Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

Looks like Leadsom is overtaking May. Not convinced we need someone who's only government experience is as a junior minister as PM

Meanwhile polls show 80-85% of people support guaranteeing permanent rights of residence for EU migrants already here, including 75-80% of UKIP supporters. It's nice to think that it looks like May is being undone by misreading the mood and being far too anti-immigrant

[garbon]

From the Guardian.

Andrea Leadsom did not come off very well in this evening's Tory leadership hustings, according to freshly filed reports.

The Sun's Harry Cole writes that she "crashed and burned with a rambling performance" and quotes one MP as saying: "She was rambling, ended up talking about the frontal cortex of a baby's brain."

Owen Bennett relays similarly scathing quotes in the Huffpost, quoting a senior cabinet minister as saying: "When you're having to say that you're not Ukip at a hustings to be leader of the Conservative Party, then you are in trouble - it was a car crash."

Members, on the other hand, would seem to beg to differ. A party leader at odds with their parliamentary party but backed by members? Sounds familiar.

[Sheilbh]

Kinnock's ALIVE!

Tom Watson to hold talks with unions in last-ditch bid to prevent Labour civil war
Written by: Kevin Schofield   Posted On: 4th July 2016
Tom Watson will tomorrow hold emergency talks with trade union bosses in a "last throw of the dice" to prevent Labour descending into full-scale civil war.

They will attempt to negotiate a deal which would see Jeremy Corbyn stand down as party leader amid mounting fury among Labour MPs at his refusal to quit.

Deputy leader Mr Watson announced the peace talks at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party in the Commons tonight at which Neil Kinnock warned the party is now "in the abyss".

It is unclear which unions will be represented, but they are likely to include big-money Labour backers Unite, the GMB and Unison. Jeremy Corbyn or his represnetatives will not be involved in the talks.

Mr Watson also revealed that he had told Mr Corbyn he needed to resign at a one-on-one meeting this morning - but that the defiant leader had told him he was going nowhere.

A spokesman for Mr Watson said: "Tom told him that to continue as leader, he needs the authority of the PLP. It's not enough just to have the support of the members. But Jeremy made clear that he wasn't leaving.

"Subsequently, the union leaders have reached out to Tom and have suggested there might be a way forward, so tomorrow morning he will meet with them. Tom told the PLP it was a last throw of the dice, and said he was acutely aware that the window is closing very rapidly, but asked his colleagues to give him time to see if a deal can be done."

More than 60 Labour frontbenchers have quit in the past week in a bid to force Mr Corbyn out, while 172 MPs also backed a motion of no confidence in him.

In a barnstorming speech, former leader Mr Kinnock - who defeated Militant in the 1980s - told tonight's meeting: "There has been a lot of talk about history, well let me say a little bit about history.

"We've been on the edge of the abyss before, but we've never been it in like this.

"There will never be a split. I will never give up on this party - this party is ours."

Only veteran left-winger Dennis Skinner spoke in favour of Mr Corbyn, pointing out the huge support he received from party members when elected leader last September.

But Mr Kinnock - who received a standing ovation from his colleagues - hit back: "You say that Corbyn has got an unprecedented mandate, but let me tell you about my mandate in 1988, when I got 88.6% of the vote and Tony Benn got 11.4%. The people on Tony Benn's side then were Dennis Skinner and Jeremy Corbyn, and they never allowed any talk of unity to stop them doing what they were doing back then."

Veteran MP David Winnick said: "I respect you Dennis, but let me tell you there is no chance that we will be elected with Jeremy as leader."

He also reminded people that Labour was founded to deliver a Parliamentary road to socialism and that clause one of the party's constitution reads: ' Its purpose is to organise and maintain in Parliament and in the country a political Labour Party' and that Corbyn was delivering neither

Sadly he was then attacked by the Momentum lot on Twitter as a Blairite

Edit: Obviously this was at a closed doors meeting. But journalists could hear him in the corridor such was Kinnock's bellow

Of course second time he's had to save his party:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWLN7rIby9s&sns=tw


Going to watch the four part BBC 4 documentary on Labour in the wilderness - on Youtube* 

[alfred russel]

Awesome. It is going to take some work - a Hillary indictment or health crisis followed by Biden stepping in at the convention, among other things - but how great would it be if we end up with Biden as president and Kinnock as PM? 

With you guys being 5 hours ahead, we could get rid of the presidential speech writers and just have Biden repeat whatever Kinnock said that day.

[mongers]

Awesome. It is going to take some work - a Hillary indictment or health crisis followed by Biden stepping in at the convention, among other things - but how great would it be if we end up with Biden as president and Kinnock as PM? 

With you guys being 5 hours ahead, we could get rid of the presidential speech writers and just have Biden repeat whatever Kinnock said that day.

Though Kinnock does have a tendency to wind-baggery, could Biden wear that coat?

[Sheilbh]

Awesome. It is going to take some work - a Hillary indictment or health crisis followed by Biden stepping in at the convention, among other things - but how great would it be if we end up with Biden as president and Kinnock as PM? 

With you guys being 5 hours ahead, we could get rid of the presidential speech writers and just have Biden repeat whatever Kinnock said that day.

Though Kinnock does have a tendency to wind-baggery, could Biden wear that coat?

'You say wind-baggery. Let me tell you about wind-baggery....'

[alfred russel]

Awesome. It is going to take some work - a Hillary indictment or health crisis followed by Biden stepping in at the convention, among other things - but how great would it be if we end up with Biden as president and Kinnock as PM? 

With you guys being 5 hours ahead, we could get rid of the presidential speech writers and just have Biden repeat whatever Kinnock said that day.

Though Kinnock does have a tendency to wind-baggery, could Biden wear that coat?

Oh I have zero doubt about that.

[Josquius]

Shame politics is politics and fptp is so shit. Would be nice to have an amicable split of labour. Let Corbyn and Co do their thing in the devout labour heart lands and set the centrists free to fight the tories elsewhere.
I mean hey. Worked for the tories.

[grumbler]

Awesome. It is going to take some work - a Hillary indictment or health crisis followed by Biden stepping in at the convention, among other things - but how great would it be if we end up with Biden as president and Kinnock as PM? 

With you guys being 5 hours ahead, we could get rid of the presidential speech writers and just have Biden repeat whatever Kinnock said that day.

Think of the savings!

Plus, imagine how close the Special Relationship would be if both leaders came from pithead villages in Wales!

[Zoupa]

So Farage has resigned...

But not from his European seat. What a steaming pile of shit this man is.

[Richard Hakluyt]

One trembles in fear as Kinnock says "Let me just say a few words................"

[Josquius]

The pound has dropped quite dramatically today.
Any idea why?

[Tamas]

The pound has dropped quite dramatically today.
Any idea why?

All I know is EU saying Brits won't be invoking Article 50 until September 2017

[jimmy olsen]

The pound has dropped quite dramatically today.
Any idea why?

This maybe?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/04/standard-life-shuts-property-fund-post-brexit-withdrawals

[Tamas]

The pound has dropped quite dramatically today.
Any idea why?

This maybe?

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/04/standard-life-shuts-property-fund-post-brexit-withdrawals

As long as the shape of bananas is not regulated by some unelected officials in Brussels, it all will have worth it!