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

I'd say at best a hung Parliament and needing Confidence & Supply from the SNP
(NS is far too savvy for a pratfall coalition like Clegg's)

Now if they had a non-toxic leader, Labour would have a landslide
This is the most chaotic incompetent govt since the days of heads being chopped off and the Tories are still fighting bitterly amongst themselves

Labour when against a Major govt in far less trouble managed to be 20-25% ahead in polls for months
Corbyn can't even keep a reliable 4% lead, which he'd need to win under FPTP

Ian Duntt@IanDunt*

She's like a faulty Terminator. She simply will not stop.
But also she is not very good.

< unfortunately ERG are much worse. Bloody hell what did we do to deserve this ? Y

TM survived to fight another day. But there is no one else. Only option for the Tories would be a complete Brexiter who would just get us to leave. But that would be a huge decision. Not sure anyone really wants that responsibility deep down. Even JRM.
Another leader that goes back to negotiate would have the same problems as TM.
There really is no solution to this. I think we’ll just accept TMs plan come March unless something radical happens.
Anyone else noticed that no real Brexiters including Jacob and Boris has really put themselves up as leader? No one wants to carry the can for Brexit, it’s a poisoned challis.

Ireland also have a hung Parliament, but behave far more responsibly:

Alberto Nardelli@AlbertoNardelli

Compare and contrast: Ireland’s opposition party rules out trying to force an election due to Brexit turmoil
- “The chaos in Westminster will not be allowed to spread to Ireland”

We voted for them BCF.

Thousands and thousands of people look at their ballot papers reading 'Jacob Rees Mogg' or 'Bill Cash' or '"Sir" Bernard Jenkin of £63000 in expenses' and think 'yup, that's the one for me'

17.4 million people who looked at a ballot paper reading 'Status quo versus absolutely no idea but Farage likes it' and voted to give Nige a hand-job. We did it.

James Patrick@J_amesp

Now Labour are in a bind, sizing up whether Tories will hate Theresa May enough to collapse the government with a no confidence vote.
Some power versus giving power away. You can feel the...I’m kidding. I don’t care.

Yeah, Annandale
We voted for austerity & UC too and hitting "scroungers" and immigrants
People who find food banks uplifting ... while living in vast staffed mansions themselves

It's not just that we've got more stupid & ignorant than we used to be, but when did we as a nation become so callous & nasty ?

*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*

It wouldn't be Corbyn negotiating though so Sugar's tweet is cheap.

All Labour had to do was get a decent leader and they could put the Tories out of Downing Street for a generation.
Corbyn is too controversial.
I’ve said it before and will say it again, you can’t win against the EU when negotiating a deal. Surely the other 27 countries would hold all the cards? Why would they make it easy for us leave? Don’t they want us to pay 39 billion to leave?

Fabian Zuleeg@FabianZuleeg (European Policy Centre)

May now coming to Brussels to try to get a legally binding deal on ending the backstop.
Will not happen.
Declarations/clarifications yes, but no chance of giving UK a unilateral exit or sunset clause.
Once again, backstop that can be unilaterally ended by UK is not a backstop

Swedish It would be Corbyn laying down the parameters for negotiating though
His belief in getting better unicorns than the Tories

May's parameters landed us with this very imperfect WA; his parameters would get us nowhere

Jedi The EU all along wanted only an orderly Brexit,
according to the terms of A50 which the UK agreed and a Brit drew up:

• Settle past commitments: the exit bill

• Deal with ongoing commitments: the GFA, expats rights

• Outline framework for the future relationship: the transition period & the Political Declaration outlining aims of a future trade deal

Barnier gave a list of possible future deals, ranging from Norway to Canada to Turkey
He showed which were eliminated by the UK's red lines

May changed her mind during the final few weeks and ended up with a special WA that satisfied some red lines

All deals require the NI backstop now, because they can't trust us not to cancel any deal 5 minutes after signing.

Norway have also said they don't trust us not to wreck EFTA, so Norway++ would have to be replaced by a separate 3rd EEA pillar.

Our options have reduced both because the govt have wasted nearly 2 years on unicorns
and also because the disgraceful behaviour of ERG cabinet ministers has lost us so much trust & prestige

I don't see why we should all feel personally responsible, "Annandale". We didn't all vote for Brexit, or austerity. Personally, my teenager and I spent many hours traipsing round housing estates putting Remain leaflets through doors. Very pro-Leave housing estates. And I've been on demonstrations and written to my MP a few times. I know it's not a lot, but I certainly don't feel responsible for the Brexit vote.

If the DUP force a GE, it is likely to have the minimum notice / campaign period of 17 working days, about 3 weeks
which would limit Corbyn's time to catch up

She has a 22% lead over him personally.

https://news.sky.com/story/public-think-politics-would-be-more-chaotic-under-labour-sky-data-poll-finds-11577913

Despite the turmoil of recent days, Theresa May remains much more trusted than Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to lead the country through Brexit, the figures show.

A total of 42% of the public think Mrs May would be more competent to do so, with 22% backing Mr Corbyn

• though some 36% answered "don't know".

I also don't believe we all have to own this shambles, I have it on good authority that I am a citizen of nowhere. Before reaching this status I have donated, written letters and even stood for lost cause local elections. Standing in a very leave area with a pro eu party placard getting signatures was interesting.
So no, I won't own this decision or accept it.

All she’s said really is that the next election won’t be in 2022.

She’s basically told the troops to get ready to fight an election sooner rather than later.

I’m surprised Cameron’s got the gall to pontificate on referendum politics.
Not surprised he got this cutting response.

So now what ?

Like I said yesterday Hester. There are clearly some extremely stupid Remainers.

Very much what I said yesterday Annandale.
However chin up. I voted Brexit. Voted Labour. Got a hung Parliament. Destroyed UKIP. Tories on their last legs. Looking doubtful even the Sky propaganda machine will do it for them.

Perhaps if all the people campaigning and handing out Remain leaflets in Leave housing estates had been campaigning harder to stop UC and austerity on stilts all of this could have been avoided.

The batshit right of the Tory party destroyed Major and then Cameron let them destroy him; she's managed to get one over them for now! The Tory party have spoken so what is it about their democratic vote that Rees-Mogg and co don't understand?

I thought Labour's six tests were based on what DD/conservatives said at the outset of negotiations. By sticking to those they are actually holding to Tories to account. I think they know no agreement will meet the tests - that's kinda the point. Cat and mouse and give the conservatives enough rope to hang themselves. Shame while they are playing politics the country is going to hell in a handcart

Perhaps if all the people campaigning and handing out Remain leaflets in Leave housing estates had been campaigning harder to stop UC and austerity on stilts all of this could have been avoided.

And if all the people who voted Leave because of austerity had abstained or voted Remain instead, it definitely could've. Although actually, speaking as a person who lives on a Leave leaning housing estate, I'm not sure ours was quite as much about austerity as some might like to think.

Although actually, speaking as a person who lives on a Leave leaning housing estate, I'm not sure ours was quite as much about austerity as some might like to think.

What do you think it was? Dare I say 'too many immigrants'?