rather just abstain.

I stand corrected, you are right, it's not a 2/3 majority, it's 2/3 of the House including vacant seats. If all the Labour members failed to show up to vote, the motion would fail.

[Walter]

I've heard Boris Johnson has become very disappointed with his new rescue dog when he discovered it can't fly a helicopter !

😤

[ad_orientem]

I don't know if you are aware but Tony Blair is pretty much a political pariah for exactly that reason.

Indeed and rightly so, but would you claim that those who voted Labour when he was leader voted to kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis?