Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Admiral Yi]

Does anyone know off the top of their head how the Brexit wing of the Tories fared in the most recent election?

[Richard Hakluyt]

They will have been fine, they are mostly in safe seats that would never vote for a Corbyn-led labour.

This is a list of the seats that changed hands : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40190856

There will be a story behind each one; but there is barely a dent on the tory heartlands.

[garbon]

Which as you said makes sense. Not even the sane want Corbyn.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Corbyn always makes me think of Talleyrand and his comment on the restored Bourbons, "..They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.".

Anyone in Britain over the age of 55 or so remembers the chaos of the 1970s well. These people are likelier to vote than younger folk and very few are taken in by Corbyn and his 1970s style nonsense.

If Labour had a decent leadership they would be 20% ahead in the polls; as it is they are lucky to tie.

[Razgovory]

So what's Europe's strategy in all this.  What do they want?

[Josquius]

How many times have we gone through  the "no cherry picking" thing already? Jesus Christ. It's like they think this some RPG when if they try enough times they'll eventually roll 00 and succeed.
[/quote
Its not cherry picking. He specifically targets a close relationship with Europe

[Zanza]

There is no abstract tool that allows MPs to prevent a no-deal exit. This is determined by EU not UK law after all.

Sure there is - the ECJ ruled that the UK could halt the article 50 process unilaterally.  So all the UK has to do is provide notice to the EC that the UK has revoked the article 50 notification, which could be done presumably by a single bill.

Sure, but that cannot be what Tamas referred to. The ECJ decision was more than a month ago and no recent change triggered by MPs.
And with May being continuously in contempt of parliament, can they really compel her to write that letter? Can they even table and a lot time to a private member's bill against government? 

[garbon]

There is no abstract tool that allows MPs to prevent a no-deal exit. This is determined by EU not UK law after all.

Sure there is - the ECJ ruled that the UK could halt the article 50 process unilaterally.  So all the UK has to do is provide notice to the EC that the UK has revoked the article 50 notification, which could be done presumably by a single bill.

Sure, but that cannot be what Tamas referred to. The ECJ decision was more than a month ago and no recent change triggered by MPs.
And with May being continuously in contempt of parliament, can they really compel her to write that letter? Can they even table and a lot time to a private member's bill against government? 

I think, from guardian interpretation, mainly something to tell May that they won't stand for crashing out.

[Zanza]

So what's Europe's strategy in all this.  What do they want?

The EU made a massive concession by allowing the whole UK to stay in the customs union without staying in the single market. That's serious cherry-picking for the UK. But it was not considered a major win by the UK, but rather as an EU trap. So the EU has concluded that nothing they could offer within their own red lines would ever be enough to get a withdrawal agreement passed. France was already against the concession they gave. So now the EU has decided it is not worth compromising its position any further and will just let this play out. It is considered a domestic British crisis and Britain has much more to lose, so eventually they will come back. Before or after Brexit.

The only major issue for the EU is that there will be hard Irish border inevitably after a no-deal Brexit. But they will blame that on the British. Citizen's rights will be unilaterally given by its member states as long as Britain reciprocates, which is likely. The 'divorce settlement ' of 39bn pound is just some money. They can always borrow money  to fill short term gaps and will then sue Britain in the ICJ for it. 

[Zanza]

From Twitter, no idea if serious:

More big Brexit news: No10 confirms the Govt has just accepted the Swire amendment - which gives MPs the power to;
1. Veto the Irish backstop AND a transition extension in 2020
2. Limit the backstop to just 12 months
Both completely contradict the current Withdrawal Agreement.

If they add that to the ratification, the EU parliament and council will most likely not ratify. It's a good ploy to kick the can down the road and to later claim it was the EU's fault that no WA came into being, but obviously this just again reneges on the backstop Britain agreed to in late 2017. No deal it shall be then.

Edit: Looks like it's true: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/amphtml/concession-backstop-following-furious-row-174231984.html

That gives the UK  a unilateral right to end the backstop. Why would the EU even bother to ratify this?

[mongers]

Corbyn always makes me think of Talleyrand and his comment on the restored Bourbons, "..They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.".

Anyone in Britain over the age of 55 or so remembers the chaos of the 1970s well. These people are likelier to vote than younger folk and very few are taken in by Corbyn and his 1970s style nonsense.

If Labour had a decent leadership they would be 20% ahead in the polls; as it is they are lucky to tie.

Just an update Tricky, this in part 'mythic' period will be wiped from the collective memory in a few weeks time, as the country endures the real chaos of the monumental screw up that will be Brexit.   

[Richard Hakluyt]

I wonder if we will get food rationing? There will certainly be panic-buying once the shelves start to go bare due to the inevitable delays. All this with people who turn a virulent shade of puce just because the latest Doctor is a woman 

[Threviel]

So... We're planning a motorhome trip to France in May. As part of that we thought we would go to Jersey on a day-trip. What do you think? Will we be needing visas and where do we apply?

[mongers]

I wonder if we will get food rationing? There will certainly be panic-buying once the shelves start to go bare due to the inevitable delays. All this with people who turn a virulent shade of puce just because the latest Doctor is a woman 

Queuing is coming back to Britain and not in a small way.   

[Syt]

The UK used to be this charming country, quirky in character, good as businessmen, and more often than not trensetters in style or entertainment. But over the past 15 years or so the country seems to have gone collectively senile.