Westminstenders: The Brexit Apprentice

[RedToothBrush]

Theresa May is increasing looking like she is running an episode of the Apprentice with two teams trying to compete in their plan for Brexit. Complete with the obligatory reprehensible contestants.

On one side we have Team Creationists intent on hard Brexit and on the other we have Team Sensibles desperate to get a softer deal.
May herself has been held hostage by seasoned expert negotiators the DUP. Once No 10 has reported the deal was done, only for the DUP to say it wasn’t. Then it said, it would be settled today. But the DUP disagreed and said ‘the weekend’. Now its 'next week'.

Meanwhile the Queen has been messed about with a scapegoat over when her Queen’s Speech will be. It’s likely to be a week on Monday.
Meanwhile the Brexit department is also in chaos.

The Number two in the department was sacked and replaced by a Remainer, and the number three quit amongst reports that he no longer thought Brexit was achievable and that there was no way that the Great Repeal Act could pass through the Lords. He has been replaced by the Head of the infamous Arch-Brexit Whatsapp group.

Oh and Gove got hired. Nuff said on that one.

After some slight back tracking from David Davis, Hard Brexit is still on in all its glory. Negotiations are going ahead next week. Well that’s what we are saying. The EU, on the other hand, don’t won’t to go ahead until we have an officially sworn in government. Which seems pretty fair enough.

Tune in to find out which Team wins this week’ The Brexit Apprentice

It's a shame he's gone and May is still hanging on especially when you compare their voting records on gay rights.

So, who is going to replace him do we think?

It's a shame he's gone and May is still hanging on especially when you compare their voting records on gay rights.

Possibly part of the reason he's gone. The LDs can't criticise as easily with him as leader.

Its a shame. He was northern and working class. Need more of that.

Thanks, red
It's generally a bad sign when we fill up a thread every couple of days < sighs >

Some claim with horror that Labour are trying to drag us back to the 1970s.
I remember the 1970s - it was a lot less chaotic then.
And we had decent public services
And we weren't involved in ME wars for oil and willy-wagging

In shock. Will this mean a fudged soft Brexit approach from Cable?

And the 70s music BCF
Heath was in a similar position to May: snap election, reduced majority, hung parliament. Apart from the eon changing nonsense of brexit.
It didn't take as long as this. And no goats were involved, as far as I know.

Marina is churning them out almost as quickly as Red www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/14/gove-johnson-cameron-tories-divide-country

"Still, after John Major’s warning on Tuesday that any deal with the DUP would put peace in Northern Ireland in peril, we have to salute the sheer inventiveness of the Tories, who keep finding new ways to divide the country. At this rate, they won’t rest until every single Briton has been placed at 65m separate positions along a political spectrum, and is violently opposed to people even two points either side of them. That will be the moment for Boris Johnson to claim that only he can unite the country."

I wonder if Tim's resignation is the result of the misfiring of the campaign or a consequence of his beliefs? I do hope the former because if we cannot have genuine Christians in government who do not inflict their beliefs on the rest of us what hope is there? I always thought Brian Paddick was a bit of a prat with illusions of ability anyway.

I feel a bit conflicted about highlighting humour as i am so bloody angry and upset about the fire, it has crystallised all my fears and disgust about this government, and especially Theresa May. It is completely unacceptable that she hides away as the "citizens of nowhere" come together as a community.

Its a shame. He was northern and working class. Need more of that.

YY
I really like him & think he's the most honest of all of them.

Thought you guys might enjoy this

Here's what the UK electoral map would look like with Proportional Representation
www.indy100.com/article/uk-election-map-proportional-representation-system-2017-conservative-labour-7784956

I feel a bit conflicted about highlighting humour

Though it must not overshadow the seriousness of the situation, humour is important. However bad it is we must persist and humour helps us do that. It is an important survival mechanism, or we would all just crawl into a corner and give up on the world.

one odd fact I remember about the 1974 hung Parliament:
Labour actually won more seats, but Tory PM Ted Heath stayed in office until it was totally clear he couldn't win a vote of confidence by allying with the smaller parties.

Then Harold Wilson was asked to form a minority Labour govt.
He carried on for a few months, called a GE and obtained a small majority

So, even if May had won fewer seats, she is entitled as the sitting PM to some time to gain minor party support for at least confidence & supply, i.e. votes of confidence and budget votes.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/14/road-to-brexit-is-paved-with-amusement-danish-and-brave-faces-british

Since we have no written constitution, there is no set time limit on how long May can sit at No 10, trying to hatch an alliance, while her power drains away.

She will be unable to pass any bills, negotiate any trade treaties or other alliances
She leads a zombie govt until she has c&s

Basically,* she has pressed the HOLD button on the entire UK govt*

If it goes on too long, Labour and the other parties could decide to put forward a vote of No Confidence, which afaik they are entitled to do any time.

If May loses, Labour will be asked to form a govt.
If Labour can't get c&s either, then it's a GE
==> so I think Corbyn will let her stew as long as possible

Thanks BigChoc interesting. Wonder what Gerry and she will chat about tomorrow.

ron I do feel the same disgust that I shared with most people back in 1987 after the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster
I really see a parallel

She could just stop faffing around and form a minority Government and get on with it. She would no doubt have to call an election soon, but at the moment, I don't think the country has the appetite to go to the polls again.

Can't she just form a minority Government? Have I misunderstood?

Vote of no confidence is more difficult since 2011 FTPA. Agree on the stewing of May's regime.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40277395
One Tory MP has called for the party to be renamed after the election result.
I've got a few suggestions.

Bigly Yes, humour has got me through some very dark days indeed

Placemarking because you're all so damned prolific.

If she decides to run a minority govt, the other parties probably wouldn't call a vote of No Confidence - because the electorate would probably punish whoever forces a GE (for making them vote again)

However, the Opposition won't let her pass controversial bills either, so it would be govt by consensus, to at least some extent.

Of course, if May or her successor decides to call a GE to get a majority, they would get the blame for current chaos, plus creating further chaos. They'd be savaged.

Met say 12 people confirmed dead now and they expect this to rise.
60 injured, 20 in critical care
Many residents unaccounted for

Such awful news BigChoc

MP for Brigg and Goole eh , wonder how they voted in the Referendum ?

Re MP redundancy, losing Tories are moaning that even at double the statutory rate, their payouts are going to be a lot less than Hill and Timothy who get 35k (three months pay) because they each earned double the rate of an MP's salary anyway.