Westminstenders: From Uxbridge to...?

[RedToothBrush]

Speaker Bercow is gone.

Speculation that Johnson is parachuting into Rutland.

Rumours that the Brexit Party won't contest the election.

A new speaker to be elected on Monday.

Parliament to dissolve next week.

Brexit? Oh we've forgotten that until Friday 13th...

Or perhaps than many of its supporters deserve. I don't know what SNP membership numbers look like.

What is Farage's Game?

He cannot be so dim as to imagine that his 'offer' will be accepted. It looks like he is positioning himself as Pro-Brexit and Anti-Boris, so as to appeal to Labour Leave voters.

His problem is for all his success in the Euro-elections (a protest vote,) his performance and that of UKIP in UK general elections has always been dismal to negligible. His as yet invisible candidates are more than likely to include the usual quota of "Fruitcakes, Nutters and Closet Racists," which is probably why he's keeping them under wraps for another two weeks.

He may be deluded enough to think he can win enough seats to take the balance of power, or he wants to frustrate Brexits so as he can keep whinging on about not having it.

To those wondering about weather on election day, the Electoral Commission responded to the Guardian query:

It’s not possible to suspend or postpone polling in case of bad weather. It’s important to remember that local councils have plenty of experience of providing public services throughout the year and are used to the winter weather conditions in their area. They have contingency plans in place to help them respond quickly to minimise any disruption to polling, and will do everything they can to ensure voters are able to cast their vote on 12 December.

Also from the Guardian today:

She (Nicola Sturgeon) also said she would interpret a strong vote for the SNP at the election as backing for a second independence referendum.

Now this is slippery as fuck. There will be a large chunk of voters choosing SNP on their ballots as a proxy for Remain.

The SNP will be mindful of what happened to their Catalan mates when they tried to call an illegal referendum. Only the UK can grant another poll, and it will set the terms and will not make the same mistake as 2014 and 2016 again.

Sturgeon & co will be required to come up with a plan for the economy with a budget and a currency etc and have it signed off by the BofE, IMF or some such.

He cannot be so dim as to imagine that his 'offer' will be accepted. It looks like he is positioning himself as Pro-Brexit and Anti-Boris, so as to appeal to Labour Leave voters.

I guess the question how many Labour Leave northern voters there are will get answered. Farage will also pick a load of leave voters that don’t normally vote in elections too. Which are I think the voters Cummings is targeting.

Anyone else noticed how many good looking young women have been recruited to the Brexit Party? Appealing to their target voters with a bit of eye candy? Or am I too old and cynical?

My mum has just celebrated Happy still in the EU/ non-brexit day in style by going into the communal lobby area of Andrea Jenkyns constituency office (who was actually in her office at the time) and playing 'ode to joy' full blast on her phone

pretzelsmum amazing stuff

The SNP leadership is very clear that they will go the legal route (ie a Section 30 notice) for Indyref2.

Their "Plan B" definitely doesn't involve an unofficial referendum (although it wouldn't be illegal as in the Catalonian case), despite pressure from a very small section of the membership (and random keyboard warriors) - although I'm sure it includes various ways to make life very awkward in WM unless and until the government there grants the Section 30. (As I believe the Irish did in the early 20th century).

BXP and good looking women - yes, I'd seen that and thought 'how much ae they costing you?' I'd suspect they are for media shows, in the place of a manifesto.

Remember the promised manifesto following the Euros? Did we see it?

I'm fine with the SNP going the legal route. What I object to is, like 2017 Labour voters being told they voted for Brexit, that 2019 SNP voters will be told they voted for holding indyref2.

An unsanctioned referendum would not be unlawful, but a unilateral declaration of independence based on it would, and as with Catalonia would be recognised by no one, least of all the EU.

Of course Remembrance day will be weaponised.

If folks vote SNP I'd say they were definitely expressing support for having IndyRef2. Voters in Scotland are fortunate that they (generally) have a wider choice of potential recipients for their votes than voters in England do. Whether we ought to have IndyRef2 close after IndyRef1 is another question.

I think the problem in Catalonia was/is that even holding a referendum, any referendum, about potential secession was illegal

It's a Code Napoleon thing. In the UK, anything that is not forbidden is allowed. In Spain, anything that is not permitted is forbidden.

@LouiseCollins28 what do you tell tactical Remain voters who are in constituencies where the SNP is the best shot at getting out a Tory?

I'd probably ask them if they more concerned about a conservative government or another referendum.
One reason I voted for Cameron was that I didn't want an SNP/Labour coalition, I preferred another Con/Lib one.
Obviously that didn't happen and I would make different choices now for several different reasons.
But you have to pick what you think your least worst option is at the time.
A vote for the SNP will always include the presumption of a vote for a referendum.

Of course Remembrance day will be weaponised.

Definitely. And it shouldn’t.

The candidates for my seat have been announced.
I will hold my nose and vote Labour
because my MP is a good man who wants to Remain in the EU
and by voting him in we have a better chance of stopping both the Tories and Hard Brexit

My Godfathers family are Basque (his mother was kicked out by Franco for being (a) a woman and (b) a lawyer. Better than an unknown grave I guess).

From bits and pieces I've picked up over the years trying to point to Catalonia as a way of explaining Scotland (or indeed, vice versa) seems to be something that only people who know very little about either ever do.

To be fair, going the other way, Spaniards who try to equate Gibraltar with other British possessions which have since been renounced aren't really making a valid comparison.

However, they are both great ways to quickly derail a conversation into irrelevance - I guess the IndyRef/Brexit version of Godwins law (he says, having been accused of breaking one of them in another thread ).

Of course Remembrance day will be weaponised.
I'll be remembering it for peace, part of what the EU has given us. That's how I weaponise it.

Of course Remembrance day will be weaponised.

Already has been 😟

Lib Dems are first out the blocks on this one it seems.

What is Farage's Game?

Maximum amount of publicity from minimum amount of effort - preferably with no accountability whatsoever? Same old, same old...