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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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HateIsNotGood · 13/05/2019 20:24

Peregrina - my first hand info is my experience of my Mum who started Teaching aged 40 and my sisters - one getting a CS job via her BF (and more benefits than I can be bothered to list, including a great voluntary redunancy package) and the other a nurse, who got her conversion degree paid for and who complained that she wasn't receiving London-weighting any more.

Whilst my family, none of them were very good at caring about real people; very good at complaining about how society didn't value them enough though. None of which prevented me from caring, literally, for my Mum to her very end - whilst my sisters made sure my Mum paid, literally, for every visit they made.

Is that enough experience for you Peregrina?

As I stated before, the 'public sector' were the traditional stomping ground of the LibDems - maybe not so much now.

TatianaLarina · 13/05/2019 20:34

One letter from Vince. Nothing from Labour or Tories. Same as the GE.

TatianaLarina · 13/05/2019 20:48

Bit odd considering I’ve been a Labour voter up til the last GE.

woman19 · 13/05/2019 20:51

Oxfam this year put out a report on the unpaid work done by women around the world. It is worth $10tn (£7.7tn) a year

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/13/a-sex-strike-is-not-enough-women-need-to-down-tools-completely

BigChocFrenzy · 13/05/2019 21:26

Time for the Tories to sober up

imo, they may have disintegrated past the point of no return.
Worse, since they are the govt, they are dragging the country down with them

https://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2019/05/13/time-for-the-tories-to-sober-up

The circumstances of Brexit may change, but Tory navel-gazing always stays the same.
The big story at the moment is that the party is still trying to defenestrate its leader, having changed its mind since five months ago when it elected to keep her.
And so, with the country on its knees, a leadership battle begins.

If this serves any function it is to remind people that the party hasn't had a leader worthy of the name in over three years,
and that the one they had before that broke the country by accident and went into hiding.

By any metric Theresa May is dire and has to go, and yet her departure will change nothing.
Perhaps she will never leave at all.

What we are watching right now is a party engaged in frantic displacement activity to ignore the fact it is dying

It has become genuinely unnerving to watch the Conservative party shrink into oblivion.
< well, only unnerving when we look at who will replace them. Otherwise, thoroughly deserved >
.....
Tory leaflets for the European elections declare that "the only way to avoid holding them is to back a deal... and your vote can show that you want a Brexit deal delivered". Hmm

In other words, the party is literally asking people to vote Conservative in the election so the election won't have to take place.
They can’t even manage to sound Orwellian without ending up farcically inept.

It's like the Soviet Union taken over by Mr Bean.

Peregrina · 13/05/2019 22:35

Is that enough experience for you Peregrina?

You sound resentful but you are talking only about your own family. I can think of many many people who are public sector workers who are not like that and never were. Your mother for a start if she didn't start teaching until she was in her 40s won't have got anything like a full pension. It will be better than a significant number of other women got, because, as I said, women were often barred from company pension schemes. So instead of making sure everyone has a decent pension, we should drag everyone down to the bottom should we? Is that what you are saying? Or implying?

borntobequiet · 14/05/2019 05:33

I didn’t start teaching until my late 30s and as a result my teacher’s pension, though useful, isn’t enough to live on - Peregrina is correct. That’s one reason I still work. Another is so I can give some financial support to a family member who needs it. I also do a fair amount of childcare for another family member. People and families are all different.

mathanxiety · 14/05/2019 05:44

You all have to watch this!!!

  • - Warning - Eurovision related - -
bellinisurge · 14/05/2019 05:59

The idea that civil service pensions are some sort of trough of money is laughable. They were changed years ago from final salary pensions to average earnings pensions which, as usual, negatively impacts female workers who paused their career for maternity leave then had the inevitable effect on the rest of their careers. Over 10 years ago this change was made. I'm in my 50s and although I had a couple of years on the old system when I was in lower paid less responsible job, I will now not be able to retire at least until my late 60s on a career average pension.
Do keep up.

CrunchyCarrot · 14/05/2019 06:24

@mathanxiety

I laughed so hard! Are they doing a piss take? I have to say if they were they carried it off beautifully, no trace of a smile at all! Hahahahahaha.

I usually watch the semi-finals leading up to Eurovision, first one's on tonight. I'll watch out for them. Grin

NoWordForFluffy · 14/05/2019 07:13

I was musing about the Labour Party during my walk to the station today. Why, given that their support is going down the shitter, is nobody trying to get Corbyn out? Is it a case that the chance of success will be greater post-EP election slump or that nobody has the appetite for it generally?

Will we see attempted coups in both of our main (for now) parties after the election (complete with rule change from the Tories)?

It's all very odd how the Tories love airing their dirty washing in public, but I've not seen any sense of the same dissatisfaction rumblings from Labour. Are they just more covert / subtle?

I do have a feeling, however, that the Tories pushing for the rule change may live to regret it as it is very likely to be used against somebody who wants the rule to change at a later date, assuming the party survives this crisis. But that's actually an amusing thought!

I just want the election out of the way so something substantive re Brexit can actually happen in Parliament. There's been too much dead time.

Peregrina · 14/05/2019 07:15

HateIs seemed to have "got 'em on" last night as my DM would have said.

Now if you want to be annoyed or jealous of someone who is in a 'public sector' type job - how about the man who in an organisation comes 745 out of 751 when it comes to voting on key issues? Or attended a committee 1 time out of 42 possible attendances whilst attempting to make a show of how important this industry is to the UK. This man is of course Farage.

Contrast Farage's voting record of voting - being present for 40% of the votes.
Catherine Bearder - 91%
Richard Ashworth - 89%
Molly Scott Cato - 94%

These are just three I have picked out to show that there are some MEPs who are conscientious.

There is a thread rejoicing about the Brexit party, i.e. the one man self publicity band which is Farage, doing well in the polls. Why are some people so enamoured of this freeloader?

NoWordForFluffy · 14/05/2019 07:24

Why are some people so enamoured of this freeloader?

This baffles me and makes me despair in equal measure. What has gone so wrong in this country that Farridge is seen as its 'saviour'? And what can be done about it?

He somehow engages those who other politicians seemingly cannot reach. Lessons can be learned here, if others want to try it.

Peregrina · 14/05/2019 07:29

Yes, they see Farridge's well paid job and good pension as a sign that the EU is corrupt, or extravagant. They don't seem to make the connection that those who discharge their duties properly are worthy of their salary and pension.

This is of course, the unelected organisation which imposes laws upon us. They seem to have gone a bit quiet on this one, now that their freeloading chum is standing for election to the said organisation. Nowt so queer as folk, as they say.

Peregrina · 14/05/2019 07:38

Why, given that their support is going down the shitter, is nobody trying to get Corbyn out?

I suspect the answer is to do with their botched coup of 2016. Then in 2017 Corbyn did manage to pull off a better election result than anyone had dared hope. A pity he didn't follow through and remember that the Opposition's task is to Oppose.

Contrast this with May, who was crowned unopposed by virtue of apparently being sensible and a safe pair of hands after the men in suits despatched Leasdom, and then completely unnecessarily threw away her majority.

Moanranger · 14/05/2019 07:39

I now read that HoC will have yet another series of indicative votes after the European (MEP) elections.
Fills my heart with joy - not.

Runningintothesunset · 14/05/2019 07:44

Math - that is brilliant!!

OublietteBravo · 14/05/2019 07:59

I love that clip. I so want Iceland to do well in Eurovision this year. Go Hatari!

CrunchyCarrot · 14/05/2019 08:05

I think as Peregrina says, Corbyn is safe for now due to his surprisingly good GE result. I expect the minute Labour get back in power moves will be afoot to get rid of him!

I can't see how the Tories would win a GE right now, they already have a reduced majority and the DUP alone won't be enough to save them numbers-wise next time round. Perhaps we'll get some kind of LibDem coalition with Labour? Sounds unlikely but these days, who knows!

RedToothBrush · 14/05/2019 08:22

I bring you all the top political stories of the day, so today I give to you James Brokenshire and his Four Ovens.

How classy is YOUR kitchen?

Just a reminder we are in a pre-election run up. Cos you'd be forgiven for not realising.

Obviously we can add James to the list of male MPs parading their wives to become PM as they are too vacuous and crap to present their CVs.

Westminstenders: A fully functioning government?
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RedToothBrush · 14/05/2019 08:24

Meanwhile it looks like the Conservatives are on message

Tamara Cohen @ tamcohen
A Tory MP has shown me this leaflet sent in by a voter - who initially thought he was being told NOT to vote for the Conservatives in the European elections. It’s all going terribly well.

Westminstenders: A fully functioning government?
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borntobequiet · 14/05/2019 08:28

Ross Hawkins did a really good interview from Peterborough on the Today prog this morning. Worth a listen, I think between 7:15 - 7:30 (I was driving to work). The Brex candidate was going on about how we would be able to do all this stuff to do with education, farming, fisheries etc when out of the EU and Ross simply asked him to name one EU regulation that impacted on education. Reply - "I didn't go into the detail..." Hahahahaha.
Labour wouldn't be interviewed.

Motheroffourdragons · 14/05/2019 08:34

This reply has been withdrawn

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

DGRossetti · 14/05/2019 08:35

Olly Robbins is off to Brussels to renegotiate something

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48262123

Peregrina · 14/05/2019 08:39

I had to laugh at the Tory leaflet. But what about all the Tory Remainers?Have they gone away?