Westminstenders: Pragmatism versus Purity

[RedToothBrush]

There is one question for the HoC in the next week and that's will you persue pragmatism or purity?

May looks as if she is being sidelined after a backbench withdrawal of support, the DUPs withdrawal of support and an omminous silence eminenating from the Cabinet.

Her speech on Thursday where she pitted the people against parliament has been her last mistake. She's now a danger to the country's stability and the safety of MPs.

The priority for the week is to pass the SI to change the UK exit date from 29th March to the EU's new terms.

After that, with May's deal stuffed due to lack of support and a Bercow ruling it looks like we are facing some sort of indicative free vote. This seems to be being supported by ministers in government regardless of leave or remain.

The prospect of a Tory Leader Election contest looms. It remains to seen if that can happen in the next three weeks with so much else at stake. But this is the Tory party.

The penny seems to be finally dropping about the reality of leaving the EU and how we leave the EU. A week before we were due to go. The incompetence of Parliament is laid bare in all its glorious full scale.

I've seen the estimate as 1.5 - 2 million. Suffice to say there were a lot of you

Maybe if there isnt going to be an official figure newsreaders should just say there was more people then could be counted so it was a hella a lot marchers.

singing good! I woke up this morning singing adapted pop songs. One direction Everybody Wanna Steal My EU 😂

One of the helicopters was apparently the Ledbydonkeys team - I hope they can use their footage to come up with a good estimate of numbers

Ok, definitely feeling a little deflated now. Can’t find any reference to the police estimate other than that random tweet ewe found. Lots of ‘People’s Vote’ organisers accused of over estimating’ reports. Peter Bone saying it was less a march more a social gathering. Trying to get my head around that. Is he referencing the numbers or is it just a social gathering because it was all so peaceful and good natured? Do we lose points for not being angry, nasty and threatening?

Well done and thank you to Tobee and everyone else who marched!

BigChocFrenzy that article and photo are fascinating. Makes me want take a 48% group of British citizens to each of the European capitals and lobby the leaders directly, now the government has failed so spectacularly.

"It's like dealing with a failed state". Oh the shame. You don't speak in my name Theresa (and probably won't have the opportunity to do so after this week). But who will take on the poisoned chalice? Gove, who indicated strongly that we'll sign the WA and then promptly ignore virtually everything we have agreed upon? That man has zero integrity (even though he has been play-acting at loyalty recently while he waits for his big chance) but unfortunately, unlike TM, he's a good orator and has one or two brain cells to rub together. I'm surprised it's possible to be even more worried than I was previously, but I am.

If there's needs to be another march perhaps there should be a polite form of aggression? Everyone bring a flask and spill tea on the streets Make it black tea because the milk might sour and smell.

Looks like it’s bye bye, Brexit!

I hope so, but the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

Arborea that was me with the toothbrush! Yes we were trying to go quicker as I could see the numbers meant dd would probably not last the distance! We peel off at Piccadilly Circus to go to the British Museum about 3pm as dd had had enough.

I spoke to a lovely lady whose son was an economist and wrote a piece that got into the Independent last week. Her and her friends were saying how strange it is that everyone now sees Sky as more reliable than state broadcaster (BBC). She was very cross they were saying a few thousand. We agreed the world has turned upside down.

singing I feel a bit deflated too but perhaps that normal after such a momentous event?

hazard we spoke of you and you were very much in our thoughts yesterday, as were so many of you on this thread.

I marched* for my kids, my nephews my niece, the children of thread members, all the children of my community and indeed the UK.

I had several fb messages saying people wished they could be there so I marched for them too.

Never surrender ✊

• march = slow walk ;)

@HazardGhost - or everyone could tut in unison, maybe a low mumble and moan now and again thrown in.

Morning all. Bet the marchers amongst you are still on a mental high but physically exhausted. Well done to all of you. 2 million!! Awesome!
Just reading about May possibly being ousted tomorrow. Not sure that will be a good thing or not? Is anyone else going to do a better job of brexit? Are they more likely to revoke? A GE would be no use at all I think.

I'm sure there's a good reason for it, but does anyone know why the number of days we're waiting for a debate date on the petition keeps changing? When it first passed 100k signatures, it said 1 day, then it was 2, then 4, & now it's at 6 days. I've never really paid close attention to a petition after signing before. Is this normal or is it due to the current instability (likely coup to oust May? My cynical side wonders if it's another effort to keep kicking the can down the road... surely not though, right? Sorry if someone has already explained this, BTW.

I think it's now six days since the petition passed the 100,000 mark but Parliament hasn't yet made time to debate it.

It's the number of days since the petition passed the number of signatures required for a debate.

Quite achey today from the March. It was worth it though!
Some points:

1. Seemed way bigger than last time. Because of its size, I think many had to take coping action and splinter off to the sides for a break, or to join late and leave early. (We joined at Green Park and left at the Centaph. Couldn’t get any further.) These facts would make it harder to do an ‘accurate’ count. I’d guess well over a million.
2. Seemed like many more younger people than last time.
3. As many placards for Revoke as for Vote. Although loads didn’t mention either.
4. Fantastic atmosphere, very friendly and good-natured. You could chat to anyone. I didn’t see one SINGLE police officer the whole day. Perhaps they know they’re not going to get trouble on these things.
5. No heckling or opposition from anyone. They know when they’re beat?
6. The Led by Donkeys phenomenon... everyone knew about it and loves it.
7. Proudly displaying my toothbrush but didn’t meet any others. Did meet an old long-lost friend though, which was nice. What are the chances?!
8. Much as I enjoy these marches, it’d be nice to think sanity would reappear and we didn’t have to do another one.
9. Tom Watson speech... JC must be getting cross with him. Wonder what will happen there?

10. One niggling thought... as we’re so ‘nice’, is it safer and easier to ignore us, rather than the smaller groups of loud-shouting aggressive types?

Well done everyone!

That's just the number of days since the petition was started.

Don't feel deflated after yesterday, feel emboldened, keep on as we are, the peaceful many.

My small act of rebellion was to place a Remain sticker on the Cabinet Office wall. I felt very naughty

It's simply the number of days since it reached 100,000 which is the threshold for a debate to be held. So it will go up daily until a date is set.

NB: the debate almost definitely will not be held in the main chamber. They are usually held in Westminster Hall which is smaller.

Oops xpost.

The police obviously do create estimates, they just don't make official comments anymore. Too political apparently, which is a shame.

It might be possible to submit an FOI request?

I think it often happens that these petitions have to wait weeks to be debated. It takes time to organise, I suppose. You’d think with this one, they’d get on it quicker. But events may overtake it and render it pointless. Although I do believe the fact of the numbers in it will influence politicians’ thinking in some way.

Agree with the surprising number of Revoke posters.
Sensible politicians should take note because people on the march were probably (if eligible) voters, unlike many we know whose referendum vote was a one off (and I really don’t blame people who don’t vote because their vote is worthless. I often feel like that).
So large numbers on the march could translate to losses in a GE, which is all they really care about. If the Independent Group put up candidates, I’d vote for one of them. Hell, I might even apply to be a candidate myself.

singing was urging me to stand in the local elections yesterday :)

Hmmm....

I think the politicians have to take notice of the march. An extremely large number of people felt strongly enough about an issue to travel to London and spend several hours shuffling along the route. That takes effort. These people were clearly engaged and purposeful. You can’t just brush it aside.

Right.
Must get ready.
I'm being filmed for local TV at 10am and I look like the wreck of the hesperus 🙄😩😁

All those who have signed it will get an email from the Government with a load of doublethink their official response that "Brexit means Brexit" and we don't care what you think and later, once the debate has been held, a link to the actual debate.

So the Government email servers and Gateway to the video will be overloaded!