Westministenders: The Zombie PM

[RedToothBrush]

Back from the dead, May carries on whilst the vultures circle.

She had tried to out smart her rivals by running of to the palace to tell the queen she could form a government before they could act.

Definitely she stood and pretended nothing had changed. Except everything had. The wrath of her party was unleashed and there was open revolt. She has been summoned to appear before men in grey suits tomorrow at 5pm to hear their verdict.

How do she decide to make amends and reach out to moderate Tories? By sleeping with the DUP. And appointing Gove to her Cabinet.

How long will this last? How long can it last?

I don't believe anyone has mentioned this particular doozy from BoJo yet so let me be the first.

Boris Johnson hails Tory election win in Clwyd South despite party losing seat

Laura Kuenssberg‏*@bbclaurak*

So, irrespective of the goat, Queen's speech might apparently still be next Monday, or it might not

Translation. We want to delay the speech.

We tried to delayed the speech.

Then someone pointed out we might not be allowed to delay the speech/We hadn't thought about how this would fit in the Queen's diary/The Queen is pissed and isn't impressed that she might not be able to do the one yearly event she really enjoys because of a political fuck up.

And now we are panicking and are trying to clarify the legal position or grovel to the Queen about this.

All this screw up over goat vellum. Clearly a failing of the nanny state.

Or like LH said upthread, it's little bit coupy.

Rupert Myers‏*@RupertMyers*
If you're the EU & - because you think it's a tragedy - you want to stop Brexit, you offer us an emergency brake on migration & a rebate?
Labour could start talking to Macron & Merkel's people about an offer Labour could campaign on, if the Conservatives don't soften up.

Now there's an idea. Probably won't go anywhere but good thinking Tory Boy.

@Sostenuto - I've been there too. Have some and . They don't solve problems but do make them a bit easier to bear.

@Squoosh - I think you just won the thread. I bow down.

Although you have some competition from Hashi

At this point if I were the queen I'd lie down and pretend I was out.

If HMQ is busy at Ascot, she can send the Archbishop of Canterbury to open Parliament and the Lord Chancellor can read the speech.. She did this in 1959 and 1963 when pregnant. Or we could have a sweepstake/vote on who to 'honour' with these tasks ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Opening_of_Parliament

www.demos.co.uk/rob-halfon-future-of-work/
Rob Halfon MP on the ‘Future of Work’

A speech from Rob Halfon MP to the ‘Future of Work’ conference, hosted by the Conservative Trade Unionists and Demos think tank, 11 March 2017, Westminster

This a speech from a Conservative who effectively saw the 'Corbyn surge' coming.

Here he is again:
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/robert-halfon-conservative-dying_uk_5776b79be4b0c9460800c912
‘The Conservative Party Is In Danger Of Dying’ Warns Tory Deputy Chairman Robert Halfon In Dramatic Interview
Some constituencies are on the verge of disaster, he told HuffPost UK
From July last year.

He's interesting. He has mild cerebral palsy, osteoarthritis due in part to many operations, and walks using crutches.

I wonder why its a disabled Tory who spotted this and spoke openly about this....

Now there's an idea I think that might be on the cards, Chuka's a friend of Macron.

If HMQ is busy at Ascot, she can send the Archbishop of Canterbury to open Parliament Lord Bucket might be free. Is this an odd way to run a 'democracy' dependent an animal skins and woman who inherited a hat?

If HMQ is busy at Ascot, she can send the Archbishop of Canterbury to open Parliament and the Lord Chancellor can read the speech.. She did this in 1959 and 1963 when pregnant. Or we could have a sweepstake/vote on who to 'honour' with these tasks ...

How about Pippa of the Bottom?

Thanks flip
In fairness I need to give credit to dd who decided to talk over the news telling me what a baby goat was called, etc.
Hence the tragic lateness of that gag!

Electoral Calculus‏*@ElectCalculus*
NEW BOUNDARIES DEAL FRESH BLOW TO TORIES. Cons are not helped much by new boundaries - and are still in a minority.

Mike Smithson‏*@MSmithsonPB*

Sinn Fein would get more NI seats than DUP under boundary changes

By which I mean, dd started with kids then billies then nannies. Was a long monologue.

Boundary changes worse for dup? I wonder if they may negotiate them out

There's a t shirt I've seen advertised on Facebook that reads (more or less) "Strange women lying around in ponds distributing swords is starting to look like a reasonable system of government".

Just heard a comment that with the FTPA, any vote of confidence has to be explicit, not inferred ... suggesting that voting down the Queens speech is no longer "assumed" to be a vote of no confidence ?????

Presumably there is a possibility of slipping into parliamentary limbo ?

Can't pass a bill, but can't trigger an election with the required majority (assuming all Torys vote against) ????

I wonder what I did in a past life, to live in these "interesting times" ?

Sorry if this has been posted before- this thread is moving at quite a pace!

It seems the EU have decided if TM thinks she can discuss trade before she ageees the settlement terms she has another think coming.

It's actually quite funny that they've said it would take them a year to redraft the proposals.

When are we actually going to wake up are realise we hold no cards here?

voting down the Queens speech is no longer "assumed" to be a vote of no confidence ?????

Then it just goes to formal vote of no confidence, if JC can get the numbers? Could be quite a bonding exercise with fellow travellers of all colours.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motions_of_no_confidence_in_the_United_Kingdom

Meanwhile I am worried about what they are 'cooking up' for the queens speech, if there ever is one.

Oh to be a fly on the wall at the 1922 Committee meeting. I wonder what the outcome of that will be.

Right now, I'd give anything for some of those experts Gove was sneering about last year

This shambles is what happens when you think you know it all and blunder on regardless.

It just lurches from bizarre to bizarre. Seems the only thing Theresa May can be grateful for is the FTPA she was hell-bent on repealing !!!!!

Note the last para:

From

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-term_Parliaments_Act_2011

Provisions[edit]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Section 3(1) of the Act originally stated that Parliament should be automatically dissolved 14 working days before a polling day of a general election. This was subsequently amended by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 to 25 working days. Section 1 of the Act provides for such polling days to occur on the first Thursday in May of the fifth year after the previous general election, starting with 7 May 2015. The Prime Minister has the power, by order made by statutory instrument under section 1(5), to provide that the polling day is to be held up to two months later than that date. Such a Statutory Instrument must be approved by each House of Parliament.

Section 2 of the Act also provides for two ways in which a general election can be held before the end of this five-year period:[4]

If the House of Commons resolves "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government", an early general election is held, unless the House of Commons subsequently resolves "That this House has confidence in Her Majesty's Government". This second resolution must be made within fourteen days of the first. This provision recognises that in a hung parliament it might be possible for a new government to be formed, commanding a majority.
If the House of Commons, with the support of two-thirds of its total membership (including vacant seats), resolves "That there shall be an early parliamentary general election".
In either of these two cases, the Monarch (on the recommendation of the prime minister) appoints the date of the new election by proclamation. Parliament is then dissolved 25 working days before that date.

According to Colin Talbot, the Act makes minority governments much more stable than in the past: events that previously might have forced a government out of power—such as loss of supply, defeat of a Queen's Speech or other important legislation, or a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister rather than the government as a whole—cannot formally do so.[5] Apart from the automatic dissolution in anticipation of a general election (whether held early or not), section 3(2) provides that "Parliament cannot otherwise be dissolved". The Act thus removes the traditional royal prerogative to dissolve Parliament, and repeals the Septennial Act 1715 as well as references in other Acts to the royal prerogative.

May going to her execution meeting now.

The one where she is informed of her P45 date.

I wonder if Nick Clegg is cheering up a bit