Westminstenders: 1001 Ways to wait for EUCO - Sprouts, Nits and Brexit

[RedToothBrush]

Not much more to say other than, all we can do is wait to hear our fate.

Which seems to lie in the hands of Macron.

I think these tweet sums a lot of it up from a couple of jaded soft leavers

Iain Martin @ iainmartin1
This terrible farce in Brussels tonight is like being British during the eurovision song contest. British entrant awaits fate, watching humiliating results come in, trying to smile for the audience back home.

George Trefgarne @georgetrefgarne
To be honest I think Buck’s Fizz and Cheryl thingummy would have made a better job of it

My advice: Don't wait up!

Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar
EU source on Macron: "He is in a bit of a schizophrenic situation - (his) domestic audience demands that he is tough on Britain for historic reasons. On the other hand, France is among the most-hit in any no-deal Brexit. It will take hours before we pull him down from his tree."

So Macron may end up being the one who gets the UK what it wants but is doing it to be tough on us. I'm not sure I understand EU politics.

UK expats can vote in their host country - I'm registered for Germany now
You can only vote in one country for EP elections, so don't break the law of your host country

Of course, I just realised this extension drama was to sort out TiP's hols !
Enjoy, TiP You know you deserve it

Enoch unless there is a significant Green presence that sounds like you would just be diluting the Labour vote. There is a chance you could knock out one of the UKIP/Tory MEPs by concentrating support in Labour. (unless Greens normally poll more than half the Labour vote, which seems unlikely(?))

BCF
Yup, the whole thing was done under the influence of DH's automata army

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/11/brexit-may-deal-european-elections-what-next

@GroovieGazelloo and everyone

Really good example of problem with voting for plethora of Remain Parties from Scotland last time.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland_(European_Parliament_constituency)

Scotland has a UKIP MEP. If Scottish Greens / LibDems had opted to lend their vote to either SNP or Labour then UKIP would not have reached the threshold.

NB I said not definitely not definitely not

Assange, who officials view as a conduit for the Russian government
R4 WATO today at about 14.50.
Bob Seely very revealing about Assange.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0003zc3

@IoWBobSeely
My explainer in the Telegraph. Why Julian Assange matters, and his alleged connection to one of the most significant espionage operations in history, the Kremlin plot to ring the 2016 US Presidential Election.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/11/julian-assange-useful-idiot-left-wing-dupe-will-finally-have/
(DT paywall sorry)

The BBC is odd, but this WATO was one of the very oddest I have ever heard; this interview was unusually candid, Sarah Montague sounded rather taken aback.

Good article tobee. A couple of aspects it doesn't cover:

1. There would be legal difficulties with the EU trying to impose conditions on the EU during an Extension.
2. EU is being said by some to have blinked in as much as it now looks just as unwilling to countenance No Deal as the UK.

I only linked the article to show that TM is still thinking she can get WA through in time for us to leave before the EU elections. Whether this is delusional or not only time can tell!
🤔

Diane Abbott is speaking in the HoC saying that Assange is being perused because he exposed US wrong doing in Iraq.

He exposed stuff that was in the public interest and he's being persecuted for this and this is what Labour believe.

Sajid Javid pointing out that he was arrested because he skipped bail...

tobee,
Thanks for the article. In fairness though, with the UK parliament having a holiday as from tonight, I really can't see them getting the UK out of Europe before the 22nd May.
So, I'm getting myself and my kids organised for voting.
Re-bisous,

Quite astonished by Abbott.

Especially given Sweden have a warrant too. For charges relating to rape.

Alberto Nardelli@AlbertoNardelli

It might make sexy copy and headlines, but the idea that EUCO was 26 vs Macron is just wrong, per multiple sources (none of them French).

One senior EU27 official tells me that at least 6 leaders favoured short extension

Alberto Nardelli@AlbertoNardelli

“Merkel’s plea that Europe was about friendship

and ‘you give your friends a chance, and then another one, and then one more’

was seen as crucial by those in the room in persuading Mr Macron to soften his stance”

Politicians working on a "plan" should focus on points 4 & 5 from the official EUCO conclusions:

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/39042/10-euco-art50-conclusions-en.pdf

1. The European Council reiterates that there can be no opening of the Withdrawal Agreement,

and that any unilateral commitment, statement or other act should be compatible with the letter and the spirit of the Withdrawal Agreement and must not hamper its implementation.

1. The European Council stresses that such an extension cannot be used to start negotiations on the future relationship.

However, if the position of the United Kingdom were to evolve, the European Council is prepared to reconsider the Political Declaration on the future relationship in accordance with the positions and principles stated in its guidelines and statements, including as regards the territorial scope of the future relationship.

Quite astonished by Abbott
Party line. Group think. Depressing.

Seely btw is a tory. I know nothing about him, but I liked the silence in his answer to Montague who asked if it was worth arresting some one (who subverted a democratic election )

In case anyone doubts which side Assange is on:

Simon Murphy
✔
@murphy_simon
· 21m
Replying to @murphy_simon
While Assange waited for his legal team to arrive he sat in the dock reading Gore Vidal’s “history of the national security state”. He also waved and gave a thumbs up to a supporter in the public gallery clad in a yellow vest.

Woman19, actually a female Labour backbencher (I didn't catch name) DID raise the question of the Swedish warrant.

Javid gleefully referred her to Abbott's comments as part of his response.

Honestly, I think Abbott's comments reprehensible especially since the press freedom argument also has a ethics about how you go about a leak in a responsible fashion rather than just leaking masses of sensitive information which might have quite wide ranging impacts - including putting people's lives at risk.

The complete lack of regard and comment on this of this by Abbott is concerning.

Zoe Tillman @ zoetillman
Update: A DOJ spox says the department does not plan to release any additional information today about Julian Assange.

What this means: There is reporting by CNN that more charges are coming, but we do not expect any official info about that today

This isn't going to play out well for Labour is it?

It does surprise me that Labour of all parties are saying Assange is GOOD because he showed up US crimes in Iraq War....after we know Blair took us into the war against our will and without WMD!

What kind of crazy are they playing at now? Should be a goal against the Tories for protecting him?

Labour victory in European Parliament elections could hand EU commission presidency to socialists, polls show

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-meps-eu-elections-europe-socialists-commission-a8863191.html

Suspect Assange is quite "niche" to the average voter. Also has lots of otoh vs otoh dynamic which will render it irrelevant to voting decisions.