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.

Not surprising Assange was reading Gore Vidal, rape apologist

Tom Peck@tompeck

I cannot overstate what an utter, utter, utter shitshow events in the House of Commons currently are.

They have been given a six month extension.

They are using it to repeat, verbatim, all the same old futile garbage that has got them absolutely nowhere for the last two years.

PMK

Gore vidal.
What an odious fucker.
In any era.

Disgraceful.
The Whips office (Tory at least) scour every bit of an MP's life looking for dirt they can use for blackmail / intimidation:

Johnny Mercer MP@JohnnyMercerUK

Third one of these I’ve had of late, from an old Army contact.

Contrast the values and ethos of that institution vs Parliament, and you’ll start to find answers of how we got the UK politically into such a mess.
Values, integrity, ethos - never been more important, or more scarce

Howabout. I would usually vote Labour but it really annoys me that, by doing so in the last GE, it has enabled the claim that 80% of voters voted for brexit. I most certainly didn't!
That's why I am reluctant to vote Labour in the EU elections but I am also fearful of diluting the effect of my vote by NOT voting Labour.

What an odious fucker
Dickens was unspeakably cruel to his wife, TS Eliot was an anti semite. Ezra Pound was a proponent of fascism. Jane Austen didn't hang up her towels ( made up the last one)

Gore Vidal indeed be an odious fucker but he wrote excellent books. I couldn't bring myself to rid my books collection of them.
Dickens on the other hand I don't rate so I don't mind slinging his stuff out!

Sky News breaking

Many Remainers will refuse to vote for a party that has Brexit in its manifesto

since Brexiters frequently claim that is voting in favour of Brexit

Let's see what policies Labour campaign on for the EP elections - and what they say on Brexit

Dickens on the other hand I don't rate so I don't mind slinging his stuff out!

I'm really not a Dickens fan. Why say something in a sentence when you can stretch it out across pages?!

I was meant to had to read Our Mutual Friend at university, but I'm not sure (m)any of us studying the unit (19th Century Fiction) managed to get through it. Even the BBC drama was too dull to watch. Our seminar tutor called it Our Mutual Bore.

See also: D H Lawrence and Thomas Hardy.

I love Dickens. My ex MIL reminded me of Mrs Gamp, but not in a bad way, if that’s possible.

There's a whole argument for the separation (or otherwise) of the artist and art. My own namesake for example was a fucking dirtbag with his wife Elizabeth Siddal, and arguably drove her to suicide.

And yet "Beata Beatrix" or "Prosperine" fully deserve their place in the nations galleries.

I don't know what the answer is. But objectively, something is something no matter what you do or do not know about the creator.

All I know about Vidal is from seeing him interviewed as a very waspish commentator on US/UK politics, and as an actor in "Bob Roberts", and an author of some widely acclaimed books one of which ("Lincoln") I can actually claim to have read. And sometime failed politician and (as Private Eye would have said) homosexualist.

I don't know about his views in detail, but the beauty of debate is it can steer you towards the shores of knowledge, where I shall drop anchor when I get a chance. With the caveat that dead men can't correct themselves.

Love dickens.
He was, indeed, a twat to his wife.

DGR we are both West Midlands, I think. Might we be list rivals?

Many Remainers will refuse to vote for a party that has Brexit in its manifesto

The same in reverse could be said for a whole lot of Brexiters atm. For instance even Scottish Tories are fully Remain. UKIP got a seat last time on 140k votes. There were 1m votes in Scotland in favour of Brexit for them / Brexit Party to go for this time.

@NoWordForFluffy - I'm really not a Dickens fan. Why say something in a sentence when you can stretch it out across pages?!

An eminently sensible financial decision on his part, given he published his books on serial format and he was paid by the installment. But yeah, I agree, his writing is tedious.

There's a whole argument for the separation (or otherwise) of the artist and art
Exactly. I've grown into Dickens as a writer as I've got older. He's fab.

Get in!
@Peston
Why Labour looks set to become the referendum party
www.itv.com/news/2019-04-11/why-labour-looks-set-to-become-the-referendum-party/

Not done and dusted but..........

Love Dickens.

Not a fan of Rossetti though. (The painter not the poster). None of my A level art history class could stand the Pre Raphaelites : too much Christian virtue and misogyny. Too pretty art.

Poor Lizzie Siddal... didn't even to rest in peace.

He wasn't much nicer to Janey Morris.

I love Dickens. Have never read Our Mutual Friend and had just decided to make a start. Born, Buffy would you recommend? Fluffy has put me off a bit, but doesn’t really like Dickens anyway so interested to know what you think.

An eminently sensible financial decision on his part, given he published his books on serial format.

Ah yes, true!

Faisal Islam@faisalislam
^Massive scoop from @lewis_goodall
Civil Service told to “wind down” no Deal planning in next few weeks as UK “cannot” now leave with no Deal until 31st October.^

NEW: M20 lorry park - £15m Operation Brock, which had nothing to do with Brexit despite standing for “Brexit Operations Across Kent” has been stood down and is being dismantled now that Government is “winding down” No Deal preps
t.co/hx8gEQjALu

Lewis Goodall @lewis_goodall
NEW: I Understand govt depts have "stood down" their no deal planning, as of today.

Permanent Secretary of frontline Brexit dept sends staff email which says: ""In common with the rest of government, we have stood down our No Deal operational planning with immediate effect."

"This morning, at a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, we agreed that the objective is to ensure we wind down our No Deal planning in a careful, considered and orderly way. That will take a few weeks."

"This morning, at a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, we agreed that the objective is to ensure we wind down our No Deal planning in a careful, considered and orderly way. That will take a few weeks."

As part of this, Operation Brock is no more, @HighwaysSEast announce plans to stand down the #M20 contraflow start tonight.

An eminently sensible financial decision on his part, given he published his books on serial format and he was paid by the installment. But yeah, I agree, his writing is tedious.

This is why I hold the view that Dickens should only be read one chapter at a time with a month apart. Even better if you get someone to read the chapters to you in a crowded and noisy hall. Then all the repetion and tedious over the top description makes a bit more sense.

I also think quite a lot of Shakespear should only be watched drunk

Anyone in that particular political space is never seriously considering voting Labour and especially not with JC at the helm. Everyone talks about the Labour Left echo chamber but what is striking to me is how much of an echo chamber the ever shriller Tory media etc are becoming.

Honestly. You should get out, not too far from my neck of the woods. Solid labour areas. Hate Corbyn cos of IRA connection. This stuff is a bigger deal than you think.