Westminstenders: Rebel or Reveal

[RedToothBrush]

The EU Withdrawal Bill made it through the Commons. Though May did not manage it unscathed.

In an attempt to divide and conquer the Rebels, May might have damaged trust. We shall find out. The Grieve Amendment faces the Lords. We also will see if the Lords will back down on their amendments or apply some new ones for the Commons to deal with in Parliamentary Ping Pong.

Aaron Banks has been exposed as being pally with the Russian Embassy in a plot twist that absolutely everyone saw coming.

Meanwhile the EU thinks we have already run out of time and is preparing options to extend talks beyond the a50 deadline. These include having MEPs for the 2019 - 2024 session.

There is also growing talk around Europe that freedom of movement in its current form is unsustainable. Ironically we might see the EU adopt something akin to Cameron's pre-referendum proposals as the EU reforms.

Theresa May has also announced - at a moment when she is looking particularly weak - a new tax for the NHS, cunningly disguised in spin as 'the Brexit dividend'. Of course shareholders don't always get dividends and at times of poor economic performance instead might be asked to stump up extra capital...Expect to see buses with £350 million of the side just in time for the next general election cycle.

And so the Zombie PM limbers on towards the end of the summer session and the relative safety of the summer holidays. More drama, cringing and disbelief guaranteed before we get there.

Woman

Re. government's latest last-minute concession to avoid a potential defeat, fudge seems to have become the default mode in all aspects of political life. It's been applied for the past 2 years not only in dealings with the EU, but with depressing regularity in our own parliament.

One would hope that the meaningful vote issue isn't going to go away and needs to be resolved. Will the Tory "rebels" actually have the guts to rebel and will Labour apply its own 6 criteria and actually do its job of opposing the government's power grab?

I fear the mighty fudge will prevail again and the country will eventually suffer the inevitable consequences.

Faisal Islam @faisalislam
NEW Government concedes in David Davis written ministerial statement just before debate that Speaker could allow the meaningful vote be amended in an attempt to stave off possible defeat on vote this afternoon.

Election Data @election_data
Who will be Speaker?

The ERG have already had the knives out for Bercow (perhaps with some justification, given his conduct with staff members), and Bercow has apparently said he intends to stay in post to ensure Brexit is handled fairly, until at least the end of March 2019.

This is significant if, the rebels do go for the amendment.

Grabbed from the Lisa Nandy link above. At least it made me laugh.
I was saying yesterday the plotlines are from 'Yes Minister' from way back.

Tej Singh
‏ @TejTejTej
1h1 hour ago
Replying to @lisanandy

..... and @10DowningStreet said she couldn't respond to leaked documents from the government because the government hasn't seen the leaked documents from the government 👌🏽

There is now so bollocky point of order discussion going on about what is amendable and what isn't and what the speaker can or can not do between David Davis and Hilary Benn.

Its space cake whisky fudge time.

Before you even ask, I have NFI whats going on either.

sigh

Nicky Morgan MP @NickyMorgan01
I welcome acknowledgment from the Government that House of Commons standing orders mean that it is the Speaker who determines whether a motion is expressed in neutral terms - on this basis Parliament’s vote is meaningful - and I will support Govt Amendment in lieu

I do have suspicions over who Ann Soubry was referring to last week when she said that she knew of MPs who were too scared to vote how they wanted due to threats to their family.

Any nervous rebels need to be aware of what would happen should it turn out (again) that the governments "amendments" are made o'shite.

are they going to be hanged as wolves or sheep ?

We are bringing back hanging as part of a Brexit Henry VIII clause?

I want to be absolutely clear that there will be NO clarity whatsoever in this or any other UK government.

too scared to vote how they wanted due to threats to their family
I agree, red. Male commentators(including the normally cogent David Allen Green) are not hearing what a position this puts women/ mother/politicians in. There's a reason the fascists chose Jo Cox to be assassinated. Despite my misgivings about Soubry, I respect the courage she, Morgan and so many other women MPs have shown.

A vote conducted with a background of actual and threats of violence is not a free vote.

We are bringing back hanging as part of a Brexit Henry VIII clause?

Apart from it being prohibited under the UKs treaty obligations, a return to capital punishment would see me as juror freeing anyone facing the death penalty. Presumably we'll have to vet juries to ensure they're going to reach the state-approved decision. I'm sure Putin can advise on that.

To be clear, we are clear that the unamenable amendment designed to protect us from a situation that won't happen is amenable if the situation we don't want to happen happens. We are clear this is clear and that it would be at the discretion of the Speaker, to interpret things the way we would like. Of course if the Speaker isn't going to be clear in his discretion being the correct answer, we'll make a statement and then try and oust him in favour of another Speaker who will do our bidding. We are clear that Brexit is about Parliamentary Sovereignty but only after we have made all the decisions first. It is clear that parliamentary sovereignty is an attempt to frustrate Brexit.

And here's an irony klaxon.
norman smith @BBCNormanS
Speaker refuses to say whether suggested "neutral" motion wd be amendable as govt now suggesting it might be.

Apart from it being prohibited under the UKs treaty obligations, a return to capital punishment would see me as juror freeing anyone facing the death penalty.

We are leaving the UNHCR and the EHCR in solidarity with the US under Henry VIII Brexit Powers. Our international treaty obligations are just holding us to ransom over Brexit. We should rewrite these treaties by immediately quitting them and asking for cake and unicorns.

You think there will be jury trials DGR ?

@PickardJE
the MP spotted by @elliotttimes being helped out of car was Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, who's been in hospital the last three days. She was meant to drop in for 10 minutes in the car park, but Tories are refusing to "nod through" her vote. She'll have to stay THREE HOURS...

I wonder what colour our Dissident Cages will be?

Fascism always gets in through the constitutional back door.

Jim Pickard @PickardJE
the MP spotted by @elliotttimes being helped out of car was Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, who's been in hospital the last three days. She was meant to drop in for 10 minutes in the car park, but Tories are refusing to "nod through" her vote. She'll have to stay THREE HOURS...

one friend describes the situation as "archaic"....smacks of 1970s Parliamentary shenanigans

At this rate we will have MPs dying or giving birth, literally in the Commons, whilst they vote.

Officially sanctioned Brexit lynch mobs.
Perhaps Tommy Robinson can be rehabilitated through a training scheme for one.

Fiddling while Rome burns?
For the historically ignorant, and a time filler while the overpaid MPs stop pratting about, what is the Henry V111 clause?
Does it involve sharp instruments and make a likely candidate for a 'dead reality' TV show? A whole new genre perhaps.

Simon Cox @SimonFRCox
New law adopted today by Hungarian Parliament. Lawyers can be arrested for advising migrants on exercising legal rights - and banned from meeting the people they help.

Let me amend that to make the point:

New law adopted today by Hungarian Parliament. Lawyers can be arrested for advising jews on exercising legal rights - and banned from meeting the people they help.

There is no Godwin anymore. The Nazis with their language of infestation, are very firmly here.

Grieve saying the government compromise is bollocks as it does not offer assurance and it would all be up to the Speaker to decide.

You think there will be jury trials DGR ?

Of course. They will be a centrepiece of New UK Order justice. No one with good intent will have anything to fear.

In order to ensure the highest quality of justice, each jury will be assigned a state bureau employee, who will ensure that all the relevant issues are covered before the jury delivers it's guilty verdict.

'As is the convention, parliamentary time to debate will be given.'

Is that a proper power or just a convention, like the one where sick opposition MPs are waved through?

And now Grieve is backing down and going with the government...

In order to ensure the highest quality of justice, each jury will be assigned a state bureau employee, who will ensure that all the relevant issues are covered before the jury delivers it's guilty verdict.

Judge Cantly.

*Cantley