Westminstenders: Don't Panic!

[RedToothBrush]

It's official

Brexit is like an episode of Dads Army with the government, being Captain Mainwaring's trusty band of elite forces doing battle against the evil Mr Barnier.

Yesterday Parliament gave back control to the executive as it surrendered parliamentary sovereignty to Janus faced May. Grieve, it has to be said, truly did look like a broken man as he gave his speech in the commons. Not that we should have too much sympathy. After all he did just put party before country.

So where are we now? The ERG are happy. They have successfully bullied enough until everyone else gave up and folded. They now have no incentive to compromise, as they know that no one can stand up to them. They want no deal, and it's no deal they will force.

The EU are thoroughly fed up and it's difficult to see them do anything but cut us loose saying Brexit means Brexit, this is what you wanted. They have stepped up planning for no deal and their plans were already much more advanced than ours.

We go into the next round of talks with a solution to the Irish Border looking further away than ever. Not helped by the fact that brexit nationalism is restricted to England alone, with many being happy to let NI be sunk into the Irish sea and the favour the rebuilding of Hadrian's wall in order to keep out the foreigners.

It's hard to resist simply sitting down wailing "we doomed". But try to resist and keep saying, you are against this crap. If only so history books don't just say we all agreed to this clusterfuck.

Here have a fluffy bunny to help comfort you.

I agree that with a competent leader labour would be 10+ points ahead

BigChoc I’m not so sure.
Because the biggest issue with Labour atm is that actually they ARE supporting Brexit, in whatever form TM wants to give it.
That’s why there is no opposition.

So I dint think that a more capable leader, who still would want to support Brexit (but wo saying so because it would look like they are also supporting the Conservatives), would make a big difference.

I should say that by competent I mean anti brexit

I haven't seen/heard a single competent person who is pro brexit

That is the problem - the country is genuinely split and not along party lines.

However, Labour could do much more - there was no question on the ballot paper about leaving Euratom, or specifics about being in the Customs Union or not, or whether we want Freedom of Movement or not. So there should be plenty of room for them to Oppose May and her cronies. As for their 'traditional' voters that they don't want to alienate - I suspect good many of these were anti-austerity and in the two fingers to Cameron camp, so offering them the promise of a relaxation of austerity could keep them on board. I would argue that it did at the last election, although many tried to spin that as a vote for Brexit because of Labour's fence sitting.

Labour should be holding the government to account over the details, even if they agree with the general principle of pursuing a Brexit deal. This is what normally happens when one party brings forward legislation that the other agrees with in broad terms (say, anti-terrorism legislation), it's not new territory for a competent party under a competent leader

Labour also need the Tory 'rebels' to actually rebel.

This article by the MEP Catherine Bearder makes things very clear about what being a third country means.

www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-latest-news-eu-talks-brussels-uk-theresa-may-a8416076.html?amp&__twitter_impression=true

Just a snipped from the BBC website talking about Rotterdam's preparation for Brexit.
Lovely comment from a Dutch MP:

And what about the claim that the EU needs the UK just as much as the UK needs the EU?

"If you want to dream, do it at night," he suggested.

Actually because the split on Brexit in NOT along party lines, I believe that each party should let each MP vote according to their conscience/what their constituents voted for.

Where the Labour Party should Be stepping in as a united party is about revoking the charter of human rights, the use of Henry VIII powers or not giving a vote to Parliament (as it is clearly removing power from the parliament in a parliamentary democracy).
In effect they should be the champions of law and democracy.

I haven’t seen any of that happening.

It's just a coup. Normal party politcs collapses. Control of the media is almost absolute. Violent retribution and threats are made against opponents. The inheritors of Mosley's mantle and putin's co workers have been honing this for a while.
If this was happening in a developing world country, we would just shrug.

I wonder what May and Tusk are discussing now. Oh to be a fly on the wall for that.

Britons favour second referendum by 23 point margin, poll shows

www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-britons-favour-second-referendum-by-23-point-margin-poll-shows-a3869266.html

That was before the march on Saturday.
Still a bit close to call but maybe the reality is getting in to voters, even if not the Government.

Sorry, didn't see it was old. I'd still feel very hesitant about having another referendum though.

Grease-Smug his true colours as he threatens to vote against funding the NHS...

I hope you’re right as I would love to see this pathetic government punished at the polls. I realise that Labour is in a bind and agree that the Tories must clean up the mess they made (or at least deal with it). But I’ll remain furious with Corbyn et al for not campaigning properly against Brexit. And I’m a member.

20nil England v Germany would be pretty remarkable but I wont be hold ing my breath!

It showed things are going in the right sort of direction but not decisive.

"@carolecadwalla
Last week, we published evidence of @andywigmore passing FBI docs to the Kremlin. We showed how they co-ordinated their social media messaging with the Russian government - including threats against MPs & journalists. This was their reponse to latest set of qs.s this threatening & intimidating? Yes. For all of us - Observer editor @paulfwebster, fellow reporter @peterjukes, lawyer Zoe Norden. It’s nasty. It’s a Trumpian strategy of deliberately spreading lies coupled with personal attacks & it makes publishing this stuff hard.

This is not how a functioning democracy works. I don’t care if you voted Leave or Remain. This is a nasty, authoritarian attack on our institutions, our press, rule of law. That Brexit has legitimised.And after 18 months investigation, I can tell you this: that vote is a cesspool

THANK YOU, everyone, who's shown support. It's been so important. And this is why it matters. Threats & intimidation work. No news organisation in Britain followed up our reports from last weekend. The BBC stands silent. The bullies are winning."

Espionage used to be a real crime?

This was the Wigmore etc response to Cadwalladr

Arron Banks ‘discussed digging dirt on journalists
Donor to Leave.EU campaign ‘wanted to find personal stuff’ on BBC Newsnight editor
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/24/arron-banks-discussed-digging-dirt-journalists-bbc-newsnight-leave-eu

Banks’s MEP, Molly Scott Cato, said she had written to Sajid Javid, the home secretary, demanding to know what had been done to investigate collusion between the Russian security services and the Brexit campaign, in particular what MI5 knows and what information should be made public
Well.....is David Green would say.

What promises or guarantees will JR-M extract from TM in exchange for his support and that of his cronies for the NHS funding?

And who is next to hold her over a barrel?

What a shambles.

Pressure ramping up: More large manufacturers to warn publicly

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/25/bmw-will-shut-uk-sites-if-customs-delays-clog-supply-post-brexit

BMW has said it will be forced to close its production sites in the UK,
putting 8,000 jobs at risk,
if components for Mini and Rolls-Royce cars are caught up in customs delays after Brexit
…
The car industry employs about 860,000 people in the UK with virtually all production relying on just-in-time processes,
the term used to describe components arriving seamlessly from multiple domestic and international destinations in order to avoid costly stockpiling of parts.

The port of Dover and Getlink, which runs Eurotunnel,^^
have said even a two-minute delay [per goods vehicle] at the ports could mean queues up to 17-miles long,

with severe consequences for all just-in-time production and the supply of fresh produce.

On Tuesday morning the chief executive of the society of Motor Manufacturers and Trade is expected to open the trade body’s automotive summit with a strong message to the government.

The Japanese ambassador to Britain is also scheduled to speak
and is expected to voice concern about the future of Nissan’s Sunderland factory, Toyota’s Derby operations, and Honda’s Swindon site post-Brexit.

BMW’s warning came hours after
business leaders from the US, Canada, Japan and India told the British government to solve the Brexit issue urgently
or put more than £100bn worth of trade at risk.

I would argue that the money for the NHS isn't just about the money for the NHS.

The NHS money is about liberal one nation conservatism.

Rees Smug wants to get away from that and breed hard-line right wing fascists. Plus the NHS is competition for all those lovely American health companies who want to 'invest' here.