There are several accepted “truths” about what would happen if there was another referendum on Britain’s EU membership, pumped out by even the most Remainery of journalists and pundits. One, it would be more divisive and bitter than the first. Two, that it would lead to a rising of the far right the likes of […]
In trying to talk both Brexiteers and Remainers into voting for May’s deal, the government has convinced them both to vote against it
This morning’s Guardian page had two headlines directly parallel to each other. One had Jeremy Hunt saying that voting against May’s deal made no deal Brexit more likely; the other said that Hunt claimed the recent votes in the Commons made no Brexit at all happening much more likely. As you may have noticed, a […]
Brexit: The Uncivil War, reviewed
Last night at 9 PM, as almost all of you will know, Channel 4 broadcast a drama based on the events leading up to the EU referendum in June 2016, written by James Graham and starring Benedict Cumberbatch. I’m going to break this review up into two separate pieces: one, reviewing “The Uncivil War” as […]
We are on the verge of a whole new political era, no matter what happens. So why doesn’t it feel like it?
This is a very, very strange time for British politics. The Article 50 period runs out in a mere 81 days. Having thought it through, I don’t see how we’re not on the verge of a new political era, very different even to the one we’ve inherited since June 24th of 2016. Yet it doesn’t […]
Breaking down the “we get to keep the £39 billion in the event on no deal” myth
I want to direct today’s article mostly to Leavers. For the breadth of this piece, I will not suggest that leaving the EU is a good or bad idea, nor even that leaving with no deal is a good or bad idea. Let’s park those arguments for now. What I want to talk about here […]
The final Brexit battle: between no deal and no Brexit, which will win?
The talk this week is of whether “managed no deal” is a real thing (it isn’t, but many are clinging to the idea for political reasons) and wanting the holiday season to come, the latter at least partly because “managed no deal” discussions have worn on everyone’s sanity. I figured May would have come out […]
May wins the no confidence vote – what happens now? The choices for the country narrow
As predicted by most, May won the no confidence vote last night comfortably, 200-117. Rees-Mogg was in there almost instantly trying to paint it as a loss for the prime minister, but it wasn’t. There is some talk about her authority being weakened: it was dealt a massive blow with the 2017 general election result […]
What would really happen if Brexit didn’t happen? Let’s try and focus on what we know
One of the great political truisms of our age is that if Brexit were to not happen there would be “trouble”. I myself have engaged in this thinking, on this very website on occasion – it’s actually a hard assumption not to naturally fall into, if you’re in the Westminster bubble in any way, shape […]
After last night’s historic votes, this is why Brexit now mostly comes down to what Corbyn does
It was quite the evening in the House of Commons last night. Theresa May was stepping up to debate her Brexit deal with the House – meaning, she had to stand in the middle and hear from all sides how bad most MPs think it is, something she’s signed up to do for four more […]
The surrealism of the current Brexit situation – The Attorney General addresses the House
Yesterday evening saw Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General who has become the darling of many a Tory since Conservative party conference due to his ability to give a speech that did not irrevocably suck, at the dispatch box. The reason was that the House of Commons had voted to force the government to make the […]