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.

PMK for extension news...

What time are we likely to hear something? I am guessing tomorrow for those of us on GMT+2.

iamBuffy
Not the future, the past - Isle of Wight Hovercraft

Do you think they’re checking out the latest from led by donkeys?

I think pcplum name changed I think...pcplum* is a champ anyway.

kenn is about have seen posts on other threads in the past day or so.

I would like to be optimistic but what about if May is pushed out tonight and Boris is PM by next month? Then he'll tear the WA up and pursue th hardest of Brexit. Don't you think?

He'd face the same parliamentary lock May now faces.

The PM cannot allow the UK to exit without a deal without a parliamentary vote.

Sorry, but Brexit is bust. Even if it happens it's not going to be the Brexit that the backers paid for. They're going to have to decide whether they want to spend more money trying to get back the mood, or give up and find another country to ruin.

If Brexit is cancelled, it won't be because of the majesty of British democracy. It will be in spite of. I suspect that a lot of people that put a lot of money up for Brexit to happen can't quite believe what a shower of incompetents the UK has for politicians. Ultimately that would be what "saved" us ...

Are they having a fash spring clean?

DF would say pulito palazzo ...

Another thought occurred to me - a lot of the shock and handwringing about "national humiliation" seems to be based on the UK PM having to ask (as opposed to insist/demand) that the EU27 do what is best for our country. Do Brexiteers realise that this is simply a taste of what life would be like in a post-Brexit world? We aren't big players on a world stage all by ourselves. We either be a constructive part of a bigger team or accept being unimportant. I prefer option A, could live with option B if it doesn't wreck the economy but cannot abide the unicorn "Empire was awesome and we could get back to that", because it wasn't awesome at all and we certainly couldn't get back to it (thank God).

People have been saying that when this is all over that we need a fundamental change to our political system.

I am a centralist at heart because I don't like postcode lotteries but I am wondering if we should move to a completely federal system where the 4 parts of the UK are self-governing and any significant changes to defence or foreign policy have to be agreed by all four countries so the UK government could not drag Scotland out of the EU for example.

But I would also like to see more cross-border cooperation set up - eg between the border counties of Wales and England (eg to stop Chester hospital refusing patients from Wales) and maybe have a cross-border council of some kind for Cumbria, Borders, Dumfries & Galloway and Northumberland. So far more devolution but also more to bring us together.

And finally have an English parliament - and not in London.

Along with more investment in infrastructure, transport, housing, broadband, get all the empty houses into use, get employers to embrace flexible working so we start to spread wealth more around the country rather than it being concentrated in parts of the south east.

Ah well I can dream!

You may have already seen this of our favourite Mark Francois and his “spartan phalanx” (nicked from Twitter).

it's not going to be the Brexit that the backers paid for. They're going to have to decide whether they want to spend more money trying to get back the mood, or give up and find another country to ruin

I so hope you're right. Although I fear for the country they try to ruin instead.

Another one down
www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/exasperated-reveals-hes-finally-given-up-brexit/

@OublietteBravo I've just seen this and come on to ask what everybody thinks they're looking at??

The guardian stated today that Macron is pushing for the UK to ‘lose its EU Commissioner’ role

Can someone explain the impact of that and, if we were to lose it, what the impact would be if we ended up remaining

The one who was in situ when the referendum happened resigned, but Julian King took over. See here ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2014-2019/king_en

He's actually got quite a key portfolio.

Pretty sure PCPlumsTruncheon had a previous name change, so quite possibly has changed again.

Yes I do wonder about posters who 'disappear'. But so many people name change, I don't dwell on it too much.

In some ways I'd love to know how many regulars have been following since forever.

BrexitCast Cast are on R5Live right now.

Oh there's an interesting titbit there. King was ambassador to France before he took the Commission role. I wonder if he had any dealings with Macron back then.

I just saw a Lib Dem party political broadcast, for the local elections. Lots of focus on Brexit and also how the Tories are too busy infighting to get anything else done.

Up until about the 2000s, I think a proper federal structure for the UK might have worked - indeed, even in 2014, if Devo Max (or "Full Fiscal Autonomy" - fully self-finding with an agreed proportion going for "common good" like Defence - even if that meant continuing to contribute to and host Trident) had been on offer, it might have stymied the demand for Scottish Independence for a loooong time

Iirc, that book I was talking about again , "Internal Colonialism" also talks about proper federalism.

Missed out "if DevoMax or FFA had been on offer in 2014 "

Are we expecting to hear the EUs position tonight?

A referendum voided because voters were not given enough information .....
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47879777

I was on the first thread!

I don't post much, though. Tend to just sit and shake my head in horror.

The positivity and hope on this thread is making me sick with nerves. Please can we return to our normal state of appalled dread? I have a horrible feeling we're going to jinx it otherwise.

I'm still in appalled dread if it helps.