Westminstenders: Dear Santa for Christmas I'd like...

[RedToothBrush]

The ERG to be the grinch that stole the Tory Party Christmas who ultimately get what they deserve.

To remain in the EU

Donald Trump's impeachment

For politics to be boring again

A trex toy for my son

ERG big knobs seem quiet on Twitter tonight.

Bet they’re furiously WhatsApping each other though. Except JRM. He’s probably run out of carrier pigeons and manservants by now though.

I really, really don't like JRM....

Historians will not believe the sheer ignorance of Brexit supporters

This is so depressing. With 117 votes against her, I can’t see how the WA will pass. Any replacement Tory PM looks much worse and still dependent on the DUP nutters. Labour should really get behind the WA and vote it through for the sake of the country as it’s pretty much Corbyn’s position anyway.

The problem is.... The only way they got Corbyn on side to agree that a PV is possible was by saying we can go that route AFTER we have tried the confidence motion and tried to force an election. If that fails, THEN we push for a PV...

As a result, he (Corbyn) will not call a confidence motion until he knows he can win and force a GE.... As such, the "all items on the table" solution of Labour;s official position is, sadly, meaningless :-(

I hope Boris is hugely pissed off that his ambition to be PM has been knocked back again, and with luck, forever.

Meanwhile the Irish govt shows how a functioning government works:

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/simon-coveney-irish-preparations-for-no-deal-brexit-to-accelerate-1.3728006

Despite the European Union and the United Kingdom having settled a Withdrawal Agreement, the political situation in London is increasingly unpredictable. 🤦🏻‍♀️
....
However, we cannot take the UK ratifying it as a given
and so have to continue to plan and prepare for a disorderly Brexit.
.....
Since July the Cabinet has been approving measures to go from planning to implementation under two scenarios.
The first is the “central-case scenario” which is built on a withdrawal deal being finally ratified and including a transition period.
The second scenario is the no-deal scenario, with changes coming into effect on March 30th next.
....
Contingency in every EU country falls into two broad categories.
Firstly, the action we have to take domestically.
Secondly, the collective action that will be taken by the European Commission.
This latter work is well advanced with more than 70 papers published to date – including, for example, the very detailed paper on commission no-deal plans in areas such as aviation,
.....
There are just over 15 weeks to go and
the Taoiseach has shown time and again that our Government can hold firm on protecting Ireland at every key juncture.

The Withdrawal Agreement would not have been reached without that approach
and all of our effort will be on a sensible and well-managed Brexit whatever the days and weeks ahead throw up.

I'd love to know which way my MP voted - he got his knighthood, then wrote in the local paper how fantastic a hard Brexit would be (apparently that's what the country voted for), so which won, principles or a bribe?

{Why would labour get behind the WA? It's never met their 6 tests.}
The 6 tests are now meaningless as they have been superseded by reality and even revoke and remain would still fail the tests.
It is the same as women get to 21 years old and are then 21 for ever afterwards, a gradual slippage between idealism and reality.

It is the same as women get to 21 years old and are then 21 for ever afterwards, a gradual slippage between idealism and reality

Yeah, thanks for relying on a tired, sexist myth to try to make a point

EU will not offer legal backstop guarantees - diplomats

https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2018/1212/1016862-eu-summit-brexit/

A leaked draft of a five-paragraph statement to be agreed by EU27 leaders suggests that the EU

"stands by this [withdrawal] agreement and intends to proceed with its ratification.
It is not open for renegotiation."

whymewhynow
Sorry, it was not meant to be insulting. By being on MN I have to accept a continual stream of 'men are either complete bastards' or incompetent.

Taoiseach, Juncker say Brexit withdrawal deal cannot be "re-opened or contradicted"

www.newstalk.com/Taoiseach-Juncker-say-Brexit-withdrawal-deal-cannot-be-reopened-or-contradicted

How about the people of NI getting a vote on the backstop? It's the economy, stupid! Exports to Ireland are roughly twice the value of exports to the rest of the UK...

m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-exports-to-britain-plunge-by-20-and-sales-to-republic-rise-by-16-37619643.html

m.youtube.com/watch?v=wxpYW_w5pgo

All this talk about food diplomacy reminds me of this.
Please watch if you want a couple of minutes of light relief.
It’s incredible to think that Michael Cohen ratting on Trump in a big way is relegated to the 2nd news story. Interesting times indeed.

Theresa May survives. Things are so bad we have to be grateful for that

Polly Toynbee

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/12/theresa-may-tory-leadership-brexit-conservatives

Party chair Brandon Lewis and Chief exec Mick Davis have just arrived at Number 10

May has just pulled an all nighter with Julian. Surely mince pies would be the last thing on her mind.

Troubling...

Sky: Sparks fly in the Labour camp
Lord Sugar, a Labour supporter who used to be a peer for the party but now sits as a crossbencher, takes on Jeremy Corbyn for his response to tonight's vote.
And it's not pretty...

Lord Sugar@Lord_Sugar

Shut up . Talk cheap .
You have no clue how the negotiations went and certainly you would have been a disaster if you were left to negotiate

Regarding a GE, would the UK really vote for a Corbyn and Co government? I can’t see Labour winning, they may win seats but not enough to beat the Tories.

Tom Newton Dunn@tnewtondunn

A split now emerging between Tory Brexit rebels on how to handle the result. Compare Crispin Blunt's concession below with Jacob Rees-Mog

Tony Blair was a Tory in a red tie. He believed in a free market and privatisation in our public services. In fact every new prison opened by New Labour was awarded to the private sector. Labour also brought in PFI to the NHS.
On the other hand, Jeremy Corbyn wants to nationalise everything.

It's taken me 28 pages to catch up to say - PMK.

I'm like Grayling turning up to a conference on keeping to a rail timetable - a few days late.

Go on Treeza, put the WA vote on the table now. Tell the fuckers where to go. The whip must be so knackered he will just point a gun at everyone's head. I think the WA is utter shit, but I also think you're right that it's what we deserve, it's what we, collectively, voted for. I'm not having this 'not in my name' business. I voted Remain but I'm no better than my insanely racist uncle who thinks there will be a tax cut on 30 March 2019. We're all British, we're shit and we know we are. Anything, anything at all, is better than no deal.