The Brexit Thread

[Nefertiti2]

130 of the 200 were on Govt payroll

[Tubby Isaacs]

Its not very impressive. Major beat Redwood by 218-89.

[ursus arctos]

So, they lost one vote from the leadership ballot, which she won with 199.

What a bunch of putzes.

[San Bernardhinault]

So 200 MPs support her, and 450 don't...

[Lucy Waterman]

The payroll vote doesn't have to happen. One of the reasons Thatcher resigned is because those on the payroll were no longer willing to support her.

[Lucy Waterman]

So 200 MPs support her, and 450 don't...

But on that basis, it's impossible to think of anyone right now who would command the support of more than 200 MPs. Michael Gove, perhaps?

[Diable Rouge]

So 200 MPs support her, and 450 don't...

If the Withdrawal Agreement is dead, will she revoke Article 50 and try to restart the clock?

[Lucy Waterman]

Corbyn's statement continues the line of this being a sideshow, rather than attacking May's weakened position. Again, to prevent the rejoinder that she topped his own result fivefold.

[WOM]

And frankly, who the fuck would want the job of driving their country straight into a concrete railway abutment in less than 90 days. You're either going to fuck up with a bad Brexit deal, fuck up by holding a re-vote, or hang the yoke of failure around your neck if you walk it back and abandon Brexit altogether. Where lies the glory but to say "I did the best bad job possible" ?

[Lucy Waterman]

If the Withdrawal Agreement is dead, will she revoke Article 50 and try to restart the clock?

I still think she will push the vote back as far as she can until there is no option for Labour other than to support it (well, there are other options, but they seem unthinkable for the current Labour leadership).

[Satchmo Distel]

Revoking and restarting would be against the spirit of Article 50 and open to legal challenge.

[Tubby Isaacs]

130 of the 200 were on Govt payroll

They're working on kicking 50 backbenchers out.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Revoking and restarting would be against the spirit of Article 50 and open to legal challenge.

I can't see that standing, even if it's legal. If the public "want us to get on with it".

[Lucy Waterman]

I can't see where the votes for it come from.

[Nefertiti2]

To get one more vote than her election she had to let alleged rapists back in the party.

I don't think that Corbyn cares about reminding people of his own vote, Lucy. I think he is trying to make the case that Tory infighting irrelevant to most people in the Uk has wasted two years.

[SouthdownRebel]

For someone apparently so busy, Jacob Rees Smog has a lot of time free to be interviewed by the BBC.

[Nefertiti2]

The BBC is bossing it

(from a former Newsnight co-editor)

https://twitter.com/jessbrammar/status/1072966552360759297

[Lucy Waterman]

To get one more vote than her election she had to let alleged rapists back in the party.

I don't think that Corbyn cares about reminding people of his own vote, Lucy. I think he is trying to make the case that Tory infighting irrelevant to most people in the Uk has wasted two years.

She has lost the confidence of over a third of her party. Any other leader of the opposition would be destroying her over it.

[SouthdownRebel]

May quite heavily emphasized "other issues that people care about" in her statement, which I found interesting.

[Lucy Waterman]

I know that theoretically politics was once about stuff other than the Northern Irish backstop, but it does seem a long time ago.

[SouthdownRebel]

Today's vote was almost entirely due to the backstop issue.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I know that theoretically politics was once about stuff other than the Northern Irish backstop, but it does seem a long time ago.

It's reassuringly retro at the same time.

"HI, my name is Mark Owen, and this is I Love 1995".

[Lucy Waterman]

You're not going to believe this, but there used to be something called education policy.

[SouthdownRebel]

This was the exact quote:

But, while delivering Brexit is important, we also need to focus on the other issues that people feel are vital to them, that matter to them to day to day – the issues that we came into politics to deal with. Building a stronger economy, delivering first class public services, building the homes that families need. We owe it to the people who put us here to put their priorities first.

Another cabinet member just said something similar on BBC news, and the Guardian live feed points out it mirrors Corbyn's language of recent days. I just wonder if it reflects a slight shift in rhetoric.

[Tubby Isaacs]

They come out with stuff like that sometimes, get generous "tanks on Labour's lawn" headlines and forget about them.