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.

{So all that's left is to hope that the EU collapses so we look better in comparison. Or keep telling people they're about to collapse in the hopes that they will believe you. Which depressingly a lot of people will. If there's one thing we've learned, it's that a large tranche of the population will believe anything if it makes them feel big and hard like they're standing up to or have stood up to some non existent bully.}

With the irony of course that at the moment we ARE the EU.
Having just watched a clip of Farage 'having a go' at Mr Verhofstadt over the question of an EA army it is clear that when push comes to shove, the UK is not behind forward progression of the EU which is going to face massive challenges for which the UK sinking under the waves might well be a benefit.
The EU needs the UK to stand up and help be the powerhouse of Europe at the 'top table' with the other big leaders, it doesn't need the constant negativity and disruption of the UK.

What is the hatred about? Fair enough not wnting to be in it, but why damage something other people want to do ?

Quite simple it is them finally admitting that that's what brexit really is about. Considering cakeism doesn't work, it is really a matter of Britain getting damaged (which i believe it will anyway) or somehow managing to destroy the single market and getting a share of the plunder.

The EU needs the UK to stand up and help be the powerhouse of Europe at the 'top table' with the other big leaders, it doesn't need the constant negativity and disruption of the UK.

That's what should happen but the US and Russia are hell-bent on letting that happen. It would make Europe a true superpower.

On NOT letting that happen

{That's what should happen but the US and Russia are hell-bent on not letting that happen. It would make Europe a true superpower.}
If you took the USA, Russia, China and the EU as 'blocs' they are probably equivalent. The UK casting itself adrift in the hopes of matching any of them is ridiculous. This leads to the question I have asked frequently of 'leavers' if the place at the top table in Europe isn't good enough, who does it want to be a lapdog to, USA, Russia or China.

Indeed leclerc indeed...
What a way to go up in the world...

Because they know that when we leave journalists are going to spend at least the next ten years comparing us to the EU.

I suspect, like the backstop, that comparison will be ongoing, and not time limited

After all, London is closer to Paris that it is to Edinburgh. Who the fuck else are we going to make immediate comparisons with ? If you wanted a strapline for the history of the British Isles since they were cleaved from mainland Europe, it would be Britain and Europe. What's the best deal Bearing in mind there's plenty of evidence that as far as our forebears were concerned the British Isles were simply a continuation of the European mainland anyway. This idea that Britain as somehow "unknown" and "mysterious" is Roman propaganda for the gullible (waves at UKIP) intended to big up Caesars Julius and Claudius.

We're returning to the "half life of facts" again. Really, we could all do with going to school. Because a lot of what we were taught as "fact" isn't anymore. But unless you have an interest in such things (and the attitude to learn), you'll just have fossilised "facts" in your mind which are shouted into any debate to prove a point.

You only have to see the "advice" given by people over parking charges to see that. Posters regularly trot out the "they can't take you to court" line, despite the fact that thanks to court case (that was hardly secret) that is now plain wrong. Even more illuminating is teh fact that when challenged over it, most posters simply repeat it, rather than checking out the links provided. Which brings us neatly back to Brexit.

If you took the USA, Russia, China and the EU as 'blocs' they are probably equivalent. The UK casting itself adrift in the hopes of matching any of them is ridiculous. This leads to the question I have asked frequently of 'leavers' if the place at the top table in Europe isn't good enough, who does it want to be a lapdog to, USA, Russia or China.

Ultimately none of those blocs is going to do the UK any favours if it means risking relations with the other blocs.

Yes indeed if the place at the top table in Europe isn't good enough, who does it want to be a lapdog to, USA, Russia or China.

Anyone not done a question yet?

If the place at the top table in Europe isn't good enough for the UK, who does it want to be a lapdog to, USA, Russia or China?

Yes indeed LeClerc

Well, having just spoken to my friend - we are now apparently going to be "less racist" as the EU is a largely white bloc and we can now focus on helping the Commonwealth. I asked her how she thought we would 'help' when we may well be the only country in the world with no trade deals on WTO rules...which instigated a rant about how that was all EU's fault for not allowing us to negotiate trade before leaving. She is of the opinion BBC/SKY etc are all biased AGAINST Brexit (which is apparently just to sell papers via scaremongering) and that Leave has "economists that are far more qualified than those backing remain"...apparently some lady with a black bob is 'quite good' and Mogg likes her.

She believes all EU laws and regulations have been written into our law already so worrying about labelling on cans etc (I read her the article about the food as she was openly mocking me stockpiling) is just "a load of bollocks" and will only be an issue "if the EU decides to make it an issue". I did say this was legal issues regarding regulations pertaining to trade/standards that we can't claim to be upholding without supervision. Everything is "not our issue, it's theirs! They are the ones with the problem!".

I've realised I start the topics in our conversations now but she gets so worked up I rarely get a word in thereafter.

I’ve done a question. On “behalf” of the Leavers eternal victims who were whining about “whyyyy haven’t MN found not one, but three pro-Brexit experts... it’s so unfair... BullyingPunishment etc...”

There is the old adage about light travelling faster than sound, so people can appear bright until they open their mouths ....

Speaking of the BBC

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46981834

The UK's trade union movement chief has told Theresa May to "stop playing to the bad boys at the back of the class" over Brexit and "start listening".

Frances O'Grady said she did not get the guarantees on workers' rights she wanted in a meeting with the prime minister in Downing Street.

(contd)

Presumably that's Labours support for the wretched WA gone then ?

Purely anecdotal (unless anyone has some research) but there's also a strong macho vibe about the entire Brexit narrative. It does seem to involve an awful lot of swinging dicks/dick swinging.

I found it very interesting that an LBC caller yesterday who was a hard Brexiteer from a town neighbouring mine in Hampshire/Surrey border kept incessantly whinging about the remainers trying to emasculate him/Leavers.

Emasculate.

And he wasn't accidentally using the wrong word.

But didn't MN ask JRM and he chickened out? Perhaps a more pertinent question is why are there no brexiteers willing to do a live chat on Mumsnet. And I think we might know the answer to that.

But didn't MN ask JRM and he chickened out?

You and your pesky facts. In Leaver-land, the narrative is “waaaaahhhh oppression by the elites/EU/reality” regardless.

Sorry I forgot that all brexiteers are simultaneously oppressed winners, left behind millionaires and always always knew what they were voting for because of their magic crystal balls only they are allowed to own.

And I think we might know the answer to that

Plus you will never get three Brexiteers to agree precisely what colour of unicorn they want.

{Plus you will never get three Brexiteers to agree precisely what colour of unicorn they want.}
Now now, don't mock the winners aflicted.

the remainers trying to emasculate him/Leavers

I missed LBC yesterday. So his premise was “I am a very big impressive man” remainers keep pointing out holes in my arguements. This makes me feel like a less impressive man. The problem is not my arguement it’s the remainers fault.

I think his argument was basically...

I big man.
I make vote.
Other people say facts.
I no get what big man want.
My dick hurt.

Or something. But said in a very posh Home Counties accent.

Umpteen

BigChoc - you could ask your question about the food/goods standards?

I'm sure we will be leaving UN next - ECHR and the UN's recent revelations about inequality in UK, plus our need to cosy up to Trump makes me think this may be the next agenda for the far rights.

Lonely I asked about UN. Changes to permanent members has to be unanimous. So we would have to resign our seat. However, we could presumably be sanctioned and lose it that way. Sometimes there are murmurs about revoking Russia's seat, but no one will mess with the big guys. We are not big