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.

These numerous reports of EU citizens being denied their right to vote are sickening. It may well just be local council inefficiency, but it still means votes denied and one would hope that the EU will want to investigate. Democracy, my arse.

perhaps they'll do better next time.

stripey sorry it didnt twig earlier did you put in the grivance? Email is preferable and having a union rep involved. Also knowing the equalitys act back to front...but you probably covered that in your grievance.

Always remain calm, gather evidence (even if it's just a diary) and let them be the idiot.

Also have no fear at taking them to tribunal if the situation is not resolved, if you have home insurance it's likely it'll cover your legal fees if it's 51% likely you'll win.

There's ACAS as well to look at for advice as well as citizens advice.

(I handled DP's grivance and tribunal....)

Council inefficiency is also suspicious to me. Who is to say the people at the meeting within the council where these forms were understood needed to be sent out weren't massive Brexiteers? It's infiltrated everywhere I personally feel if they aren't counting votes until Sunday they should still allow EU national votes and send the forms out by express today. In 21st C you'd think this wouldn't be thought of as impossible.

{ but it still means votes denied and one would hope that the EU will want to investigate. Democracy, my arse.}

Having the EU demand that the UK has a 'revote' due to irregularity would be good.

And then there's incompetence?

Iain Dale
‏*@IainDale*
The Conservative Party website has no mention of the European Elections, even today. There’s no encouragement to remember to vote. The Twitter feed has one tweet. It’s as if they know the game is up and really can’t be arsed. In this game you get what you deserve.

W Lancs was 'on the ball' for me.

'Apathy reigned and they all got wet'.

Can't imagine how upsetting it must be not to be allowed to vote.

I wonder what compensation someone denied a vote would get ? I'm guessing fuck all - suggesting a vote has no value

One for the legal board ?

Mother A new set of EU officials may dress it up a different way, so the UK can save face.
However, the basic 3 planks of the WA - backstop, exit bill, expat rights - will not change, because it is an Exit Deal

The EU cannot e.g. weaken the WA backstop, on a promise that the UK wants an SM`++ Brexit, because that promise cannot be made legally binding.

It would only be legally binding after the trade negotiations have been completed and an international trade treaty approved by all 28 countries

The EU cannot legally negotiate a future trade deal with a member, so all this would happen in transition, years after Brexit

The Brexit Ultras have said they want transition without the WA and without being tied to a future trade deal, but the EU refuse

• the UK reneging on a promise to accept the SM would be the way to get years of cake, so the EU would never trust any UK govt on this

I have to say the guy in charge of voting in our local council is the most efficient council employee I have ever met and I worked for a LA for five years.
But I also suspect he has very few issues to deal with.

DG No compensation, I'm sure
Just a lot of Brexiters telling them that if they really wanted to vote, they would have organised themselves better

Hi newbie but a lurker Perigrina If no signs on lampposts are allowed a bloomin Brexit Party candidate leaflet was handily left in the polling booth I used !!! Presumably left by a previous voter to give me a nudge. Didn’t work leaflet went in dog poo bag and I voted Green.

{It would only be legally binding after the trade negotiations have been completed and an international trade treaty approved by all 28 countries}

Putting that sentence, and considering the batshit attempts at 'negotiations' so far, does the universe have that long to wait for the UK?

Congratulations on your 5 stone, DG 💐
A great accomplishment

The forms are supposed to be sent to the local Council Electoral Office which are 'manned' all the year round by staff, not committee members.

Usually these staff are quite well informed about who and who can not vote and spend most of their time maintaining the Electoral Register and organizing the various by-elections that happen in their District, Borough, etc.

It really is up to the Individual, whoever they are, wherever they live to ensure that they have the correct paperwork in order. I don't doubt that a very few council electoral register officers may have been incompetent in their advice, but most likely, the individuals involved just assumed that because they voted in the local elections they had a right to vote in the UK EU elections too.

@Basilpots , will be voting later when I collect dd from an after school activity. Dh has had some bad work news and so he'll be steaming angry if we see some Brexshit bumf at our polling station. I would report it to the people manning the ballot box.

DG No compensation, I'm sure

On that basis, it's hard - in fact impossible - to rebut the argument put forward by non-voters that it's worthless .

curious there's no "go-to" stock answer for the question. Has nobody ever been unlawfully denied a vote in the UK in the history of ever ?

Or is it simply something the law couldn't give a shit about - thus underscoring the fact a vote is worthless in red ink ?

I had my poll card on me, staff was very grateful for it, makes their life easier. I have asked if they wanted ID, and they said of course not. I do not know them personally.

stripey I forgot to say if at all possible ask for a transcript of today's crappy telephone call.

The thing with an election is once its done, then its very hard to rerun it... And get those who are disenfranchised their vote back.

... Can you imagine the EU declaring the vote invalid and demanding the UK rerun it?

Or the government admitting they'd fucked up or deliberately rigged the vote? What would that do to voter confidence? And the political fail out (Brexit party would claim it was trying to undermine democracy to get a better result for the establishment).

Retrospectively all that happens is a slap on the wrist.

The point is, it's a winner takes all situation or abject chaos.

It's all entirely predictable and I hope law action IS taken even if it makes no fuck all difference.

Very sad about Judith Kerr also in this house. Particular fan of Mog on Fox Night.

That fox is mad

Sorry for what Stripey and others are going through. I think it's important to hear personal stories as well as the bigger picture at times like these. The personal stories are the pixels that make up the full image.

I think there are 3 areas using voter ID today? red
Britain in Europe is collating the many entitled to vote, whose ballot papers are being sent too late to return on time. I see some have returned forms to post in person in England by people returning from EU27. I use recorded delivery for all official post nowadays.

Stripey also keep a short record of the circs around the crappy phone call.

I helped a friend recently with her grievance situation. She didn’t get anywhere with the original issue, which felt very wrong, but the company did eventually have to admit to not dealing with the grievance correctly

again to you.

Can you imagine the EU declaring the vote invalid and demanding the UK rerun it

Another Polish national, Piotr Klaskala, said: “What I find particularly surprising is that I could see my name and current address on the list in the polling station (which suggests that I have registered successfully) but it was crossed out

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/23/eu-citizens-denied-vote-european-election-polling-booths-admin-errors

If this is what it looks like; I imagine EU is watching carefully.