Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Richard Hakluyt]

Gove has massive Tory support then?

How curious.

[Tamas]

How is Boris refusal to take responsibility seen in Britain?

He was hemorrhaging support among MPs. I never thought he'd win but as of this morning I doubted he'd even be one of the final two. And unlike Corbyn he realises he needs a parliamentary base.

Query is whether he can leverage his backing into a senior job...

I'd like to mention, without trying to compare any of these petty mofos to the characters of that era, that it was a good idea from me to start reading the first volume of that huge Churchill biography.

Getting an insight on British politics, especially people steering their political careers, is very interesting in these times.

[Sheilbh]

The Tories really are other level at this stuff. Give endorsed Boris and was Chancellor in waiting, until the morning of the announcement when he declared that he'd be running and, for good measure, took Boris's campaign chair and several other supporters with him

[Crazy_Ivan80]

How is Boris refusal to take responsibility seen in Britain?

He was hemorrhaging support among MPs. I never thought he'd win but as of this morning I doubted he'd even be one of the final two. And unlike Corbyn he realises he needs a parliamentary base.

Query is whether he can leverage his backing into a senior job...

in the past he could have been put into the EU-parliament or somesuch. Seems Leave took away that particular chance to work abroad from him

[Crazy_Ivan80]

The Tories really are other level at this stuff. Give endorsed Boris and was Chancellor in waiting, until the morning of the announcement when he declared that he'd be running and, for good measure, took Boris's campaign chair and several other supporters with him

shops selling long knives must be making a killing...

[Sheilbh]

I meant in the cabinet, not a Euro-sinecure. But we do have a vacancy in the Commission

Edit: And yeah the Tories were talking about a stop Boris campaign. It couldn't have been more ruthless.

[garbon]

Wow, did not see that coming. Hopefully not Gove though.

[Sheilbh]

Oh and at the anti-semitism event a female, Jewish Labour MP was abused by a Momentum guy in the crowd. She ended up leaving the event in tears.

[Agelastus]

How is Boris refusal to take responsibility seen in Britain?

He was hemorrhaging support among MPs. I never thought he'd win but as of this morning I doubted he'd even be one of the final two. And unlike Corbyn he realises he needs a parliamentary base.

Query is whether he can leverage his backing into a senior job...

Yep, I don't think he bottled - I think he realised the numbers didn't stack up in parliament so that he wouldn't have the chance to appeal to the party base where he could possibly pull off a win.

I think May's a shoe in now from the MPs; I think she'll get the Party base as well with Boris not running. Gove won't have the support he'll need among the base and the other candidates are not particularly impressive.

[Legbiter]

Gove has massive Tory support then?

How curious.

Gove's obviously a capable chap. And he campaigned for Brexit so who better to take Britain out. 

[mongers]

The bbc political correspondent, just said the event within the conservative party are like Macbeth, East Enders and House of Cards all rolled in together. 

[Richard Hakluyt]

+ a bit of Monty Python's flying Circus 

[CountDeMoney]

Oh and at the anti-semitism event a female, Jewish Labour MP was abused by a Momentum guy in the crowd. She ended up leaving the event in tears.

You fucking people.   Shit never changes.



And now Boris isn't taking the gig? NOW AVAILABLE ON EBAY.UK....THE UK

[Agelastus]

The bbc political correspondent, just said the event within the conservative party are like Macbeth, East Enders and House of Cards all rolled in together. 

How does he describe the Labour situation?

[garbon]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/30/brexit-live-theresa-may-and-boris-johnson-set-to-announce-leadership-bids

Discussions on transitional arrangements for an independent Scotland to remain in the European Union (EU) after the UK leaves are taking place in Brussels, a former senior adviser to the European Commission (EC) has disclosed.

As the Press Association reports, Dr Kirsty Hughes told MSPs discussions are taking place about putting Scotland in a "transitional holding pen" after Brexit to avoid "an absurd out and then in process".

She urged MSPs to hold a second independence referendum by summer 2017 at the latest, if it is judged to be in the best interests of Scotland, to allow the EU to start work on these transitional arrangements.

However, she warned the EU "does not want a mini-UK" and said Scotland is unlikely to keep the UK's "awkward squad" opt-outs of the euro, justice and home affairs and the UK budget rebate.

Hughes, now an associate fellow of the Friends of Europe, told Holyrood's European and External Relations Committee:

I talk to people in Brussels, off the record, who are talking about Scotland being in some sort of transitional holding pen.

It wouldn't have a seat in the council of ministers until ratification of the treaties, but it wouldn't have to go through an absurd out and then in process.

I go through all that for now because I think there is a timing issue.

If Scotland waits until nearly the end of the two years to say, 'This isn't okay and now we're having an independence referendum', you might not have had that and had time to have the negotiations with the rest of the UK on dissolving the union before the whole of the UK has left.

So, it's obviously a very big political judgement about whether and when to call an independence referendum.

If it was only a question of logic, you would call it as soon as possible in my view.

You would call it, anyway, let's say, by next summer because then you would have actually had the dissolution talks - if it was successful - with the UK before the UK left.

That would make it much easier for the EU to get into some of these transitional holding pen arrangements than otherwise.