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...

bloody hell.

I worked in a library by Friern Hospital in north London in the 1980s Born. Many of our readership were patients. They were fascinating, dislocated and institutionalised. It was sedate, it was elegant, and it was a place of severe mental distress. The building was from a similar era to the HOC, looked and felt similar.

That'll mean she's going for no deal then
Has she/tories ever done anything which suggested she ever really intended that the WA would pass?

This motheroffourdragons?

Utterly depressing

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn
Appears PM has pulled back from the cliff edge and shelved her big move, whatever it was. Pre-Cabinet reading room just been cancelled and meeting now 3 hours not 5. Political Cabinet from 09:30-11:30, then normal cabinet.

So Theresa May is going to hold the cabinet to ransom today for 5 hours and bully them into voting for her deal.
I guess there will be a MV4 tomorrow afternoon then the Maybot will fly to Brussels to either ratify her vote if it gets through or present a no deal Brexit.

I really hope we get saved by the Europeans, but I have a horrible feeling we will have a war of attrition by TM and she will win. Definitely will be the end of the UK.

I have accepted it would be no-deal, although I still think the effects will be so bad that HM Government will have to beg for a deal within a few days.

It really is Here's last weeks one

Both sides are blinded by their own ambition.
Thé tories desperate to run the country and Labour desperate for a general election

History will not judge the conservative party of 2015-2019 well.

History will be written by the Conservatives.

They will enable massive constitutional changes of some form and that worries me.

I suspect we will be looking at the removal of the impartiality of the judicial system and moving towards elected judges.

I fully expect to see it as a proposal on a hard right manifesto.

That is only possible outside the EU. And with the breakdown of the HRA and a flouting of the ECHR.

But I think it will happen.

That will tip us from being a Liberal democracy and that in turn will mean that in time the events of the last couple of years will be seen as some sort of patriotic revolution and escape from the yoke of the EU.

That's how history works. It's set in the politics of the present reframing society.

The winners write history.

So in general, the Tory MPs don’t want their leader’s plan and they don’t want anyone else’s suggestion?!

I really hope we get saved by the Europeans

Barnier has already said a long extension will harm the EU.

What more can they do?

I have never ever wanted Scottish Independence - until now.

I don’t even live there anymore but it needs to happen now.

Just going to go and Listen to the wonderful Proclaimers now and the very apt song ‘Cap in Hand’

Why weren't they allowed a free vote? Whipping is skewing accuracy

born what a fascinating post!
Have you read any Patrick McGrath?

Yes, the EU have already gone above and beyond to try to save us from ourselves. I think they'll have little choice but to put self preservation first now.

Fucking tories

Yes many of the patients at DF's hospital were institutionalised - arguably they shouldn't have been there in the first place. But many more recovered and returned to their everyday lives. The hospital had a farm (I was great friends with the farmer's daughter) where many patients spent time doing tasks in the open air, which was generally held to aid recovery - a practice being used therapeutically more recently.

But if EU has taken No Deal off the table (Barnier) - they can't. Are they catching UK-itis?

I suspect we will be looking at the removal of the impartiality of the judicial system and moving towards elected judges. @Red I was wondering why so many Barristers appear to have voted leave. I always thought that if anyone understood the legal side of Brexit it was a fait accomplis they would vote Remain... Is it possible they want elected Judges?

I am honestly not sure that history will be written by the Tories, Red. The public can be so volatile, things could go either way.

I would be surprised if the UK remained intact.

That's the second item I've seen from the Indy in the last 2 days which seems to be putting the cat amongst the pigeons. Yesterday there was one clearly missing the point of Clarke's CU too.
Something odd going on there.

So is her plan now-to beg 30 odd Labour Leavers to vote for her deal? Apologies if I misunderstood that though.

Why would they?
How many of her own Tories last voted against it?

James Rothwell @jameserothwell
Barnier today stressing that no deal isn't the end of the process. If/when the UK comes back to table after several months of turmoil, £39bn citizens rights and Irish backstop will be price of admission. Back to where we started, in an even weaker negotiating position.

Are there 30 odd Labour MPs who would vote for her deal ?