Westminstenders: Flextension

[RedToothBrush]

Just wrote an intro and wiped it. So this is as quick as I can sum up.

EU response is extension to 22nd May if May passes her deal by 29th March

Or an unconditional extension to 12 April which could be extended with a plan and understanding to take part in EU elections.

This isn't what may wanted. It gives her less time and leverage

It opens up the possibility of her being ousted as PM in the next couple of days. Graham Brady asked her to quit on Monday. Remain Cabinet ministers are threatening to quit if May whips a vote to support no deal.

The talk is May has indeed flipped to supporting no deal with many think she's pretty much gone full on Colonel Kurtz.

The EU are in effect supporting parliamentary sovereignty and are being incredibly reasonable.

May now has to decide whether to accept.

The whole situation looks explosive and likely that one half of the cabinet or the other are on the brink of walking. And May's power is so shattered.

However she remains the gatekeeper and as it stands if she's hell bent on no deal, it will be extremely difficult for Parliament to prevent that.

2,750,513 signatures as from now. Its going to hit 3 million by midnight! ( hopefully).

Urgent question in HoC about last night in Brussels apparently.

Frumpety I saw the Vince Cable interview too. I have actually now transcribed it word for word:

Faisal Islam voiceover: Another leader that did attend the PM's consultations with opposition parties said he was surprised by what he said was a lurch towards backing a no deal Brexit.

Vince Cable talking to Faisal Islam: I’ve never believed until yesterday that no deal was likely, but the Prime Minister was almost doubling down on it. She asked at the meeting about the economic pain that would be inflicted on millions of British people, and the answer was, 'well, you know, the people voted for pain'

Anyone working/ studying at a university, there’s a site that has catch up programme going back years.

Urgent question at 11 am apparently about extending article 50 .

Someone has just started a thread pointing out that it's not necessary to be of voting age to sign the petition. So children could sign if they wanted to, apparently. Interesting...

Steven Swinford:
How MPs plan to take control of Brexit:

* Letwin amendment enables backbenchers to take control of Parliamentary business
*
MPs vote on it on Monday. Expect almighty row as Remain ministers demand free vote

Indicative votes Weds - Common Market 2.0, 2nd ref, CU among motions

🙏

Just each time Gove is mentioned I have to mock him.

Out of 66 million people he can't be the top candidate.

Someone has just started a thread pointing out that it's not necessary to be of voting age to sign the petition.

Given how many petitions the website has processed with no comment, it's interesting how now it's an issue ? Do fuck off ....

The words Gove and moderate and the words moderate hardcore Brexiteer do not belong in the same sentence.

Not trying to normalise him - the man’s an idiot. Simply trying to put his stance into words.

Of the ERG he’s not as diehard barmy as some of them. Moderately hardcore was the best I could do.

2,750,513 signatures as from now. Its going to hit 3 million by midnight! ( hopefully).

I wouldn’t be surprised if it hit 3mil by midday. It was on 2.2mil this morning.

PMK

So confused and worried. For one thing my stockpile does not contain enough gin.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it hit 3mil by midday. It was on 2.2mil this morning

I’m hopeful for 4 million by midnight (optimist by nature).

Adéquate, I'll send you gin.

An interesting read in the Guardian this morning:

Rafael Behr - May is finished

Guardian link is 404.

Also "May is finished" has been around since 2017 ....

It's true. Over half of us did vote for pain. But now we want it to stop. Can we have another vote please?

Better link?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/22/eu-mps-theresa-may-finished-brexit

Yes we all know the proposition that May is finished. I found the article interesting.

{Adéquate, I'll send you gin.}
Women drinking gin to get through the day, just like the (not good) old times.

Northern Ireland seems remarkably uninvolved in the petition given how strongly remain they voted - has it not had as much publicity over the Irish Sea?

Good quote from the Raphael Behr piece.

Scuze me he spells it with an F.

The Gilets Jaunes in the town near me have nearly finished the remodeling of the roads outside the supermarket. I think it may be some sort of obscure protest though because the roads, footpaths and parking areas are all mixed up and change every time you go.
The sun/rain covers over some of the car park area are actually solar panels so they are making an effort.

Petition stuck on 2,783,605 for a while now.

I know where I live is ' laid back'(a cemetery with lights) but at garage this morning after standing in queue to pay for full tank of petrol the person in front said to cashier ' are you extra busy this week because of brexit?' ( the queue was uncommonly long) her reply ' oh that brexit? I don't understand any of it so I'm not bothered' how nice it must be not to have a brain cell. Saves all that anxiety! The guys reply was ' yea, that Brexit, the biggest crisis this country has faced since the second world war, yea that Brexit'
( glad I'm not the only one who loses patience with ostriches with head in sand!)