Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[garbon]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/sep/04/brexit-crisis-boris-johnson-mps-bill-blocking-no-deal-eu-no-deal-parliament-politics-live

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, is responding to Javid.

He welcomes Javid to his new job. But he says after that speech, he is starting to miss the old one.

He says his own father was a bus driver too. But he says that is probably all they have in common.

He says the speech was "a compendium of meaningless platitudes".

He says Javid should take it back to the person who wrote it - Dominic Cummings.

He says Boris Johnson is shouting at him now. He tells Johnson that the last time Johnson shouted at someone, they had to call the police, he said.

He criticises Cummings for sacking a Treasury aide, and having her escorted out of No 10 by an armed police officer.

[Tamas]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/03/clown-prince-johnson-cowers-in-the-face-of-the-rebel-alliance

.....
Boris tried to make light of it. To carry on making a few weak gags that drew no laughter. To treat the occasion as if it was just another night out at the Oxford Union. But slowly it dawned on him that the Age of Entitlement had passed. He just wasn't up to the job he'd always believed to be his birthright.

Being prime minister required more than arrogance and bullshit. More than a quick read of Game Theory for Dommies. It involved both clarity of thought and responsibility. Neither of which had ever been his strong suit. He mumbled and bumbled, waving his arms at random. Even his own front bench looked embarrassed when he started accusing the opposition and Tory rebels of being collaborators.

It went further downhill for Johnson when Jeremy Corbyn, who is rapidly looking more and more statesmanlike just by not being Boris, and MPs from all sides of the house cut through the waffle and demanded real answers. Even Philip Hammond, a man who had displayed no personality as chancellor, now looked like a beacon of charisma in comparison to Johnson.

Why was he being dishonest about the real reason for the lengthy prorogation? If he was making such good progress towards getting a deal, how come he couldn't provide any details? Why wouldn't he reveal the risks of a no-deal Brexit? And would his government be bound by the rule of law? Johnson only had more bluster.

Forget the noises from the EU who were insisting that the UK had come up with no new proposals. He had loads of cunning plans. There was a meeting of the Alternative Arrangements Committee in Dundalk next week to which two lorry drivers and a badger were coming. He was operating in a world of four-dimensional chess that only he and Dom and Dommer could understand. Trust me.

No one did. His one known talent is for lying. Even when he eventually whispered something about being bound by the rule of law, no one believed him. Because just minutes earlier he had insisted that there were no circumstances under which he would extend Article 50 beyond 31 October. Something has to give and Johnson hasn't a clue what.

Desperation is etched deep into his face. Every day a scramble to do or say anything to maintain his hold on power. Power that was visibly ebbing away the longer he was on his feet. He appeared almost grateful when the Speaker put him out of his misery. At this rate he could yet be the UK's shortest serving prime minister. Something to tell Carrie and the dog.

[celedhring]

From the grauniad live feed:

In the parliamentary estate the division bells have just sounded, signalling that there is a vote in the House of Lords. It is on a closure motion, designed to terminate the debate on an amendment tabled by the Tory Brexiter Lord Forsyth. As explained earlier (see 11.15am), this will be the first of what could theoretically be more than 100 votes as pro-Brexit peers to to filibuster a business motion intended to help the Benn bill become law.

Do the Lords use the same "let's walk to a room for yes or to a different room for no" bonkers voting system the Commons do? That could be some exercise...

[The Larch]

From the grauniad live feed:

In the parliamentary estate the division bells have just sounded, signalling that there is a vote in the House of Lords. It is on a closure motion, designed to terminate the debate on an amendment tabled by the Tory Brexiter Lord Forsyth. As explained earlier (see 11.15am), this will be the first of what could theoretically be more than 100 votes as pro-Brexit peers to to filibuster a business motion intended to help the Benn bill become law.

Do the Lords use the same "let's walk to a room for yes or to a different room for no" bonkers voting system the Commons do? That could be some exercise...

I'm going to assume that the Lords make some random servants do the actual walking for the voting unless explicitly contradicted.

[Liep]

I liked the shade thrown on BoJo by Ken Clarke

[Tamas]

As I understand, the Tories stood aside to allow an amendment to the "no no-deal" bill, that requires a return of May's deal to the Commons during the extra delay period after October, that we may have.


In other news, it is incredible that Johnson is so shit, that I find myself occasionally contemplating that just maybe, it would be ok to give Corbyn a chance in No. 10 to rid us of him and his ilk. Then of course I quickly come to my senses, but I never thought I would ever come even this close to wavering.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Sir Patrick Stewart for PM!

[crazy canuck]

So they went with a variant on the smart play after all.  There is still hope. 

[Malthus]

I admit I haven't a clue what is happening in the UK concerning Brexit and politics generally. 

I suspect the same may be true for many UK politicians. 

[chipwich]

Who was the French president who believed that the reason the UK and US had delusional politics was that they had never been occupied by a foreign power?

[dps]

Who was the French president who believed that the reason the UK and US had delusional politics was that they had never been occupied by a foreign power?

What, then, is France's excuse?

[Valmy]

Who was the French president who believed that the reason the UK and US had delusional politics was that they had never been occupied by a foreign power?

What, then, is France's excuse?

They're bluffing.

[Josquius]

Read something interesting in the free paper today. Hoping it's true. Apparently we have seen record numbers of people registering to vote in the past week.... Half of which are under 35.

[Admiral Yi]

What, then, is France's excuse?

zing

[Grey Fox]

I gotta say, I wavered this past few months but it seems that my prediction that Brexit will not come to actually happen is coming back !