I remember around the time of the Brexit vote they did one of those man-in-the-street interviews in Hartlepool - a grim northern shithole, for the non-English amongst us, (tellingly the man-in-the-street always seems to be a man who's in the street in the middle of the day instead of at a fucking job) and this half-wit was going on about how leaving the EU would mean they'd "re-open the hospital, send all the foreigners home and re-open all the factories".

These are the idiots that voted for this shitshow, and it was lying bastards like Boris whotold them all this crap. Without a doubt it will be the poor that suffer the most because everything is going to get more expensive and slightly more crap.

This evening was amazing

A three line whip, ministers abstain and no consequences

No deal is off

May is maintaining her deal is only option

Will ERG and DUP cave in? I think not

A total banana republic

Amid all the fuss, I cannot but compare the England of today (UK, Britain), with the England of the past. In the past England dang near ran the world, fought wars on several continents and stared down China successfully. Today, England cannot even decide to separate its connection to a Europe that is imploding with debt, uncontrolled immigration and plainly anti-England governments.

I don't have a dog in the hunt as I am from one of the former colonies and don't get a vote in the mess in England, but it is a sign of how far the empire has fallen.

This (the fall of the UK) is all true, and is discomforting to read.

But it is the way of all empires and superpowers. They wax, and then they wane. Nothing lasts forever.

No deal could still happen if the Europeans refuse an extension, though I would expect one to be granted. They probably won't want it extended past the EU elections in the summer though, so we'll probably have a couple more months of chaotic horsetrading and be right back to where we are today.

I don't believe for a second they'd not offer it if there is the faintest chance of a deal later

I think we need to be careful about the quote / unquote loss of power

G7, huge economy, NATO, security council

The UK is a total fucking basket case at this moment and all sorts of things are paying the price but the economy is in better shape than the continent, especially germany

We still have large sappiential power, influence, military that counts in global terms

We are a banana Republic but I'm vaguely optimistic that in five years we will all have moved on

I'm not disagreeing because I'm not an expert, but what makes you say that the UK's economy in better shape than Germany's?

and 12 hours later...the DUP are caving

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"Are you sure we're going fast enough?" - Emil Zatopek

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47236841

Germany missed recession by 0.2%

Uk has weirdly, albeit slowly expanded

Appreciate its dancing on the head of a pin, but Germany has slowed, has structural issues, automotive issues.......

Both are not good, but it appears Germany has slowed more

So is the following a fair assessment? GB and the US are both banana republics, Boris and Donald are birds of a feather, and the master puppeteer is the one and only Vlad Putin as the alleged manipulator of the 2016 votes.

Or should I extract my head from my ass?

Ah, thanks. Like I said, I'm not an expert, so it's difficult for me to appreciate the relative importance of different metrics. The reason I was surprised was because it seems that Germany is doing pretty well at the moment in terms of GDP per capita, budget surplus, unemployment etc.

Flat earthers

Boris is a cunt. Putin has nothing to do with boris. Boris weighed up the quickest way to number 10, almost certainly between shagging his most recent wife or gf.

He misjudged it every step of the way but he's unlikely to see the light when his very existence politically is now entirely dependent on not seeing it

If only Teressa had listened to Donald

Meanwhile US President Donald Trump has chimed in on the ongoing Brexit chaos, saying Mrs May had not listened to his advice on Brexit negotiations.


"I'm surprised at how badly it's all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation," he said during a meeting with Irish leader Leo Varadker at the White House.


"But I gave the Prime Minister my ideas on how to negotiate it, and I think you would've been successful.


"She didn't listen to that, and that's fine, but I think it could have been negotiated in a different manner."

I need to dig this out because as of yesterday I am finally completely confused.

1. May had two votes about the final exit-agreement, both failed
2. an attempted third vote did not and (according to the speaker of the house) cannot be held
3. the EU yesterday granted an extension of the exit-date until 22nd of may, but only under the condition that the current exit-agreement needs to pass the house by april 12th

2. und 3. seem to contradict each other. How can the current agreement be signed (or at least be ratified) if it cannot pass the house (no third vote)? How can a hard Brexit thus be avoided? And if it cannot be avoided, why not stick to 29rd of march?

Is this only a blame-game or what am I missing here?

2 is not true

Will almost certainly be held Monday. When it fails a statutory instrument will be put to house and waived through changing Brexit date

On Tues or wed if Benn Boles amendment accepted, all business of house will be subjugated to series of indicative votes on alternative options to mays deal

3 is not true. In event mays deal fails but house passes by a majority another option under indicative votes, eu can agree extension including taki g part in eu elections on May 23rd

Obviously if may fails and nothing passes we go out on may 7th

Im guessing may fails. Common Market / Norway passes. May resigns. May has to ask for extension at euco meeting on May 10th. Extension till end of year. And the shit show continues but we don't leave. Still have freedom of movement. Keep our fishinf which we will negotiate away. Lose our rebate. Join achengen and it will be hysterical

Edit to add. EUco. Played a blinder. If no deal occurs its entirely May's fault. She wanted them to not extend last night so she could say her deal or no deal because they're intransigent but they fucked her. They extended. Gave options for proceedings with her deal. No deal or other deal. It's all on her now

So the lesson learned is "Be careful what you wish for"?

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Or - it turns out unicorns do not exist

Honest question. How can it be all on May? I thought she was initially remaining in the EU.

or is the "all on her" referring to how she dealt with the actual leaving.

How long have you got?

Cameron made a referendum part of the tory manifesto never expecting to win

They won

He called it

Leave won

He resigned triggering tory leadership contest

After they'd all eaten each other May was left standing

May declared Brexit meant Brexit and all polling indicated she'd crush in a election so after a year of saying no election, she dissolved parliament, called an election and lost a majority to Che guevera and had to get in to bed with the homophobic flat earthers from NI

She had at that point triggered article 50. Set down her red lines which she would not deviate from and went a negotiated a deal with zero input from her cabinet or parliament

She announced it in Dec and surprisingly everyone thought it was shit for different reasons and she suffered the largest defeat in history in spite of giving DUP 1bn

She brought it back and suffered fourth largest defeat

Speaker said enough of this shit. Can't keep bringing same deal back. Of to Brussels she goes. Gets nothing

She then announced on Wednesday night mp's were enemies of the people

Thursday she asked them to vote for her deal

It so be voted on now on Monday. Given what Brussels have done. No one on either side now has any incentive to vote for it. In fact there is a chance she might lose worse than the first time

It would be an awesome legacy to have 1, 2 and 5 of the biggest losses in parliamentary history

See earlier post for next steps but this is absolutely her own fault and her parties for not fucking her off in December when they had the chance but didn't because no one wants to own it now

So what you are saying is May is responsible for her handling things after the actual brexit vote?

Entirely. She owns all of it. Everything

As shit as the opposition are, they are just that, opposition and have no obligation to support her when 75 of her own party continue to vote against her governments policy

Well, I still don´t really get the May blameing.

Cameron, Farage, Johnson, etc all stepped back/aside and fantasize about Lala-Land completely ignoring reality. Granted, they are populists, so what else to expect. However almost all other politicians seem to see it their primary duty to critisize May without coming up with actionable alternatives themselves.

Wasn´t there even a Brexit-Minister who recently resigned under protest? I don´t even recall his name, but wouldn´t it be his job to negotiate with Brussels (and the house, MOPs, whoever) to get a working arrangement? I have a hard time to imagine that I send my boss to do my job and when he returns tell him "you fucked up!"

Would it not be a responsibility of politicians to get a graps of reality and accept that the EU can not and will not change the current agreement?

It's really easy

The tories failed to win a majority

They - under May as their leader - entered in to a confidence and supply agreement with DUP to govern

May with zero consultation set off down a path completely at odds with her core members. Negotiated a deal at odds with her members. Then asked them to vote on it and lost.

May never let her ministers negotiate. She never let her cabinet determine policy. She is reaping what she sowed

She is the leader. She negotiated the deal. She is responsible for the cluster fuxk

Boris et All, in this very specific instance are not