Westminstenders: For Whom the Bell Tolls

[RedToothBrush]

Although another round of Indicative Votes is scheduled, arguably the chance for a soft Brexit has gone for two reasons.

Parliament was unable to show a majority because those on the opposition benches were too busy saying 'I want this but only on these terms' or still being too unwilling to compromise. Thus the opportunity and point for a third round starts to look weak.

The second is that Tory MPs were resolute in an opposition to a soft Brexit.

Unless May decides to be the next Robert Peel and go for a soft Brexit on the back of opposition vote its not going to happen.

This leaves May's deal as it stands or no deal.

May seems to have actually lost a few supporters of her deal since Friday, and given the performance of the opposition tonight and the prospect of round 3 of indicative votes they will still be unwilling to go for May's deal.

Which leaves no deal.

There is talk of a managed no deal. There is no such thing. The EU plan for that is essentially to push us into the deal in order to get a trading relationship.

And that will push us closer to the us. Which is what many torys want. And what polling seems to suggest they will have surprising support for.

Sorry folks but it don't look great tonight.

The opposition benches may look back on tonight and think they screwed it. I hope I'm wrong. But I fear tonight might have sealed our fate.

Tomorrow may has a 5hr cabinet. And a secret document dmfor the cabinet to study first.

It's going to get bumpy from here on in...

Why do they keep saying they've made progress? Do they not understand the deadline? Do they not understand that TM will pull every trick in the book to thwart them? They've just wasted more time.

I went to check on how my mp voted. I wasn't going to bother because the answer was obvious - but then I thought, if he had voted positively for something, after all the rude emails I've sent I should send a thank you one to balance it out. But first instinct was right. Slimy fecker. The only good thing about him is that his last name starts with A so he's quick to find in any list.

The only upside to a GE is that his 331 majority is so very very precarious... But I'd still rather not have one.

Snap!

The Snap! was to PreppaPig as we cross-posted

Thank Red

I’ve written an email to my MP but am holding off sending it until the morning in case I regret it. It’s angry. And very sarcastic.

I really need to break into the Brexit chocolate stash but stupidly hid it in the bedroom and Mr Babooshka already in bed...

Are you sure they're intelligent enough to get sarcasm Babooshka?

I'm worn out from this so have no idea how you lot in the UK are feeling. I can't believe this shit is happening.

What with the DUP is May's "majority" now? Is it six?

I think they are doing the yes/no indicative votes to gauge support. If they really want to solve it, they will go av.

That way people won’t ‘game’ the system by voting against their 2nd or 3rd preferences. I’d argue for av PV (don’t see why people would object as it allows leavers preferences and doesn’t split leave vote).

I think at this stage we need a cat. She brought two dead mice and a live one into the house tonight so she's not in the good books, but she's still more popular than TM.

singing do it! I've written countless rude, sarcastic, patronising emails and tonight it appears to have work 😂

Or more likely I'm not the only one harassing him

She's beautiful youcantscareme - you can't possibly stay mad at her!

How would the single transferable vote work? MPs cast one vote on a range of options, weakest one is knocked out, those who voted for the “loser” vote again on their next preference while the other votes stick unless that option gets the fewest votes, and so on until only two options remain?

And again, could MPs block legislation for EP elections, effectively ruling out a GE?

Youcantscareme - we had 3 mice (one large ) and a large headless pigeon deposited on the landing this weekend

I think at this stage we need a cat. She brought two dead mice and a live one into the house tonight so she's not in the good books, but she's still more popular than TM.

You’ll be glad of her mousing skills when the supermarket shelves are bare and you are craving protein.

Despite the fact that my personal choice would be to live in an independent Scotland, within the EU, if the above scenario happened I would never, never, again vote SNP. They have 35 votes that they could use, and they have wasted the power.

Then you have to vote SNP! No one else is going to deliver the independence we want. Once we're out of the UK I fully expect the SNP to collapse into two or more smaller parties - once the main goal holding it together has been achieved. The way the SNP MPs have been treated in Westminster I think it's bloody amazing they are still trying their best for other members of the UK - and the English.

Likewise for prettybird’s pigeon hunters.

I would say I was more towards the hard core Remainer end of the spectrum and I dread a crash out. Don't say it would be so bad that we would be begging to get back in within a few weeks. It wouldn't work like that, the ERG and cronies would go full on, on a wrecking spree - smash the NHS, smash workers rights - a metaphorical crystal nacht.

Eventually a generation later, i.e. 25 - 40 years people would come to their senses, by which time I will almost certainly be dead, and my children will have long left the country for good - but at least they would be out of it, while we endured a lonely old age in increasing poverty.

And because Cameron called a stupid referendum because he hadn't the guts to face down 40 or so greedy selfish men in his party.

I hope that his legacy is a reunited Ireland - i.e he is responsible for breaking up the United Kingdom. I hope May's legacy is smashing the one thing she values i.e. the Tory party.

Absolutely no reason not to support it.

If HoC back a "Revoke rather than No Deal" option the hardcore brexiteers will back TM because at least there's some wiggle room after WA has been passed. Having No Deal as the default prevents them from backing WA. So avoid passing "Revoke rather than No Deal" until it is impossible for HoC to pass the WA in time.

I don't agree with that reasoning - I think in the window between "last second pass WA plus required legislation" and "last second revoke" the government would be able to play parliamentary shenanigans long enough for us to crash out.

But I can see that there is reasoning there.

Boatyardblues - that is already in our plans - my dad is a former farmer turned doctor, so he can do the squeamish stuff!

I don't think that the HoC are going to even contemplate Revoke rather than No Deal.

peregrina, if they aren't careful that is the exact choice they will face in less than two weeks' time. But I don't think they'd revoke, which is why I want a bloody compromise agreed on at some stage so on!

Every time someone mentions 'breaking up the United Kingdom' I like to remember that the UK in its present form is less than a hundred years old.

Can't seem to get the regal furball to post.. ah well.

Whilst we are airing our frustrations at our various MPs I'm most annoyed with Tiggers who could have pushed either CU/CM2.0 over the line. You've got to have something on the ballot paper.

Collapsing the government is a nasty cynical thing to do and forcing something/anything through "or else" is extortion. Not sure why I expect better.

The MPs that have worked hard look and sound exhausted. Not just Boles but Grieve, Cooper, Benn. I feel so sad at the tarring them all with the same brush that seems to go on in all the press and across SM. That's one of the many casualties of this IMO.

Night all, sleep well.

Rug shit thing