Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[The Larch]

And Juncker, as expected, rejects any delays after April the 12th.

[ulmont]

And Juncker, as expected, rejects any delays after April the 12th.

That's not what I read - I read:

1. Juncker says if the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by April 12, a delay until May 22 would work.

2. Juncker says if the Withdrawal Agreement is not approved by April 12, no short extension is possible. 

...so a long extension with the UK standing for elections would be possible.  Not great, but possible.

[Tonitrus]

Britain is not a two party system

I mean it is dominated by two large parties but so is Germany.

Or the US. 

[ulmont]

Britain is not a two party system

I mean it is dominated by two large parties but so is Germany.

Germany has proportional representation, though.  First-past-the-post will almost inevitably lead to domination by two large parties.

...also, you're overstating it.

Germany has 709 seats.  200 are CDU, 152 are SPD, the top 2 parties with seats.  That's not even 50% in the top 2 parties.

The House of Commons has 650 seats.  313 are Tory, 245 are Labour.  That's over 85% in the top 2 parties.

Britain is not a two party system

I mean it is dominated by two large parties but so is Germany.

Or the US. 

The corresponding US number, taking the Congress as a whole, is 99.6% in the top 2 parties.

So the UK is vastly closer to the US number than to the Germany number, because of the first-past-the-post voting.

[Josquius]

The UK isn't a democracy by 21st century standards.

[mongers]

UK House of Commons 
@HouseofCommons
    
The House of Commons has approved the third reading of the #EUWithdrawal5Bill by 313 votes to 312. This means the Bill has completed its Commons stages and passes over to the @UKHouseofLords for further scrutiny

https://mobile.twitter.com/HouseofCommons/status/1113571028268089344?p=v

[mongers]

More details of the Cooper bill here:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47809717

Brexit: MPs back delay bill by one vote4 April 2019 
Share     
Related Topics
Brexit


MPs have voted by a majority of one to force the prime minister to ask for an extension to the Brexit process, in a bid to avoid any no-deal scenario.

The bill, put forward by Labour's Yvette Cooper, was passed by the Commons in just one day.

However, it will need to be approved by the Lords before it becomes law. It would also still be for the EU to decide whether to grant any extension.

.......

Ms Cooper's attempts to prevent a no-deal departure from the EU - which passed by 313 votes to 312 - had faced opposition from Tory Brexiteers.

They expressed frustration at the highly unusual process of a bill - the first stage of enacting a law - clearing all stages in the Commons in a matter of hours, rather than months.

One, Peter Bone, urged Speaker John Bercow to "make this farce stop" and prevent further votes.

However, the bill could undergo further scrutiny in the Lords as early as Thursday.

......

[Valmy]

The UK isn't a democracy by 21st century standards.

I think you are way overestimating the strength and standards of democracy in the 21st century.

[Valmy]

More details of the Cooper bill here:

Ah. For a minute I thought the bill that was voted on was a solution to Brexit. Well that was a nice minute.

[Zoupa]

The bills as I understand it forces May to ask for an extension and avoid no-deal. Why not just vote for May's deal and be done with it. The EU already said it's either a year+ extension with european elections or no-deal exit on April 12th. There won't be another short extension.

Why the constant can-kicking? Even with a long extension, I don't see what could be fundamentally different. Another wasted day.

[Admiral Yi]

The EU already said it's either a year+ extension with european elections

Is this supposed to be bad for the UK?  If so, please explain why.  Honest question.

[jimmy olsen]

The EU already said it's either a year+ extension with european elections

Is this supposed to be bad for the UK?  If so, please explain why.  Honest question.

Tories think their base will turn on them if it's delayed so much.

They also think that the whole effort might collapse and they won't end up leaving after all if things are delayed that much.

[Zoupa]

The EU already said it's either a year+ extension with european elections

Is this supposed to be bad for the UK?  If so, please explain why.  Honest question.

It's not meant to be good or bad, it's meant to keep the EU on safe legal footing. A member country without parliamentary representation could invalidate almost all EU directives.

[Josquius]

The bills as I understand it forces May to ask for an extension and avoid no-deal. Why not just vote for May's deal and be done with it. The EU already said it's either a year+ extension with european elections or no-deal exit on April 12th. There won't be another short extension.

Why the constant can-kicking? Even with a long extension, I don't see what could be fundamentally different. Another wasted day.

Because her deal is bullshit. It cuts down our options for no good reason. It is kicking the can down the road only ensuring that nothing but bad things like at the end of that road.
It's a transparent attempt to railroad us into a hard Brexit.

[Tamas]

The bills as I understand it forces May to ask for an extension and avoid no-deal. Why not just vote for May's deal and be done with it. The EU already said it's either a year+ extension with european elections or no-deal exit on April 12th. There won't be another short extension.

Why the constant can-kicking? Even with a long extension, I don't see what could be fundamentally different. Another wasted day.

Because her deal is bullshit. It cuts down our options for no good reason. It is kicking the can down the road only ensuring that nothing but bad things like at the end of that road.
It's a transparent attempt to railroad us into a hard Brexit.

Dude, May's deal railroads us into soft Brexit. It would cement a de facto soft Brexit relationship until the EU, and the EU alone, decides it can be replaced with whatever final trade deal gets established, and the political declaration pretty much makes anything but a Norway model impossible.