Westminstenders: Neglectful Drunkeness!

[RedToothBrush]

The HoC has spend the past 3 years in a state of Neglectful Drunkeness.

As it stands less then two weeks from Brexit Day, there is no deal we were promised. The Conservative and Labour Parties are more divided than ever.

The government is in disarray as 8 Cabinet ministers plus the chief whip voted against the Prime Minister including the Brexit Secretary who had minutes earlier argued for an extension only to vote against it. He is now on the brink of resignation.

The DUP look like they may be about to capitulate and vote for a deal. But it may not be enough even then.

This is what the cliff edge looks like.

Who wants to take a closer look?

Bizzarely this was playing. Time for a musical interlude anyway, especially as there are no soothing cats (or dogs).

"Considering they apparently failed to anticipate a rule that has existed for over 400years I am coming to suspect the former."

I seriously wonder if a significant number of the current cohort thought any further than the subsidised canteen when they decided to run for Parliament.

The ERG has been fundamental in the way this Brexit shite has played out. Absolutely fundamental, at every turn.

LouiseCollins MPs can change parties after being elected.
They are not bound to anything, including their own previous votes

Their only duty is to use their judgement in the circumstances under which they are voting

They invoked A50 thinking, wrongly, that a deal could be found that:

retained all they regard as the benefits of the EU - trade, agencies etc -
kept to the letter & spirit of the GFA
but without FOM and ECJ

They believed the Leave hype, that it would be the "easiest deal in history", "they need us more ..."

The changed circumstances are that about half of them now realise that was fantasy
They have had a (partial) reality check

Some of the HoC, î.e. ERG & friends, still believe the hype and "don't they know who we are"

May held a GE to get a large majority for her Red, White and Blue Brexit. Except of course she didn't. The country was divided and continued to be so. She didn't try and reach out to Labour to build a consensus, which would have been hard but potentially possible given Corbyn would also like Brexit and a lot of leave constituencies are Labour.

Brexit is huge constitutional change that there has never been enough of a majority to enable to happen smoothly.

It has always been a mess and is going to be so for the foreseeable future whatever happens.

It is no use stating you want something and then not voting for it, MPs have done this repeatedly.

Did someone say soothing cat? This is mine trialling our new metal document holder...

Her contigency plans for a riot perhaps?

Leadsom trying to clear all standing orders including one that says WA can't be voted on again. Also the government has numbers to pass WA?

We have quoted that Erkine May rule umpteen times on Westministenders

It really shouldn't have been a surprise that Bercow didn't have a bonfire of the rules

Anyway, even before Bercow's statement, MPs & analysts were saying that May would pull the vote, because at least 30 ERG MPs were determined to vote down the WA

So all the MPs are complaining about is that the PM wasn't given the chance to pull her bill,
- or they weren't given the chance to humiliate her again

Apparently they have numbers to clear standing orders too.

John Rentoul
‏*@JohnRentoul*

Corbyn, 70 in May, wants to quit, says anon shadow cabinet minister | Evening Standard

www.standard.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/the-londoner-corbyn-ponders-leadership-exit-a4094546.html

Leadsom trying to clear all standing orders

What does that mean?

Who's saying that sos?

I can't keep up anymore.

If those 30 ERG MPs stand firm, the WA wouldn't pass anyway
Or is Arlene sharing a new bung with them ?

Maybe this is May putting the screws on .... but No Deal is no threat to the ERG - it's what they want.
Maybe trying to scare Labour

Bigchoc I can see we aren’t going to get anywhere on this one. My view of the role of our democratic representatives isn’t going to change, nor my understanding of the relative places of direct and representative democracy.

Francis Elliottt@elliotttimes*

ERG types jaunty - whistling The Great Escape theme tune in the Commons tea room.

Kwarteng refusing to acknowledge No Deal is still the default position. Do they really not understand of is it just game playing?

I might have misheard this, but after being asked about the possibility of revoke he said it was very unlikely and wasn't something that would come to the house in that event. (paraphrased). But the plan was for the short / long extension and that would happen.

As I say it might well be me mishearing this, but he did seem to my ears to acknowledge the possibility of revokation.

I've got to say I don't like Kwarteng, nor his general political position but my goodness he's doing a good job with this session in managing to effectively say nothing at all and repeating himself over and over again in various ways that manage to sound different and as if he's genuinely answering a question when he isn't. This is a masterclass in being a Teflon politician.

He's far better at sounding like he knows what he's talking about, when he clearly has nfi what May is going to do next (mainly cos she also doesn't know at this point).

Now that would be a game changer, especially if they had a centrist who would step up & would appeal to many previous libdem/centre Tory’s.

{It is no use stating you want something and then not voting for it, MPs have done this repeatedly.}

I don't know what the problem is.
There was a massive* vote leave majority at the referendum.
The Tories want to leave, and Labour want to leave but 3 years on but they can't find the door.

*(leave voter exaggeration)

Bigly. phew. Glad it’s not just me!

I don't see Cummins as a toad at all Peace but as someone who had a very good 'grasp' of political people in all their many guises as well as knowing how a lot of "things work" - an highly intelligent and capable person.

If you actually read derxhas link - Cummins had a very low opinion of as many Leave Politicians as Remain ones.

amp.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/18/eu-could-hand-may-lifeline-with-formal-offer-of-new-brexit-date?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet&__twitter_impression=true
EU could hand May lifeline with formal offer of new Brexit date
Move might convince Commons Speaker John Bercow that deal before MPs has changed

The EU is set to offer Theresa May a helping hand after her plan for a new meaningful vote was derailed on Monday by formally agreeing on a new delayed Brexit date at this week’s summit and keeping it on offer until shortly before midnight on 29 March.

A change of the UK’s departure date in the draft withdrawal agreement – potentially from 29 March until three months later on 1 July – might convince the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, that the deal before parliament has changed, sources in Brussels suggested.

Bercow ruled on Monday that he would not permit a third attempt at passing May’s deal unless the offer to the Commons had fundamentally altered.

LouiseCollins I am merely stating the British Constitution as it is and the current rules of the HoC

Referenda are comparatively new for the UK - Harold Wilson only brought in the first referendum in 1975 (also for party political reasons)

Referenda currently have only political power, not legal power to bind the HoC for a fixed time.
If you wish to change this, you need to change the British Constitution.

I think Dominic Cummings is a mercenary. I don't loathe him but I'm not sure I like him much either.

Daniel Hewitt @ Danielhewittitv
Iain Duncan Smith has just left Number 10 after meeting the PM. Wouldn’t be drawn on why he was there, though described the meeting as “good”. He called John Bercow ruling a “pretty significant if not astonishing statement and the repercussions will take a while to wash through.”

Asked if Bercow ruling made no deal more likely (as some ERG MPs believe) Iain Duncan Smith said “all sides” will take something from what was said. Asked about DUP talks and whether he could vote for the PM’s deal, he said “my meeting wasn’t about that I can promise you.”

Why was he there?

Cummins is a toad because he deliberately chose NOT to have a plan to Leave
because he wanted to promise all things to all people, in order to push Leave over the line.

That was always our problem in achieving a Brexit deal:
Leave promises were not just impossible, they were also mutually conflicting

... and this was a design feature, not a bug