Westministenders: Danger of "accidental" Brexit (whoops !) ?

[BigChocFrenzy]

i.e. Brexit without a deal - NOT intentionally so - due to UK govt incompetence and mutual UK/EU misunderstandings

The govt is proceeding from abysmal ignorance on a Brexit journey which may blunder into disaster.

Prominent Leave campaigner Richard North:

"The UK Government's narrative seems to rest on the belief that the EU will cave in under pressure, and is thus giving every sign that it is prepared to push negotiations to the wire.

If, on the other hand, the EU are determined not to budge, especially as, with their own White Paper on "The Future of Europe" triggering internal discussions unrelated to Brexit, they are not necessarily fully focused on the "British problem".

As a result, we could end up with an "accidental Brexit",
where the UK negotiators overplay their hand, ending up in the UK leaving without an agreement, forcing it to rely on WTO rules.

Most likely, it will take very little to convince the EU that Mrs May is bluffing – as the effect of the WTO option is likely to be disastrous for the UK economy.

We could thus have each side misreading each other, making the accidental Brexit all the more likely."

www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86395

It's reported to be outside, with a man charging through security.

bloody hell

Parliament has been evacuated now. God knows what this is about. Hope no one was injured other than the assailant of course.

Pro EU march on sat will get called off.

Journalists are being told to stay away from windows. Ha.

Leader of hoc saying multiple incidents but that is usual in attacks at this stage.

Richard rice (leave EU?) Saying ten bodies on bridge. 200 MPs in lock down. May evacuated.

David Lammy @DavidLammy
Locked in the Commons Chamber but my heart goes out to the police officers, those hit by the car on the bridge and their families. Stay safe
Seems like only some got evacuated.

Slightly angry at the thought that the march may get called off though I understand why.

Oh blimey, just realised this is the anniversary of the Brussells attack too

Michelle Langham visitor to WM on BBC, said she doesn't understand this at all, with security as it is in the HOC and Westminster. I don't understand this either. You need letters, badges, several layers of security to get through, how someone got in with a knife in HOC, seems very odd.
Cameras filming all over Westminster, loads of armed police, seems very odd.

They didn't actually get in did they - I thought they were stopped at the entrance.

We are hearing that a car mowed down pedestrians on the south end of Westminster bridge then crashed into the railings on the parliament side of the bridge, then just after there was an incident at the entrance to the palace of Westminster when somebody tried to gain entry and shots were fired.

I hope they do not call off the march, we all know that incidents like this are inevitable. Londoners have lived with that for decades, but that you have to carry on with life or the terrorists have won.

you have to carry on with life or the terrorists have won

This^ times 1,000,000...

The news outlets, BBC included, are showing some footage of the carnage of the car incident. Someone clearly felt it was more important to film it than actually making sure people were ok. Both the filmer and the bloody media showing it are awful

Holyrood refuses to suspend referendum debate/vote despite Westminster attacks.

Not a good look.

Not a good look

I disagree. No practical reason to suspend. Terrorists win.

To be fair, the man who video I saw was in the back of a cab and filmed while the driver called emergency services. I believe he was the ex-foreign minister of Poland and, unless he had some sort of medical expertise, not able to do anything more than the people running towards the injured could do. Images like those do a lot to bring home to people the horror of what has happened.

Holyrood is suspended.

Hashi situations like this make people do strange things and react in ways that don't seem rational. In fairness there is value in photos to police. It can help. If you have no medical experience your helplessness might mean you react like that. What can you do to help someone seriously injured? I wouldn't have a clue. Shock is an odd experience.

Where the problem is, is in the tweeting that image.

I won't judge people taking photos as for me it would probably be my immediate reaction especially as if i was in the area i would have a camera on me. I will judge people being irresponsible about what they do with them as that takes more thought and a decision to show graphic scenes that are beyond normal social boundaries.

I'm on the fence about the Scottish parliament - ultimately it will be portrayed as an outrage and therefore becomes a PR own goal. You're right that there is nothing that they could do though so stopping the debate would have been an empty gesture.

Holyrood has suspended its debate.

So Holyrood has managed to show callous disregard for the WM attacks and performed an empty gesture. An example of trying to please all the people and pleasing none?

Welsh assembly still going...

Oh I get it could help the police, but there's no need to have it distributed like that. That's actual people there lying hurt at best. The media should know better.

I think business should have carried on as usual, at Holyrood and elsewhere, unless the police advised suspending work.

Terrorists cause enough disruption without magnifying the effects by shutting down elsewhere out of symlathy

Would have been better for Holyrood to show respect and send a message by carrying on as normal, where possible.
I'd rather not let an attack in London shut down Scottish, Welsh, NI parliaments too