Westminstenders: Constitutional History

[RedToothBrush]

The Supreme Court case continues
(ruling possible Friday but likely Monday)

The new NI proposal is bollocks and Johnson didn't get why until it was discussed in Europe.

There was a press conference in Luxembourg which looks good for Johnson.

Johnsons approval ratings are up.

And we are making no obvious progress to anything but no deal...

I’m so impressed by that clear and concise GDPR explanation, Lonely, especially at such an early hour! Here’s an illustration of how Brexit might affect the upcoming party conferences.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=0APF3SO9tqE
Near the end game now where everything falls apart...

This sounds like “death by a thousand little regulatory misalignments”!

If we Brexit, we won't have a clue which laws to obey. Even if chaos ensues and we cancel Brexit, there will be a mish-mash of old and new laws and no one will know.

The government intends to pass secondary legislation under the Withdrawal Act in good time for Brexit.

How exactly does the Government do this? Is this by Statutory Instrument? It can't be by the normal Parliamentary process with it prorogued and not returning until 14th October. Pass 40 years worth of legislation in 3 weeks? Whose idea of "good time" is that?

Come on, even for something like ordering a Christmas Turkey you often put in an order about 8 weeks in advance - and that's simple - you only specify one thing - the weight required.

@Peregrina - state aid comes up a lot on my work and that has been the governments position since the Withdrawal Act passed - we'll replace the mechanisms but don't know what with.

In effect, people who may be receiving State Aid are being advised not to do so (affecting grants) or to do so in a way that an exemption clearly applies.

Until there is more clarity on how the regime will work in the future ( and of course the current Conservative government may decide to do away with it completely), it is pretty risky to take money and end up having to pay it back because of challenges from competitors - all the pre-clearance and authorisation arrangements are vanishing.

Thanks Born i still have sleep issues but think it's related to my age rather than Brexit!

I hope Brexit isn't like raiders of the lost arc because with the latter you are protected if you don't look at it at all- but we have spent three years looking at it daily.

With data protection I had to read stuff on it for work.

What's most interesting is looking at the countries that have minimal data protection for their like citizens. Honduras, UAE, Mozambique, Zimbabwe etc and interestingly India and Pakistan.

re AirBnB owners, they would probably look for a way to give a whopping fine to AirBnB itself, if they shared in the offence,

AirBnB (and Uber ...) will ensure they are as removed as possible from any chance of regulatory oversight. They'll push everything back onto the users.

I suspect at the very least UK based companies are going to have to ensure they know which if their customers are EU based.

The government intends to pass secondary legislation under the Withdrawal Act in good time for Brexit.

No amount of UK law can overturn international treaties - especially once your money (or you) have left the UK.

OK Labour.

I think what Lewis Goodall was tweeting last night needs to be seen in full.

Lewis Goodall @lewis_goodall
Ok folks, hold onto your hats.

Just received this text from a Labour MP.

They think the Labour Party is about to split

Paul Brand@paulbranditv
NEW: Shadow Equalities Minister @DawnButlerBrent says “I think it’s a good position to have an elected deputy leader... I was surprised by the motion. It just came out of the blue for me. I understand the frustrations of the members.”

Iain Watson @iainjwatson
So @DawnButlerBrent tells @BBCr4today she doesnt comment on NEC motions - but was 'quite surprised' at the motion to get rid of @tom_watson 's post - it ' came out of the blue'

note the following tweet in particular

Chaminder Jayanetti @cjayanetti
I hold no brief for Tom Watson, but given that he basically stopped the PLP dribbling off to Change UK in sufficient numbers to make it a viable party, declaring war on him is a... bold move.

John Cryer @johncryermp
We should be focusing on winning the next election and coming to the help of the millions who have been under attack for nine years, not starting another monumental internal row by attempting to get rid of the post of deputy leader - who is elected by members not the NEC.

Paul Brand@paulbranditv
Chair of PLP adds his voice to the anger over the move to abolish Tom Watson’s post re Tom Cryer

Laura Kuenssberg@bbclaurak
John is chair of PLP - so this matters

Others getting cold feet about ousting Watson this morning? Senior Momentum source says Move was not discussed among governing body, ‘anger’ at Lansman and was ‘not an official decision’ ....

Tom Rayner @ raynerskynews
I’ve heard from 2 sources that Jeremy Corbyn was not in the room when today’s vote took place. One claims he was unaware it was even taking place and suggested the only thing that can now save Watson is if JC speaks against it tomorrow

Ed Milliband @ Ed_Miliband
The move to abolish the deputy leader post without warning or debate is undemocratic, wrong and should not happen. Those who came up with the idea for the eve of Labour Conference have taken leave of their senses.

Laura Kuenssberg@bbclaurak
Senior Labour source-‘Tom had to give his apologies to the NEC tonight as he had to look after his children. Usually when you disagree within parties on issues like taking a Remain stance you have a debate. Seems in Jeremy Corbyn’s party they’d rather abolish you than debate you’

It’s also not impossible this could lead to some kind of challenge to Corbyn - perhaps even led by Watson - ‘hot phones’ and I ll bet a lot of people in Labour looking at potential numbers tonight ... Let’s see but possible our politics about to get even more turbulent

Rather abolish you than debate you is true of all parties atm.

David Allen Green retweeted this earlier:

Fergus Meiklejohn @airuyi
Perhaps political parties are retreating into narrower more tightly defined groups, the way the media are also retreating from broad based news coverage to targeting their core viewers or readers.

Which really should be taken is a rallying cry for PR and should be taken as the death nell of FPTP.

But as it stands I don't believe the culture war lends itself to this, and if we do have a take over by the Cons/Brexit it certainly restricts that liklihood even more as FPTP would suit them more as a winner takes all stance.

Worth remembering just how much the British public hates the idea of party's compromising behind closed doors (Cons /DUP and LD/Lab).

Sorry brain fart LD/CON.

Paul Brand@paulbranditv
NEW: Watson says he was “taken by surprise” and “got a text message in a Chinese restaurant in Manchester” telling him the motion to sack him had been tabled last night. @BBCr4today

First off can I say I dont strictly agree with this motion being put forward to conference but can I say on the point of Watson it honestly honestly isnt about Corbyn this time, Watson has done nothing but undermined the LP at any given opportunity and if you remember he was touting himself as the unity candidate that would bring both factions together Also can I point out that a lot of those people crying out about this have seemed fine trying to oust there twice democratically chosen leader [shrug]

Tim Shipman@shippersunbound
My WhatsApp is alight with the thoughts of Labour contacts about Dawn Butler’s interview. Most of it unprintable even in this forum

Paul Waugh@paulwaugh
Normally, shadow ministers are given a line to take on topics they'll be asked off their brief in media i/views. Was Dawn Butler on @BBCr4today - “I think it’s a good position to have an elected deputy leader... I was quite surprised at the motion" - giving clue of JC position?

Kevin Schofield@polhomeeditor
Tom Watson: “I got a text message in a Chinese restaurant saying they were abolishing me.
It’s a straight sectarian attack on a broad church party. It’s turning us into an institution where pluralism isn’t tolerated.” #today

Beth Rigby@bethrigby
Watson. ‘I was elected by the members if they want to remove me let the members remove me rather than having a secret paper at a meeting’ #today

Is Corbyn trying to abolish his deputy? Watson “I don’t know”. Says Corbyn will be at meeting at 10am. If he tells Jon and Len be doesn’t want it to happen it won’t..

Paul Brand @paulbranditv
Tom Watson says Jeremy Corbyn hasn’t called him since last night but has the power to call the whole thing off by saying he doesn’t want the role to be abolished.

“These kind of things happen in Venezuela they shouldn’t be happening in the U.K.”

Watson says the move to remove him is undemocratic and “narrows the base of the party” by turning the whole thing into a sectarian battle.

Watson appeals to Momentum to call off what he calls “A drive-by shooting”.

Alex Wickham @alexwickham
Tom Watson says Jeremy Corbyn has the power to stop the move against him today. "I don't know whether they told him they were doing it. He might have been as surprised as I was"

Tom Watson writes the next Tory attack poster: "These kind of things happen in Venezuela, they shouldn't be happening in the UK"

Are we also forgetting Tom bullying a woman going through chemo? Please read his twitter feed and you notice he does nothing but brief against the party, like leaking the manifesto 3 days early in the hope that it was 'extreme' enough to bring Corbyn down

Safe to say Tom Watson isn't taking it lying down.

Just, reflect on this when you say that - I would I consider voting Labour with Tom Watson. There is not a cat in hells chance I'd consider it if he's ousted in this manner.

What you see as disloyalty, I see as encouraging a broad church, debate and liberalism within the party.

Corbyn was 'disloyal' as an MP throughout his career under Blair and Brown.

Is party loyalty more important than freedom of political thought, and a range of views being represented?

Cos Corbyn stood up for Luciana Berger and is a towering beacon of moral high fibre?

Jesus.

They are all as bad as each other.

It's like picking which STI you prefer atm.

And one final note on Lansman and McClusky bringing this forward, werent they thinking of the optics of this and how it can be spun ffs, trigger a deputy leader election and watch Pidcock (on the priviso that she puts her name in) breeze through it

Paul Brand@paulbranditv
NEW: One NEC member got a train in the middle of the night to make sure they can be at today’s meeting to vote on abolishing Tom Watson’s job.

“It’s one of those meetings that could determine whether the Party has a future or not” they tell me.

Kate McCann @kateemccann
Nick Robinson notes the Today prog tried and failed to get an on the record comment out of Labour about it. Given this stuff emerged last night that would appear to be a conscious choice rather than an issue of timing #Today

Big moment for Labour.

Do they fuck it up, or sort it out rapidly?

Corbyn was 'disloyal' as an MP throughout his career under Blair and Brown.

It has absolutely nothing to do with his voting record

Im honestly not defending this motion but I can understand where its coming from but its an badly timed and its motives are worse

Paul Waugh @paulwaugh
Key Q for some is why Corbyn left the NEC early on, before the Lansman move. One source told me it felt like an attempt to 'keep his hands clean of what followed'.
More detail here:
m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-nec-hears-shock-move-to-abolish-tom-watsons-deputy-leader-post-lansman_uk_5d8526f6e4b0957256b6aa90?ncid=other_twitter_cooo9wqtham&utm_campaign=share_twitter
Labour NEC In Shock Move To Abolish Tom Watson's Deputy Leader Post
NEC meeting stunned to get emergency motion calling for role to be scrapped.

Paul Waugh*@paulwaugh*
Corybn chief of staff Karie Murphy was also seen chatting to Lansman before he successfully asked to bring back the motion for today.

But one source tells me the leadership certainly didn't 'whip' the meeting. So was it Lansman freelancing along with Unite? Or was leadership compliant but now stepping back from the brink given backlash?

Don't forget this nearly passed last night but for a few votes, so its failure may be a blunder over numbers rather than a deliberate warning shot across Watson's bows.

What's odd is Corbyn is big believer in party democracy + Watson was directly elected in 2015 by 198,000 members + affiliates. (just 50k less than Corbyn's 251,000 total).
He'll be asked his view today. But will he also say whether he was made aware before NEC of Lansman plan?

Do they fuck it up, or sort it out rapidly?

On recent performance? The former.

It has absolutely nothing to do with his voting record

How do you figure that gem out?

Again look at his media briefing and twitter account and also wind your neck in