Westminstenders: The English Gentleman and Martial Law

[RedToothBrush]

Ahead of Tuesday's vote, let's have a quick look at the week's developments.

The Cooper-Boles Amendment seems to be in trouble. The amendment is designed to force government to extend A50 if the WA fails to pass parliament in order to prevent No Deal.

It's in trouble in several ways.

After lots of loud noises from Labour about supporting it, they have made no formal move to. Thus there is no requirement for Labour MPs to vote for it. The noise was just for Remain ears whilst trying to keep leavers on board.

The amendment is struggling for numbers; many of the former Labour MPs are extremely unreliable at votes and haven't turned up even for important ones of late. In addition to this, Tory rebels are backing away from it out of fear from a backlash from their grassroots who believe they are trying to stop Brexit. There was talk of up to 20 ministers resigning to back it, including Amber Rudd, yet as Sunday has dawned there's no sign yet and its usually the day for such political statements. Though there is time yet.

And finally there is the prospect of Murrison II. Now also backed by 1922 heavyweights Graham Brady and Damien Green this seeks to remove the backstop from the WA on our side.

Except the EU has said that this would not be the WA if it does not contain the backstop. And they would not ratify it.

Yet rumours are May is close to a majority to get the WA through with Murrison II.

There has been much speculation over what would happen to the Irish border in a no deal with Farage sticking his oar in saying "nothing". Whilst Barnier states that there would, but the Irish government are avoiding the subject. We have now had the comment that it would mean the return of Irish soldiers to the border...

We could have a looming situation where parliament passes Murrison II AND Cooper-Boles. But Cooper-Boles deemed invalid cos the WA has been passed by Parliament but in effect isn't worth the paper (or goat skin) it's written on. Thus no deal could still happen by 'accident'.

There's been talk of Murrison II not being picked by Bercow, and how this would provoke a walkout by government. It seems that since he's done it once it would be difficult to ignore.

And whilst all this is going on we now have the mainstream newspapers saying that there are plans for martial law, 'forward purchasing' of food, fuel and ammunition. Talk of travel bans and property seizure. And just general plans for the collapse of free society and the supply of basic essentials for continuous of life. And many ERG MPs are tweeting things which seem to be rather fond and happy with the idea.

Do not forget: What happens when May is gone? Who replaces her, and what are their views on liberal society and freedom. Cos that all looks rather 'troubling' in an authoritarian state kind of way. What power would they wield?

Just what are we sleep walking into?

{Didn’t Sainsbury’s donate to the Tories in days gone by?}
Are they offering 2 for 1 elections now?

@1tisILeClerc Mon 28-Jan-19 16:10:26

'If you think I'm going to raise kids to feed lions'.

Ha! Back to A Modest Proposal

www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm

Bloody hell, MissBel I remember the kitchen cabinet - but thought they were all long dead !

Harold Wilson was the slippery fucker who first thought up this referendum malarkey and set the dangerous precedent.

he was clever enough to play no part in the ref, stay neutral and leave both sides to campaign as they wished ...
because he knew otherwise that some people would just vote against him / Labour, especially those Tories in Labour seats who usually didn't bother voting.

However, those who came after him were not clever
Especially arrogant twat Cameron who deliberately mixed in politics with all 3 (!) he called
and finally came a cropper when the public saw a red button marked FUCK OFF CAMERON
instead of what he meant them to see

That list is starting to read like a cast of Jilly Cooper characters...

RCB = Rupert Campbell-Black
JC = Jilly Cooper

I haven't heard my DM recite it for many years but here is a version if anyone is interested.

MissBel and anyone should trust May to hold to a deal if the ERG / Arlene put the frighteners on ?

finally came a cropper when the public saw a red button marked FUCK OFF CAMERON instead of what he meant them to see
HEAR HEAR

Thanks Red! Marking place.

Don't see the point of a Citizens' Assembly either.

Not if they are already pre-convened to "discuss Leave". But that's also overlooking the fact that they're unlikely to be genuinely representative (isn't that what we elect MPs for). It's all to easy to imagine how the Breixteer thugs could try and intimidate anyone daring to speak out of line.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more "citizens assembly" sounds more like a red carpet for the Nazis ... let's move decision making where we can truly scare the plebs.

Not the best rendition but a bit of a musical interlude:

More dead unicorns ...

www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/28/data_flows_in_a_nodeal_brexit_are_significant_concern_say_mps/

The lack of agreement on data flows in a no-deal Brexit is a "significant" concern and possible solutions are "burdensome and costly" to already underprepared businesses, MPs have said.

All this time I've been promoting the standard education to my kids.

I should have been training them for a hunger games scenario instead :(

It was Owen jones twitter. Saw it on Independent site.

Not sure how true it is - really hope not. Unless a new centrist party appears overnight

Just seen the bit about Millwall/Everton - so that's another tick in the "What do you remember from the 1970s ?" checklist.

Football violence

If I read there's a Swap Shop revival ....

When BOGOF really means BOGOF

There is a grim irony if even the ERG don't trust May ...

This thread has taken a dark turn! I’m really not sure how the divisions that didn’t exist (or perhaps I wasn’t aware of in my Home Counties bubble) in 2016 can be healed sadly. It seems to have opened up a chasm in our society.

Robert Peston's new post in full:

The Brexiters in and around the Tory European Research Group are now telling me they are minded to vote against the Murrison/Brady amendment - which would mandate the PM to replace the backstop with some other unspecified arrangement to avert a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Why?

Well one of them told me it is because they fear it is a “bait and switch” - namely a deft con to sucker them into ultimately voting for a Brexit plan they can’t stomach.

So that seems the end of that. And proves quite how little mutual trust there is between the PM and much of her own party.

So there now seems little prospect of Theresa May returning to Brexit negotiations with the EU 27’s leaders in coming days armed with any empirical evidence at all about what compromise might see her plan ratified by MPs.

Unless, that is, the PM can somehow persuade Tory MPs she has a credible plan to dump the backstop when she addresses her entire parliamentary party at 5 tonight.

There is a lot of chatter she will author her own amendment specifying how the government could no longer accept a backstop that drives a regulatory wedge between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, or represents the Hotel California of customs arrangements.

But how could such an amendment be framed - or indeed any backstop alteration - to make it embraceable by both Boris Johnson and France’s President Macron?

Truthfully I - and most MPs - remain baffled.

Which is why they are likely to break with constitutional precedent tomorrow and wrest from the PM and the executive the power to make legislation at their own whim and at a moment determined by them - by backing the amendment of Yvette Cooper and Nick Boles.

This would see a bill put to the house next week, which in turn would force the government to put a further motion to the Commons on 26 February, to delay Brexit - unless that is parliament has by that juncture (and against the odds) approved a Brexit deal (sorry that is such a mouthful).

The precise length of the proposed delay to Brexit would be chosen by MPs on 26 February. And it would only happen if all EU 27 leaders agree.

For May though - in fact for any serving PM - the Cooper/Boles initiative is humiliation written as law.

It would be proof that on the most important voyage this country has embarked upon in fifty years, the crew have locked her in the galley and taken hold of the tiller. And although she will beg her MPs tonight not to inflict this indignity in her, too few are likely to be swayed.

Any word of whether Corbyn will back Cooper-Boles?

Well it will be Libs for me.
I can only hope every remainer in the country sees this as a chance to tell the mob to fuck of to the far side of fuck and fuck off some more. It's the only way to send such a belated message.

prettybird - apologies, I just did a c&p on Somerville's post just to have the abbreviations in one place

T1P - thanks didn't know the reference.

LeClerc your posts are making me laugh.

New thread in AIBU about food shortages if anyone wants a read. Lemons.

Did post this on another thread, but talking to my very old (97 this year) and quite posh neighbour about Brexit (ghastly) Boris (ghastly!) Farage (ghastly and common) May (too prim for her own good, also ghastly), she came up with one of the best (though inexplicable) comments I’ve heard about Cameron “he should have taken up professional tennis”.

Lemons? Oh dear lord are the "housewives" worried about the lemon slices for their g&ts?? Heading over there now (to tell them lime is far better on gin).

I still can't see EU just handing us an extension. They've said we need NEW THINKING, not more time . I'm astounded how many times the EU sets something in writing, very clearly - "THIS IS RED" and yet every bloody time we hear "Oh so they think it's blue, yes, yes they do! I know, how very silly.. but here look, we can beat them and tell them it's yellow, because we actually know it's red! Hawhawhaw". It's baffling and bonkers.

@PerverseConverse got to have lime in your G&T fuckoffjournos btw.