Westministenders: Deadline Day #1

[RedToothBrush]

We have hit another Deadline Day.

As it stands, the EU are looking for more progress. May is digging in her heels by suggesting there is new a requirement for backstop to a backstop. The backstop to all intents and purposes is the GFA. So May is saying in effect, that the EU are forcing her to put in provisions to protect an international agreement we are signed up to, and if we breech it we risk peace in NI.

After lots of noise it seems that the Cabinet have decided to stick by May. For now.

The EU look like they are talking as if their meeting next month will exclude the UK and just go straight to No Deal planning.

There is also other talk of alternatives to allow the UK to stay in the customs union. But theres not much to that and it still doesn't solve the ERG and the DUP problem.

May is vastly unestimating how much the ERG and the DUP want to break the GFA. Which is a huge misjudgment.

There is also talk of the final final Deadline Day actually being Dec 13. For various reasons its not. Thats 29th March.

So Wednesday is Deadline Day #1. Expect more.

Weather looks good in London tomorrow. Let's hope that encourages more to turn out.

Not hugely looking forward to it, as I get very stressed in large crowds, but there's too much at stake to cop out.

Can I echo what others have said on here, not just about the ever-inspiring RTB, but all of you who've made the past few years less confusing and lonely.

Indie poll up to 925K now - could make 1 million by tomorrow.

red Serious business at those talks
No time for any country who has nothing significant to contribute
Expect more of this

imo, the writing was on the wall - loss of clout - right from when the UK failed to get its judge elected on the ICJ;
the first time since the court was created, 70 years ago, that there will be no British judge.
That is major

I expect the Foreign Office is begging for an invite to the Syria talks, so someone may throw us a bone

The Theresa Resign Thread is cracking isn't it.

[ MN really needs a banging head against the wall emoji ]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/18/juncker-extension-brexit-transition-period-probably-will-happen

Tory whips are now seeking to win over enough Labour MPs to outnumber hardline rebels, and are set to urge them to act in the “national interest”
rather than risk the potentially severe economic consequences of no deal.

“It’s no longer a technical issue, it’s for the political ability of the UK to reach an agreement that can be presented to us,” Macron said.
“Mrs May has been extremely committed and I’m convinced she will work in finding a political solution to get back to the EU negotiators.”

Under the EU’s plan to help May sell a deal, negotiations on an all-UK customs union are to be intensified, with a reference to future negotiations on its terms likely to be included in the withdrawal agreement.

Donald Tusk, the European council president, also said that EU leaders would wave through any request by the UK for an extension of the 21-month transition period.

They would do so in the hope that it will offer reassurance that the backstop solution, in which Northern Ireland remains in the customs union and single market as the rest of the UK withdraws, never comes to pass.

www.politico.eu/article/icelandic-foreign-minister-to-uk-please-join-efta/
Icelandic foreign minister to UK: Please join EFTA

‘Everyone wants to sell you goods and services,’ minister says.

red Some people appear to have learned nothing since the referendum
Unfortunately that includes most Brexiter MPs

Johnny Mercer MP @JohnnyMercerUK
Replying to @Billabong1965
I’ll give you one chance at honesty. Did you insinuate my wife was a prostitute on the Plymouth Herald comments section?

Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound
This. Is. Not. Normal. (h.t. @MattChorley)

Wow!

Red Toothbrush, don't underestimate your importance tomorrow. You will be at home posting the important developments on this thread. Every now and again, I will be tuning in to see your commentary and that will be spurring me on.

Kendals, Manchester is closing in Jan.

(Thats House of Fraser, Deansgate to those who don't know it as Kendals).

Thats big. Unsurprising, but significant.

Unfortunately, several reports that Norway has gone cold on the idea
After the dreadful Brexit arrogance, they are understandably worried that the UK will try to take over EFTA and make it into something else

They also expect major tantrums if the other EFTA countries won't do what the UK demands
and then the hassle of the UK leaving in a huff and demanding special treatment afterwards

Any application to join EEA / EFTA might have to be accompanied by promises of good behaviour - to made legally binding in the accession treaty.

Blimey - re Johnny Mercer Tweet:
Is he engaging with trolls, or is that person actually known to him ?

No idea.

He sounds like a man on the edge though, who has REALLY had enough. And this is a former military man trained to deal with hostility.

Hahahaha love that.

And I'm monolingual.

Chapeau Mrsr8

Those occasional Brexit threads that make it out into the main boards are useful. Not just because they're terrifically entertaining for attracting some top boneheaded ignorance, but because those one-line soundbite Leaver posts probably won't be having the effect intended by the poster.

As I see it, if you were genuinely a "neutral" uninformed lurker, by the time you've clicked on the thread it means you're at least interested enough to engage, maybe the title/first post has caused you a niggling doubt about (say) travel or food supplies, there are Remainer posts containing information and links, and there are one-line soundbite Leaver posts. The only people the one-line soundbite Leaver posts are going to reassure back into total supine passivity, would be the people who were already inclined that way, and who probably wouldn't have clicked on the thread in the first place. Everyone else who has clicked on the thread is either going to wake up (OK, unlikely after 2 years) or at least be edging marginally closer to reality.

One of the things that I find most interesting about 10's interjections is how angry he/she/whatever is about people talking about what's happening.

It's like the true believers just can't get over the idea that the Referendum was not, in fact, an agreement for the whole country to just stop thinking altogether.

Well done to everyone marching tomorrow.

The Theresa Must Resign thread - is that CCHQ testing the waters again?

For entertainment in a depressing sort of way, try reading the 'comments' following 'stories' by the Fail, Sun, and even some of the more sensible 'papers'. Some make terminal stupidity into an art form!

The Theresa Must Resign thread - is that CCHQ testing the waters again?

Must admit that thought did cross my mind.

Delurking quickly to thank everyone here who posts here, massive help and a big thank you to all those marching tomorrow too.

I'm completely out of touch -what and where is this march?

March for the people's vote in London tomorrow. Lots of meeting places - because it's going to be big - but I think the main one is outside the Hilton.