Westminstenders: Stuck in the twilightzone

[RedToothBrush]

Just want to remind everyone if what really matters and what the priority if Theresa May is.

May isn't interested in a new referendum. There is barely time to hold one, and anyone remotely interested in one, isn't named Theresa May. Forget it. Its not happening.

Nor are Brexit talks the most important thing. Whilst Jeremy Corbyn seems finally to be playing with some sort if EEA type solution he's not the one named Theresa May. If she doesn't want one, then it won't happen.

May does seem to favour something along these lines but she has to sell it to her party. If she ends up relying on the support of Labour to push it through against what her party want, then that doesn't end well for her or her party. So Corbyn seeming to squeeze her here isn't necessarily a good thing. It could push her to no deal.

Why?

Cos petty party politics.

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING, and don't forget this, is the EU withdrawal Bill. As it stands, May has to concentrate her efforts on this. If it doesn't pass by the art 50 deadline then we have legal chaos. May isn't big on the courts, but I'm not sure she would want that situation either. It would be even more unthinkable than queues at Dover coupled with food shortages.

If it doesn't pass, and the Lords will do all they can to delay and obstruct as long as they can, May's only option is to beg for an art 50 extension. Which the EU might not be inclined to give. Which might leave us in a situation where our only option is to revoke a50.

The only predictable thing, is this will be last minute brinkmanship.

All the talk of a second ref is a distraction. Talk of Labour's position at this point, is all about positioning for the next election and not about Brexit at all.

So try to keep your eyes on what really matters and what battles are May's big ones and which are merely side shows.

I wonder who Side Show Bob will turn out to be.

I know a little bit about some of the people named in BigChoc's linked article and, iirc, the Catholic culture at the Telegraph was very much one of late conversion to Catholicism rather than people born into Catholic families. The consecration of women in the Anglican church was the catalyst for many of the senior Catholics there, most were middle-aged men when they found their faith - they also had strange fixations with GK Chesterton and probably Sebastian Flyte. Their religious faith, seemed to me, a badge of their own reactionary pedigree, rather than a spiritual awakening - certainly they would have found "ethnic Catholics" such as me, strange and a breed apart.

It's all a bit brideshead revisited isn't isn't?

Conflicted posh boys

Rather like brexit

Although I think it is still the law that we can't have a catholic PM

I thought this also...didn't Tony Blair have to wait to convert until after he'd left office?

On the plus side I guess that would take the wind out of JRM's potential leadership campaign sails.

On the And Wigmore thing....Driving on expired diplomatic status plates without insurance then doubling down on the lies to avoid getting held responsible...

It's the ultimate Brexit metaphor, it's actually rather fabulous

There's no law regarding Catholics not being PM. It's just not been the done thing.

Either way, religion is a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act, which presumably is the kind of legislation that JRM doesn’t care for (even if were to help him to become pm).

Well of course there is that. But it would be funny if JRM had to appeal to the ECHR to defend his right to be PM.

Wtf is with the anti-catholic sentiment?!

The DUP too Catholic??!
Johnson was a Catholic so he counts?!
But look we have Rees-Moog. An actual Catholic.

Hey why don't we ignore that other actual Catholic, who converted after leaving offer, Blair.

Lets also talk about Markel who is converting from Catholicism for good measure, because she happens to be marrying into the family who are Head of the Church of England.

Ffs, talk about grasping at bloody straws and writing utter clap trap.

I also presume, perhaps mistakenly, that the people named in the interesting article Bigchoc posted were upper crusty enough in their own way, but never quite insiders, if RC.

Which is why I think Rees-Smug as an uber Catholic won't make it to party leader, because he needs to be a PM in waiting and having a Catholic PM is a no-no. One who converts is OK, but R-S won't convert.

The DUP too Catholic??!

I think that quote was about the DUP thinking that the EU was too Catholic. With Germany as the cradle of Protestantism in Martin Luther, I think that is debatable. Essentially it was roughly a North South split - northern Europe Protestant, Southern Europe Catholic and then the Catholic/Orthodox East European states were encouraged to become members.

Uk in talks for longer transition. Front page of the telegraph.

One, two, three...

....ROFLMAO

A problem with religion is what it requires one to believe, which can conflict with policy, as Tim Farron found to his cost, and which it appears has caused him much difficulty to reconcile: he now says he was wrong to say homosexual relationships are not sinful.
JRM is compromised in a similar way. I detest the man and I detest the Catholic faith I was brought up in for the damage it can cause - well, the damage it caused me, and I think it affects many others - but he is at least consistent in his beliefs and makes no apologies for them (even if they are to the detriment of others).
The C of E is such a broad church it allows its adherents a great deal of leeway in their beliefs, so easier to be both politically and socially acceptable.

James Baker @ Jam_Bake
This is a terrifying and stark warning to members of the Conservative party

Don’t worry about Momentum taking over Labour, worry about Aaron Banks and his ilk taking over our party. A liberal, compassionate Conservative party is the only way for us to win at the next election

Here's A Leaked WhatsApp Chat Showing Tory Leavers' Confusion About One Of Their Key Brexit Demands

WhatsApp messages seen by BuzzFeed News show Nadine Dorries saying she'd been talking with a politics teacher about Brexit and didn't know enough about the trading relationships of the customs union's members to argue the point.

www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/alexspence/heres-a-leaked-whatsapp-chat-showing-tory-leavers-confusion?utm_term=.eiA2kgdx7A&__twitter_impression=true

Jason Cowley @jasoncowleyNS
Unrest growing in the Conservative party. Theresa May looking even more vulnerable. "Tory party is on the edge of anarchy: things are far worse than I realised," says source.

Tim Montgomerie @ montie
This is true. Despair at Theresa May almost universal. MPs have no confidence that change will be beneficial but increasingly of the view that change has to be risked.

Here we have someone from the New Statesman which is generally thought to be centre left and Legatum's Tim Montgomerie in agreement, whilst Aaron Banks has told Kippers to effectively infiltrate and take over the Tory Party in the midst of this chaos.

Whoopie.

Dear Nadine, we would like to invite you to Westministenders where we can point you to where you can find out this information.

On reflection about JR-M not becoming leader - IDS is a Catholic, I believe, and he did become Tory leader - but it was during their time in the doldrums.

A timely parable?

Sam Coates Times
@SamCoatesTimes
Here is a short tale about the cost - £££ in future tax bills - caused by Theresa May’s caution & reluctance to get on with decisions. If you’re in a cheery Saturday mood, perhaps don’t read on as it’s a 😐🤔🔥🤭😡 story - for the faint hearted Saturday Live is on Radio 4 now
Urine leaking thru the ceilings ☔️
Offices where there’s no escape in the event of fire ⚰️
Air vents that flames can travel through in minutes 💨🔥🌪
Not many in SW1 dispute Houses of Parliament need massive refurbishment costing £3-5bn (tho some do). The question is when.
Committees of MPs and peers have looked at the problem and with the help of expensive consultants concluded a £4bn refit is needed during which everyone would vacate the Palace. Not everyone agrees. There will be a free vote in the Commons. This seems fair enough. 👍🏻
This was meant to happen in Autumn of 2016. Soon after TM became PM.The big report was published. Options drawn up. People assumed TM wd be in favour of the difficult decision to move out. They were wrong. ☹️
In fact people around TM were split 💥and it wasn’t clear what she wanted. Some wanted her to get on with it. Others felt it might cause too much turbulence. So it got delayed and delayed. Government controls the timing of votes - and this went into the “too difficult” basket
t seems Theresa May in the last 10 days has settled on a plan. Somewhat to the surprise of Andrea Leadsom, the lead cabinet minister on the Commons refurbishment, No10 & whips announced MPs would be offered a vote on NOT MAKING A DECISION AT ALL in this Parliament 🙄
No10’s argument seems is that the £4 billion bill is too much at this time. The problem is that delay will simply push it up - but becomes someone else’s problem. 🤫
So there will be a vote this week on what to do - no decision, decision now or a Leadsom-brokered halfway house. So for today Times I’ve calculated the cost of what delaying the decision means for the taxpayer 🏧🏧🏧

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/24f742f6-02eb-11e8-9de1-e6776d524215

By delaying the vote from Autumn 2016 to now, whatever MPs decide on Wednesday, construction costs have gone up £150m. 🏗🏗🏗Then there going to have to be at least £70m (and maybe £100m) or patchwork rolling repairs before the work starts ⚒⚒⚒
In other words Theresa May’s reluctance to make a decision on when MPs can vote on what to do will cost the taxpayer a minimum of £230 million and probably more.🤯
Meanwhile Richmond House, the old Department of Health building next door to Parliament lies empty for now - this will be where MPs (eventually) go
That’s the cost of indecision, folks. And Theresa May will miss Wednesday’s vote because she’s on a trip to China. Meaning she won’t vote for “her” delay plan. Which feels a fitting end to this story.
✈️👋🏻🙄

That sums up the way the country is being run. Ignore and procrastinate. When the problem can only get worse.

I thought it very interesting that the Independent didn't mention the EU at all in this article about the case of Bombardier (now 50% French Airbus owned) and Boeing.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bombardier-boeing-trade-dispute-ruling-result-c-series-plane-jobs-uk-us-northern-ireland-a8180356.html

This article in the same newspaper did mention the EU and French connection last November.

www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/brexit-us-bombardier-trade-dispute-tarrif-eu-uk-leave-northern-ireland-c-series-jet-wings-wilbur-a8058386.html

There were some very detailed questions on attitudes to exiting the EU on Yougov yesterday including lots of questions on concern about the economy, the NHS, revisiting immigration policy etc.

Do consider signing up if you haven't already. It only takes 10 mins every couple of days if that.

lonely Is that to sign up to be on their survey panel?

Read about the MHRA being one of the most respected national regulatory bodies in the EU. This is true, but has not occurred in a vacuum. Because the EMA has been based here, this has built up their expertise and profile. However, that workload will now be transferred elsewhere and will build up the profile and expertise of other EU regulatory bodies. I read it is to be shared out initially, but have no doubt the Dutch regulatory body (as EMA is to be based in Netherlands) will also soon be punching a higher weight than it had done heretofore.

Context always seems to be ignored.

Watching the select committee on 'Brexit and regulation of medicine'. Andrew Tyrie is sorely missed. He was like a laser. He would have not humoured DD in any way.