Westministenders: The Art of the Deal

[RedToothBrush]

Well Trump seems to have put his foot in it.

Not that this should come as a surprise. For all the talk of closer ties with the US that was never going to happen. All that was need was for Trump to over step once too many.

By chance (?) Barnier also raised questions about our commitment to working with the EU on security.

Its almost as if we are being asked to choose whom we look to for security.

Meanwhile it sounds like the divorce bill is sorted - though this may not be as settled as that, if it comes with conditions. The deal might also be backtracked on, seeing as that appears to be the done thing presently.

Talks on Ireland are stalemated with Ireland threating to veto. No sign of a breakthrough here yet.

Talks on EU citz rights are reportedly going backwards (again) rather than going forward.

All of this is theatre for a British audience though, with the UK agreeing to everything. Because they gave again their cards when a50 was triggered.

The crunch is coming on whether we move to stage two before Christmas. We have no time to lose.

BTW, it is now in all likelihood, too late for a 2nd referendum before 29th March 2019.

David Lammy
@DavidLammy
Sunday Times reporting Trump ‘flying visit’ has been pencilled in for 26-27 February. Save the date, he’s going to be met by the biggest protest this country has ever seen.

Indeed Red

But there is time for Parliament to re-assert its sovereignty.

too late for a 2nd referendum before 29th March 2019
They can't afford the troops on mainland too, if they're planning on deploying in NI.

b Nigel Farage refuses to give up his £73k MEPs’ pension.

So when Brexiteers say all that Walk Away Clean Break stuff, they don't really mean a clean break? Who'dathunkit?

.....not that I think that that us going to happen. They are all wimps, putting party before country

I'm not particularly in favour of a second referendum - I think our MPs should do their jobs and stop this madness - but in what sense have we left it too late?

I'm not particularly in favour of a second referendum

Me neither.

Sorting Brexit out, in a way that - if not actually beneficial to the country - at least minimises damage and division, should be down to our sovereign Parliament with all their access to the relevant expertise, experience and skills.

Oh, wait.

There will soon not be enough time for a further referendum before 29 March 2019

jackofkent.com/2017/12/there-will-soon-not-be-enough-time-for-a-further-referendum-before-29-march-2019/

Look how well giving it c. six months of parliamentary time went with the EU Referendum Act - what a brilliantly drafted piece of legislation that was . If the government - or parliament - wanted us to have a second referendum then they could rush it through as they did, iirc, with the A50 notification act of parliament which took less than two months...

Kevin Schofield
Kevin Schofield
@PolhomeEditor
Jeremy Hunt: "The choice we face is not between this Brexit or that Brexit. If we don't back Theresa May we will have no Brexit." #Peston

Sky News now reporting in the IT password tweets by Nadine Dorries. Think her attempts at support for Damian Green are going to backfire.

Typo should say 'on' the tweets

But there is time for Parliament to re-assert its sovereignty. wink
This group are so lovely, to help parliament do that. Even if/when legal challenge fails, they are just decorous, positive and old fashioned british 'nice'.
www.crowdjustice.com/case/a50-chall-her-e50/

Has anyone ever mooted the possibility of no Brexit? It seems encouraging that hunt has said it out loud on tv

Peston on Sunday‏ @pestononsunday
@Jeremy_Hunt becomes the first Cabinet Minister to explain contentious government proposals for the ECJ to have a permanent role protecting the rights of EU migrants after Brexit. #Peston

Robert Peston‏ @Peston
REALLY really interesting from @JeremyHunt: he says if cabinet and Tory party does not back @theresamay and her Brexit offer to EU, including continued role of ECJ and Brexit divorce bill of more than £40bn, alternative is NO BREXIT.

I worked in academic research for over ten years and saw repeated incidents of serious sexual harassments in all but one of the several universities I worked in The perpetrators are all still employed in academia, even after verifiable complaints were brought against them. Makes my blood boil.

I now work in an environment where most of the senior staff were women and I love it. Love, love, LOVE working in a professional environment where senior staff actually respect their employees

Iain Overton‏ @iainoverton
In 2016, there were 113,208 attempts to access pornographic sites from the House of Commons.

Charlotte Lydia Riley
@lottelydia
I feel like the bigger story here is - what happened in February?!

We may need to rework 'they work for you're 😂

I feel like someone most likely missed a couple of zeros off the Feb number. Unless the whole IT system collapsed for a month.

My favourite comment to that story was that the left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing in that place.

Also, thanks autocorrect for assuming I meant you're then rather than just ending my quote.

Porn use in HoC on work computers is indefensible. There must be a simple way to block those sites?

As for a 2nd referendum... I don't like the idea really. There may be people who feel you can only turn over a ref decision with another ref, but it's too risky:

1. We've learnt that you can't frame a fair question in a simple binary choice.
2. Ill-intentioned forces (foreign and at home) are able to influence the vote via social media etc. We still don't know how to prevent that.
3. The swivel-eyed press would swing into action again with prejudice and bile. This would still have impact.
4. Too expensive.
5. I didn't sleep for 3 nights before, and 2 nights after, the last one. It's basically too unsettling and anxiety-ridden. The atmosphere would be horrendous.

The country actually does need experts to decide this matter. MPs need to vote with their principles for the good of the country.

The worrying aspect is that by the time he visits to the UK, Trump may be the only show in town.

There are strong indications that there will be a heave against Theresa May and there will be no Brexit trade deal. Jacob-Rees Mogg will more than likely be at the helm - he has already met Steve Bannon this week - and the UK will have no other option but to sign up to a trade deal, any trade deal, with the US.

Trump will effectively call all the shots.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has already said the UK could slash environmental and safety regulations on imported products after it leaves the EU and has said regulations that were “good enough for India” could be good enough for the UK – arguing that the UK could go “a very long way” to rolling back high EU standards.

The UK will follow suit with the US in offering more massive tax cuts to businesses and the very rich. Privatisation of the NHS, and opening it up to US firms, will be a certainty.

JRM lied again on Marr this morning saying the Irish government were playing to the crowds as there is a general election on the way. I despair at how these people are allowed to lie without sanctions.