Westminstenders: Stuck in the Middle With TIGGERS

[RedToothBrush]

Well I don't know how we got here tonight.
We've got the feeling that something ain't right.
We're so scared as we leave the EU
And we're wondering how we'll get out of this stew

Antisemites to the left of me!
Dog Whistles to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle whilst we leave the EU.

'Cause I'm stuck in the middle whilst we leave the EU.
And I'm wondering what it is we should do.
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face.
Losing control and running all over the place.

Clowns to the left of me!
Jokers to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle whilst we leave the EU.

When you started off with rights
And you're starting to wonder if thats for life.
And all the politicians come crawling
Slap you on the back and say
Please . . .
Please . . .
Vote Leave and back EU Withdrawal

But we see it makes no sense at all.

Best to keep your money offshore
Than to visit the bookstore

Deniers to the left of me!
Islamaphobes to the right!
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.

Its finally happened. FINALLY.

MPs have seen that their leaders have lost the plot and are hell bent on destruction and politicial ideology ahead of practicality and will justify the unjustifable in the face of democracy and they have jumped ship.

Enter stage left and stage right: The TIGGERS - members of The Independent Group.

Will there be more. Hard to say no. It seems almost certain there will be more.

Will it make a difference? Difficult to call, but these MPs would be driven out sooner or later. Such is our accelerating politicial polarisation and narrowing of views. This is their last stand. They have nothing left to lose on a personal level.

Whether you agree with the TIGGERS or still look to the other parties for policy, I do think that the emergence of the TIGGERS marks a feeling of optimism and much needed hope for many many Remainers / Moderates, even if it ultimately does fizzle out.

A reflection from 2017: People voted for Corbyn because they were looking for Hope. When he's failed to deliver that, its led to disillusionment and he can not pull the same trick again at a future GE. This makes that doubly so. People are STILL very much looking for that hope. If Brexit does go tits up in a big fashion, then what happens? To what direction do people look? I'm sure there will be the bitterest of recriminations, but... hope is a big deal. We need something...

Tick tick tick. 37 days til Brexit.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/3492426-Westministenders-Abbreviation

I dunno, hardly looks like EU position is changing to me - Barnier says higher chance than ever of accidental no deal Brexit

littlespaces
Holey moley fanoley
if the Express is backtracking it says to me that they have realised that their readers will be the ones who suffer ....
just the Hellograph to go

Btw - Cox looks like a Winnie the Pooh to me

Ha, that's an amazing rewrite of history, even for the ERG !
So they'll vote for the next amendment taking No Deal off the table ? I won't hold my breath

Six Phases of a big project

We were stuck in Phase 3 for so long.
I wonder if we're breaking through to Phase 4 ?

1.Enthusiasm,

1. Disillusionment,
2. Panic and hysteria,
3. Hunt for the guilty,
4. Punishment of the innocent, and
5. Reward for the uninvolved.

Just look at the comments underneath those tabloid articles.

It is like brainwashed sheep to the slaughter. Is it too late to turn it around?

lonelyandtired it was never the EU that were going to have to change position.
It's taken 2.5 years, but maybe Uk politicians and media have suddenly twigged this.

I'm wondering if the Tiggers are like a laxative to the body politic

Now a whole flood of formerly bunged up smelly shit is going down the toilet
and maybe normal (poor) service can be resumed

< hopeful - someone reassure me, please ? >

Arguably Bergam and this guy could be your #5...

Who is the one ERG member still supporting 'No Deal'?

I'm surprised it isn't Dorries
Among a very thick bunch, she is the Queen of Thick

Blimey! TM must go in 3 months...

From the posted article re TM
Ministers who want May to go are confident that if Brexit can be delivered on time in March, the party should be able to secure some promising results in the local elections that would provide a face-saving context for her early departure. Any extension to article 50 beyond 29 March would be likely to scupper the preferred timeline.
Well, I wonder which ERG group turned the ear for this piece?

Household debt at 'crisis levels' as it jumps above £15,000 - a third higher than before the financial crisis

Not a good time to risk No Deal

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cardsloans/article-6565233/Household-debt-crisis-level-hits-new-high-15-000.html

The TUC says government austerity and years of wage stagnation are key reasons behind the increase in unsecured debt, tempting people to rely increasingly on plastic and loans to get by.

Unsecured debt as a share of household income is now 30.4 per cent - the highest it’s ever been, and above the level it reached in 2008 ahead of the financial crisis, when it stood at 27.5 per cent.

Of course, the ERG want their kind of deal
i.e. without a backstop, so they can have their US FTA and fully roll back the Welfare state

I'd be surprised if they are suddenly going to accept the WA
..... or is it because they have added up the numbers and are now terrified that a PV with Remain vs WA is now at least a possibility again ?

Tiggers shouldn't alter the HoC arithmatic, but if they are really working as a laxative,
then the ERG may suddenly have heard that say a hundred Tory MPs would be prepared now to vote for a PV

Sadly, I suspect the more mundane reason is the ERG trying to avoid blame for the No Deal they are still pushing,
if they don't get their own Social Darwinist Brexit

Rachel Johnson and Farage meeting
"My event with Nigel was a car crash as he almost came to blows when the MEP said we had to think of our children and grandchildren and I interrupted and said “Anna Maria, don’t worry about Nigel’s children, they’ve got German passports” and he stormed off without even saying goodbye. NI-GEL!"

Lets place bets.

I think it could be Jacob Rees Mogg as he has so much money riding on it (being a disaster capitalist) and having conveniently moved all his money to Dublin.

If they think they can shift blame the they can xxxxx. If they try to blame Remain voters then the OTHER half of the population will be after them

Thats scary about the debt. Really scary.

I immediately thought JRM as well. If he thinks the ERG members are going to be loyal and not turn on him he's even thicker than I thought. This is what happens when you get in bed with a nest of psychopaths! At least it should be fun to watch.

JRM won't go anywhere near the leadership . It's much easier to snipe and sneer from the side lines . The dulcet, polished tones are just a veneer of respectability hiding his total lack of understanding (at best) or disregard (at worst - but more likely) for those that weren't born with silver spoons in their mouths or who, for whatever reason, are not as fortunate as him

....and breeeeaaaaathe

Oh pretty you are SO much more eloquent than I when discussing that motherfucker.

prettybird
Absolutely.
I deal with lots of mortar lobbers
who love to dish it out
but will NEVER stand for the role that is on the receiving end

We're a long way from new magic Brexit tech when much of the NI border region has almost no wifi or even phone signal

Can Technology Solve the Brexit Impasse When the Wifi Doesn’t Work?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-17/can-technology-solve-brexit-impasse-when-the-wifi-doesn-t-work

From her home office close to the Irish border, Catriona Curran can spend up to eight hours struggling to e-mail documents to the U.S.
She has a hard time believing technology could unlock the answer to the trickiest part of Brexit.
< no kidding >

Tiggers need to hurry up their work, because backstop negotiations have no chance
Meanwhile, the Cabinet are still rowing

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6728791/Cabinet-clash-no-deal-backstop-talks-resume-Brussels.html

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox are due back in Brussels today to continue work on the Irish border backstop.

But Mr Juncker claimed today he had 'Brexit fatigue' and suggested the talks were making little progress.
< poor bastard must be counting the days until his retirement >
......
With just 36 days to go the Environment Secretary is said to have accused the Chancellor of failing to properly prepare Britain for no deal.
....
Two sources told The Telegraph that there had been a 'heated' row between Mr Hammond and Mr Gove.

Mr Gove is said to have raised concerns about whether there will be enough ferry capacity to transport food and medicines in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
< that's GRAYLING's cockup - should have chosen a ferry company with ships ! >

The argument is said to have happened during a Cabinet committee discussions yesterday.

Latest from Marina Hyde because she is always a good read.

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/22/country-needs-tom-hanks-derek-hatton-heroes?CMP=share_btn_tw&__twitter_impression=true

To be fair, lack of mobile signal and/or broadband connectivity can be solved with appropriate investment - but it doesn't come cheap. When I worked for a telecoms company, I was involved in the "Northern Infrastructure Project", working to supply the mobile telecom companies with the infrastructure and backhaul to allow them to increase their coverage in the Highlands and Islands.

One of the things that "reduced" relatively speaking the costs was the geography of the sea lochs and long glacial valleys, which meant there were good lines of sight for the telecom towers (microwave) and reduced the need for expensive fibre optic cable.

I don't know NI that well (just driven through a couple of times and ds cycled in a 3 day cycling competition just across the border, centred on Letterkenny) but my recollection and vague general knowledge is that it is very rolling and "up and down". Hence all the holes in coverage (as well as the difficulties that the security services experienced) which will be expensive to fill.