Westministenders: High Drama at The Ok Coral

[RedToothBrush]

3:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 1881, Tombstone, Arizona.

After months of death threats from the Cowboy Billys, their long simmering feud with the law thing came to a head. The Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday faced the criminals down in a shootout.

Tomorrow's 'sleepover' is starting to feel like the Gunfight at the OK Coral.

The outcome of the real story was three of the outlaws were killed. Another two claimed they were unarmed and ran from the fight. Virgil, Morgan, and Doc Holliday were wounded, but Wyatt Earp was unharmed.

How many Brexiteers can we expect to roll over and resign from the Cabinet and how many will surrender to May and the Pro-Business lobby? ONly time will tell.

Please place your bets for the number of resignations and the number of 'I support the PM' comments.

But don't get too excited. The showdown wasn't the end of the matter.

One of the outlaws who legged it, filed murder charges against the Earps and Doc Holliday. It took them some time for them to be acquitted.

Then Virgil Earp was ambushed and disabled in the arm later that year in December and Morgan Earp was assassinated in March 1882. Wyatt Earp, then thinking he had no other option, went on a personal vendetta to kill the outlaws and then fled the state.

Given the Tory Cabinet and the perchant for stabbing each other in the back and settling personal scores, a repeat of a wild west gun fight, really doesn't sound too wildly off the cards now does it?

Buckle up. Its time to play at Chequers.

Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes
Lib Dems have now also been invited to Number 10 briefing on TM's brexit deal

While politically shrewd in the medium term, the timing is, um, odd

The Pro Remain party invited to May's Brexit Strategy Breifing.

Lost in the melee of DD news: news.sky.com/story/uk-to-expand-navy-in-north-atlantic-amid-growing-russian-threat-11430721

Particular fears of a Russian attack on fibre-optic cables laid in the region which carry a huge percentage of global traffic.

Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes
ERG is saying that the government briefing for Labour, Lib Dem and SNP MPs are their "stupidest mistake"

"It's driving Tory Mps 'off the chart' demented" - source

There's a long lesson about this stretching back to Maastricht, apparently, that wont fit in a tweet.

There are moments in Brexit, in which I laugh manically at the thought of hard line Brexiteers having their poor little heads explode in rage.

They make up for the moments when I sit banging my head against the wall and praying for a miracle.

This tweet is one.

*Fears of Russian attack on fibre optics...
*
There are many regular Russian incursions into air and sea space.

But still millions of Brexiteers see no benefit in being united and supported as a solid leading member of the EU 27.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/full-list-of-incidents-involving-russian-military-and-nato-since-march-2014-9851309.html

Lib Dems have now also been invited to Number 10 briefing on TM's brexit deal

an invitation I hope they politely decline. After all, with their meagre numbers (less than the DUP) they aren't going to be much use.

Also, the LibDems are EUphiles to the core. So what can they bring to the party ? Not so much "no, we wouldn't do it that way" as more "well, we wouldn't do it - it's the will of the people that elected us" ???

Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes
Steve Baker's resignation letter:

"I cannot support this policy with the sincerity and resolve which will be necessary. I therefore write with regret to resign".

Harry Cole @MrHarryCole
How long will the PM last? Rees Mogg: "Who knows when she will decide she has had enough of this?"

Jim Pickard @PickardJE
The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Dominic Raab MP as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.

... and only on Thursday I was hearing on R4 how seabed fibre optic cables have unexpectedly been shown to help predict tsunamis ...

Iain Martin @iainmartin1
Raab is very Brexity and very close to David Davis.

Law and policy @davidallengreen

Relax everybody!

There is now a solicitor in charge.

(Ho, ho.)

I wonder if the papers - like MN - could rewrite what's happening without any reference to Brexit.( s/Brexit/the UKs future relationship in Europe/ )

If they did, they would be pointing out they are reporting on the Tories going into meltdown pure and simple.

But even then - a General Election helps no one. It would be amazing if we got a majority government - much more likely to get an even less stable mix ... I suspect the LibDems might gain one or two at the expense of Lab/Con. And Scotland might have a bigger effect ?

Ian Dunt @IanDunt
David Davis: In the end, there was nothing behind the swagger - how the Brexit secretary failed and failed again
www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2018/07/09/david-davis-in-the-end-there-was-nothing-behind-the-swagger
David Davis: In the end, there was nothing behind the swagger

Ian Dunt @IanDunt
Raab. Same type. The idiot's idea of a smart guy.
Also, and this isn't a coincidence, his own idea of a smart guy.

Interesting choice.

Law and policy @davidallengreen
Many will remember Dominic Raab from his attempts at MoJ to repeal the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.

He failed, primarily because he did not come up with a legally literate, viable or detailed plan of how to do it.

Just slogans.

Very Brexity - I like that phrase. It sounds friendly

Raab?? Deep breaths

(This is me finally place marking - thanks for the continued flow of info Red and co)

@RedToothBrush
"Westministenders: High Drama at The Ok Coral"

*O.K. Corral

HTH

Paul Johnson @paul__johnson
Dominic Raab gets #Brexit Secretary job. -And doesn’t he look delighted

Penny Mordaunt MP @PennyMordaunt
Very welcome appointment of @DominicRaab to @DExEUgov Highly capable, across the issues, attention to detail, Leave supporter and pragmatist. Look forward to working with him to deliver Brexit.

Adam Wagner @AdamWagner1
Dominic Raab is well-known in the legal world as the clever ideologue who has worked for years to manoeuvre UK out of European Convention on Human Rights.

He has failed to now as he hasn't been able to translate his ideology to persuasive practical politics.

Not a good omen.

Peter Smith @Redpeter99
Brexiters are like my dog Stan. He spent 15 years chasing neighbour's cats. One day he cornered one and didn't have a clue what to do next. So he sat down and licked his balls. #BrexitShambles

Raab is less surprising as dds replacement than dd actually resigning!

I'm glad tm is calling the other parties in, however she should have done this before triggering article 50. Though she should have had a plan before triggering article 50 so I suppose this is the first time she can try to sell something across the floor.

Davis gets out before Brexit is exposed for the sham it is - doesn't want to be holding the ticking bomb when the music stops, as it inevitably must.

Raab's political ambition prompts him to grab the bomb, although he must know that it's a poisoned chalice (nice mixed metaphor there!), Typical politican, just take the kudos of having the job without any idea how to deal with it.

Didn't he say during the Referendum campaign that no-one was talking about leaving the Internal Market? May's latest fudge chimes with that, so at least he can fall back on that. It certainly doesn't fit in with the ERG's ravings.

David Davis said on the today programme that it was his job to write the white paper rather than having this one foisted on him. Which begs the question where is DD's white paper? After all he's had two years......

What we need is for England to win the world cup and then for Gareth Southgate to announce brexit is cancelled.

One wonders if calling other parties in is a prelude to an election ?

AIUI May needs their support in the HoC to duck comply with the FTPA ?

Would May be as cynical as to call an election if England were to win the world cup ?

All of a sudden I might want Croatia to win (goes off to Google "Croatia" ...)