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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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LoonvanBoon · 15/05/2019 17:26

Has Theresa May given up on the idea of indicative votes if she can't make a deal with Labour?

I don't understand why she's bringing forward the WA bill when the talks are still ongoing - even if it's pretty obvious they're not going anywhere - & when she hasn't yet done what she promised to do in early April, to have more votes in the Commons if she couldn't get Labour on board.

That was the whole basis of her extension request, wasn't it? But now she's going to bring the bill without any plans at all of how to get it passed - it makes no sense. It said on the Guardian website that Labour might abstain from voting on the 2nd reading - don't know if that's what May & Corbyn have agreed.

NoWordForFluffy · 15/05/2019 17:28

Barclay mentioning revoke? That's new isn't it?

icannotremember · 15/05/2019 17:29

I think she's gambling on labour abstaining. Note their spokesperson didn't rule this out when asked 6 times....

DGRossetti · 15/05/2019 17:32

I think she's gambling on labour abstaining.

With her track record.

My MP is pledged to vote against any deal that isn't subject to a referendum. She's made it clear that's her policy. I would be amazed if she's alone.

Dontlickthetrolley · 15/05/2019 17:38

East Midlands here and only had a labour leaflet, but it must have gone to the whole street as my name wasn't on it. We've had no local elections here so maybe there's a bit in the budget for leaflets for everyone! Think I'm going LD, a poll on one of the local FB pages had about 60 voting Brexit Envy not envy! 15 LD and 15 labour plus 1 or votes for everyone else except UKIP and Change. Interesting times are coming.

BestIsWest · 15/05/2019 17:39

Brexit, Plaid and LDem leaflets here. Nothing else.

NoWordForFluffy · 15/05/2019 17:41

We remain leaflet-less! Bit late now I've voted really too.

BestIsWest · 15/05/2019 17:46

It’s a very slow burn but I am hearing a lot more talk about Welsh Independence from people in work and out and about. It’s not going to happen anytime soon but I wonder if there is something there.

BestIsWest · 15/05/2019 17:48

My MP too DGRosetti.

DGRossetti · 15/05/2019 17:48

It’s a very slow burn but I am hearing a lot more talk about Welsh Independence from people in work and out and about. It’s not going to happen anytime soon but I wonder if there is something there.

I suspect a united Ireland and independent Scotland, leaving just the Welsh and the English cleaved together would accelerate the process somewhat Grin

1tisILeClerc · 15/05/2019 17:50

{I don't understand why she's bringing forward the WA bill when the talks are still ongoing}

They (News outlets, HoC, cabinet etc) still haven't acknowledged that the WA WILL be signed before the EU enters any further discussion so all 'wrangling' with Jeremy or anyone else can only be about what happens AFTER the WA is signed.
The leaders of the EU27 say this is what WILL happen, so why are the muppets in UK land ignoring this, or is plain English too technical for them?

Runningintothesunset · 15/05/2019 17:57

We’ve had an awful Labour one, a Lib Dem one, a Brexit party one and one from Tommy Robinson AngryAngryAngry

icannotremember · 15/05/2019 18:22

Oh I've come home to a Tommy Robinson one too (and labour, CUK and an independent who sounds like a lovely man but would be a wasted vote unfortunately). DH told me to stop getting so wound up by it. How can you not though? Why do people not see the dangerous situation we are in? I don't want to be reasonable and calm in the face of fascists standing for election!

bellinisurge · 15/05/2019 18:37

Still only had Brexshit Party one here. And only one addressed to me Grin.

LoonvanBoon · 15/05/2019 18:45

Thanks LeClerc. I was forgetting that anything agreed by May & Corbyn would presumably be added to the Political Declaration, not WA.

BestIsWest · 15/05/2019 18:57

DH has just told me he got a UKIP one this morning but binned it. So he’s had 3 and I’ve had 1 (LDem).

BigChocFrenzy · 15/05/2019 19:08

Mark Reckless should be Mark Restless Hmm

Tory MP elected 2010
defected to UKIP 2014
Lost his seat in the 2015 GE
Elected 2016 as a UKIP AM to the Welsh Assembly
Defected to the Tories 2017
Defected to BREX 2019

Defected to ... ? next

frumpety · 15/05/2019 19:08

Got back from work to a Labour leaflet, the key phrase of which is 'Labour will bring our country together' Hmm and a leaflet from The Yorkshire party, ' A stronger Yorkshire in a fairer UK' and apparently are a centrist political party.

frumpety · 15/05/2019 19:13

I am starting to feel a bit Top Trumps about these leaflets, if anyone has a spare Conservative, Brexit ( DH binned ours) or UKIP one I would be happy to pay for them ?

Dontlickthetrolley · 15/05/2019 19:14

frumpety I laughed quite loud with the "Labour will bring our country together" I think my I think my first thoughts were "No it won't!"

BigChocFrenzy · 15/05/2019 19:15

imo, May has been forced to choose the early June date for the WA vote,
because that is as long as the 1922 Committee would give her without progress on Brexit,
before they change the rules to force her out

Even if she can later agree on a CU or whatever with Corbyn, the WA still has to be signed,
so she may hope (faintly) that Labour would abstain on the WA if they think CU talks have a chance

She doesn't really have any other option now, other than political hari kiri

Runningintothesunset · 15/05/2019 19:15

Our Brexit one is only in the (clean) recycling. Happy to fish it out for you @frumpety

dreichuplands · 15/05/2019 19:16

To be fair I think everyone is uniting around the idea that Labour taking the worst possible position.
Everyone including most Labour members that I know.

prettybird · 15/05/2019 19:20

The household (consisting of 3 voters: dh, ds and me) has only had 1 leaflet drop - from the Scottish Greens - and 1 direct mail election communication, addressed to me, from the LibDems.

That's it Hmm

prettybird · 15/05/2019 19:22

Mark Restless should set up his own party Grin. He can then be sure he will agree with it Wink

After all, that's what Faragit does Grin