Westminstenders: Red Squirrels are British. Groundhogs are not.

[RedToothBrush]

Well the good news is we haven't got a GE yet, and it looks unlike one will be called this week. Purely because we haven't got a crisis point looming this week.

May has officially confirmed plan A is plan B. But says she will try and get more on the backstop whilst working with the DUP. Barnier and Ireland have said 'no'

We now prepare for the Meaningful Vote II.

And a week of speculation about amendments.

Here's a quick summary of likely ones:
Guardian Article on possible amendments

I think the Labour one will struggle to gain Tory support. The big thing about it is leans the party line firmly towards a customs union.

The Grieve one is handicapped by talk of a minority of 300 taking control of Parliament. Otherwise it might have support.

The two most interesting are:

The Benn 'Indicative Vote' as its reflective of the Brexit Select Committee recommendations.

The Cooper-Boles Block No Deal amendment which is cross party and seeks to place a final date on May passing her deal by 26th Feb, after which Parliament will take control. This I believe is being supported by Labour as a whole.

Bercow of course gets to say which amendments are debated and voted on but Benn and Cooper-Boles have broad support so are unlikely to be ignored by him. The two together seem to compliment each other.

The rest of this week is likely to be lobbying on this but otherwise fairly calm. Though someone is bound to throw a few curveball in there with leaks.

The only other thing to watch out for is talk of up to 40 ministers quitting if they are not allowed a free vote on some sort of indicative vote motion. This seems to be being lead by Amber Rudd. But I don't expect this to come to a head until the weekend at the earliest.

In other words, we have a couple of days of calm before the storm. Expect it to ramp up again at the weekend in craziness.

He either has a fuck load of personal money riding on this, or his innermost political aims are far murkier & nastier than we suspected.

I don't believe this is a case of either/or.

He is an evil evil man.

Beth Rigby @bethrigby
I know the official line is that we are leaving on March 29, but in private ministers talking about how the hell they get all the necessary legislation through a paralyzed parliament in time - Deal or No Deal. What’s going on behind the scenes #Brexit >

news.sky.com/story/ministers-brace-for-brexit-delay-with-or-without-an-exit-agreement-11615621
Ministers brace for Brexit delay - with or without an exit agreement
A senior government source tells Sky News both options could require delaying the UK's departure date beyond 29 March.

Here we go...

A senior government source told Sky News both options could require delaying Brexit day beyond 29 March because of the weight of legislation that needs to pass through the House of Commons to facilitate either option.

That noise you are about to hear is the one of a government panicking.

We are about to become an episode of Dad's Army.

Esther's already got the 'don't panic, follow us, slippy snake poison' vid out.

Brace brace.

For no reason whatsoever I’ve decided to share with you all the fact that just as I read about JRM’s proroguing of Parliament my cat decided to be sick in the waste paper bin. I like to think it was symbolic.

www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-northern-ireland-46946162?__twitter_impression=true
Northern Ireland haulage firms 'face no-deal disaster'

Northern Ireland haulage firms could face disaster in the event of a no-deal Brexit due to a lack of permits to drive in the EU, it has been warned.

The deadline has passed for lorry drivers applying for licences to drive in Europe after a no-deal Brexit.

The haulage industry says only 1,200 annual permits were offered across the UK, but that 40,000 were needed.

At best, Northern Ireland will get only 60 permits, says the Freight Transport Association in Northern Ireland.

I reluctantly had to concede that there is such a thing as too many books if you live in a studio flat. Some good ideas to add to my kindle wish list here.

Working my way through the Discworld series at the moment, so that should keep me going for a bit. As will the Complete Sherlock Holmes audiobook.

Can’t remember who mentioned it, but Cambridge Latin Course used to have their textbooks online for free.

What a very refined cat!

So, I leave for a hospital appointment - everyone’s having a lovely chat about books and lusting after double-sided, secret door bookshelves. I get back to find JRM is trying to shut down parliament, we can’t even trade under shit WTO rules if we No Deal and MrsR8 has revealed a hitherto concealed side

WTA?

.

But a very fine writer in my opinion. And he makes me laugh. I can separate the work from the creator in my mind.

I don’t think he is that good. Too self-regarding. Brideshead is fine when you’re 12, otherwise it’s unbearable.

Did you know Shimi Lovat had to bin him from the Commandos since, he told Paul Johnson, Waugh “had made himself so hated by his men they would have shot him in the back as soon as they went into action.“

I feel the same.

Totally baffled why even remainers don't seem to be reacting to JRM's threat to basically do away with Parliament until Brexit has happened

They were called 'extreme remainers' and worse.

Some warned it was fascism and were reviled and ridiculed.

Who's laughing now?

I am now 90% sure that we won't leave the EU until June at earliest. However, I am also pretty sure that Parliament will spend February going round in circles, before finally some form of clarity (probably Norway or a second referendum, but could be the approval of a marginally tweaked WA) emerges in early March.

Newspapers.

Lots of them not running with Brexit on the front cover tonight.

The telegraph are and Politico are going with stockpiling...

Times

I don't think that we really have any option but to extend do we?

We're pretty much looking at a blank sheet of paper, no plan, just arguments, as I read somewhere today - we can't even agree what the question is, never mind the answer!

IT'S NEARLY BLOODY FEBRUARY, have we entered some sort of twilight zone?!?!

My work has a huge interest in politics which is one of the reasons I'm a closet political nerd but a lot of people that I know socially have an attitude of 'oh yeah, Brexit, not thought about it really, sure it'll be fine' - Nightmare!!

And there’s nothing NOTHING in the BBC 10 o’clock news headlines about Brexit. Not. A. Single. Word.

Really? Really?

Where the fuck are the investigative journalists?

Yes we do have options we can just shut down parliament.

Job done. Sorted.

Ian Dunt @ iandunt
This is pitiful and must not happen. Three months is not enough. And if MPs really do not see that, then there's no hope for them.

Re: the Cooper amendment. FWIW, twitter is suggesting to me that Labour are actually leaning towards favouring an extension until the end of the year, rather than July.

I agree that investigative journalism has been near non existent on brexit. I'm speechless now as to what's going on. I miss the country as I've always known it. I really miss it...

tatiana oh agree. Can just imagine him in uniform and how his men loathed him.
Maybe we should just take up opposite sides of the swinging bookshelves in the bunker?
Sorry for my extensive derailing

Worth pointing out why the 29th March deadline is so important to some: that pesky EU law about taxation that's coming in. That might just make some go for the WA just to avoid an extension.

Hmm eyes on that one.

"FWIW, twitter is suggesting to me that Labour are actually leaning towards favouring an extension until the end of the year, rather than July."

Yes, I saw that. It would need some nifty footwork on the part of the EU to get agreement to extend UK membership after the new EU parliament starts... hard to achieve without at least some vague sense of direction from us.

I don't think that we really have any option but to extend do we

England can't extend 'unilaterally'. It's a failed state and it's doubtful it will be allowed to extend.

Apathy, laziness, ignorance, privilege, pretentiousness and snobbery have facilitated brexit and it will happen probably in a deal-less armageddon in 8 weeks.

Millions will die. More will be terrorised.

Millions will die. More will be terrorised.

The situation is bad but I'd say that's a tad excessive.

Yes that's true @bananacake2134 We can't extend unilaterally, I suppose I was just thinking/hoping out loud!

Thanks Perverse, it's been deleted since. Prob just as well. I've spent about an hour writing a post and I've just deleted it because it's too hard. I'm probably more angry than I have ever been in my life.

www.irishtimes.com/news/queen-elizabeth-lays-wreath-at-garden-of-remembrance-1.876652?mode=amp

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/historic-moment-martin-mcguinness-and-the-queen-shook-hands-35550665.html

news.sky.com/story/kent-schools-told-to-prepare-for-lockdowns-under-no-deal-brexit-11615788
Kent schools told to prepare for 'lockdowns' under 'no-deal' Brexit
A document from Kent County Council warns of "disruption" for pupils and staff if the UK leaves the EU without an exit agreement.

The council predicts this could cause "closure or part closure" of schools due to staff shortages.

In its advice, the council says schools should consider "planning for additional security" in preparation for possible congested traffic nearby.

Why do you need more security if there's more traffic nearby? Don't get it.