Westministenders: Teetering on the edge

[RedToothBrush]

12 weeks to go.

There is rising confidence in the Extreme Brexiteer camp as well as open comments about how they can deliberately force through No Deal. Remember No Deal is the default. Every political crisis that takes up time makes no deal more likely and the ERG can just be obstructive to facilitate a political crisis. Parliament DO NOT have the ultimate power to stop Brexit - unless the government effectively allow an option to do so. And there is no sign May will let this ever happen. No Deal takes us back to pre-industrial revolution Britain in many social and economic ways. Which will please Jacob Rees-Mogg no end.

No Deal prep is now costing us a fortune - and is no where near sufficient in its scope. Won't someone think of all the extra that could have been put into the NHS.

Parliament returns next week. I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas break. What will happen in 2019 no one knows; the only certainity is turbulance and lurching from crisis to crisis. If we don't get hit by Brexit, maybe it will be the US shutdown crisis or the collaspe in the Chinese economy that will get us. Economists are nervous and thats generally not a good thing for the average person on the street.

Time to get in the euros, stock up on the tomatoes, invest in books and otherwise batten down the hatches financially whilst we await the coming storm in the hope that the forecasters are as good as Michael Fish in 1987.

FWIW I'm watching Cumberbatch as Cummings at the moment and its FAB.
Just excellent TV.
And I think the writers may have read these threads
C4 has ad breaks and the ads are VVV dull

This is all so insane. Batshit. Absolutely batshit.

And the harassment that some people are getting outside Parliament now is horrible.

Just about caught up on today’s posts.

The childbirth experiences of several posters or their OHs have had me simultaneously welling-up and wincing

I’ve just read Yvette’s piece in the Guardian

The amendment would mean that if the government wanted to use some of the specific powers in the finance bill to implement no deal, it would have to give parliament a vote first or apply to extend article 50.

Sorry, am I being really stupid? Whilst I understand this could prevent them implementing it surely it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still the default position? Or have I missed something?

Does the amendment also prevent some of the No Deal planning, as was suggested earlier? I don’t think it’s mentioned in this article.

A dangerous move? Or really exciting? I’m a bit of an Yvette fan. She’s a grown-up. I’m sure she’s thought this through. .

Is the Brexit programme worth watching, or will I end up throwing things at the screen?

Mrsr8
I admit I was just hooting with laughter watching a nasty old male politician get is comeuppance, but that was to do with my work.
Cummings is coming across as pretty amoral but its BEAUTIFULLY constructed.

Peregrina

Yes but it'll make you angry, as we are all be gamed.

My (limited) understanding singing is this amendment and the others planned are stumbling blocks that might will accumulate to preventing no deal.

Somebody is doing something

I'm not watching it - yet - but Daniel Hannan is getting cross so I'm please about that.

OK Folks, my considered view of
Brexit : The Uncivil War
Watch it.
Try not to multiscreen as you need to follow a couple of date lines.
But it REALLY gets to the true point.
Some of the characterisations are splendid.
I still loathe Cummings, but the focus on him is really interesting.
And if you need glasses to focus (like I do) wear them, as some of the captions add real insight.
I hope EVERY MP watched it before they start their voting this week.

It’s fab - gives a good idea into how manipulative the Leave campaign was and how useless the Remain campaign was. Wonder how responsible Cummings actually felt for Jo Cox though?

I think the Tory headbangers may panic and vote for the WA.

The WA is still Brexit and it keeps them in power.

The culmination of the focus group meetings is a thing to behold.

I was shocked at how loud it was. The classical music that runs throughout is really overwhelming at times, and it's a very claustrophobic feeling bit of telly. Really reflects the febrile atmosphere of the whole thing very well.

Hague thinks not:

To pass her Brexit deal through the House of Commons, Theresa May needs a balance of terror among those who favour rival outcomes. She needs hardline Brexiteers to worry that if they don’t vote with her, Brexit won’t happen at all, and some ardent Remainers to think that unless they support her, Britain will “crash out” of the EU without a deal.

Her problem is that, far from such a balance of terror existing, the very opposite prevails – a kind of equilibrium of complacency. Each set of opponents is smugly confident that, once her deal is voted down, their own view will prevail. The new year has been marked by all of them claiming fresh support and optimism.

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/07/no-deal-might-sound-tempting-mps-will-never-let-happen/

I don’t personally see any optimistic Remainers.

Having seen videos of the harassment outside Westminster- Owen Jones, Femi but particularly Anna Soubry, I'm horrified.

Anna Soubry was clearly being harrassed and intimidated by a group of large angry men. Apparently she asked the Police to step in and they refused. This is clearly harrassment and after the Jo Cox tragedy I'm disgusted she has no protection.

So, so sad for what's happened to this country .

Anna Soubry was clearly being harrassed and intimidated by a group of large angry men

I heard an interview with an MP today. It sounds like there needs to be an increase in security on college green. The stuff Anna Soubry has to endure would be beyond me, I’m sure she’s not the only MP being harassed or threatened.
Why is it always the female politicians who bare the brunt of this?

Brexit : An Uncivil War is really well done. I felt the same about the focus group scene plonky. Felt a be tearful at the end, realising how easy it was for us all to be played.

Missed the first half hour. Cummngs just comes across as an arrogant sociopath - "only he understands anything" bullshit. Completely amoral. It's good though - well worth watching just for the Bernard Jenkin

Brexit the Uncivil War was very well done and well scripted. I thought it put across very well the flaws and corruption of both campaigns.

I'd say watch it.

The harassment of MPs, particularly Anna Soubry, outside Parliament is a disgrace, especially with police trying not to become involved. It seems as though nothing has been learnt from events like the murder of Jo Cox.

He doesn’t seem to care about the people who will be hurt along the way.
2) for the hell of it. He just wants to see if he’s as good as he thinks he is.

That's what I mean by amoral. It's just an experiment.

NN*ot caring about people who will be hurt along the way

This is a defining characteristic of not only Cummings but many
Leave supporting MPs, and many Leave voters too. I know that's divisive, but it's true!

Here’s an update on the departures from an EY report:
UK financial services sector shifts £800 billion ( $ 1 trillion) in assets to EU.

“The financial services industry employs 2.2 million people across the country, and contributes 12.5% of GDP. It generates £72 billion ($100 billion) in tax revenue each year, according to the City of London Corporation.”

But as my Leave voting FIL has told me, information like this in the FT is not true. And even if his son loses his job in financial services FIL has said its a price worth paying.He doesn't care who is hurt along the way ( as long as his own pension is unaffected).

Money haemorrhaging out of the U.K. is not a crisis to him. Oh no. He says the FT peddles lies anyway. By contrast the reliable Express contains the truths.

So Let's see what the day will bring. Yay for Yvette's amendments. At least some one is doing something. I did wonder if the govt will not oppose the amendments to save face and avoid defeat, but then try and introduce circumventing legislation later on, not sure if that is possible.

https://www.ft.com/content/c9d2a2ca-1262-11e9-a581-4ff78404524e?fbclid=IwAR37r9n5KEaijGiMzx4wMVMz9zzfbxYc9xq3wjP-_lRNqpzIZahpPokiOJU

——-

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/07/investing/brexit-banks-moving-assets/index.html

Also regarding the Uncivil war- thought this article was interesting about when Benedict met Dominic.

www.spectator.co.uk/2018/12/benedict-cumberbatch-on-playing-my-husband-dominic-cummings/

@SingingBabooshkaBadly , I think what Cooper, Morgan and others are doing with this amendment is part of a package of different tactics to try and stop no Deal. As has been said before, no Deal is the current legislative alternative to WA and only legislation can stop legislation.

thank you and others for your kind words re birth trauma.

.

Start the morning with a rage!
The sheer unethical unthinking shits*, planning to 'steal' medical staff from around the world rather than train staff in the UK.
To cover the incompetence of the government in not sorting out training they are going to deprive other countries, no doubt those with poor economies, of their desperately needed medics.
I am not saying the UK shouldn't have more, they definitely should but the underhand irresponsible 'theft' is not acceptable if the UK wants to be treated as a 'grown up'.

• stronger expletives are available.