The Brexit Thread

[Benjm]

Eh? Henry VIII may have told the Bishop of Rome to do one for political reasons, but he remained a Catholic, even if there was a slide away from the mysticism.

He may have remained a Catholic in his own mind but he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. It's a hierarchical organisation with the power to expel members, not a vibes thing.

The mothership may be diplomatic in its public positioning, but it doesn't regard the CofE as an equal custodian of the Catholic tradition, whatever the bells and smells end of the Anglican market might tell themselves.

[Nefertiti2]

here's the deal

1. A joint interpretative instrument – a legal add-on to the withdrawal agreement. It will give legal force to a letter from Juncker and Donald Tusk, the presidents of the commission and council, given to May in January which stated the EU’s intention to negotiate an alternative to the backstop so it would not be triggered or get out of it as swiftly as possible, if it was.
2. A unilateral statement from the UK. That is likely to seek to explain the British position that, if the backstop was to become permanent and talks were going nowhere on an alternative, the UK would seek to exit the arrangement.
3. Additional language in the political declaration to emphasise the urgency on both sides to negotiate an alternative to the backstop, and flesh out what a technological fix would look like. It is hoped this will be enough to persuade the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox,to change his initial legal advice that the backstop could be in place indefinitely.

The problem: Very, very little of this is significantly new. The most substantive element is the joint interpretative instrument. But it falls well short of Cox’s demands over the last week for what amounted to a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop.

[Nefertiti2]

Lidington: Two docs - provides confirm that EU cannot try to trap UK staying in backstop indefinitely and UK lock on any new EU laws being added to the backstop

[Benjm]

Robert Peston doesn't rate its chances of satisfying the ERG headbangers.

Fear of not being able to drive the process from the back seat if it slips away from May must be a more powerful incentive for them to support the deal rather than any tinkering at this stage, surely?

[ursus arctos]

Give the Tories credit; they are spinning this hard.

Both the Telegraph and the Guardian have gone with "legally binding".

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/carolinepennock/status/1105234433190301697

[Lang Spoon]

This is the terror of rolling news- the fucking Viner Grauniad reporting Govt spin in quote marks as headline as if that makes it ok.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

May looks like she's found a tenner in her inside pocket and then realised it's one of the old ones.

[Lang Spoon]

Can't link twitter cos I'm an eejit- but Tony Connelly of rte shows how optimistic UK spin is on this micro concession.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Junker letter concludes by saying if we're not out before the European Parliament elections we're legally bound to take part in them.

[Lang Spoon]

If the DUP swallow this maybes eyebrows Arlene survives as leader despite her cash fer ash difficulties. Difficult to see how Full Force Orange Bastards and conduits for dirty Scottish Tory/Russian/Arron Banks money like Dodds and Wilson can save face but.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Rees-Mogg on Newsnight being his usual cunty fucking cunt self.

Juncker is playing hardball now, telling the UK that any extension can't go beyond 23 May, unless the UK participates in parliamentary elections. Meanwhile Maybot is pissing in the wind with "legally binding" changes which add up to the sum total of fuck all.

[San Bernardhinault]

This is proper emperor's new clothes stuff, isn't it?

As far as I can tell, there's a "legally binding" statement that Britain and the EU are going to negotiate their future trading relationship which is the "alternative to the backstop". Which is what the next two years were all along.

And the EU not agreeing to the UK statement that the UK would try and leave the backstop agreement.

[Lang Spoon]

Junker letter concludes by saying if we're not out before the European Parliament elections we're legally bound to take part in them.

Look forward to that, would be fuckin hilarious

[Lang Spoon]

Rees-Mogg on Newsnight being his usual cunty fucking cunt self.

Is that Morph/Tommy from Rugrats looking presenter Cunt from Dragons Den/the Serious New Romantic haircut lady presenter actually doing anything to challenge the ERG narrative v reality?

[Toby Gymshorts]

What do you think?

[Lang Spoon]

Times like this i wish I still smoked the green

[Nefertiti2]

https://twitter.com/SpiegelPeter/status/1105240789012099072

[Toby Gymshorts]

Maitlis on Newsnight has just mentioned the "Canada Plus" deal.

THERE IS NO SUCH FUCKING THING AS CANADA PLUS. WHY IS THIS STILL A THING?

[Nefertiti2]

https://twitter.com/KevDoyle_Indo/status/1105235128689807362

[Nocturnal Submission]

Is that Morph/Tommy from Rugrats looking presenter Cunt from Dragons Den/the Serious New Romantic haircut lady presenter actually doing anything to challenge the ERG narrative v reality?

Evan Davies hasn't presented Newsnight for months now and Emily Maitlis is about as big a Remainer as you're likely to find. The ERG doesn't get an easy ride.

[Nefertiti2]

Maitlis on Newsnight has just mentioned the "Canada Plus" deal.

THERE IS NO SUCH FUCKING THING AS CANADA PLUS. WHY IS THIS STILL A THING?

because the BBC are in the pockets of the Conservative party. Next...

[Toby Gymshorts]

The ERG doesn't get an easy ride.

<hollow laugh>

[ursus arctos]

There is something to be said for them having continued with the fundamental misrepresentations of material facts all the way through the process.

[Toby Gymshorts]

That something being "criminal".