Westministenders: Boris and The By-Elections

[RedToothBrush]

You lot post too fast!

A50 has made it out of the Commons without any amends. Its on its way to the Lords, but this week is half term, so in theory not much going on (in the UK at least). It hit the Lords on the 20th where it might not get such an easy ride. The Lords will not (and CAN NOT) stop brexit or frustrate it. But the numbers are in perhaps more favour of amendments if they choose to go that way, than the Commons. This would throw the bill back to the Commons. This is pretty reasonable.

In the meantime its 12 days to go until the Copeland and Stoke Central By-Elections.

Leave.Eu think UKIP have Stoke in the bag. They think there will be a 33% turnout. I think a turnout that high is the land of fantasy. Paul Nuttalls who was at Hillsborough is now a devout Stokie who has lived there all his life. Except of course he isn't.

Copeland looks like it will go Conservative. Its theirs to throw away. It would be the first victory for a sitting government in a by-election since 1983 if they make it. They intend to use a victory as another argument for a 'mandate'. But have they managed to drop a nuclear booboo?

One more Question. What are the chances of this thread making it to the 23rd?!

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/13/northern-ireland-power-sharing-james-brokenshire-accused-of-being-biased-naomi-long?CMP=twt_gu
Northern Ireland power sharing: Brokenshire accused of being biased
Alliance party leader says NI secretary’s criticism of prosecuting British ex-soldiers means he won’t be neutral in post-vote talks on Troubles-related issues

Note: This is from the ALLIANCE PARTY.

Wrt Bercow, my Tory MP is one of the deputy speakers. She put a message up on her facebook page on the day of the referendum to tell her constituents that although she usually remains impartial she wanted to let them know that she had voted Leave.

So why is her name not being bandied about? Why isn't there a move to unseat her, if she is not impartial either? This was on facebook, to her constituents, not a private meeting at a University.

Just for interest, the early day motion to remove john Bercow is available at www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions and is edm943.

So far there is one signatory -James Duddridge who signed on 9th Feb- the date the motion was tabled.

One of the factors in my Remain vote was the situation in N Ireland. I don't doubt that if May got back into Westminster with an increased majority of English MPs that she would ditch the DUP.

My understanding is that she doesn't really need to ditch the DUP; the DUP has always aligned itself very strongly with the Conservative Party (it was called the Conservative and Unionist Party for many years and I think still is in some circles) and the DUP nearly always votes with the Tories.

Leavers who want to can claim CTA breakdown on the eu all they want but it's the uk who've chosen to jeopardise it and the Irish both northern and of the republic know the truth in that regard.

In all honesty, like the select committee, most didn't care or think of the impact there. That is also the guilt of many remainers too.

I agree with red that we should try to go back to the original spirit of these threads, although I appreciate that is not going to be that easy, as May powers along towards a hard Brexit and starts making choices that will concretely affect many of us.

mother just channel Michelle Obama. When they go low we go high.

Hard to stay calm and reasoned when you know people who this clusterfuck will ruin

Wrt to leave voters:
I accept there have always been eurosceptics.
I accept there is a small minority of racist bigots.
But it boils my piss when I know the majority of leave voters either;
Had no idea what they were voting for
Or
Wanted a soft brexit, fully thought out and reasoned.
Both of those groups have been royally screwed over by the right wingers and ukip.
As now also by their own representatives in parliament.
The sheer number of MPs who voted for A50 whilst simultaneousky damning it says a lot about both their individual integrity and the state of populism in this country

...and I would very much like those groups of leave voters to get angry and more vocal with their MPs and within their communities.
But is suppose calling remainers names is easier 🤔

www.stokesentinel.co.uk/ukip-s-paul-nuttall-bids-to-win-over-muslim-voters-in-stoke-on-trent-central/story-30127368-detail/story.html
By-election latest: Ukip's Paul Nuttall bids to win over Muslim voters in Stoke-on-Trent Central

This is from 10th Feb. Nuttall was campaigning at the local Mosque in Stoke.

In it, we have this quote:

Tariq Mahmood, who was Ukip's candidate in Stoke-on-Trent South in 2015, believes his party can win over a sizeable portion of the Muslim community in Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Mr Mahmood, of Newcastle, said: “I would say that at least 10 to 20 per cent of the British Muslim community in the constituency are Ukip voters at the moment. I know that as we have had pledges. I think that will only increase once Paul starts to engage with the Muslim community.

“There are concerns that Ukip wants to ban halal and kosher meat and wants to ban places of worship such as mosques, but that is not true.

“I believe that the concerns of the Muslim community are the same as the concerns of the white British community."

UKIP are keen to promote this photo of Diversity in UKIP. Several have said that the main stream media won't promote it.

I think that's a very fair summary red
Unfortunately 😞

I disagree tiggy
MPs do not have to tow the party line...and to do so whilst expressing such concern are baffling to me
So
They did have a choice
They chose not to vote with their conscience
Let's all hope it works out, eh?
The next GE will be interesting

Tariq Mahmood, who was Ukip's candidate in Stoke-on-Trent South in 2015, believes his party can win over a sizeable portion of the Muslim community in Stoke-on-Trent Central.

The Priti Patel gambit - who promised Asians that if they voted Leave the rules would be relaxed to let their relatives in. She soon backtracked on that.

...and many many of hem did so whilst saying they thought it was a mistake
Or didn't you hear them tiggy?

Only those who hold ministerial posts have to tow the party line. Even then, they have the option of resigning their position. Which they would do if their principles were genuine and against what the Government decreed.

So I am not yet going to revise my opinion: I still believe that a substantial number of MPs are spineless and self serving.

Peregrina!

On paper MP do not have to tow the party line and they certainly should still be held a countable for their vote.
However, in reality (and this is not just not, it has always been the case since I've arrive here 20 years ago and it still baffles me), very few MP will ever go against whatever the government as decided.

Every time that an MP is decided to vote according to his conscience rather than the party line, they are labelled 'rebells' for example.
And they are always given a very hard time.

At the last three elections the quality of the candidates has been the deciding factor in how I've voted. I always vote.

I'm sure there will be voters who are similar in Stoke Central. On a low turnout that might make odd things happen.

Given the way in which UKIP and Labour are both behaving, is a vote for either a protest vote against their campaigns and candidates?

This is where I start to think bets on strange things happening look more attractive than the odds suggest.

I got it wrong, I think it should be 'toe' not 'tow'. Sorry, I will take my pedant's hat off now.