Europe IV: The Final Hour

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/apr/08/brexit-latest-news-live-theresa-may-union-most-likely-outcome-if-labour-and-government-can-compromise-says-minister-live-news

May is calling MP's in for a meeting before she racks up those air miles again. She's tabling an offer alongside Labour that is said to include alignment on workers rights and standards of goods. Still being debated though is a form of customs union and/or a second referendum

[Protocol Penguin]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall for these talks. I can't even imagine whats being said.

I’d love to know what the EU27 leaders say to each other about May when she’s not in the room. I bet they all absolutely despair at having to deal with someone like that.

[charlesr]

https://twitter.com/SpillerOfTea/status/1115256435645067264?s=19

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/08/theresa-may-forced-to-delay-brexit-after-historic-win-for-mps

Coopers Bill is in place further tying May's hands when it comes to A50 extensions even if MP's still keep thinking the things they do make No Deal impossible

[MartyG]

It doesn't make no deal impossible, but what it does do is give the EU all the power. The UK no longer has any cards left to play, it's now begging for scraps: please sir, can we have some more time.

[Neon Ignition]

It's almost genuinely exhausting to see this all play out. The EU will have granted two extensions despite the UK having presented no plan whatsoever for what to do with the time it's given contrary to what the EU originally said. The momentum towards an indicative plan of motions has coasted to a stop, May's deal is perpetually dead, the cross party deal is impossible to agree on or to implement as it meets none of the Remain or Leave criteria for voting and so neither party can endorse it without betraying and destroying their own parties (yet they still waste day after day on it).

The UK is constantly scrutinising every single syllable and moment in an effort to find a magical get out clause to the situation and aren't even engaged with the EU over the matter anymore. They aren't even seriously looking at the issues that led to the impass anymore either, they're so heavily off course and haven't even stuck their heads up to look around and realise it.

No deal can pass with enough support to get through and hold together in phase two without destroying one or both parties. Likewise no-one will allow No Deal to happen if they can avoid it also.

That leaves Remain and.... well...

So burnt out waiting for them to realise that they only have two realistic options:

Remain
Public Vote

[QualityChimp]

Part of me wants to see the world burn and let the people still shouting "Out means out! No deal!" get their way.

They'll still be in denial when we're in recession - "Yes, but I love the delicious taste of British Rat, seasoned with proper English soil!"

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/apr/09/brexit-latest-developments-news-theresa-may-visits-berlin-and-paris-as-gauke-plays-down-prospect-of-early-breakthrough-in-talks-with-labour-live-news

Barnier says that to get an extension to A50 the UK needs to present a realistic roadmap to Brexit but whatever plan we submit has to end at the existing Withdrawal Agreement. He says changes to the Political Declaration are possible but the WA is a closed subject as is any attempt to pick and choose between the EU's 4 freedoms (bye bye crossparty deal).

He ends by saying a No Deal outcome is not the responsibility of the EU. The UK has all the means it needs to avoid No Deal - Revoking Article 50

[Sketcz]

Part of me wants to see the world burn and let the people still shouting "Out means out! No deal!" get their way.

They'll still be in denial when we're in recession - "Yes, but I love the delicious taste of British Rat, seasoned with proper English soil!"

Reminded me of this.

Both the public and government appear to be a roving troop of Baldricks at this stage.

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/apr/09/brexit-latest-developments-news-theresa-may-visits-berlin-and-paris-as-gauke-plays-down-prospect-of-early-breakthrough-in-talks-with-labour-live-news

The UK is likely to be offered a final A50 extension lasting till 31 December 2019. An extension further than this was shut down because the UK has so poorly explained what it will do with the time to end the current situation. As this would be the final move any decision regarding a second referendum or general election would have to move fast.

[Protocol Penguin]

No general election, please, until the main parties stop being lead by useless old Brexiteers... Hard Brexit versus Lexit is no choice.

[Dogg Thang]

I can't take this all the way to December. Please finish it now.

[Neon Ignition]

Even if the long extension goes through, May will reportedly still pursue 22 May in order to sever the EU elections. Though word is the cross party talks are nowhere near having Labour on board

[Neon Ignition]

Though a controversial point of reference now, R Kelly once sang 'If I could turn, turn back the hands of time'
Reflective for Kelly but practical for Tusk as he undoes the last six months worth of naval gazing in by UK MP's by helping the EU27 secure a new Brexit deadline

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/11/may-agrees-to-october-brexit-after-franco-german-carve-up

31 October 2019

He tells May not to waste the time as she still intends to try and get her deal through before the end of June. May attempted to avoid blame for the UK remaining in the EU by once again blaming MP's. Tusk even added that extending A50 by another 6 months gave the UK the time to come to the idea of cancelling Brexit altogether. May has effectively reaffirmed that she will step down as PM but not until the current deal situation is concluded meaning that every extension extends her tenure as well.

The 6 months extension is said to be controversial for the Tories as well. It's longer than May had originally assured which angers hardline Brexiteers but is also too short for them to remove her as PM and to replace her with someone who can change the current Brexit direction. They also cannot make any of these changes to attempt a credible General Election approach also meaning that the EU27 have effectively just ruled out the GE for the whole of 2019 for the UK, further strengthening the argument in favour of a second referendum.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/11/may-finds-a-note-of-harmony-in-brussels-as-macron-sings-out-of-tune

For once though, amongst the European leaders, it wasn't May that was considered 'prat of the night'. That award went to the ever dislikeable Macron who continued his hardline approach to the issue due to his personal political ambitions.

The state of Brexit will be reviewed formally in June by May and the EU27 but an EU diplomat highlighted how this is redundant as if any country such as France attempted to use the review to push for a negative outcome for the UK based on its progress that attempt would fail as until the UK leaves the EU it retains its veto powers and can outright kill off any such attempt.

What May will do now becomes the next key moment in the Brexit shambles. She is still keen on pushing some form of her deal forward but she has gotten this far by leveraging it against an imminent deadline. With that deadline shifted far enough back that it makes key alternatives such as a second public vote viable MP's have no need to buckle to her deal at all meaning the withdrawal agreement she holds is still dead.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1112539/emmanuel-macron-EU-elections-Marine-Le-Pen-Jordan-Bardella-yellow-vest-protests

Macron himself is facing trouble in the EU elections from a domestic source as Le Pen's group has called on people to use it as an opportunity to vote against Macron and to rob him of his influence in the EU block, a move that if successful would make the President furious especially as last month he hit an all time approval rating low of an abysmal 27%

[Cassius_Smoke]

So are we all in agreement that when October comes round we ask for a further extension?