Westminstenders: Why the Irish Border isn't a Remain/EU Plot

[RedToothBrush]

I hope the events of this week give the ERG the kick up the backside over this that they need.

I doubt it will, but I live in hope. The alternative is too horrid to contemplate.

I'll leave this here instead as a reminder of what choice Brexit was always going to come down to.

Happy Easter everyone.

Up early too, bad back so bad night, also a range of worries keeping me awake (family, annoying neighbours...)
Agree that the power that has been given to the DUP (who are dodgy religious nutters who don’t even have majority support in NI) is one of the very worst complications of Brexit. With a halfway moral or competent USA they’d get their arms well twisted, but no hope of that with Trump in situ.
The expression of cynical boredom on Arlene Foster’s face and her half hearted clapping were something to behold at the funeral service yesterday. I understand that she’s a damaged individual who has endured horrors, but she shouldn’t be in a position to wreck her own homeland and the rest of the UK with her pigheaded intransigence.

I have a politically active colleague. I mean really politically active in mainstream politics. Knows their stuff, not especially polemical, good at addressing the opposite view and understanding why people hold that view. We disagree here and there but I respect them politically. Won't describe them more to avoid outing.
They told me yesterday "I am fed up of the lot of them. I am bored by politics. And if I'm bored of it all, we are in a mess".

Morning all. No change on the Brexit front then. I cant see there will be any change while TM is still PM and the Tories are still in charge.

I heard Ann Widdecombe in Today yesterday. Apparently the EU is hardening it's position because it knows we don't like the backstop and it should just change it. I was driving so I couldn't fall over laughing at her stupidity.

So much predictive text failing. So little time.

Bellini I keep thinking as this debacle continues, and people involved become more weary of it all, we are going to see a lot more off message 'fuck it' comments and leaks. I mean what is the pointing of continually trying to polish the turd ? Everyone knows it is shit, regardless of how shiny you try to make it

i just think that from a history book perspective it looks shabby and dodgy that all this is going on at the precise moment there's no NI assembly

I find it shocking that the UK government triggered Article 50 while there was no government in NI. Absolutely astonishing in terms of priorities. Surely you'd sort out your domestic constitutional problems out first. Especially when you profess to be a unionist. Yeah right.

Alright?
Usual shit show?
As you were.

lonelyplanetmum - the SNP has pointed out that decisions should be made in Stormont - but it doesn't necessarily get reported in the "main" news on the state broadcaster.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-47403727

They also pointed out during the brief debate in March on the NI budget that it should have been being discussed in Stormont, not WM and that it should be the last time it was done at WM.

Of course, one of the Scottish Tories couldn't stop himself excused the excessive influence of the DUP on the basis that "other voices in NI have not been forthcoming"

I find it shocking that the UK government triggered Article 50 while there was no government in NI.

Yes this.

From an historical perspective it will look as if Stormont collapsed and Westminster leapt in a few weeks later and took advantage?I know that isn't the case, but that's how it must look internationally too.

It's as if Catalonia had internal problems with a devolved assembly then the instant it was suspended Spain made an irreversible decision that affected its borders. This would be frowned upon internationally surely?

Interesting about the SNP Prettybird.

I see 1922 Committee won’t change rules, some suggestion that this is due in part to a “block Boris” effort. The anti Borises would appear to outnumber the pro.
Not sure how to read the tea leaves vis a vis Tory members/councillors support for NF & Brexit party. DM made much of this, but it amounts to a minority of a minority. Does this really reflect a broader support? I expect the “talks” Labour & Tory will come to nothing. Less than thrilled with Labour, but I think only a change of government will break the logjam.
Too bad TIG didn’t start sooner, I think it lacks momentum. We will probably drift at least until after various elections, end of May ( month, not TM.

New candidates for the Brex party:
Two more candidates have been unveiled at the Brexit party launch: Martin Daubney, a former editor of Loaded, the men’s magazine, and James Wells. Wells is speaking now, and he says that this week he resigned from his job at head of UK trade at the Office for National Statistics so that he could be a Brexit party candidate for the European elections in Wales.

The former editor of Loaded!?
They must be NUTS

What a strange collection of all that is worst about British society the Brexit party is..it's like a gigantic Carry On script acted out in real time complete with non-funny comedy grotesques..

Yep. They're about as bad as my joke.

Your joke is at least genuinely funny! Widdecombe isn't
www.annwiddecombe.com/

That entire Buckethead tweet is hilarious, but what really, truly gets me is that goddamn ™️.

It doesn’t mean anything - at most it designates an unregistered trademark (don’t know how enforceable these are in the U.K. - it’s not my field of intellectual property law). A registered trademark is designated by an R inside a circle.

{It doesn’t mean anything}
Therein lies it's beauty!
It has hooked into more 'brains' than it necessarily deserves.

Ah, it makes sense now. What better way to get free publicity for her feeble efforts than to declare herself an MEP. Cynical, moi?

I really don’t get it.

How can she (as suggested in press) strip out the Backstop and bring WA back again?

@NoWordForFluffy so everything is the fault of Brexit????

Biden running for pres in 2020.

Eh, @BlueJag?! What post of mine are you referring to? I'm not sure what you mean?

They told me yesterday "I am fed up of the lot of them. I am bored by politics. And if I'm bored of it all, we are in a mess".

Honestly. That's not far wide of the mark of where I am.

I fear we will be bored into submission rather than by force at this rate.