Westminstenders: The wrong homework

[HashiAsLarry]

I'm no rtb but I'll give it a shot, though her efforts deserve much more than me.

The August negotiation round has, well, fizzled out in much the same way as any other. It's taken over a year to get to written position papers and there's still no clue as to a direction from the UK government.

Japan, meanwhile, is about to sign off on a deal with the EU. A deal we want to copy.

@faisalislam
^but if post brexit britain's trade deal with third biggest economy in world is to be based on Brussels' deal, what about rest? TTIP? Canada?
...when PM signs off statements like this on primacy of EU-third party deals, one wonders how temporary the temporary customs union will be^

The NHS is now launching a drive to recruit foreign GPs, like the ones that have left thanks to Brexit. It's a good job they'll be £350m a week better off now. Oh hang on...

James O'Brien‏*@mrjamesob*

Dear PM,
I am unable to sign this letter because I agree with everything you said about the EU during the referendum campaign.
Love,
CEO

The good news just keeps on coming. I said in a PP that it is really quite unusual to be served in a restaurant or cafe of bar by someone from the U.K.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41172505

On the Repel Bill:

www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/dominic-grieve-only-a-watertight-withdrawal-bill-can-put-brexit-into-effect-a3628376.html
Dominic Grieve: Only a watertight withdrawal bill can put Brexit into effect
Disentangling UKand EU laws is a major hurdle for the Government as it bids to leave the union

Unfortunately, the withdrawal bill is not, at present, up to addressing these issues. Even more worryingly, it seeks to confer powers on the Government to carry out Brexit in breach of our constitutional principles, in a manner that no sovereign Parliament should allow.

and

Scrutinising detail is not obstructing the referendum result. The electorate did not vote to “take back control” to see our domestic constitution and liberties vandalised. If the Government listens on this, we can all work together to effect this major constitutional change properly.

Rather more promising than yesterday's commons display.

twitter.com/mrjamesob/status/905411113034162178

Mark Elliott‏*@ProfMarkElliott*
At PMQs today, PM asserted that Lords Constitution Committee has "endorsed" the approach to secondary legislation in EU Withdrawal Bill +
That statement is highly selective & profoundly misleading. The Committee acknowledged Government would need secondary legislative powers +
But Committee also called for those powers to be carefully limited & for a bespoke regime including opportunities for enhanced scrutiny +
As presently drafted, the Bill confers powers in extraordinarily broad (and unclear) terms and provides for only very limited scrutiny. +
So while Constitution Committee recognises inevitability of secondary legislation, it has certainly not "endorsed" the approach in the Bill.

Haven't been on the threads for a bit but I saw this and wanted to share it. Some of you might have seen it on Twitter. Not entirely relevant but...

To go with that picture Twelvety^
@davidschneider

Bloody Antifa!

Well, I've been thinking about how I can be more active, and I've decided to make lots of these unicorns that shit rainbow sprinkles and send them to DD

On Catholics, I wonder if a Catholic PM would still be at the back of the line for state events?

FTSE-100 executives expressed incredulity at the approach from Downing Street, with one saying: "There is no way we could sign this given the current state of chaos surrounding the (Brexit) talks."

Has everyone in Brexitland gone stark staring bonkers? I know they've been exhorting the universe to suspend the laws of physics for us BeLeave and Talk Britain Up, but this?!

On the Repel Bill:
I'm going to refer to it as this from now on. It's more accurate

Name change for Saturday
And to stop this:
www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/immigration-raids-carried-out-in-hoddesdon-and-baldock/story-30505373-detail/story.html
Is this going on everywhere now?

Ha! Argument for abortion makes argument against abortion!

Just . That is all I have to say on the matter. In fact I will say it again just to be clear

Pro-Brexit Tory MPs insist UK legally doesn't owe EU a penny
The Conservative European Research Group is backing a new report that claims the EU actually owes the UK £9.3bn after Brexit.

As part of the Brexit negotiations, the EU is insisting Britain meet its existing spending commitments as part of a divorce bill, with Brussels demanding a reported total of €100bn (£91bn).

The report suggests this demand is "devoid of merit as a matter of international law" and also sets out a "compelling" argument for the UK to receive a share of EU assets on exit, including a €10.2bn (£9.3bn) payout from the European Investment Bank.

It argues the EU cannot demand Britain continues to pay for items such as Brussels officials' pensions unless it concedes there are EU assets the UK is entitled to.
news.sky.com/story/amp/pro-brexit-tory-mps-insist-uk-legally-doesnt-owe-eu-a-penny-11023504

Prime Minister for the Daily Mail
Hashi A rare snippet of honesty in the Fail !

Richard North fears the UK government will shortly walk out from the Brussels talks

www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86596

May, DD & co apparently share common Leaver delusions:

• The UK will prosper under WTO (without a transition)
• That German car industry - Merkel will force the EU to give us cake
• The EU needs us more than we need them, so they will order Barnier to cave in

His worrrying btl comment:

"The suggestion is that the UK government would produce a one-page withdrawal "agreement" formally notifying the EU that its membership was terminated, with no further liabilities.
This would be enough to satisfy the terms of Article 50 and take us out of the EU.
It could be as early as October/November."

Glorious btl Guardian comment, spoof letter from 1922 Committee:
< or maybe it's a genuine ? Best explanation of May yet >

"Dear Robocorp

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the Maybot 2.0
that you sent us as a replacement for the non-functioning Maybot 1.0 that we returned to you in June.

This faulty device is working no better than the previous version
and if I was a cynic I would suggest that you merely sent back the non-working Maybot 1.0 to us with a new badge and a new set of AA batteries.

I will be reporting Robocorp (Cayman Islands) Plc. to Westminster Council Trading Standards and we will not be buying any more of your shoddy substandard and dysfunctional products.

You can forget trying to sell us the Antique Clockwork Reesmoggbot
as it is so out of date that the parts are no longer available and it has been out of warranty since 1789.

Yours Sincerely
1922 Committee."

How depressing, and although the North's are Leavers, they have done their homework and mostly talk sense. Yes I could see May, Davis, Fox, aided and abetted by Redwood and others walking out. RyanAir will immediately say that flights cannot be operated because they don't operate on WTO rules. Industry could grind to a halt, food supplies be threatened. Within a month the UK would be back eating humble pie. However, if the stupidity wrecks the Tory party, I will shed no tears for them.

I could see Johnson keeping his nose out of it - he still wants to be PM, even though his star has waned.

Back to the reality of Kim Jong-May ....

The content of the leaked letter that May allegedly wants the FTSE bosses to sign is indeed reminiscent of a N Korean or former Soviet block crude proganda statement:

http://news.sky.com/story/ftse-100-chiefs-fury-at-no-10-letter-backing-ministers-on-brexit-11023229

I prefer the 1922 letter, because they may scrap all the Maybot versions.

I've completely lost my way with this - could the government simply write a letter saying that the negotiation is over and we're out? If the government needed parliamentary approval to trigger A50, they would need it to storm off too - even TM seemed grudgingly to accept that when she said she would give MPs a (meaningless) vote at the end of the process. And although the government seems to be attempting a power grab with the legislation currently going through the HoP, it hasn't got those powers yet so North's interpretation seems to be more of a fantasy than a possibility, at the moment. That's what I'm hoping, anyway. Please don't correct me if I'm wrong.

Does North have inside knowledge on this?
So far in less than a week, the Immigration plans have been leaked which will curtail EU citizens rights, the FTSE letter, a potential tearing up of the GFA, and now this nonsense. Is it that the Tories are completely 'frit', or is there some substance to it?

And all the while May is behaving as though she increased her majority, not destroyed it. However, I think her political career will be over in the not too distant future. Not only will she be ousted from Leadership, I think she will give up politics altogether.

OK. Now I'm really, really worried.

It is debatable whether Tory MPs (other than Ken Clarke) would vote against their own govt on a crucial Brexit bill
Even to save the country from cliff edge.

could the government simply write a letter saying that the negotiation is over and we're out?

lala I remember this coming up last year, and Jo Maugham saying that A50 stipulates that the process of leaving will conclude after two years have passed (from the triggering of A50) or an exit agreement has been reached, whichever comes first. So the government can't leave before the two years are up, or they will be in breach of the treaty (with resulting lawsuits etc.).

irl, North meets the senior civil servant "JDD" who posts on his blog
Plus the "BritainsFish"" poster who is open about being the industry rep in discussions with the govt. He is easily traceable and North knows him irl too

Both of them reveal alarming glimpses behind the scenes

The govt could quit talks and just leave on the due Brexit date in March 2019
Likely uk recession, even supermarket shortages

However, they may indeed be sufficiently batshit to Brexit earlier
and dare the EU to go to court.

Such an abrupt premature Brexit - without parachute // safety net - would probably devastate the UK economy.
So the EU might choose not to add to the chaos with a lawsuit.