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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.

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39
OhLookHeKickedTheBall · 13/05/2019 15:37

I got my brexit party letter today. Dh didn't get one. I'm guessing their targeting is well off kilter

tobee · 13/05/2019 15:37

On a personal level, I found them to be stick up the arse people.

woman19 · 13/05/2019 15:40

@alexwickham
NEW: Julian Smith has just told Tory MPs they are now on a three line whip for Thursday. It was previously a one line whip. No reason given for the update. MPs are asking if this means we could finally be getting a vote on the WAB

woman19 · 13/05/2019 15:41

@alexwickham
Now told this was sent by the whips in error and it is still a one line whip 👏

Has anyone had sight of the WAB?

TheNorthWestPawsage · 13/05/2019 16:12

DD got her own letter from LibDems (Vince)
And I’ve also got a Labour and a UKIP leaflet now - so I’m really pop-u-lar

thethethethethe · 13/05/2019 16:21

Well since our Brexit leaflet went to the 16 year old...

thethethethethe · 13/05/2019 16:26

Does anyone know which party to vote for in Scotland to try to get more Remain seats?

1tisILeClerc · 13/05/2019 16:32

thethethethethe
Maybe the Brexit party might have thought of a few ideas by the time your DC can vote.

Peregrina · 13/05/2019 16:36

Had a whole raft of leaflets this morning: Green, Labour, ChangeUK all to the household. LibDem one addressed to me. Brexcrement one addressed to DS. Nothing yet from the Tories Sad. Nothing from the rag tag of others either.

Posted the Brexcrement one back, suitably annotated, in an unstamped envelope. Was this childish of me? Yes. Did it feel good? Yes.Grin

prettybird · 13/05/2019 16:42

thethethe : At the moment it looks like the SNP will get 3 seats Smile Labour are on course to get one and unfortunately the Turquoise Party one Sad - but it is arguable whether the 5th and 6th seats are multi-way fights between the Greens, LibDems and the Big Turquoise Arrow Party.

Haven't gone and looked at the source data for the recent polls, because of course Scotland doesn't count and hasn't been mentioned Hmm But having said that, the lack of numbers in Scotland within the samples make forecasts highly suspect subject to variation.

So if you don't want to vote for an Indy supporting party, then your only real Remain alternative is the LibDems. It may or may not be a wasted vote - they have a long way to recover after 2014. The Scottish Greens came closer to stopping the odious, execrable Purple Party finally getting a single foothold in Scotland in 2014.

DarlingNikita · 13/05/2019 17:10

Thanks Red. I really don't know who to vote for, Labour being a shoo-in in my manor. Probably Lib Dems.

Watched the first instalment of the Storyville thing. It's a bit arty isn't it Grin Guy V comes across as a teddy bear on Twitter and TV but is a bit rude and impatient with his staff. And how much in the way of croissants/chips and mayonnaise/tiny strong cups of coffee/red wine do they get through? It's quite cliched.

It is sobering and embarrassing and fascinating just how many simple and blindingly obvious things they're saying, compared to what the British government and other politicians are saying.

OublietteBravo · 13/05/2019 17:15

First election leaflet today. From the LibDems and addressed to me. Nothing from anyone else (or to anyone else) yet.

HateIsNotGood · 13/05/2019 17:23

tobe - I know what you mean about the LibDems being a bit 'stick up the arse' from my time as a teller for the Peace Party. Whilst trying to tell me they were all about 'me' they had nothing to say when I said they still had a 'whip' and me, and such like, don't like being 'whipped' into knowing how we vote or think about anything.

Cleggy took it all to a different level, although a nice chap, a bit too Cameronian, Oxbridge, etc to get a grip on the general population.

I'm pleased for Vince though, a good point to retire on...but a lot of LibDems have their traditional base in the public sector, the better off end of it, the early-retired teachers, the gold-plated final salaried types - that many public sector employees don't get now.

So, if you're really unsure, vote Green.

RedToothBrush · 13/05/2019 17:24

Alex Wickham @alexwickham
NEW: The Brexit Party's most senior election official says Tommy Robinson has been "persecuted" and Islamophobia is "made up"

Nigel Farage has distanced himself from his own election agent tonight

Nigel Farage has attempted to detoxify the Brexit Party and distance it from UKIP rhetoric. But its most senior election official:
- said Tommy Robinson was "persecuted"
- backed Robinson's rally at the BBC
- repeatedly mocked the concept of Islamophobia

Noel Matthews is the third senior Brexit Party official to be ditched by the leadership for their comments on Islam. @wesstreeting: "It shows that Farage and his party are no more respectable than the racism he left behind in UKIP"

Wonder if these Brexit Party race rows will make voters think twice

"The Brexit Party does not condone or endorse any of these views. Noel Matthews was tweeting in a personal capacity... His views do not represent those of the party or its leader."

www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/brexit-party-national-election-agent-tommy-robinson
The Brexit Party’s Most Senior Election Official Says Tommy Robinson Has Been “Persecuted” And Islamophobia Is “Made Up”

Nigel Farage distanced himself from his party's national election agent after BuzzFeed News uncovered the posts.

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Motheroffourdragons · 13/05/2019 17:27

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on behalf of the poster.

CrunchyCarrot · 13/05/2019 17:29

I've had Brexit Party, Labour and CUK leaflets now.

CUK's leaflet

Westminstenders: A fully functioning government?
missclimpson · 13/05/2019 17:35

I have the choice of voting in my old constituency (south-west) or voting here in France. Genuinely torn about what to do. I am a Labour voter, but think I would have to vote LibDem or Green in the south-west to try and keep the Brexit party out. My vote is a proxy so I need to decide soon.
Any thoughts?

1tisILeClerc · 13/05/2019 17:39

CUK's leaflet
Ye gods, if that's the best they can manage, they are truly buggered!
Limp lettuce is more enticing.

dreichuplands · 13/05/2019 17:45

miss personally I would always take the opportunity to vote against Farage and what he stands for.

DGRossetti · 13/05/2019 17:52

Really, CHUK should have stayed out of these elections, and marshalled strength for whenever the next GE is ...

too late now.

RedToothBrush · 13/05/2019 17:55

Britain elects @britainelects
London voting intention for the European Parliament:

LAB: 24% (-13)
BREX: 20% (+20)
LDEM: 17% (+10)
GRN: 14% (+5)
CON: 10% (-13)
CHUK: 7% (+7)
UKIP: 1% (-16)

via @YouGov, 07 - 10 May
Chgs. w/ 2014.

Full poll, not a subsample.

link to full poll

Compare with Comres released 9/5 subsample for London

Labour 38%
Brexit 18%
Con 14%
LD 14%
Change 9%
Green 7%
UKiP 1%

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Peregrina · 13/05/2019 17:56

the early-retired teachers, the gold-plated final salaried types - that many public sector employees don't get now.

How much first hand knowledge do you have HateIs?

As one who is a retired public sector employee, with a pension, it does not feel gold plated to me - more your standard chrome fitting. Even in the Civil Service, which is where I was for most of my pensionable time, women tended to cluster in lower and middle ranks, and their pensions would reflect that. Bear in mind that they depend on the number of years you have worked and with career breaks and part time working you may find your number of years is limited. I was working for a county council back in 1993 or so when the pension scheme was opened up to part-timers. Guess which workers tend to work part-time, so would not have been entitled to a pension until then? My DH worked for a Research establishment, with a pension similar to the Civil Service - at one time women were not allowed to join his pension scheme. I don't know what time it changed, but it did eventually. So a woman of my age who could start working sometime between the late sixties/early seventies may well have only been able to get pensionable employment for about half that period. Local Government pensions averaged about £5000 a year, last time I looked ( a year or two back), so about 1/5 of the average wage. This bears out my own experience. Better than a poke in the eye, but not exactly riches.

It doesn't alter the fact that the current generation have it bad, but the baton is being passed to them now and they need to make sure they don't drop it. Women fought hard to get their rights, like equal pay, so I do not see why the current younger generation can't fight also.

Peregrina · 13/05/2019 17:58

missclimpson - Molly Scott Catto was a good Green MEP in the south west, so I would think she was still worth voting for.

missclimpson · 13/05/2019 18:06

Yes that is partly why I am torn Peregrina. I have a lot of time for MSC, but don't know if it is strategically best.

RedToothBrush · 13/05/2019 18:09

The average for London would give
2 Lab, 2 Brexit, 2 LD, 1 Green and 1 Con MEP.

Comres had it down as
4 Lab, 1 - 2 Brexit, 1 LD, 1 Con, 0 - 1 Change

I do think YouGov is much closer to the mark.

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