Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder whether Johnson has broken the law with his ridiculous three letters to the EU, and to wonder what will happen now

84 replies

namechange122222 · 20/10/2019 08:36

apple.news/Az8_qgHymTWqRpi5nS4Oxcw

Johnson has sent a letter to the EU, three letters in fact, asking for an extension. One saying he is complying with the law, one reproducing part of the Benn Act but not signing it as he is supposed to, and one telling the EU that he doesn’t actually want an extension or words to that effect.

Childish, arrogant and idiotic - IMO yes. Has he broken the law and WTF will the rest of the EU make of this?

OP posts:
HappyDinosaur · 20/10/2019 08:39

They will probably continue to laugh at us and shake their heads in bewilderment. Oh wait...that's me! The whole thing is so ridiculous, you couldn't make it up.

Bluntness100 · 20/10/2019 08:39

I'm don't think technically he's broken the law, but clearly he's not complied with the spirit of it.

The eu will wait to see what happens tomorrow with the deal, if it's agreed. A technical extension is likely required, it's a mammoth job to get the legislation passed into law. There are over six hundred bills alone.

If the deal isn't agreed, then there will likely be an extension for a general election or referendum,. If it is passed, then there will likely be an extension that is simply technical to get the legislation passed.

AgileLass · 20/10/2019 08:42

He has signed it - a printed name is a legally valid signature.

It’s just all spin and bluster from no 10.

BeyondMyWits · 20/10/2019 08:43

It is like a toddler stamping their feet. Hopefully will get no reaction from the EU, but we should be making him realise that a toddler can behave how they want - within reason - at home - but when out and about you damn well behave yourself!

Making the UK seem like bloody idiots!

ChickenyChick · 20/10/2019 08:46

Or making the remain MPs look like idiots for voting down a deal?

I am a remain voted, but feel MPS are very busy killing democracy and any faith voters may have had in their MPS

Boris is an awful man, but he is trying to do what needs to be done

2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney · 20/10/2019 08:46

Part of me hopes that the court will personally convict him of contempt tomorrow. If they do I hope that the stocks as well as prison are included in his sentence.
The other part of me just wants the EU to ignore the lack of signature and grant an extension.

But I like the stocks better! Grin

2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney · 20/10/2019 08:48

chickery apparently it was a last minute decision by the DUP that swung the vote. You couldn’t ever label them as Remainers!

Amanduh · 20/10/2019 08:48

He hasn’t broken the law. It’s got his name on.
Something has got to get us out of this ridiculous roundabout of extensions and votes. We have voted to leave, parliament want to leave, they don’t want no deal, they haven’t agreed to a deal, but they don’t want to stay. They are being ridiculous and childlish, stuck in a never ending roundabout of contradictions, maybe this will force something to actually bloody happen.
His letters won’t make a blind bit of difference to what the EU decide anyway.
At least he’s doing something proactive. I don’t think he is making the Uk look like idiots. He is actually trying to get the job he was given done and what the uk have voted for. The uk look ridiculous because we have a parliament who can’t do anything or make any bloody decisions! The quicker that lot are cleared out the better.

ChickenyChick · 20/10/2019 08:49

2bees, DUP are only small segment of voters

ChickenyChick · 20/10/2019 08:51

It is UK parliament that look like fools, not BJ (though he is a twat, just for the record)

GhostofFrankGrimes · 20/10/2019 08:52

I wouldn't worry the UK has been an international laughing stock for the last 3 years. Just another day in Brextopia.

Duchessofealing · 20/10/2019 08:52

I agree with Chickeny, I too am a remainder but our MPs are voting for themselves and not their constituencies. We can’t keep having new votes just because we don’t like the result of the first one and it isn’t fair to keep delaying to avoid it. Democracy is dying a painful death.

Saddler · 20/10/2019 08:52

Hopefully they refuse an extension.

GhostofFrankGrimes · 20/10/2019 08:54

The people are split, parliament is split. That is representative democracy. MPs are representatives of their constituents not delegates.

Poppinjay · 20/10/2019 08:55

It's a shame that people are labelling the MPs' actions as undemocratic.

Our democratic parliament is based on the principle that we elect a group of people to come together and make informed decisions in our best interests. Undemocratic would be for them to act against our best interests to keep the gutter press happy and push through a referendum result that was advisory and based on misinformation. Democracy is a flawed system, like any other, but what happened in the commons yesterday is far more democratic than the original referendum or BJ's actions.

What I'd like to know if what happens if the EU refuses to grant an extension. Do we inevitably crash out without a deal on 31st or is there a way to force the withdrawal of article 50? I suspect that the result the EU would prefer is the latter.

Original poster
namechange122222 · 20/10/2019 08:55

I think Parliament have rightly voted for more time to consider the deal because so much is at stake - and Johnson should unquestioningly be carrying out Parliament’s wishes.

And part of the reason he doesn’t want the deal excessively scrutinised is that it downgrades things like environmental, worker and food standard protection to the political declaration only. This is what has certain MPs salivating in eager anticipation Sad.

OP posts:
MythicalBiologicalFennel · 20/10/2019 08:57

I am a remain voted, but feel MPS are very busy killing democracy and any faith voters may have had in their MPS

Boris is an awful man, but he is trying to do what needs to be done

Said no remainer ever Grin

Original poster
namechange122222 · 20/10/2019 08:57

So I for one am glad that there are people in Parliament who don’t just want to “get this over and done with”.

OP posts:
Cornettoninja · 20/10/2019 08:57

It’s just all a big game to him and his cronies isn’t it?

The french had the right idea

Iggly · 20/10/2019 08:57

Anyone who believes that at least boris Johnson is doing something is naive at best.

If you look closely he’s not actually negotiated a deal.

This isn’t a deal. It’s just a transition period for a deal but it doesn’t protect us from No Deal

That is why there’s so much resistance.

8 months to agree a trade deal, where the intention is to massively diverge from EU standard is not enough time.

If you want shit standards for food, for welfare, for employment rights (kiss goodbye to what we have at the moment in terms of annual leave, maternity rights etc)..... then I can see why you want this.

Degrading standards only benefits those who get rich off the back of others.

JuneFromBethesda · 20/10/2019 09:01

Thank you iggly for explaining it for the hard of thinking at the back.

What Johnson has done is utterly childish and pathetic - as someone said on Twitter, akin to scribbling over a parking fine with crayons in the hope that of annulling it.

PulpPixie · 20/10/2019 09:02

It’s the remainers who look like idiots

RibenaMonsoon · 20/10/2019 09:13

Boris seems to have been playing the long game. I think he has been working for no deal all along. The appearance of working to get a deal has just been to appease everyone and appear to be doing the right thing.
Yes we legally have to ask for an extention but the EU doesn't have to approve that extention.
Honestly I don't know how I feel about Bozza but you can't deny the guy is highly intelligent. If you read about him, his background, his education. He may look a fool but there's definitely more to him.

Roussette · 20/10/2019 09:24

Iggly you nailed it.

Tusk has tweeted that he has received the letter requesting the extension and will be consulting with other EU leaders. He is ignoring the fact it is unsigned and ignoring the letter from BoJo saying he doesn't want the extension himself. Tusk is the adult in the room.

Worth watching this... I love Rachel, an ordinary Mum in the street (probably a MNer) who demolishes the arguments against a second Referendum.

twitter.com/DougieMacM/status/1185575086952275969

Velveteenfruitbowl · 20/10/2019 09:28

To be perfectly honest I think he’s going a bit ott. I really would expect the EU to grant another extension after the last one achieve fuck all.