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.

2 hours sleep last night. Not good.

Me too!

When dgd was at primary school a decade ago if nits abounded a letter was sent to all parents to treat their children. If they did not they were warned that their children could not come to school with nits or lice. My dgd had hair past her waist ( and still has) and never caught nits. Conditioner and nit comb staved off any infection ( and those letters!)

Is TMs EU blue suit a deliberate choice? Wonder why.

I'm sorry you also feel this way... but it does help a bit to know I'm not the only person still terrified it's all going to go to hell. I daren't even dream of revoke but there are people all over the places I've been watching and talking about Brexit on who now seem to think it's inevitable and it's making me very very anxious indeed!

I was also on one of the very first threads and have been here throughout - mainly just following though.

TM reiterated again today there will not be a second referendum. She has referred to no deal a few times in the last few days so though she may have decided against a no deal I bet she wish she could no deal. She so much wants to deliver brexit.

Appalled dread was pretty much my reaction to learning that tinned sprouts are a thing

Sprouts in general are appalling

Thanks Hazard and Red

, whoever you may be now

Icannotremember I quite enjoyed sprouts for the first time this Christmas. They were drowning in melted Gorgonzola and sprinkled with walnuts - that helped!

PMK

Sprouts with melted Gorgonzola, walnuts [ and bacon, but of course!] , that's exactly what I shall try this Christmas!

I am currently watching the DVD of th3 opening ceremony, enjoying reliving those times with joy. Really hoping the optimism on this thread tonight is not too short lived.
I have hoped for long extension and PV or preferably revoke for so long now.
With the parliamentary lock on TM to go back to them if the extension is not the one asked for I can’t see no deal happening, but the EU conditions may be less palatable than Revoke.

Here’s still to hoping ,

Sprouts need to be fried and with bacon or leeks. Although DH has introduced me to sprouts in curry and they are surprisingly good.

Expecting a result from EUCO sometime tonight.

I think this is the latest

Mehreen @ mehreenkhn
We have a new version of the EU Council conclusions: still no extension date, but leaders have beefed up paragraph 7 to add that UK must refrain "in particular when participating in the decision-making processes of the union". #euco

I'm also seeing that these clauses may yet lead to a short extension only...

The iPad moment, according to Laura Kuenssberg, was a Merkel and May side by side picture in identical suits but each in their own parliament. Guardian blog has added it.

I still think May has done a terrible job and is infuriating, but you know what, she probably does really need an occasional laugh at work, and I bet they're few and far between. (Other than the grim laughter, that is).

No! Sprouts are perfect just as they are, just lightly steamed. None of this bacon and walnut malarkey.

Sprouts with melted Gorgonzola, walnuts [ and bacon, but of course!] , that's exactly what I shall try this Christmas!

But surely you would use fresh sprouts (which are vile, but could possibly be saved by lashings of Gorgonzola) not tinned ones, which are obviously the work of the devil!

Sorry meant to say opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics

Alex Barker @ alexebarker
My hunch: a 6 month extension that ends before the change of Commission in November. Macron halves the one-year delay. Britain leaves before its new Commissioner takes office. Voila.

Sprouts must be eaten with orange zest cooked in the juice.

I never knew tinned sprouts were a thing either, maybe I have had a more sheltered life than I thought.

Feck knows what is going to happen tonight, the EU held strong for ages with a united front. But, now we are well past the deadline.

The UK is more right wing than Hungary.

darkbendis - yes, yes, I forgot, we had bacon as well! Was lovely.

Sprouts must be eaten with orange zest cooked in the juice.

Queen yes fresh sprouts. I’ve never met a tinned sprout and don’t intend to start now.

Peter Foster @pmdfoster
On the point about the need for 'clarity' and why Macron's demands may yet lead to a short extension. My newsletter today...../1 Thread
m.email3.telegraph.co.uk/nl/jsp/s.jsp?c=@yTzps2kHNMRtBjmHziBwYGSqYULZMMIt1AWKB56Qv4E=&d=twitter,3558a21

The issue is that Macron saw May in Paris on Tuesday, but on Wednesday he enters #EUCO and is still plainly not convinced.

So what can @theresa_may say today that she couldn't say yesterday? Not a lot. "We're having some more useless talks tomorrow." /2

If May cannot answer basic questions:

- are you prepared to be in a Customs Union with the EU?

- if we gave you a long extension, what would you use it for?

That's trouble. /3

It is true that Angela Merkel, from her remarks to Parliament, is instinctively in favour of a longer extension.

But if Macron makes it an issue of unity (a word he used on the way in) then Merkely will put avoiding a Franco-German split over any consideration of dates /4

May's own suggestion of June 30 doesn't help really.

It just makes a mockery of EU elections - which she is open about not wanting to hold. /5

No. The pinch-point comes earlier than June 30.

If EU 27 don't want to risk a 'no deal' on eve of European polls, (May 22) then the short extension date comes forward. /6

If that's where France drives the debate - to early May - it doesn't necessarily preclude a later extension IF the UK can say what it wants.

Macron has consistently had a larger risk appetite for 'no deal' - French believe UK will quickly come to heal. /7

But they also note that Parliament is very firmly against a 'no deal' - which begs question of how big that risk really is, if there was a take-it-or-leave it extension.

Or faced with a real hard deadline, would UK do the deal, revoke OR make real choices about future. /8

Macron has left himself some wiggle room.

He says he will entertain a long extension for elections, referendums or a sincere engagment with a different Brexit.

Just not for a fudge. /9

Is this where it ends up? The leaders are still talking.

But there was no Franco-German deal before hand.

And as per earlier tweet, France were "hanging tough", per source. /10

Long evening ahead, I think - I'd not rule out any result at the moment. /11