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Brexit

Westminstenders: A fully functioning government?

960 replies

RedToothBrush · 10/05/2019 23:50

It's been a month since parliament voting on anything.

The staggering reality of May's premiership is that government has ceased to function. We are stuck not just on Brexit but every other issue, such is the weakness of May's authority.

It begs the question of how long this is tolerable by all sides of the Conservative Civil War?

May being unable to bring anything forward means no deal is probably as inevitable as if a hardliner was PM.

There was talk of May / Corbyn reaching a fudge to get a deal via the backdoor WAB (Withdrawal Agreement Implimentation Bill) as it was politically impossible for them to be seen doing a deal any other way. However news today is that despite pressure from the 1922 Committee to bring it forward, May has slapped just a one line whip on it, meaning it will go precisely no where.

The polling for the European elections is perhaps more favourable to Labour than they might have feared after last weeks local election disaster so the mutual interest for Corbyn to move forward in anyway has already gone. Seeing the Tories be humiliated at the ballot box is too much of a temptation.

The phrase about Shit Creek only gets more apt.

All that is happening is every member of the Tory Party is lining up to take part in a leadership contest. It's harder to think of a Tory who isn't considering standing. It's not just the likes of Johnson, Gove, Rudd and Hunt. It's also the likes of Johnny Mercer and Graham Brady queuing not so patiently.

And its getting harder to argue that May is better as PM than the possibility of a right right candidate, because of the paralysis. Though as Rudd rightly points out, such a PM who wanted to actively have no deal as a policy, would struggle to win a majority in the HoC for that all important Queens Speech vote - every bit as much as May. Unless they were to somehow decide they could abuse the power of the executive and ignore parliament - a feat May has repeatedly attempted but ultimately failed at.

All everything feels, is a massive sense of merely delaying the inevitable.

Remain? Hard to see how under any Tory. A Deal? Hard to see what it might be and how there will be a Parliamentary majority. A PV? Well that still has to get through parliament and needs to be arranged smartish. And might not resolve the Irish border issue if the vote goes 'the wrong way' A General Election? That still seems to be a distinct possibility. But with the seeming resurrection of the LDs that's one the Tories will be desperate to avoid. Not that Corbyn is likely to succeed either. And of course there is now the Spectre of the Turquoise Arrows lurking. The crushing of the purple pound notes feels a hollow and distinct success.

It feels like we are waiting for the political sky to fall in in some sort of never ending Brexit Purgotory.

The cataclysmic event will occur at some point. It has to. But for now, it feels that there is nothing but waiting and waiting to be done.

OP posts:
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39
Icantreachthepretzels · 13/05/2019 13:18

But are they actually? Doesn't matter what these two say does it?

LoonvanBoon · 13/05/2019 13:21

Re Labour on Radio 4 news, Stephen Kinnock has literally just been on the World at One flatly contradicting Tom Watson & saying that Labour's position is to leave with a deal. It's beyond a joke.

1tisILeClerc · 13/05/2019 13:23

{Tom Watson: We are a Remain and Reform party}

Just a shame they have a leader that opposes it really.

NoWordForFluffy · 13/05/2019 13:36

It's safe to say that politics is well and truly broken really.

No leaflets here yet, but also no post so far today.

woman19 · 13/05/2019 13:42

@MSmithsonPB
Farage's Brexit party's 34% poll share from YouGov and Opinium is still lower than the peak UKIP poll rating of 38% in the 2014 Euro elections. The party ended up with 27% of the votes.

Lib dem leaflets and letter plus labour leaflet received here.

Good turnout did for vox in Spain too. Good turnout is needed.

Lib Dems' clear message working well, looks like. Smile

Random18 · 13/05/2019 13:43

I got a Lib Dem leaflet addressed to me today.

Which made me wonder - how does the postage work for this? So they pay full price? The postmark said Election Communication

Hasenstein · 13/05/2019 14:03

Just had an LD leaflet addressed to me. Nothing for DW, although she only got British (joint) nationality in August. DS1 registered to vote here, but nothing received for him, either.

A local LD parish councillor is the only political representative to visit us in almost 30 years, so I'm quite happy to share the love with them, even if he did just sit in the kitchen for a natter (aka anti-Brexit rant) over a cup of tea.

Our Tory MP is very anti-Brexit and pro-PV, but a) these are European, not national, elections and b) he's still a Tory, however diligent, so my vote will always be an object of desire rather than attainment for him.

Feel quite sick at the thought of Farage's lot gaining so many votes as projected. A one-man pyramid scheme with no members, only "supporters" (coughers-up) with no influence on whatever the hell he wants to do, promising a manifesto AFTER people have voted for him, grimly back-pedalling on previous lies in order to make way for new ones - how can people be so blind?

The gut-sick feeling I've been schlepping around with me for the past few years doesn't seem to be shifting anywhere soon.

dreichuplands · 13/05/2019 14:25

If Keir and Tom were in charge of the Labour Party I would vote for the party as it has the best chance of a non leave vote in Yorks but they aren't so I won't.
Labour needed to decide a while back what kind of party it was.

SusanWalker · 13/05/2019 14:28

I had a brexit party leaflet. It's the only one so far. Nothing from labour and I'm a member.

I'm voting either lib dem or green anyway.

I like to think the brexit party has wasted it's money sending me a leaflet.

prettybird · 13/05/2019 14:33

I had an election leaflet addressed to me today from the LibDems - but nothing for dh and ds (who are both well before me in the alphabet I am right at the end Wink). We had a generic leaflet from the Scottish Greens at the end of last week. Nothing from anyone else.

I hae me doots Wink whether the Turquoise Big Right Arrow Party will waste its money on postage for Glasgow - especially to my happily multicultural area Grin

prettybird · 13/05/2019 14:36

BTW - I won't be voting LibDem Grin - but there again, most of you on this thread know already who I'll be voting for Wink

LonelyTiredandLow · 13/05/2019 14:39

Just a reminder of what NOT do do with a BP flyer if you should receive one.

LonelyTiredandLow · 13/05/2019 14:39

do do? Well it is, but I meant to do!

LonelyTiredandLow · 13/05/2019 14:41

In case anyone on the thread doesn't have a Facebook account, the address to definitely NOT return it to without a paid up envelope:
Mr. N. Farage
1 Darwin Villas
Single Street
Berry’s Green
Westerham
Kent
TN16 3AA

1tisILeClerc · 13/05/2019 14:52

LonelyTiredandLow
I believe the Post Office will make it into a special delivery if you wrap it around a brick.

tobee · 13/05/2019 14:52

Lol Pretty!

1tisILeClerc · 13/05/2019 14:55

Who might that be Pretty? Grin
Out of coincidence I was watching the history/doc about Hadrian's wall last night on't oobe.

LoonvanBoon · 13/05/2019 14:58

I'm so gutted we just chucked our Brexit Party leaflet in recycling.

DGRossetti · 13/05/2019 15:06

Re Labour on Radio 4 news, Stephen Kinnock has literally just been on the World at One flatly contradicting Tom Watson & saying that Labour's position is to leave with a deal. It's beyond a joke.

Why they can whistle for my vote.

prettybird · 13/05/2019 15:07

Let's just say it is a Remain in the EU Wink Party - who expect to get more seats than the Leave Parties in our EP constituency Grin

HateIsNotGood · 13/05/2019 15:12

Yes Rosetti I heard the R4 contradictions too - this morning it was the "Labour are the Remain and Reform Party" - and by this afternoon they were the "Leave with a Deal Party". So I'm none the wiser what they stand for.

1tisILeClerc · 13/05/2019 15:18

prettybird
You are such a tease! Smile

frumpety · 13/05/2019 15:23

Got my Change UK and Green leaflets today. Labour is the only one we haven't had so far, I am sure when they make up their minds what to put on the leaflet we will get one Smile

DGRossetti · 13/05/2019 15:29

Just fired a reply to my MP saying "thanks, but no thanks" and cited the Starmer/Kinnock example.

You know, it's funny that so many people seem to have a stick up their arse about the LibDems, when I suspect far more people were effectively betrayed by Labour who took the opposition to Brexit vote and shat all over it. Which leads me to suspect that a lot of the "angst" about the LibDems comes from elsewhere and has all to do with tuition fees or anything else to do with their time in government.

tobee · 13/05/2019 15:37

I have difficulty with the LibDems as they were personally consistently pretty unfriendly to me when I was a teller for the Labour Party many years ago now. Sounds petty? They were always a promise you the moon party while knowing they wouldn't get in. Until they did. And we know what happened there. But... I'm still undecided. Definitely not Labour though.