Westminstenders: The gall of the french

[RedToothBrush]

We are full steam ahead with European Parliamentary Elections! Something that seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago.

May still remains adament that they will not happen, but the die has been cast.

May is off to beg Macron and Merkel to back an extension but the French are already stating they want assurances we won't screw thing up for everyone else.

May still is pushing for a deal with Corbyn and a Not a compromise.

Still there is no sign of a breakthrough either for an extension nor over a cross party deal. It drags on, but at least no one has mentioned the WA for ten minutes.

We might yet be in Europe for another Eurovision. Psychologically this feels important.

The ERG are not happy.

The "good" MEPs get shockingly little coverage

We can change that, here and other places we hang out.

Pesty-I bet she was interesting. Why we can't switch JRM for some one like her I really don't know.

Finally the ERG star is fading
The Erg is dead. Long live the Cooper/Letwin.

@faisalislam
The Cooper-Letwin shadow Govt secure another thumping majority (!) defeating Bill Cash - ayes 85 noes 392 - on trying to limit an extension so as to prevent EU elections.... last vote now

Oops, had wine

Our area is UKIP central sadly so few to pick from MEP-wise. I like this lady though Catherine Bearder

Pawsage - love the fake floor fluff cat. It has more substance than the Tories’ plan for withdrawal.

Pretty - 3 beauties (excluding the human)! I am envious.

Shameless placemark on the side, too.

If we get a long extension then will the PM stick around for it?

I know Molly Scott Cato
Would she do a mums net web chat thing to us? @mumsnet? Would be brilliant to get some of these great MEPs especially women to explain what they do a wee bit .

I don't think a single Tory actually wants this poison chalice (being the PM who guided uK thru Brexit). May's Weakness is her Strength.

.

FFS these people have no shame
[from the guardian live feed]

The Tory MP, John Redwood, has just told the Commons:

This Parliament needs to ... accept this (Brexit) was decided by the public, it was our duty to implement it. Leaving without this agreement is just going to be fine, we are prepared for it, business is ready for it, business has spent money, business has done whatever it needed to do and business now, in many cases, feels very let down that they are not being able to use all their contingencies, which they have spent good money on.

Some points to consider when reading those comments: The government’s no-deal Brexit analysis suggested such a scenario would likely produce huge delays at Dover, increased food prices and a £13bn extra cost to business

Pmk

I’ll take John Redwood seriously when he can sing his way through the Welsh National Anthem.

I know Molly Scott Cato.

It may seem a bit mean to those who know her but what's that changeling folk lore all about? Can't we changeling her for May or something?

PMK

Another on the nose read from Polly Toynbee

Hmm.. I just looked at the MEPs for my area (SE) 10 in all. Two UKIP & 1 who caucuses with UKIP, so nearly 30% UKIP. One Labour, 1Green, 1 LibDem. The rest Conservative. We need to pay more attention to E.U. elections.
A lot I don’t miss about US politics, but I do miss the referenda rules: basically referenda can be put on ballot by VOTERS not politicos. It takes hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition, but then a measure gets put to the people. (Called Propositions in California)
Oh, if only that applied here!

From the Guardian link by Polly:
Once, the pied pipers of Brexit played tunes of hope and optimism with fantasies of buccaneering freedom, but none of that is left; not in Westminster or anywhere else. The fairy dust blew away, and now all that’s left is the dark, backward-looking nativism that underpinned it. Disappointment at the vanished new dawn has turned the remnants of the Brexit creed into angry, determined calls to just “do it”, never mind the dire consequences. The much-mocked Project Fear Treasury forecasts are already proving correct: they warned a Brexit vote would mean households losing out by £4,300 by 2030. Households are already £1,500 worse off, and becoming poorer faster than forecast, in the worst era for growth since the 1860s, according to Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Now the Osborne-Hammond screw has tightened again as the benefits freeze continues into a new fiscal year. The poor already lose an average of £340 annually, which is two months’ food shopping for an average low-income family, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. By this time next year, there will be 400,000 more poor children as a result, with food banks busier than ever.

LT&L Catherine Bearder (SE) is another MEP who has been in the job for ten years. She also has the ear of Guy Vehofstat the EUs very own Troller.
www.bearder.eu

We do seem to have some brilliant female politicians over in Europe and indeed in the HoC

I’ll take John Redwood seriously when he doesn't envisage the U.K. all driving British cars- that's Caterhams and Morgans then.

DH quickly warmed to this idea to be fair.

I think I should have said I knew her @mumsnet.
She was living in a very tiny house with a lot of children, doing amazing things and I admired her greatly for that. I was living in a bigger house, but still quite run down, with an equally large number of children.
I’ve realised that those children must be grown up now because mine are. Time goes so quickly.
I think we’ve both moved on a lot since then and I would feel uncomfortable in approaching her.
Sorry. I feel now I’ve misled you.

Sarah Woollaston has just pointed out that May has found time today to speak to be spoken to by the 1922 Committee but has yet to find time to meet with the House Liaison Committee which is supposed to be the one by which the Executive is keep to account

She sounds lovely, I really like the sound of her woodpigeons
Always good to hear of nice politicians in real life. There's quite a few of them about.

And not at all misleading.woodpigeons [smile

It would be really good though if @mumsnet could find some of the many great MEP candidates and do a web chat with them.

Few of us know what they do etc etc.

Lady Neville-Rolfe @LNevilleRolfe
Now back in the @UKHouseofLords #RoyalAssent in a few minutes. Extraordinary process.Lady Neville-Rolfe added,
PARLY

@PARLYapp
Speaker says he is cautiously optimistic that #EUWithdrawal5Bill will get royal assent tonight

OH yes,
the Queen stayed up late and passed the bill.