Westministenders: Its the waiting that kills you

[RedToothBrush]

Just waiting.

Talks between Frost and Barnier still unresolved issues. There are rumours but 'all without evidence' (the new in phrase on BBC news tonight) that the UK is waivering.

Less that two months to go.

And there is the small matter of what happens in the US than might influence events.

I wouldn't mind a tunnel connecting Ireland and Scotland. Be handy when we're all in the EU again.

The BBC gives the following information about what happens if there is a tie in the electoral college - which could still be a possibility with contested results:

The US constitution imposes a final deadline - the term of the president (and vice-president) expires on 20 January at noon. If Congress has been unable to choose the winner by then, there's a line of succession set out in law. First in line is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, currently Nancy Pelosi, followed by the second highest ranking member of the Senate, currently Charles Grassley.

They say that this hasn't happened in the past, so they don't know how it would work in practice.

This gives Trump a dilemma - if he doesn't win his lawsuits quickly enough, then he comes up against the deadline and gets Nancy Pelosi by default - which is not what the Trumpites want.

Boris Johnson looks into building tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland The tunnel would be 21 miles long

Let's call it what it is. A 21 mile squirrel intended to poison the headlines to push other stories below the fold.

@DGRossetti

Boris Johnson looks into building tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland The tunnel would be 21 miles long

Let's call it what it is. A 21 mile squirrel intended to poison the headlines to push other stories below the fold.

Do we need squirrels today???!!!

@Peregrina the maths apparently doesn't allow for a tie anymore. Thank the NE-1 (Nebraska constituency) electoral college vote, which went to Biden.

Re the USA - that's one problem solved at least.

Re Johnson's bridge - a fat lot of good it would do if it were to be built. There is a tunnel between here and France, but there is still going to be a customs barrier now that we have left the EU.

Biden leads in PA!

Do we need squirrels today???!!!

I'm guessing team Boris does.

I'm just picturing Boris going to call the new POTUS and being told He'll get back to Mr. Johnson when he's spoken to China, Russia, the EU, France and Germany first. Maybe call again tomorrow ?

Biden now taken lead in Pennsylvania by 5,587 votes.

95% votes in in Pennsylvania. Yay! Come on Biden!!

Raab is sitting at home trying to understand where on his school atlas Scranton is

It's in Lincolnshire, isn't it? - where the Vulcan Bombers were based...

...oh...hang on, that's spelled differently...

DGR
Pre-recorded message:
Thank you for your enquiry, Mr President-Elect will get back to you. Please leave your name and number after the tone...

Its happening.

Biden now winning PA.

And the networks are starting to call it:

Bill Neely @BillNeelyNBC
BREAKING : Based on the @NBCNews Decision Desk projection, Joe Biden is now being referred to by @NBCNews as the President-elect.

Election being called by NBC.

Looks like Decision desk has called it for Biden. 46th* POTUS

twitter.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/1324710866516905984

Was amused to see a Tory MP pulled up on a disparaging anti Biden tweet from a while back. I imagine today could be a very quiet day in Westminster as a lot of people suddenly start spring cleaning their various SM posts?

The tweets can't be as bad as this;

"2015 - Boris Johnson: Donald Trump is out of his mind."
"Mayor of London Boris Johnson says Donald Trump's remarks betray a 'stupifying ignorance' that make him unfit for the office of President."

www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1235615/Boris-Johnson-Donald-Trump-mind.html

Of course there is some debate over the numbering of US presidents ... QI accusing Barack Obama of getting it wrong ...

Philadelphia Freedom ... I love you ...

Now we have to consider the possibility of a joint UK/US election in 2024, and whether it would be better for the UK to be before or after the US election ...

I guess that would unblock issues at the WTO....

...which might not be so great for the UK's brexit policy...

@RedToothBrush

Its happening.

Biden now winning PA.

And the networks are starting to call it:

Bill Neely @BillNeelyNBC
BREAKING : Based on the @NBCNews Decision Desk projection, Joe Biden is now being referred to by @NBCNews as the President-elect.

Election being called by NBC.

With Biden taking the lead in Pennsylvania, Chief Justice John Roberts (and the other Supreme Court justices) may be breathing a sigh of relief. Assuming Pennsylvania is eventually called for Biden, and it’s not especially close, the constitutionality of the deadline for late-arriving ballots will be irrelevant to the outcome — as will Trump’s other litigation in Pennsylvania (and elsewhere), which is already encountering a lot of skepticism in the courts.

Also predicting 306/232 split in the end.

Thank goodness - it looks like Biden will win.
I truly believe Trump will try every trick in the book to hang on to power. I also believe he will fail. So far, three Republican lawsuits thrown at the ballot count have been shut down, for lack of evidence.

Biden in charge will have implications for the Paris Accord, Good Friday Agreement and NATO. It's too late for Brexit, sadly.

Right now, I am just looking forward to a President-elect capable of delivering a coherent speech.

I wonder how many reverse ferrets the Johnson government are going to have to pull off. From my following the past 4 years news, Merkel and Macron have been formal and proper in dealing with Trump ... it's only in the UK that Theresa May and Boris Johnson appeared to give him a handjob on the way to the palace.

You would have thought the Tories would have learned after the Clinton incident ?

Looks like good news then! Hopefully he’ll restore relations/funding of the WHO, as well as everything mentioned above

They reckon Biden is taking 87% of postal voted so another 130,000 to count postal votes could give him a hell of a lead if that figure of 87% continued.

Result expected tonight.

@QueenOfThorns

Looks like good news then! Hopefully he’ll restore relations/funding of the WHO, as well as everything mentioned above

depends on how congress stacks up.

However it's worth noting that the 3-way tussle of POTUS and houses of congress is by design. It's to force parties to compromise or get nothing. It may result in long stand offs and stalemates, but that is far preferable to being committed to an extreme position based on 50.00000001% of the population.

If we had an elected head of state, they could have flicked 2 fingers to the prorogation last year - and indeed to the IMB this year. No matter what the willy of the people, because they are the willy of the people.

Fizzy wine is in the fridge.

Hopefully the USA will, by the end of January
be back in the WTO
be back in the Paris Accord
be back in the WHO
be back in contact with the EU
be back in the lead on NATO and thus controlling Turkey
just be back
does little dance