Westminstenders: Compromise is a difficult word

[RedToothBrush]

Today the HoC had a water leak. It closed the house for the day. This isn't without consequence; any hope for the opportunity of Indicative Votes on Monday had cold water poured on it.

Meanwhile talks between talks between May and Corbyn were about as productive as you'd imagine. But apparently they had nice tea and biscuits.

The Cooper Bill, the last minute lock on May getting a extension to prevent no deal, has been in the Lords today. I say it's been in the Lords but Tories have filibuster Ed on procedure for over 6 hours to prevent the chance of it passing the house. Tory whips are timetabled until 6am but the opposition benches have vowed to go to 7.30am. So far the votes to ruin the procedure have failed comfortably so the opposition have the number. Its just a question of time.

The trouble is with the Lords not sitting tomorrow that means the bill won't get passed until Monday and there are fears it won't get royal assent until Tuesday.

The bill doesn't prevent accidental no deal but it would be a barrier to May.

It therefore looks like May's gambit with the EU to get an extension is to say her plan is ongoing talks with Labour for a cross party solution. It won't wash.

No deal looks more and more likely.

Managed to listen to the Today prog this morning despite Humphrys presenting and glad I did because I caught Andrew Adonis describing the 7 hour filibuster in the Lords as "like a riot in a morgue".
As someone who has had to use those dispute moderation techniques almost each and every day at work for decades when wrangling teenagers, I find it hard to don the cloak of patience, empathy and understanding when interacting with adults in everyday life whose views I find ridiculous and occasionally repellent.

Thanks Red. Missed the link to the new thread last night - thought everyone had gone very quiet.

Sky reporting Donald Tusk is now formally calling on the rest of the EU to grant the flextension of up to a year.

This feels like good news

[smike]

Re the by election in Newport - did UKIP do as well as it did (a very poor third) because they put up a big name in Neil Hamilton? Would Mr or Ms Anonymous have got so many votes?
Does that mean the Tory majority with the DUP is now down to 5?

Gabapentin and pregabalin are fairly common drugs and I cannot imagine why they couldn't be stockpiled as I don't think they require particularly different specific storage conditions in comparison to others ?

It looked like Starmer was in the TM and JC talks too? Saw him going in with them on TV?

Just as I predicted - the EU will grant us a long extension (they're talking about a year). I'd say it's now almost certain that Brexit will never happen.

I have concerns about Brexiting but staying part of the customs union after reading Barry Gardiner's strong critique of it back in 2017. It's like the worst of both worlds IMO - we'd do much better just to remain rather than be in some pointless halfway house.

I've used both drugs in the past and have always been given 3/4 month supply, so I don't imagine they have a short shelf life.

let's not count any chickens until they have all hatched.
I haven't any nice cat pictures, Peregrina so the Dunt tweet was a twitter 'cat', to cheer everyone up.
(I might start posting picture of my tomato plants though. I'm rather proud of them.)

Apparently, the UKIP voted doubled, according to The Guardian

Candidate was Neil Hamilton. I wouldn't read too much into it as a result. He'll get a boost in numbers for name recognition

And in the EP elections the UKIP vote will be split with Farage's new Brexit party. Unless they do a deal which I suppose is possible. Not sure how it works with PR - it's easy not to stand against each other in a FPTP system but not sure how it works in the EP elections when you have regional lists.

" used the techniques on my boss to get him to put me forward for promotion !"

Now you're getting persuasive Flower !

Thanks for your links. Couldn't get the second one to work. Think this one might...
https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/11.72%20-%20A%20Councillor%27s%20workbook%20on%20influencing%20skills_3.pdf

I'm from the North and live in France. I'm going to print out this technique. It might help me find a way forward.

Any issues with pregabalin and gabapentoid are related to them being reclassified as a Type C drug/controlled substance due to concerns over misuse......not Brexit related.

I think 10% is pretty much UKIP's limit, averaged across the country. However if they were to gain a few MPs via a proportional representation system, I think it wouldn't be a bad thing. They would be exposed and have to debate their views in public, and wouldn't have so much influence on the right wing of the Conservatives - I know I've said this before and others disagree and of course I understand and respect their views .

There shouldn't be any issues with them though...if anything they will end up with overstocks of those meds.

Fair point re Hamilton. Whichever way this whole mess goes and whenever it happens, there's going to be so much residual anger and resentment, I sometimes struggle to see how society will ever heal.

And my fucking dog was attacked this morning so my mood isn't exactly positive.

Off to the vets😡😡

If we do have EP elections I hope the code of practice on political advertising works. Facebook, Google and others have signed up to it and have put in place measures to make advertising more transparent and obvious. I don't know if it was going to apply in the UK but I assume it would be fairly easy to switch on. It might stop some of the Russian bots.

And while we are on Russia, I think pp's have commented on this or the previous thread: I said before the referendum that I could not understand why EU countries were considered to be the enemy when we had Russia on our doorstep (quite aside from the likes of Iran or North Korea - and Trump hadn't been elected at that point either).

Am wobbly with relief at the thought of a year-long extension.

I know one shouldn't count chickens though...who knows what new and exciting ways we'll discover to fuck this up for ourselves in the next week?

TM has written to the EU requesting an extension to the 30th June.

Which is the same as the last request we made

Extension requested to 30th June say radio 4, shorter than expected?

"Sky reporting Donald Tusk is now formally calling on the rest of the EU to grant the flextension of up to a year.^ This feels like good news^ " Glad you found us again Baboushka.

Wouldn't that be lovely - give us plenty of time to work out flowerpower magic on the country. 🌻🌷 🥀🌸🌻.

What a reprieve if it is a year

Stopping this farcical mad scramble, keeping up with every move May makes

Sort it out May, or whomever, without this nightmare

.

PMK

So are they going to bounce it back to TH - either extension of a year, or 12th April? Who knows?