THIS CONTENT WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MY OLD SITE AND FORMS PART OF THIS SITE’S ARCHIVE
This letter, however, really wasn’t about an extension to Article 50; I mean it was, but it had another, almost sinister purpose. It was to force the hand of Jeremy Corbyn, virtue signal the ardent Brexiteers within her own party and also to crush the hopes of Second Referendum-ers.
And that’s probably where the next story comes in. The talks between Labour and the Conservatives have broken down, number 10 is blaming Labour, but in many respects the letter she sent at the beginning of the day was an attempt to get Jeremy Corbyn to sign the Withdrawal Agreement, and the accompanying Political declaration almost word for word, and in doing so consigned an already twice (and half) defeated deal back to the commons. The “significant” change Bercow would require? Mr Corbyn’s support. According to the Conservatives some extra Acts of Parliament to tighten up protection for workers and a few other bits & pieces to be enshrined in law, maybe. But ultimately these would depend on the next Prime Minister, which in all likelihood would be an ardent Brexiteer, such as Gove, Mogg or Johnson – so, you know, someone who can and wants to rewrite the rules at the drop of a top-hat.
Ironically, Ms Sturgeon pointed out, that would imply they always had the power to influence the EU that Mr Mogg and others claimed we didn’t have. She would be right. Mogg is signalling to those militant ERG-ers and Brexiteers, possibly in hopes of shoring-up support for his own leadership bid.
May’s letter also spoke to those ERGers and also Second Referendum-ers by essentially saying there isn’t time for a Confirmatory Referendum; and that No Deal is still essentially possible within the extension period, especially if Mr Corbyn won’t come over the dark-side, and it appears he won’t.
It seems that while this is all going on the day for me was rather sunny, and though there was a wind-chill-factor, it was rather a nice day.
“What has disappointed Corbyn and his Shadow Brexit Minister Keir Starmer is – they believe – the government is ruling out asking the EU to rework the Political Declaration on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
What the PM has proposed is a so-called wrap-around statement, that would toughen up proposed protections of workers’ rights, and would give a greater role for parliament as and when the future relationship is being negotiated, including a prior “entrenchment” process to embody whatever kind of future relationship MPs favour within the forthcoming Withdrawal and Implementation Bill.
There is in the memorandum a nod to MPs having a vote to decide whether there should be a confirmatory referendum. But apparently it is desperately non-committal.”
ROBERT PESTON, ITV NEWS, Why New Brexit Talks Are On The Verge Of Collapse
Before finally writing:
But Labour fears Theresa May has tacked back to placating the Brexiters in her party, which means she is as far from securing parliamentary approval for her deal as ever she was.”
This all suggests that the PM is backtracking and trying to make it look like it’s Corbyn fault – but the combination of the Brexit Extension Letter and the Memorandum (detailing the “agreements in principle” supposedly made in the Tory-Lab negotions) sent to Labour this afternoon by Number 10, clearly show she is being instransiant and isn’t really willing to budge on her red lines – almost certainly if a Second and Confirmatory Referendum is involved as a bargaining chip.
ROBERT PESTON, ITV NEWS, Why New Brexit Talks Are On The Verge Of Collapse
Flexit would be a flexible extension of at least a year – flexible in that it can be shorter, but it is of such a length so that during the configuration of the next European Parliament (the institution that votes on absolutely everything the EU puts into Law), so that during that reconfiguration, Brexit is not overshadowing the process.
Strangely; and it is strange, he can’t see his own hypocrisy, or perhaps he can, which is why he has said he won’t be happy to take part, but I’m sure he’ll be more than willing to accept the paycheck and pension contributions.
What I can’t understand is how Farage can set up new political parties on what essentially is a whim, but the Non-Political Party formerly known as The Independent Group, but which is now a Political Party called Change UK struggled to do so, at least initially, if it’s a question of the cost, one has to wonder whose bankrolling Farage?
EDIT: It seems Ms May is bringing her Withdrawal Agreement back next week to the Commons, hoping she’s scared enough ERG and DUP members into supporting it, and maybe a few Labour MPs who support Brexit. The numbers suggest it’s going to fail, again, at this precise moment.