Westminstenders: One Pepperoni Pizza Please. And a Milkshake To Go.

[RedToothBrush]

On the Eve of the EU Elections that we never met to happen, and we don't know what the next hour next mind day might bring.

Farage is enjoying the theatre of milkshakes. It means he gets attention and gets to play the victim. And avoid talking about his dodgy friends and even dodgier financing. The Brexit Party are polling so highly its possible he could be PM. And boy does he know it. The temptation is there and its too much to resist.

May has refused to resign so far tonight after a day of asking her to. The 1922 Committee refused to change the rules to help oust her - possibly because they don't want the next PM to be beset with challenges to the leadership at the drop of a hat. Graham Brady is seeing her on Friday... The ERG are not happy bunnies.

May is still apparently planning to plough on with the WAB with a referendum possibly attached. Though this remains to be seen.

Meanwhile Leadsom has just quit the Cabinet. She was one of the Brexit 'Pizza Club'. Rumours are this might be the Cabinet withdrawing support for her. Though Gove has said he doesn't intend to resign (tonight at least).

Rumour is that May's senior staff have abandoned her to let her make the decision to go. And rumours are that when Leadsom rang May to tell her she was leaving cabinet, May didn't tell her senior staff. This comes two weeks after rumours where that Phillip May was at the point of telling her it was time to resign. The rumours of course may be just that, rumours but it's hard to see how or why anyone would tell her to carry on now.

And so tomorrow. Who would vote for this utter shower of shit? Even if you were the most loyal of Tories?

The thing tomorrow is to get the remain vote out. It doesn't matter ultimately what people vote for. Every vote cast for remain keeps the Brexit Party popular vote down. Even if it doesn't win seats. And that is psychologically important.

Tomorrow make sure EVERYONE you know who is anti brexit party votes. More so if they are a Remainer voting for a Remain party, but also if they are solid Labour or the rarest of things, a true blue.

It MATTERS. Narratives will be set.

If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, please TRY ANYWAY. The worst case is you are turned away and have lost 20 mins of your life. But you might also be able to vote and that might change the course of events.

Talk to people tomorrow. Remind them. Make sure it's about preventing a hard right foothold. Apathy will destroy our futures. Being fed up of politicians so refusing to vote is actively shooting yourself in the face.

Who am I voting for?

Still no idea. But I will vote.

European elections: Hundreds of EU citizens 'turned away from polling stations and denied vote

At the polling station my British husband gets the ballot while I am simply told: "Vote in your own country

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/european-elections-eu-citizens-polling-card-station-vote-a8927016.html

I was the only one at 8.30am - 1 guy just leaving as I went in.

Area with lots of older voters though....:(

These stories are making me angry.

SingingBabooshka - a 2nd referendum that revokes/No Brexits might reduce the immediate impetus for Indyref2/independence, but Nicola and the strategic team in the SNP (if not their membership ) have taken the strategic and arguably more grown up view that Brexit is at too high a cost to the whole UK - hence their continued campaign to revoke and a PV. Better to take longer to achieve independence, without doing so through long term damage our closest and biggest trading partner - as well as to ourselves .

But it's why ds is ambivalent about even voting today (although he has been persuaded to do ) - and why he refused to sign the Revoke petition.

A 2nd referendum is also a two-edged sword: if Scotland were to vote narrowly in favour of independence in an Indyref2, there would be calls for a 2nd, confirmatory referendum along the same lines. It's why I have heard Nicola say explicitly that she doesn't want an Indyref2 until she is sure that Yes can win by 60:40. I agree with that - constitutional change should require a super-majority.

{ win by 60:40. I agree with that - constitutional change should require a super-majority.}

For something as serious as constitutional change I would regard even this as 'marginal'.

Can't imagine how upsetting it must be not to be allowed to vote. This is outrageous. Wasn't Theresa May asked about it yesterday in PMQ? And didn't give a shit?

I've voted Lib Dem (Yorks & Humber) but immediately started worrying that I should have voted Green as they're more likely to just miss out on a seat if the polls are accurate. Too late now. Maybe DH will change to Green when he votes later though I doubt it - he's become quite enthusiastically LD.

Our polling station (market town, solid Conservative constituency) was pretty quiet - a few elderly women - but it usually is at that time of day.

PIL have been out to vote in Gloucestershire, also LD. My dad has dementia & doesn't vote any more which is probably just as well - he started expressing ukippy opinions a couple of years before his diagnosis, having been Labour all his life. I genuinely wonder if there was a connection with the cognitive decline.

Oh mother

a 2nd referendum that revokes/No Brexits might reduce the immediate impetus for Indyref2/independence, but Nicola and the strategic team in the SNP (if not their membership hmm) have taken the strategic and arguably more grown up wink view that Brexit is at too high a cost to the whole UK - hence their continued campaign to revoke and a PV.

Prettybird every time Nicola is on television DH and I say how refreshing it is to hear a proper grown up - and lament the fact we don’t have anyone like her to vote for... but also a bit

I think a referendum on constitutional change should have to achieve 75:25, like major changes in companies do.

True TisILeClerc - but even 60% would be an improvement on the current cleaving to the narrowly won "advisory" not referendum

As I say, it's a two edged sword. Project Fear works both ways

I also think of the Maltese referendum that "won" them their independence: they got to vote on whether they agreed with the new constitution that would result in their independence and only did so by 54%. Yet you don't hear of Malta screaming to rejoin the UK's list of overseas territories - they've got on with being independent (within the EU )

I would have thought that most EU nationals living in the UK would have found out how to ensure they could vote, just as UK nationals resident in the EU would have to, if it was that important to them.

All that was needed was to complete the correct form by 7th May.

www.yourvotematters.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/255197/EU-citizen-European-Parliament-voter-registration-form-English.pdf

prettybird
I expect in Malta's case it is down to details and whether lifestyles etc were likely to be massively impacted. Not knowing what Malta is 'known' for, I am doubting there is much heavy industry for example, so a change may not have particularly significant impact on most peoples lives.

My colleague recently (Jan 2019) acquired British citizenship (previously Dutch). She got a poll card for the local elections, but not for the EU elections. She phoned to check that she didn’t have to complete the extra form. I’m waiting to hear whether she was allowed to vote or not.

to whom does one complain about not being able to vote in secret due to the change in design of voting booths so that the paper is clearly visible to anyone standing to one side or another?

this disproportionally effects those with abusive husbands who could voote in adajacent booth and clearly see what their wife is writing.

Also I would not be able to vote in secret if I had my autist child with me as they could clearly seewhat I am writing and they can not be left too far away due to their disability.

HateIsNotGood
The point is that forms have been filled in but the electoral commission has been making mistakes or are late in getting paperwork done.

Turned away from polling station this morning. Told I should vote in my EU member state. Called local council yesterday, they confirmed I could vote.

This is what people are concerned about, HateIsNotGood. Citizens who have previously been told that they are registered and will be allowed to vote being turned away on the day of the election. Everyone should worry about this.

Dreaded telephone interview re disability grievance turned into a farce.
They were using a speakerphone at their end to record it.
Only I couldn't hear them either clearly or consistently.
They didn't believe me, and said so, and cut the call (!)
then texted me an hour later to say shall we call back / do it via WhatsApp (eh?) or via email. I went for email. Await the further horror.
Sorry for personal stuff. It just seemed a metaphor for how hard the
basics seem to be re communication and efficiency in Govt atm?

Peregina I'd expect a reasonably normal turnout in your area. It being ld and all that.

Oybbk, what's your area like? : metropolitan/provisional town/rural, Lab/Con/LD, North/South, relatively old/young voters?

Would be interested to know.

High turnout makes me nervous - but in the right place it's a good sign.

....and yet just 8 years earlier, over 75% of voters had voted in favour of Malta formally joining the UK (and iirc, having its own MP) but it was never acted on, as the opposition have boycotted it, so that under 60% actually voted.

The difference that I perceive is that they were voting on something concrete.

I only know about it because during the Indyref campaign, I was interested in and investigated various countries that "won" their independence in the 20th century and the process by which they did so.

Gosh it's like America with voter suppression...

Is anywhere requiring voter ID today?