Rolling Brexit Links/UK politics in the neo-Weimar era

Don't know, haven't seen any figures on that.

I can imagine a lot of 'young people' who hadn't voted in the GE voted to stay in.

Nigel Farage @Nigel_Farage

If Parliament makes an attempt to stop Brexit, the very gentle English will revolt in the most extraordinary way.

the replies to this are pretty much what you would expect

https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/824289997326909441

and the welsh, scots and norn irish, what will they do nigel

Need a Gentle England thread.

(xp) I imagine the Welsh will do whatever they're told to do.

So building new social housing is pretty much the only solution to the problem and no one is proposing it.

Some of the councils are, at least. Southwark has been banging on about it for ages

From what I follow Lab councils may want more housing built but they are in a battle to clear out estates, redevelop and kick out current residents. No wonder there is a % of people who don't care for voting - if you are screwed what does it matter?

As I understand it we are getting a Brexit white paper now? The amendments to a Brexit bill are key - got to enforce freedom of movement. I think in some ways not saying very much of anything - which is probably pure fumbling about - is ok for now. Its the vote that matters.

But I agree (with NV) that the parties are fractured - almost certainly beyond repair. Labour could be fucked over this; the Tories will be fucked if and when any consequences of a harsh braxit manifest themselves (if a soft Brexit is enforced it could save the Tories). The industrial strategy is all hot air as well.

May's speech to Trump will say:

“So as we rediscover our confidence together – as you renew your nation just as we renew ours – we have the opportunity, indeed the responsibility, to renew the special relationship for this new age. We have the opportunity to lead, together, again.”

But but Global Britain. A truly Global Britain.

lol @ everyone who on the basis of no evidence at all and having obviously never paid any attention to Theresa May before now, somehow thought she'd take a ~moral stance~ in her dealings with Trump

Sucking up to Trump was inevitable but the theme of "national renewal" applied approvingly to his programme is probably slightly closer to flirting with actual fascism than she normally aims for.

Maybe to seal the deal we can offer up our air bases for extraordinary rendition once again

she obv is using the same speech-writing software that Thatcher/Blair used for US diplomacy. it re-hashes the worst bluster of old Lloyd George/Churchill speeches and the rest of the world cringes in unison.

Was about to say, some say 'flirting with fascism', the British media says 'Churchillian' or 'Thatcher-like", and the GBP lap it up.

i for one welcome the advent of our renewed nation, henceforth known as 'airstrip one'

Wee Britain

Labour has selected a Stoke candidate who tweeted a terrible poem calling Brexit a "pile of shit" and called Corbyn an "IRA-supporting friend of Hamas".

It's becoming very apparent that the party might just be too stupid to survive.

waht

Like the candidate in Copeland seemed to be a reasonably sensible choice for the seat but this is just mental for a seat with a high proportion of Leave voters and the fucking UKIP leader running.

Just to play dev's ad I assume that they were solely focused on a local candidate over anything else this time and even a pro-Leave candidate for Labour isn't going to convince them to switch any existing allegiance. Just try and get a turnout over 40% for fuxake.

@EllieJPrice 17mins ago

Lab MP tells me: Lab whips ringing Lab MPs telling them to vote for art50 while also telling them they themselves intend to vote against it.

lol perfect :(

There was lots of doom and gloom before that Oldham West by-election and they absolutely pissed it. That Snell seems like a total dud but he is a local dud and should benefit from some blind regionalism and the Not Tristam Hunt feelgood winds that will be sweeping through the potteries :P

can't believe they found a Blairite Remainer

nor indeed a remaining blairite

there's fucking 200 of them

It is said that Clive Lewis may vote against Brexit.

If he does not, he might not get re-elected as an MP.

Labour Leave made an £18,500 donation to UKIP during the referendum:

http://heatst.com/world/labour-brexit-group-made-18500-referendum-donation-to-ukip/

(would normally be dubious of any claims made by Heatstreet, but they include a link to the relevant page of the electoral commission's website http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Donations/C0245093)

related:

https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/01/labour-leave-try-and-boost-ukips-chances-in-stoke-with-a-voodoo-poll/

Political Scrapbook earlier highlighted that the Labour Leave campaign, which lobbies to leave the EU, is funded by right-wing Tory donors including supporters of Taxpayers’ Alliance.

Despite being ignored by most of Labour, it is still intent on creating mischief.

This morning The Sun and the Express triumphantly tout a poll by Labour Leave that shows UKIP 10 points ahead in Stoke, where Tristram Hunt’s resignation has triggered a by-election.

Another front bench resignation just now. Clive Lewis staying put but showing his lack of experience again today.

The Brexit Bill to be voted on (May publishes then smartly goes off to America as Labour chews this one over, a 'good move' unless Trump humiliates her). Its basically giving the PM the space to do what she wants so I see room for the amendments that Corbyn (and Labour) have been mentioning Despite this piece arguing against oppositon to A50 (coupled with JCs visit to a pollster as described by Stephen Bush in the NS) Corbyn and that left-wing cadre are: 1) good at NOT listening to wider opinion and 2) often good at making the case for thinking whatever way they do think (Abbott has been excellent on immigration these past two months).

In some ways it isn't about the numbers (in Parliament or out there) so much as being on the right-side when Brexit goes wrong and oposing/resisting.

Having said all that I'm not even sure as to what the shape of those amendments might be, how you could enforce a soft-Brexit approach.

That, coupled with the choices at both of these by-elections, and its an incredibly bleak day even by the usual standards. xp

After all that here are the planned amendments:

Labour later tabled seven planned amendments to the bill, one of which would guarantee a “meaningful vote in parliament” on any final deal. Another amendment would be to guarantee the protection of workers’ rights and securing “full tariff- and impediment-free access” to the EU’s single market.

The other five amendments are: to ensure the Brexit secretary, David Davis, reports on progress to the Commons at least every two months; guaranteeing the rights of foreign EU nationals living in the UK; obliging regular consultation with the devolved governments; require regular impact assessments on the effects of leaving the single market; and to oblige the government to keep all existing EU tax avoidance and evasion measures.

Some are good but I'm not sure what a "meaningful vote in parliament" means.

This morning The Sun and the Express triumphantly tout a poll by Labour Leave that shows UKIP 10 points ahead in Stoke

Are The Sun finally directly endorsing UKIP?

i know theres loads of blairites nv

im just surprised

This makes some sense:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2017/01/why-has-jeremy-corbyn-committed-labour-voting-article-50

for two thirds of voters, their vote in the referendum is now more important than their chosen political party

Which suggests that the Tories are potentially in trouble in places as well.

Meanwhile two Labour whips, Thangam Debbonaire and Jeff Smith, have both come out and say they will defy their own whip. Strikes me that Corbyn is shortly going to find himself in the position where his allies are voting against him and he has to rely on a lot of his Labour opponents to prevent complete humiliation.

if a fella called debonnaire is instrumental in helping you out of your misery is it suicide by fop

What exactly is Jeremy "defied whip 428 times" Corbyn going to do to the quite possibly large amount of his MPs who will not vote the way he tells them?

not too sure if youre being casual but debonnaire is female btw

ah well another mediocre pun goes wasting

May's groveling is extraordinary.

Which has been the standard position for Brit PM's "special relationship" possibly since the post The Treaty of Versailles days, and definitely since Thatcher.

She has even more reason to grovel than usual though.

Global Britain, and all that.

I am deep in that excellent Adam Tooze book The Deluge at the moment, and the dying days of Euro neo-imperialism is fresh on my mind and I was actually agreeing with TH's post even if it din't sound like it.

balls deep in a tooze

Feel like Thatcher was a more dominant personality than Reagan so that strikes me as very different to this obviously insincere and/or craven bout of sycophancy.

xp

that post gave me a triggering image of the former Shadow Chancellor and amateur ballroom dancer, thnx

and at this point I'm frightened enough to welcome anybody's efforts to calm down that psychopath, even May's

May says she and Trump want to put the interests of ordinary people first, the people who feel the odds are stacked against them. She and Trump both feel that these people deserve a fairer deal.

i thought i hated david cameron.