FlyTheNest

Morning all.

Deranged brainy Gerrard commits Labour to a no confidence vote (5,8).

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Deranged brainy Gerrard commits Labour to a no confidence vote (5,8).

There can't possibly be many capable of committing Labour to a no confidence vote. Or do I have that wrong? I've tried figuring it out. I'm embarrassed admitting I can't. I've looked at the news and still can't. I've stopped drinking tea and coffee. I think I'm trying to use that as an excuse. It's not working. I know that.

Good-morning, everyone

@JA

Yes I'm sure you are right. Gardiner can't commit Labour to anything.

Indeed someone Tweeted that Labour's position on no confidence had not changed. That is they'll wait until the time is right.

TBF depending on what they know behind the scenes, those two positions may not be incompatible. They may already have decided that the time is right after the Meaningful Vote. But the impression that the vote is certain to fall could help May.

Thank you!
Is there chocolate?

Labour Whips
@labourwhips

Significant Amdt to the business of the House motion from Grieve & x-party group which in the event of the deal being defeated on 15 Jan would ensure that the PM has to come back for a further meaningful vote within 3 sitting days, rather than the 21+7 sitting days under S.13

I don't know if Bercow has allowed a vote. It's strange because it was said (can't remember by whom) that amendments to this motion were not possible!

Mr Ethical
@nw_nicholas

Surely it would be cheaper to build a wall around Trump.

Kevin Schofield
‏@PolhomeEditor

BREAKING: John Bercow has selected the Grieve amendment. Prepare for fireworks

Steven Swinford
‏@Steven_Swinford

We are now in full-fledged constitutional crisis territory.

Bercow has accepted the Grieve amendment which *his own clerks* say is against the standing orders of the House.

This is going to be carnage.

Jo Maugham QC
‏
Verified account

@JolyonMaugham
Follow Follow @JolyonMaugham
More
I hate this Government. I hate it for the contempt it has shown for our democratic superstructure: for governance, for the rule of law, and for constitutional norms. But you have to give it this: at least it has a plan. Labour has nothing and is nowhere.

The govt has a plan? What is he on?

https://www.conservativehome.com/thetor ... atter.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Our guide to how the Government can deliver its Brexit deal in Parliament. Or No Deal. And whether MPs can block the latter."
Conclusion is:

The only real way to force a change of course on Brexit is to replace the Government with another one prepared to rule out No Deal. The parliamentary arithmetic suggests that this is unlikely, not least because Jeremy Corbyn continues to keep Labour’s position vague and oppositional. Even were that to change, there are probably less than a handful of Conservative MPs prepared to countenance installing him in Downing Street, even for the sake of blocking ‘no deal’.

Absent that alternative, all the rebels can do is heap pressure on the Prime Minister and hope she buckles. There is no procedural trick that can force her hand.

One of the comments points out article has ignored possibility of no confidence vote leading to short term cross party coalition.

gilsey wrote:

Jo Maugham QC
‏
Verified account

@JolyonMaugham
Follow Follow @JolyonMaugham
More
I hate this Government. I hate it for the contempt it has shown for our democratic superstructure: for governance, for the rule of law, and for constitutional norms. But you have to give it this: at least it has a plan. Labour has nothing and is nowhere.

The govt has a plan? What is he on?

Amongst other things, he is "on" the board of a Tory-leaning thinktank!

I know.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Steven Swinford
‏@Steven_Swinford

We are now in full-fledged constitutional crisis territory.

Bercow has accepted the Grieve amendment which *his own clerks* say is against the standing orders of the House.

This is going to be carnage.

Hmmm, so says a senior Barclaygraph "journalist".

Government refuses to pay £65 fee for EU citizens in civil service
Ministers say civil service staff from EU countries must pay to register their right to remain in UK
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... il-service" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I thought the last noise I heard out of government regarding non-UK EU citizens resident in the UK was that they weren't going to be charged for the right to remain in the UK at all. Does anyone else recollect that or have I got that wrong?

Government has no idea how many non-UK EU citizens are employed in the civil service, according to the article.

Rob Merrick

@Rob_Merrick
Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris says number of bits of secondary legislation to be passed before March 29 now “below 600”

So, only about 13 EVERY sitting day

Somebody please make it stop.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... t-concerns" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Government has no idea" in general.

Re.TV license for over 75's ,consultation ends 12th February

https://www.bbc.com/yoursay" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/342 ... d=1unr39mb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gripping, if absurd, stuff in the House.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/support_ ... ialHousing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This might be worth saving for future reference: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, Rachel Riley might be being sued.

https://mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2019/0 ... d.html?m=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

refitman wrote:This might be worth saving for future reference: " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, Rachel Riley might be being sued.

Yes it's very good.

Crispin Blunt accuses Bercow of failing to be impartial.

HindleA wrote:https://mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2019/0 ... d.html?m=1

One of the reasons why people take the referendum result seriously - despite all the well known shortcomings - is that it had the highest turnout of any UK-wide election since the 1992 GE. Its not so easy to for many just toss that aside, even if you voted for remain.

Grieve amendment passes.

So, May has 3 days to bring back a Plan B.

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
One of the reasons why people take the referendum result seriously - despite all the well known shortcomings - is that it had the highest turnout of any UK-wide election since the 1992 GE. Its not so easy to for many just toss that aside, even if you voted for remain.

Neatly demonstrating how comprehensively f***** our democracy is, if we can't routinely get anywhere near three quarters of the adult population to vote in a general election.

Have they agreed whether this is a new debate or a continuation of the old debate yet? If it's not a new one then people who spoke last time can't speak again...

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Grieve amendment passes.

So, May has 3 days to bring back a Plan B.

If she hadn't been so transparent about her intent to simply run the clock down if her deal was rejected, maybe this might never have happened?

"Votes for lawnmowing tortoises"

"Tarquin for PM"

gilsey wrote:

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
One of the reasons why people take the referendum result seriously - despite all the well known shortcomings - is that it had the highest turnout of any UK-wide election since the 1992 GE. Its not so easy to for many just toss that aside, even if you voted for remain.

Neatly demonstrating how comprehensively f***** our democracy is, if we can't routinely get anywhere near three quarters of the adult population to vote in a general election.

A very fair point, though turnout has been on an upward trend in recent GEs and I expect that to continue next time.

Hopefully the rather obvious attempt to deny will backfire

gilsey wrote:

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
One of the reasons why people take the referendum result seriously - despite all the well known shortcomings - is that it had the highest turnout of any UK-wide election since the 1992 GE. Its not so easy to for many just toss that aside, even if you voted for remain.

Neatly demonstrating how comprehensively f***** our democracy is, if we can't routinely get anywhere near three quarters of the adult population to vote in a general election.

The 2016 EU referendum 72.2% voter turnout
The 2017 GE turnout 68.7%
Who got to vote in the EU referendum? Who got to vote in the GE? Mickey mousing around with peoples' voting rights can undermine democratic legitimacy though restricting voting privileges for different electoral exercises isn't always wrong. The 2016 EU referendum electorate composition is confusing. Cameron declined honouring a manifesto commitment reinstating the voting rights to UK citizens living abroad for 15+ years, for example.

HindleA wrote:Hopefully the rather obvious attempt to deny will backfire

Agreed

https://www.inquest.org.uk/amy-el-keria-priory-guilty" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bit of an eventful day for things to go so quiet?

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Bit of an eventful day for things to go so quiet?

Well, it takes it out of you . . .

'A lot of people are angry': Bristol West locals say Labour not listening over Brexit




Bristol West has become, in two short elections, one of Labour’s safest seats. Held by the LibDems until 2015, its student-heavy population turned decisively to Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour in 2017, a year after registering the highest anti-Brexit vote for any seat outside London.

Thangam Debbonaire represents the constituency with an extraordinary 37,336 majority. Yet, the MP believes her margin could “just as easily disappear”, arguing she had a votes windfall in 2017 from people impressed by Corbyn, students angry about fees, sheer hostility to the Conservatives, and, of course, Brexit.

The question is whether that coalition of voters is fracturing amid Labour’s reluctance to articulate a position that is clearly anti-Brexit. (Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ver-brexit

Sky TV News is reporting that nine different consultancy firms have raked in £75m in relation to Brexit. The Cabinet Office won't release details - so we don't know what they are actually being paid to do. The matter is now being referred to the National Audit Office. Which will please Andrea Leadsom who, as was demonstrated today, likes things to be out in the open.

Well, Rachel Riley's just had an absolute car-crash of an interview, with Kris G-M, on Channel 4. Oops

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PorFavor wrote:Sky TV News is reporting that nine different consultancy firms have raked in £75m in relation to Brexit. The Cabinet Office won't release details - so we don't know what they are actually being paid to do. The matter is now being referred to the National Audit Office. Which will please Andrea Leadsom who, as was demonstrated today, likes things to be out in the open.

I'm sure the names won't surprise anyone in the slightest: Deloitte, Accenture, PwC, Bain, McKinsey and Boston Consulting.

Ouch.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

goodnight, everyone
love,
cJA

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ ... b69ae05509" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Delaying Brexit “may well be inevitable now” because of Tory government chaos and parliamentary deadlock, Labour has warned for the first time.

In a major shift, shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said that MPs would move to extend talks with Brussels rather than crash out of the EU without a deal on March 29.

Well an extension would certainly make sense for us but I can't help but wonder how the EU would see it. Personally I'd want to know what would change during that extension. If parliamentary arithmetic were to change via a GE or a new mandate established via another referendum an extension would be part of achieving a solution to the impasse. Or if May was making progress getting the WA and accompanying legislation through Parliament and needed extra time to complete ratification, a short extension would surely be forthcoming. What the EU is less likely to be keen on is an extension in which we simply prolong the indecision.

Calling for an extension is certainly a step up from opposing no deal. It is at least a positive action, but unless parliament can find a majority to agree on what they wish to accomplish during an extension, we're not much further along in some respects.