the day after the deadline: can the union survive brexit and other deep questions

they can now enjoy the benefits of our record high unemployment that the bbc keep referencing, sure they'll be fine.

*record low* i meant!

In the pre UC era I went through quite a few liquidations and layoffs, it never seemed like a big deal. Imagine the trepidation some people will be feeling about finally getting sucked into this enveloping UC nightmare they've been reading about.

mind if Maplin/ToysRUs were zero hour contractors, they might be already deeply in this shit.

EU publishes plan to keep Northern Ireland in customs union

Good luck UK etc

"Barnier pretty blunt there. UK said it would provide explanations of a better way to do Irish border and it hasn't."

Dan Hannen is losing his mind rn

it’s good he is a secret stalinist tho

Boris couldn't face the prospect of a Thornberry grilling and did one at PMQ.

Leavers are very angry that the EU has failed to work out how the UK might solve problems created by UK government's failure to make decisions forced on UK by UK Prime Minister's Brexit red lines.

— Rafael Behr (@rafaelbehr) February 28, 2018

the saddest otm

Theresa May appeared to accidentally commit to continue "dithering" on the Northern Ireland border today.

In an apparent slip of words, the prime minister said she was "absolutely committed to dithering" on the question of how to solve the problem of preventing a hard border with Ireland after Brexit.

I didn't think she was capable of honesty, v refreshing.

Remember when Gordon Brown used to get absolutely slaughtered for being a 'ditherer'?

nostalgia for a golden age of steady, unspectacular shitpoliticking

The SNP’s Joanna Cherry asks Lidington to confirm that what is in the draft treaty published today is “exactly” the backstop that Theresa May agreed to in December.

He says there will be no cherry picking.

bit rude

Remember when Gordon Brown used to get absolutely slaughtered for being a 'ditherer'?

Major as well. It's standard for the unpopular follow-up PM.

Although given what we've seen of TM's decision-making, dithering is probably the best she could be doing right now.

say what you want about Thatcher or Blair, if it came to making decisions that killed people they didn't dither

stephen bush's line on TM is that she is in fact prone to sudden rash decisions which she then very stubbornly sticks with

(one of these was deciding to hand brexit negotiations to bjohnson ddavis and drl"the disgraced"fox)

Indeed.The "cautious May" narrative is almost entirely evidence-proof.

— Stephen Bush (@stephenkb) January 24, 2017

Gavin Williamson "Can I be Def..."
May "YARP"

Labour + rebels supposedly have enough numbers to defeat the government on the Trade Bill amendment (the one committing the gov to customs union):

Conservative Brexit rebels tell me at least two more Tory MPs are signing the Trade bill amendment on the Customs Union, making a total so far of 10. https://t.co/DOvV6aGfjP

— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) February 28, 2018

Indeed the press attacks on the Brexit rebels appear to have backfired and rallied support amongst Remain-backing Conservatives, who are no longer scared of the Brexit-supporting press.

"I've been through all that now so that doesn't worry me at all," one of the Tory rebels told Business Insider this week.

Only question is if they’ll do it.

xxp you could see this dating back to some decisions as Home Secretary, like including students in immigration stats. It was unpalatable with much of the Cabinet and ironically increased the net migration figures, but she still wouldn’t budge.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/28/theresa-may-concedes-on-eu-migrants-residency-rights-during-brexit-transition

I'd be very leery of ever sharing a daily mash thing on this thread but "Northern Ireland border could be beaded curtain, says government" was a genuine LOL esp with the accompanying photo.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/northern-ireland-border-could-be-beaded-curtain-says-government-20180228145116

"if we use one, it’ll mean everyone knows exactly where the border is while not presenting any kind of barrier that would upset the IRA because you just part it with your hands.

“And if anyone tried to take terrorists or drugs or imports from China that don’t meet EU standards through, we’d know immediately because we’d hear the beads rattle.”

It's significant because it gives Labour, Tory rebels and other parties a potential blocking vote in the House of Commons, which all of course depends on the size of the Remainer Tory rebellion.

Which almost certainly won't happen..

Mad Lizzy on form:

Talking about 5 secrets of UK’s economic success @telegraph 1. Celebrate entrepreneurs 2. Control size of government 3. Shake up markets 4. Open professions 5. Take on NIMBYS #InvestinginBritain pic.twitter.com/t5mpnmowly

— Elizabeth Truss (@trussliz) February 28, 2018

The pathetic attempts at hashtags are always a winner but don't sleep on those subtle non-committals ("I have found this generation to be one of the most independent minded, enterprising and anti-establishment of our times #freewheelin #youngguns" / "Some of their ideas border on the absurd...forcing landlords to accept pets.")

“Invest in gin, Britain” seems like sound advice tbh.

I was thrown by her tweet about growing up listening to Whitney Houston, for some reason I assumed she was much older, similar age to my accursed MP Amber Rudd. I realise I'm on shaky ground talking about a woman's appearance, and this is perhaps something I need to get used to because I suppose I've always assumed politicians, especially Tory ones, are a lot older than me, but she's only just over a year older than I am.

6. Unlock forecasts
7. Non-non-non-doms
8. Macwofweakonomy

9. open up new Pork Markets

the only MP older than me is frank field

https://www.ripleys.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Fake-mummy.jpg

lol

You thought John McTernan was bad? His son sounds like a right little prick:

I remember taking my son -- then four -- to Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons in London. He observed in silence the parliamentary give and take from the Visitor's Gallery. But afterward, when asked by his Member of Parliament, Tessa Jowell, what he had thought of the whole thing, he responded thoughtfully: "If we behaved like that at our nursery we would have time out."

where 's the lie?

disclaimer: mcternan follows me on twitter so he's not wrong about absolutely every single thing

from the mouths of babes etc

Not enough thoughtful 4 year olds in British politics.

https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video_thumb/DWu8MODVoAQPKLl?format=jpg&name=small

and the same in action:

I've watched this GIF at least 100 times now, cry-laughing the entire time. pic.twitter.com/Hih7VJe28T

— Helen 侯-Sandí (@helenhousandi) February 23, 2018

What a dorkus malorkus.

Mea culpa, I was wrong to say that Mr Corbyn voted against the Good Friday Agreement. He did not.

— Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) March 1, 2018

I've done my bit and RTd

tories: why are they so shit at twitter

Ken Livingstone on indefinite Labour Party suspension. Good.

people who you hadn't realised were still alive

very good news

Ken can FO to Russia Times, there are already enough blueLabour tools trying to smear Corbyn with antisemitism slurs every week without that fool supplying the ammo.

We got there in the end - a remarkable national effort. Thank you. https://t.co/8D23AKbuwH

— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) March 1, 2018

It was the right thing to do https://t.co/d4g2fFma23

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) March 1, 2018

Pricks.

theresa’s Pub tribute act premiership continues - she’s doing the old 5 tests routine.