Brexit

[Jack Staff]

MAY: You're SURE it's gone?
GRAYLING: Definitely
MAY: You know 100% that the Article 50 revocation fax was sent?
GRAYLING: Oh yes
MAY: Phew because it's 00:01
GRAYLING: I did it personally
MAY: Wait... what?!

<in Brussels>

JUNKER: What is this?
BARNIER: A picture of an envelope


{John Bull}

[Ranchi]

Not strictly Brexit but;
We were discussing the Scottish devolution referendum the other day ( we had been eating in the place where Alex S held his referendum night party - a quiet affair !) and went online to get the actual voting numbers. We were surprised by >3000 spoiled ballots. I can understand how in a normal election someone can spoil their paper by writing some abuse about a candidate but in a yes/no vote this wouldn’t occur. We came to the conclusion that many of the spoiled papers probably had a tick for the chosen option and s cross against the unwanted option.
A second point; Why has the media almost totally ignored the reckless role of D Cameron in this lamentable situation? He seems to have got away Scot free.

[Gill W]

The MSM may have ignored Cameron’s role in this, but it’s a different story on social media!

Latest today, May has now yielded to pressure in her party, and is going to ask for a ‘short’ delay.

Totally pointless - the U.K. hasn’t been able to produce a coherent plan in 1000 days, let alone finding something new in 100 days.

EU are likely to hold a special summit NEXT week to make their decision. Presumably, this will be the 11th hour capitulation that i’ve heard so much about on this forum

[david63]

Latest today, May has now yielded to pressure in her party, and is going to ask for a ‘short’ delay.

Totally pointless - the U.K. hasn’t been able to produce a coherent plan in 1000 days, let alone finding something new in 100 days.

Not necessarily pointless - it will get round Bercow's ruling

[Manoverboard]

Breaking news. Barnier announces that the EU is ready for no deal in ten days. Brilliant. we'll all agree on that then and leave on the 29th.

TM's plan of threatening us leaving 'no deal' has backfired.
We simply can't. We are not ready, parliament says no, most people....
She dropped the gun. It's now in Barniers hands pointing at us.
She has to get an extension*.
A short one means we might get (nearly) ready to leave 'no deal'
A long one means EU elections, results of legal cases about the 2016 vote, public opinion changes.... we stay.

*During any extension we can revoke at any time.

I agree that Parliament voted ' No ' but it is not legally binding, we need an Act of Parliament to achieve that.

[Manoverboard]

The MSM may have ignored Cameron’s role in this, but it’s a different story on social media!

Latest today, May has now yielded to pressure in her party, and is going to ask for a ‘short’ delay.

Totally pointless - the U.K. hasn’t been able to produce a coherent plan in 1000 days, let alone finding something new in 100 days.

EU are likely to hold a special summit NEXT week to make their decision. Presumably, this will be the 11th hour capitulation that i’ve heard so much about on this forum

I thought you didn't approve of spiteful comments

The 11th hour option is not closed, the EU could have a summit on the 28th March and hey, guess what.

[towny44]

It is beginning to look increasingly unlikely that the Brexit the voters wanted will be achieved, despite all the criticism of May's WA it looks as though that was as close to what the voters wanted as the EU was ever going to allow. Now, if we ever do exit the EU during this current A50 period, then we are likely to end up with the softest of Brexits, probably in a Norway style agreement still paying for the privilege of being allowed to be in the free trade club but with no say in it's running, and no way to negotiate our own trade deals.
Despite what some remainers on here say this is certainly not the way a democratic parliament should have operated, whatever term you use to describe our MPs, they should have been honest from the very beginning about their intentions, and if they felt they were unable to carry out their manifesto promises, they should have resigned and sought a fresh mandate from their electors.

[Gill W]

The MSM may have ignored Cameron’s role in this, but it’s a different story on social media!

Latest today, May has now yielded to pressure in her party, and is going to ask for a ‘short’ delay.

Totally pointless - the U.K. hasn’t been able to produce a coherent plan in 1000 days, let alone finding something new in 100 days.

EU are likely to hold a special summit NEXT week to make their decision. Presumably, this will be the 11th hour capitulation that i’ve heard so much about on this forum

I thought you didn't approve of spiteful comments

The 11th hour option is not closed, the EU could have a summit on the 28th March and hey, guess what.

If I was being spiteful I wouldn't have used an emoji.
I used the sarcasm emoji, to indicate that I was being sarcastic - I imagine that's what you were indicating when you used the more sarcasm emoji.
So to be clear, we are both using the same attempt at humour. Maybe both of us have failed.

[Gill W]

Latest today, May has now yielded to pressure in her party, and is going to ask for a ‘short’ delay.

Totally pointless - the U.K. hasn’t been able to produce a coherent plan in 1000 days, let alone finding something new in 100 days.

Not necessarily pointless - it will get round Bercow's ruling

But pointless in that the sense that her 'deal' has been crushingly defeated twice.

She needs something new, and three months is no time at all, based on what's happened.

[Jack Staff]

It is beginning to look increasingly unlikely that the Brexit the voters wanted will be achieved,

Yup, no £350 million, no easiest deal in history, no sunlit uplands.

despite all the criticism of May's WA it looks as though that was as close to what the voters wanted as the EU was ever going to allow.

She got what she wanted from the EU. It is the British parliament that is telling her no.

Now, if we ever do exit the EU during this current A50 period, then we are likely to end up with the softest of Brexits, probably in a Norway style agreement still paying for the privilege of being allowed to be in the free trade club but with no say in it's running, and no way to negotiate our own trade deals.

'Vassal state' as some have said. It pleases no one. As I have said before, any deal that is hated by both Barney and myself is doomed to failure.

Despite what some remainers on here say this is certainly not the way a democratic parliament should have operated,

I think I, amongst others have called out the government as it tries to bend the rules. It is thanks to people like Gina Miller, Bercow and MP's actually doing their job that this government has been kept (to the most part) within the rules/law ("should have operated").

whatever term you use to describe our MPs, they should have been honest from the very beginning about their intentions, and if they felt they were unable to carry out their manifesto promises, they should have resigned and sought a fresh mandate from their electors.

They should not have lied to the electorate. We agree. But they did.

[barney]

Latest today, May has now yielded to pressure in her party, and is going to ask for a ‘short’ delay.

Totally pointless - the U.K. hasn’t been able to produce a coherent plan in 1000 days, let alone finding something new in 100 days.

Not necessarily pointless - it will get round Bercow's ruling

But pointless in that the sense that her 'deal' has been crushingly defeated twice.

She needs something new, and three months is no time at all, based on what's happened.

We could always just leave on the 29th, which would at the end of the day be in line with what she said she would do. I can't buy into all this 'what the EU will allow' rubbish. The UK ultimately controls the situation. It's our MPs that are allowing it.

[Manoverboard]

TM has requested a delay but not beyond June …as per.

[barney]

Below extract taken from today's Politico EU ( very, very pro EU)

According to the survey, a majority of Europeans (a median of 62 percent) hold positive views of the EU.
Even in Poland and Hungary, whose governments have recently been at odds with Brussels over rule-of-law concerns, a majority of respondents approve of the EU: 57 percent in Hungary, and in Poland, 72 percent — by far the highest approval ratings among the 10 countries surveyed.

The EU's approval rating fell below 50 percent in only two of the 10 countries: the U.K. — where just 48 percent expressed a favorable view, reflecting the Brexit referendum split — and Greece, where just 37 percent of people surveyed have a positive opinion of the EU.

Yet while a majority of respondents said the EU promotes peace, prosperity and democratic values, they also see Brussels as out of touch and inefficient. A median 62 percent said the EU "does not understand the needs of its citizens."

Meanwhile, as the default date for Britain's exit from the EU draws closer, the poll found that nearly two-thirds (a median of 62 percent) do not think the EU handled Brexit well. Less than half approve of the EU's approach to economic issues.

On the economy and Brexit, attitudes vary from country to country: About half of Germans approve of the EU's approach to these issues, for instance, while only a third of Spaniards do.

[anniec]

Looks like Macron may put a spanner dans les works:

"It looks like this is being taken out of the Prime Minister's hands. Emanuel Macron of France has said enough is enough, he will oppose any extension of Article 50 in Council tomorrow".

Paul Sweeney MP

[Gill W]

Peston saying that PM is 'making a statement to the nation' tonight

[Jack Staff]

She will no doubt be very clear about being strong and stable because Brexit means Brexit.

[anniec]

She will no doubt be very clear about being strong and stable because Brexit means Brexit.

Well, it just might now, along with "no deal is better than a bad deal". Tusk has now said TM can only have an extension if she gets her deal through next week. As this is unlikely (though who knows) then we leave on 29 March without a deal?

What is your take?

[Onelife]

She will no doubt be very clear about being strong and stable because Brexit means Brexit.

Well, it just might now, along with "no deal is better than a bad deal". Tusk has now said TM can only have an extension if she gets her deal through next week. As this is unlikely (though who knows) then we leave on 29 March without a deal?

What is your take?

So, Tusk has indicated that we could have a short extension subject to Theresa May’s WA being passed…. Effectively her deal or no deal…or years in limbo land with Corbyn, SNP and Co steering our country into oblivion.

Don’t you just love Theresa xx

Hi annice....keep the faith she will deliver

[Jack Staff]

What is your take?

The EU doesn’t want no deal.
Tusk has justified granting a “short extension” IF the deal passes.
But he *did not* rule out a longer extension if it doesn’t.
We can also revoke.
It is NOT a choice between May’s dreadful, derided and despised deal and no deal.

{Seb Dance MEP}

[anniec]

Thanks, Jack; always good to hear alternative views. Revoking might get a mixed reception...

We may find out more later - she's allegedly making a statement at about 8pm tonight. Riding off into the sunset with the fragrant Philip?

[barney]

Please God !!!
Let the blooming thing be over ............ one way or another .

The EU have certainly achieved one thing.
It has put off any other member country trying to leave in the future.

I can't for the life of me see what is the problem on just leaving on the 29th as planned.

A bit of immediate disruption, then it will all settle down and back to normal.

I'm sure we can all manage without lettuce for a week or so.

[Jack Staff]

Has our Trezza been stitched up like a kipper?
We can't leave March 29th (because it's more than just lettuce for a week)
She needs an extension.
She can have an extension if her bill passes in Parliament.
She can't get it through Parliament unless she significantly changes something.
She can't change the agreement because the EU have said no.
What can she change? Adding a peoples vote would do it.
Alternatives? She could just revoke A50.
So could we heading towards a situation where the ones demanding a peoples vote are the Brexiters?
Roll on 8pm. maybe things will be a little clearer (though I doubt it).

[anniec]

Well, that's 10 minutes of my life I shall never get back (30 minutes if you count the wait for her to roll up late).

[Jack Staff]

Well, that's 10 minutes of my life I shall never get back (30 minutes if you count the wait for her to roll up late).

Well - not for the first time Theresa May calls in the cameras and gets everyone excited only to say nothing new except she’s a bit fed up not to be getting her way. No apology. No compromise. It’s not her fault. It’s those stupid MPs.

{Krishnan Guru-Murthy}
‏

[anniec]

Well - not for the first time Theresa May calls in the cameras and gets everyone excited only to say nothing new except she’s a bit fed up not to be getting her way. No apology. No compromise. It’s not her fault. It’s those stupid MPs.

{Krishnan Guru-Murthy}
‏

She’s going to stay on forever, isn’t she? She’s never going to resign. Or deliver Brexit. She will carry on being our Prime Minister, turning up late to make pointless statements blaming everyone else for how useless she is until the end of time. This is our lives now. Forever.

Julia Hartley-Brewer (not on Jack's recommended reading list, I imagine)