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.

I wonder if Phillip is regretting dissuading May from resigning previously.

So the EU-27 will be setting new Brexit day rather than Britain and will demand a vote in the house of commons to boot!

I anticipate a surge in EU approval ratings across the EU27 - well beyond the ken of Farage and Banks to pay to quell ...

A Torygraph leading article is claiming Germany is horrified at the EU for "forcing" this WA and losing the UK.

FAKE NEWS
Opinion polls here all along have shown very high support for NOT making further concessions to the UK
Business leaders have always demanded that the EU / Merkel prioritise the SIngle Market, not the UK market

2bees, that's a great letter and I'd be happy to sign it myself. I found myself one of those people shouting at the TV during her speech last night.

Stupid question (again) from me but - I assume that despite Bercow's statement last week, the government will feel that the official offer of an extension from the EU is enough of a "change" to the WA that the HoC will allow MV3 to go ahead?
Hasenstein I am awfully sorry

Peter Foster@pmdfoster

A thought/question, oh #Brexit Twitter about
what happens if the Withdrawal Agrement is voted down again next week.

How does @theresamay get sent back to Brussels to ask for an extension she says she will not ask for? 1/Thread

She said: "As prime minister I could not consider a further delay beyond 30 June."

People took that to mean she would resign.

But it could also mean, she would opt for a 'no deal' (Party unity over country) over a long extension. /2

How could Parliament stop her?

Because if you believe EU red line on UK participating in EU elections is immovable then the deadline for that decision is April 12.

Even if May falls (she could lose a 'no confidence' vote whichever ways she breaks) she is PM for 14 days. /3

So that means that for the duration of the March 26-April 12 decision window,
May is PM whatever happens.

How clear are we that May would not deliver Brexit via a 'no deal'?/4

Time is very tight between her losing MV3 on Tuesday, say, and an emergency EU Council on Thursday.

No time for indicative votes, certainly.

After all, May could argue that Parliament had been given ample opportunity to pass her deal. /5

From a purely Tory party perspective, viewed on a 5-10 year horizon, is delivering Brexit via a "managed" no deal not better than consigning it to the swamps of a long extension? /6

The risk to the EU is that May loses and then they don't get a coherent request for a long extension form @theresamay

Or she just asks for the same extension to June 30, or May 23 to keep trying.
Would leaders go back on their stance this week? Maybe. /7

Either way next week is shaping up to be a real bottom-clencher. /8 ENDS

So sorry to hear that Hasenstein

Acting on the Will of the Place Mark.
Interestingly, my leave voting DH is firmly of the opinion that Brexit will not happen next week...

And for Hasenstein

Interestingly, my leave voting DH is firmly of the opinion that Brexit will not happen next week

There has been a narrow vein of less shouty Leavers that have repeated stated they don't believe Brexit will happen. Which interestingly follows the theory (or fact) that it was her opposition to the EC which ultimately did for Thatcher. It's an interesting counter-narrative that our Lizard overlords want us in the EU and the past two years have all been for show.

If you really want to use up the stockpiled tinfoil you have to ask yourself if you wanted to engineer an election result which - although ostensibly appearing to grease the ramps for Brexit - ended up where we are, it would be harder to come up with a more perfect arrangement than what 2017 delivered.

www.facebook.com/fabian.picardo/videos/10158750630028312/

David Allen Green
‏*@davidallengreen*
Significant.

Chief Minister of Gibraltar says there should be revocation, if there is No Deal passed on Tuesday.

Provisos, so hear for yourself.

(ht @alexhern)

I've found that leavers don't think we'll leave and remainers think it'll be no deal.

Dodgy: Our governing party has a small membership and is financed mostly by rich donors

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/brexit-splits-said-to-deter-donors-to-may-s-conservative-party

Donations to Theresa May’s Conservative Party are drying up as backers refuse to fund it in protest at its internal divisions 🎻
members of Parliament were told late Wednesday.
.....
half the party’s money came from 30 donors
and nearly a third came from just six people

Hugo Rifkind said on red box he thinks extension and she’ll get her deal through. Though that was pre her speech to the nation!

PMK, keep trying to sign petition but no luck as yet.

Morning! Just caught up and PMK.

Those in Scotland, can you get to Liverpool as there is a rally there - which I'm going to - instead? Not quite as far as London.

I'm still so angry at TM. But I'm trying not to worry about it all as my MH wouldn't hold up if I did. I'm not sure if it's helpful for me being off work post-op as I have far too much thinking time available to me right now.

Apparently the petition site goes down if it gets 500k plus signatures in 12 hours. I imagine it doesn't happen too often.

I've found that leavers don't think we'll leave and remainers think it'll be no deal.

My sense has been we're headed for no-deal. Moreover a no-deal that was intended - all the past two years have been for show.

Of course with that said, they could have been a show to support revoke - if revoke is the only way to not Leave the EU ???????.

Either way, when viewed in the rear-view mirror, we do appear to have arrived here with very little turns needed ....

QueenMabby

Inclined to agree regarding not leaving next week. I honestly don't think it will ever happen.

What happened to the petition??

I've just emailed TM. Told her straight she does not ideal for me and to revoke. Emailed my useless MP and asked him to support revoke and told him the Tories are destroying our country and I will never vote for him if this farce continues.

Worth a bash I figure.

'Petitions is down for maintenance'

Speak not ideal

The petition crash has made it into the Guardian:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/21/petitions-site-crashes-after-thousands-back-call-to-revoke-article-50

I've just emailed TM.

Not sure of the best way - but using a gateway is probably most likely to get recorded somewhere :

email.number10.gov.uk/

@MattCartoonist