Westminstenders: The Last Rites

[RedToothBrush]

After May's disastrous speech to the nation, we've hit the impasse once and for all.

She managed to enrage everyone from Brexiteers to hard Remainers and everyone in between. It was so poorly judged it's difficult to know where to begin. It just feeds the division and anger in our society in all quarters.

It's also massively undermines her appeal to the EU for an extension. If France thought we were a political basket case they were well shot of, and didn't want more social contagion from before 8pm, then they certainly won't have changed their minds since.

May's speech was that of a would be dictator. After next Friday, she effectively has both the justification and the power to act upon those instincts. She has spoken out against parliamentary democracy and consistently disregarded the law.

It's hard to see any outcome but no deal with no extension at this point. We are no waiting on a miracle to save us and that's no more than a forlorn hope. Something we hold on to, until reality presents itself.

The Last Rites of British Democracy have been served this week.

And now we face the wait for what seems now inevitable.

NHS hospitals have been banned from making any Brexit risk assessments public...

Surely the NHS against Brexit group can get hold of one and leak it?

Lorry drivers pro Brexit - won’t they be the first hit by delays

pmk

Have signed and shared the petition.

PMK

I think it's people watching the petition who are crashing it - if you are watching and refreshing - don't!

James Patrick 🐐 🔮
‏*@J*_amesp
Do you remember straight after the Brexit result there was a huge petition for a second referendum or similar which grew at hundreds of signatures a minute, crashed, and was then dismissed by the government because the system was targeted by bots to boost the numbers?

That.

{Lorry drivers pro Brexit - won’t they be the first hit by delays}
It is another way to cunningly shoot yourself in the foot, hardly an intelligent action.
Deliberately pissing off potential supporters is so (not) clever.
It does seem to be Mrs May's technique though!

Pmk

prettybird, do you know of any marches or rallies around Glasgow and/or Edinburgh? I can't go to London, I am afraid, but my family and friends who live in England will be out marching there.

My cat has reached her view on this shitshow. She's hiding and sleeping it off.

I am horrified to read of the attacks on the mosques overnight - our Muslim communities must be terrified, especially after Christchurch.

I’m going to write to our local mosque, but it seems so inadequate a response

Lurpak love the Brexit mouse

The bots thing is interesting, but given that you need a unique email address and need to validate it, is it really likely that a bot is creating 500 signatures a minute? It did slow down quite a lot after around 1am, as you'd expect.

I am just terrified. Colleagues seem to be absolutely fine and just carrying on as normal, no mention of Brexit and no prep at all in my department , which, if you knew where I work, you would find astonishing. I feel like I’m the only person worrying here.

Latest from the Guardian: The European Union is poised to take control of Britain’s exit by rejecting Theresa May’s request for a three-month delay and setting a new withdrawal date of no later than 22 May.

Last night the right honourable Prime Minister attacked Parliament. When has this ever happened before in history?

She has shown contempt for due process and the institution of Parliament itself. She has attempted to avoid Parliamentary involvement throughout culminating in trying to turn the public against our Parliament.

If it was a male doing this in a foreign country we'd be clamouring for international intervention to depose him.

Robert Peston @peston

.@JGForsyth says UK now constitutionally bankrupt as it was in a fiscal/financial sense in 1976. He sees @theresa_may going to Brussels for political bailout just as Healey went cap in hand to IMF. What is striking is how her colleagues agree - as attached...

I think we really need to keep on with the message that Brexit won't just "go away" after we leave - it will be DECADES of negotiations and bad effects on the public. Anyone ignoring it at this point needs to know this.

Tatiana's link speaks truth.

How can Parliament switch and approve the WA now anyway? It's advanced by a PM who has tried to defy and circumvent Parliament.

LoonvanBoon, sympathies on the interstitial cystitis. My stepmother has that, and it's dreadful. I hope it's just a brief flare-up.

After my panic yesterday (which I handled in my usual way by flapping my hands and running round in circles), we've been told my MiL (had dementia for past few years) is now comatose. Head of care home told us not to come, as there's no point travelling all that way when she won't recognise us.

Thanks to all who expressed sympathy and offered advice yesterday; most helpful for when we do actually have to go (estimated some time in next 4 weeks). Probably v. early morning and v. expensive taxi to Stansted to taste the delights of Rynair. Really don't fancy the disruption at Dover/Calais, as it's an 11 hour drive even when things go smoothly.

At least it means we can go on the march on Saturday. To all those who say they don't handle crowds well, neither do I and was worried about the last one. Turned out everyone was so kind and supportive that I had a great time. Very tiring, though, as there's a lot of standing around without moving. Still, if you can possibly make it, please do, you won't regret it. Take food and water and wear your best cumfy shoes.

Like the rest of you, I watched TM's paranoid harangue with sheer disbelief last night. Now very worried about Yellowhammer next week - this is how dictators take over and she displayed all the signs of an autocrat last night (dismissing parliament, trying to appeal direct to population). Can only see no deal now, but after that, who knows? If it's going to be bad, then at least it might shake up all my smug Leaver acquaintances, although many have already started blaming the EU for anything that happens from now on.

Well so angry this morning, I bought the very last ticket for a coach from where I live to the London March. She does not speak in my name and was not addressing me last night.

I was doing something else but will cancel that.

And signed and shared the petition.

Thanks for the new thread, red 💐

I hope your house move goes to cshedule, especially the sale

Thanks Red. Just fired off email to May and copied in all major party leaders. Pissing in the wind, but what else can one do.

Completely agree with Hasenstein, she is now officially an autocrat.