Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Richard Hakluyt]

The royal family may not even be billionaires : https://www.businessinsider.com/british-royal-family-richest-people-2017-11?r=US&IR=T#the-crown-not-queen-elizabeth-herself-holds-many-luxurious-residences-and-priceless-objects-in-trust-3

The Crown, on the other hand, is vastly wealthy but that is as part of the state.

[The Larch]

Brexit is also a populist movement. Blaming it on elitism seems a bit...backwards. I mean I know there is that Rees-Mogg guy but is the public school crowd really driving the bus here?

Every single candidate for the recent Tory leadership contest went to public schools except one (Javid, IIRC).

[Tamas]

Our very own, home-grown Steve Bannon, whom we call Dominic Cunnings (now chief advisor of our estimated Prime Minister), argues that even if Parliament withdraws its confidence from Johnson and forms a government of national unity, Johnson can just stay on as PM and continue unhindered by pesky distractions like the House of Commons:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/07/dominic-cummings-takes-swipe-at-greive-over-confidence-vote-plan


I wonder if THEN the monarch will step in, or she will find it wiser to make sure her family's lifestyle doesn't get under risk.

[Tamas]

Experts have cautioned that the prime minister would still remain in control of the timetable even if the government lost a confidence vote. Catherine Haddon, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government thinktank, told the Times that nothing in the Fixed-term Parliaments Act required a prime minister to resign on losing a vote of no confidence.

"In terms of a strict reading of the legislation, Boris is not required to resign. It is completely silent on all of this," she said. "The onus is on the incumbent prime minister – they get to choose whether they resign. If they do not it is hard for a new government to be formed without dragging the Queen into politics."

[The Larch]

The German president costs more than the British Queen and is far less effective.

The German president does not own like half the country either.

If the queen wasn't the queen she'd still be a filthy rich old lady who owns vast estates.

If she wasn't the queen she wouldn't own those estates.

[Tamas]

My current opinion (and it does change regularly), is that forces of Remain should wrestle control of the government by whatever means necessary, and cancel the whole Brexit idiocy.

At this point, there seems to be no way to avoid a political crisis. Even a soft Brexit which IMHO earlier in the drama could had served as a fig leaf to keep the radicals quiet would chase both extremes into a fit of rage. And a hard Brexit, not to mention a no deal crash, would almost guarantee a successful Scottish independence referendum, and big troubles in Northern Ireland.


Sanity should prevail, and then we should weather the storm of the fascist tantrum until it dies down.

[The Brain]

My current opinion (and it does change regularly), is that forces of Remain should wrestle control of the government by whatever means necessary, and cancel the whole Brexit idiocy.

At this point, there seems to be no way to avoid a political crisis. Even a soft Brexit which IMHO earlier in the drama could had served as a fig leaf to keep the radicals quiet would chase both extremes into a fit of rage. And a hard Brexit, not to mention a no deal crash, would almost guarantee a successful Scottish independence referendum, and big troubles in Northern Ireland.


Sanity should prevail, and then we should weather the storm of the fascist tantrum until it dies down.

Calling your wife and kids filthy scum and filing for divorce and then withdrawing it at the last minute would make for less than happy married life. I think the future of the UK lies outside the EU.

[crazy canuck]

Our very own, home-grown Steve Bannon, whom we call Dominic Cunnings (now chief advisor of our estimated Prime Minister), argues that even if Parliament withdraws its confidence from Johnson and forms a government of national unity, Johnson can just stay on as PM and continue unhindered by pesky distractions like the House of Commons:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/07/dominic-cummings-takes-swipe-at-greive-over-confidence-vote-plan


I wonder if THEN the monarch will step in, or she will find it wiser to make sure her family's lifestyle doesn't get under risk.

That is the one constitutional function of substance the Queen still performs.  When Parliament has no confidence in the current government the Queen decides whether to allow others to gain the confidence of parliament and if she is of the opinion that is not possible then she would dissolve parliament and issue a writ for a general election.

[Zanza]

I know the UK has a unilateral right to withdraw its notice and I am still convinced that the UK should in the long term be a part of the European integration project, but I don't see how that is still viable at this point of time.

Way too much political capital was burned, too much goodwill and trust destroyed, and the EU does not need the drama of a UK on the fence for the next years. We do not need Faragists in the EU parliament or Boris Johnson on the EU Council. Time to focus on other stuff and let the British resolve their domestic turmoil first before we re-engage.

Too bad about the Irish border, but that's on the British. They changed the status quo. Maybe a NI only backstop with a customs and regulations border in the Irish Sea can still be negotiated after hard Brexit. The EU should use its leverage towards that.

[Tonitrus]

My current opinion (and it does change regularly), is that forces of Remain should wrestle control of the government by whatever means necessary, and cancel the whole Brexit idiocy.

At this point, there seems to be no way to avoid a political crisis. Even a soft Brexit which IMHO earlier in the drama could had served as a fig leaf to keep the radicals quiet would chase both extremes into a fit of rage. And a hard Brexit, not to mention a no deal crash, would almost guarantee a successful Scottish independence referendum, and big troubles in Northern Ireland.


Sanity should prevail, and then we should weather the storm of the fascist tantrum until it dies down.

Calling your wife and kids filthy scum and filing for divorce and then withdrawing it at the last minute would make for less than happy married life. I think the future of the UK lies outside the EU.

If the EU is a marriage, that is quite a seraglio. 

[Syt]

[Josquius]

It's scary to see things going right up to the wire.
The main concern is in careerist labour MPs, more concerned for their job than the welfare of their constituents. There's a fair few of them in the north east who have just refused to see us when we go around to their office and given will of the people nonsense explanations.
This was before the EU elections however. I have seen Labour hq  waking up a bit due to the remain parties victory there. But I've heard little from local MPs.

Also worrying is I've read stuff about farage Inc. Potentially not contesting a general election.
Should that happen then we could get what may planned in the last election, the tories sweeping up all the pro brexit side whilst the others fight over the rest.

The pound is hitting all time lows. I massively regret transferring so much money earlier in the year. Things look grimmer than ever. But we are all so tired. So very tired. Nothing is happening against this.

[Zanza]

Boris Johnson would hold a general election in the "days after" the UK has left the EU on October 31 if he is forced to go the polls following a successful parliamentary no-confidence vote in his government, senior aides to the prime minister have said.

[...]

Since 1935, British elections have been held on Thursdays but this is an unwritten convention. The date is de facto decided by the prime minister. The Spectator reported that Friday, November 1 — the day after Brexit — is being considered by Mr Johnson as the most opportune moment for an election if he is forced to go to the polls.

Holding an election straight after Brexit day is seen by some in the party as a risk, but potentially a necessary one to maximise the Tory vote. One official at Conservative HQ said: "It would be the only way to neuter the Brexit party. We can only go to the country once we've actually delivered Brexit."

Others in the party think that the calculation by Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings is that any disruption resulting from a no-deal Brexit would not be apparent by polling day, or would be less harmful than some have predicted.

[...]

Why not follow convention and hold the GE on Brexit Day? 

[PJL]

Quite like the idea of having the election on a Friday. Vote after work then I would go to a pub/club open all night and see the election results there. Should make for an entertaining night. Wouldn't have to worry about staying up late re going to work the next day either.

[Josquius]

After the entire point of the no confidence vote.
What a fucking sleaze ball.
Hope this gets shot down.

And not big on the idea of a Friday election. Should cut down on the youth vote.