Theresa May might bring her Meaningful Vote back to the House of Commons for a third time on Tuesday. She will only do so if she thinks it’s going to pass – one barometer of this will be what the DUP intends to do. To that end, May met with them this weekend to discuss how they might be persuaded that voting for the “deal” at the third time of asking is a good idea. Turns out they have two, tiny demands:
- A seat at all negotiations with the EU from now on.
- A promise that Northern Ireland can never, in any circumstances, be treated differently from the rest of the UK
The first one is ridiculous, but I suppose if you were them you might go for it and ask for something similar. Why not ask if Nigel Dodds can be prime minister two days out of the week? The second one is logically impossible, since the only way to really promise this is to say that if Northern Ireland gets caught in a customs union, then all of the UK will. I don’t know, this doesn’t sounds like a winner in terms of getting the ERG on board to me. What does this mean then? Will there be a vote on Tuesday? Flip a coin.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition’s office has said that there will be a three-line whip to support the Kyle/Wilson amendment. This is the one that attaches a referendum to May’s deal. Okay, fine, but get this: if the amendment passes the House, Labour will still three-line whip MPs to vote against the deal, even with the amendment. Despite all the mad things we have witnessed in the House over the past few months, this may very possibly take the cake.
If the Kyle/Wilson amendment passes, we are then presented with an even juicier question: what does May do next? Will she whip her MPs to vote down her own deal now that it has a referendum attached to it? You laugh, but something similar happened on the no deal vote last week, so the recent past suggests it is possible.
Then again, the amendment might not pass. And, it may never be relevant anyhow as there is no further meaningful vote, because Theresa May wouldn’t let Arlene Foster live in Number 10 or something. There could be no House of Commons if we cease to believe in it. Maybe everything in reality is an illusion and we are all floating heads in jars.
I went to university 1981 -1984 Essex university
With john bercow
Prof Anthony king
Prof ivor Crewe
They did a great job
John bercow is the messiah
All together now: ‘He’s not the messiah, he’s…’
I feel your pain
Actually I’m quite glad he has made it harder for a vote on May’s deal, I was worried it might pass this time if the DUP weakened in their commitment to keeping her honest.
I’m just not sure how definitely-not-Bashful thinks this furthers his goal of overturning the referendum (because clearly he’s not done it because he respects precedent or the duties of his rôle).
If saint bercow s actions leads to
UK intact
Very soft brexit that saves the economy
Destroys the nasty party like the corn laws for a generation
God bless parliament
That’s take back control
I think you’re making the fundamental mistake a lot of hardline Remainers do of mistaking process for result.
Taking back control is about making sure we have a proper sovereign democratic process. It doesn’t matter what the result is, only that the proper process is followed to get there and that if, say, we have a referendum, then the result of that is honoured, whatever it may be (if the result had been Remain I, and I think most Leavers, would have accepted that, and concentrated on making sure that there was no further integration rather than keeping trying to withdraw).
Whereas Remainers are all about getting what they see as the correct result and so are willing to pursue any means for that: court cases, applications for judicial review that even the judge throws out as an attempt to do ‘politics by another means’, and now blatant abuse of process by the Speaker that will do permanent damage to that office (never again can a Speaker be regarded as above politics, there will always be the question of whether they are, like Bercow, attempting to influence the outcome of the game they are supposed to be refereeing).
It’s similar to those in the USA who, fi they can’t get the public to vote for the laws they want, instead try to use judicial activism to get the supreme court to rule the way they want.
It’s massively damaging, but they don’t care: it’s all about the result, and trash the process to get there if necessary.
Whereas what we should do is follow the proper process and then accept whatever result comes out the other end, even if it’s not the result that you personally would have preferred.
M
Completely agree.
And this is sort of behaviour is becoming an absolute menace to the operation of a popularly accountable democratic process: “applications for judicial review that even the judge throws out as an attempt to do ‘politics by another means’ “.
For the avoidance of doubt: the menace is running to the courts every five minutes to do ‘politics by another means’. The judge’s response was spot on.
My such verbosity
Your little england dream of democracy is dying along with the age group who voted for it
By the way I am 57
Democracy is dying? Well, I know the EU would like that, but I think your obituary is premature.
(What does your age have to do with it? I have yet to reach 40.)
People v parliament
Democracy is dying
You sound like robespierre
Haha viva rev
I can no longer make any sense of this.
At last you got it dear boy
Brexit summed up
Goodnight
Just seen may statement
Truly believe she is insane
The B a s e s t excuse for a commanding officer is
I didn’t think it would happen
Seneca
Cameron and May
One arrogant the other unfit for high office should have stayed in the council