This was ‘it’? This speech by the PM yesterday, given in a bunker-like venue and not in 10 Downing Street, never mind in her Westminster office and never mind presenting it to the HoC first – this was it?
Anyone who watched it live was rendered speechless and then furious. The MSM top ‘journalists’ who were present asked their fluffy questions as the PM tried to create an impression of false bonhomie and familiarity by calling them each by their first name. Once it was over, fury erupted all over the twitter pages.
If you missed it but want to watch the whole thing, go here. The disbelief and fury of the Tory grassroot comments posted under that video speak for themselves.
The whole text is here. Reading it makes the whole thing even worse. I can only quote Victor Meldrum: “I don’t believe it …!” More on this later.
Firstly, why did the Cabinet to which she presented this yesterday morning actually agree to the text? Or did they? According to a report in the DT it looks they didn’t:
“Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers left the meeting convinced that they had “slapped down” the Prime Minister’s concessions to Labour. However they found themselves surprised to see key elements had survived when Mrs May made her speech in Charing Cross. Mrs May’s only concession appeared to be that the Government would only commit to a vote on a temporary, rather than a permanent, customs union, and would remove the reference to a free vote. The move leaves open the option of whipping the vote rather than allowing MPs and ministers to vote with their consciences.” (paywalled link).
It looks as if the PM deceived even her own cabinet. The DM’s political editors (here, not paywalled) sum up the cabinet meeting, the speech and the reaction:
“Theresa May’s Brexit deal was hanging by a thread last night as furious Tory MPs savaged her decision to open the door to a second referendum. In a dramatic gamble, the Prime Minister offered MPs a binding vote on a second EU poll – if they backed her withdrawal deal at the fourth attempt next month. Mrs May pleaded with Parliament to finally approve her plan so Britain could avoid ‘a nightmare future of permanently polarised politics’. Desperate to win over Labour MPs, she also suggested the agreement could be amended to include a temporary customs union. The move followed a fractious three-hour Cabinet meeting, in which at least two ministers are said to have hinted they might resign in protest at the concessions.” (source)
Given the spineless attitude of the PM’s cabinet I very much doubt that those ministers will miraculously find a semblance of their spines and resign today – but there’s always hope, they may surprise us later today.
Both sides angrily criticised this ‘compromise’, calling that speech a ‘dog’s breakfast’. That shows me that the PM, stubbornly clinging to ‘her’ deal, has got it fundamentally wrong.
Tory MPs are reported to be furious – but as we’ve seen since the abortive no-confidence vote in the 1922 Committee in December, they are generally not precisely blessed with intestinal fortitude or dangling round objects, so it remains to be seen if they act on their fury:
“Theresa May faced calls from her own party to resign “immediately” on Tuesday night after putting a second referendum on the table in a “sellout” attempt to save her Brexit deal. The Prime Minister provoked fury after she caved in to Labour demands for a vote on holding a so-called “confirmatory” ballot, which she hopes will tempt opposition MPs to back the deal. She also announced that Parliament will be given a vote on keeping Britain in a customs union with the EU until the next general election. Tory Eurosceptics described the offer as “outrageous” and more than 50 Conservative MPs said they would vote against it.” (paywalled link)
As this speech indicated, there would be no free vote in the HoC, we’ll have to wait until next month when it will be presented to Parliament to see if those furious Tories will defy her and the whips:
“Boris Johnson said […]: “The Bill is directly against our manifesto and I will not vote for it.” Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary who is seen as the main Eurosceptic challenger to Mr Johnson, said Mrs May’s revised deal would “frustrate rather than deliver Brexit” and vowed to vote against it. […] With the European elections happening on Thursday, Tory MPs said Mrs May had now driven away any lingering Conservative-supporting Leave voters.” (paywalled link)
Not even RemainCentral’s political editors could muster some semblance of enthusiasm in their report:
“The prime minister dangled the prospect of a second referendum and full customs union with the EU until the next election to win cross-party backing for her proposals. However, after she presented the package, the tally of 34 Tory MPs who were holding out against her deal had almost doubled. A bid to woo Labour MPs also appeared to have failed. Brexiteer cabinet ministers were expected last night to urge Mrs May to abandon what they described as a “doomed and irresponsible” last throw of the dice. They want the prime minister to allow her successor to find a way through the impasse.” (link, paywalled)
Impasse? Create a ruinous mess and then leave it to whatever successor to clean it up? The expression ‘poisoned chalice’ has been used, and some have even said that the PM seems keen on destroying the Tory Party altogether.
“Mrs May was said to be determined to press ahead today with a Commons statement outlining the deal. […] Her main offer — to make the ratification of her Brexit deal conditional on a vote on a second referendum in parliament — was squarely aimed at Labour. Jeremy Corbyn gave her plan short shrift, calling it a “rehash of her bad old deal”. (link, paywalled)
Wooing the opposition to no avail – did none of her handlers advise her that this wasn’t going to work? Here are reactions of key Brexiteers:
“Mark Francois, vice-chairman of the Brexit-supporting European Research Group, declared the deal “dead on arrival”. Steve Baker, another senior member of the group, said that Mrs May had engineered a “truly awful situation” with her “muddled implementation of a failed deal”. Nigel Dodds, the DUP’s Westminster leader, also withheld support for the proposals, insisting that they retained the “fatal flaws” of the original deal rejected by the Conservatives’ former parliamentary allies.” (link, paywalled)
The inimitable Sir John Redwood puts it in a nutshell in his Diary:
“Not a word or comma of the Treaty has been changed. The PM has long given up on any idea of renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement. As it remains the same Agreement I trust Parliament will give the same answer, and vote it down. I will certainly continue to oppose it. Better still would be to get Mrs May to resign now. If her only policy is an Agreement the public and Parliament have roundly rejected, it is difficult to see the point of her staying in office.”
You can read the reactions of Nigel Farage and other candidates of TBP in the non-paywalled Express – space considerations prevent me from detailing them.
To round up this disastrous speech it’s useful to ponder the motivations of those who were involved in creating it. After all, I hope nobody thinks that the PM wrote it by her own lonesome self:
“The aim, Whitehall sources said, was not to create a definitive Brexit deal, but attract enough MPs to back the deal on the basis that it offered the stability of a process – uncertain though its outcome would be – over the uncertainty and potential chaos that would follow the final failure of Mrs May’s plan.” (paywalled link)
Could anything better show up the arrogance of “Whitehall” (we know who they are …) than this attempt to present something they know won’t work in the hope of dazzling the plebs with polished bovine excrement? More:
Or put another way, said a source with knowledge of Downing Street’s thinking, MPs are being confronted with the question as to whether anything preferable is really coming down the tracks, and if not, whether it is safer to walk the middle path. “Because if they reject the deal on the table then with a Brexiteer likely to take control of the Tory Party Brexit will come down to a ‘death match’ between ‘no deal’ and ‘revoke’,” the source warned.” (paywalled link)
Right there is the threat, out in the open, which she hopes will make the HoC give in: vote for that dog’s breakfast or there’ll be no Brexit, even unto a 2nd Referendum or the revocation of Article 50 altogether.
We’ve predicted that for months: it would come down to ‘My deal or no Brexit’. Why we uninformed plebs have seen this coming and have been saying so while our “Betters” in the HoC were oblivious, that I cannot explain.
Tomorrow we go to the polls. It’s in our hands to show the Remainers, especially those in the Tory Party, that we’re not having any dog’s breakfast!
At the same time we can give the finger to Donald Tusk who has called to support the ChUKs (here) and to Mr Guy Verhofstadt who believes that BoJo, Nigel and Russia will ‘destroy the EU’ (here). No, Guy – you’ve been doing a great destruction job without any help.
So: vote tomorrow – let them not get away with it!
For us today is the dry run for a GE, in which we will eject every MP Quisling who has connived with the tyrants of Brussels.
They have contrived to bring about the end of our nation state and they must pay the price.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/05/23/populists-parties-plotting-slow-death-eu-dream/?WT.mc_id=tmgliveapp_iosshare_AshSLRtq2jRG
This may not be the end, or even the beginning of the end, but it should be the end of the beginning – starting with the ejection of TMay.
Vote UKIP
” …appeared to be that the Government would only commit to a vote on a temporary, rather than a permanent, customs union”. In practice, I have found temporary” nearly always transmutes into permanent in circumstances like this.
An example could be the temporary Seco huts designed for use, mainly by our Forces, in WWII, but which were still in operation in 1962, probably even later.
The problem is this woman believes she is flexible, accommodating, always ready to listen to a sympathetic voice, whereas, the absolute reality is she does not possess a single clue what to do. It’s even doubtful she is aware that something must be done.
Truly, an unbelievably bad PM, Cabinet Minister, politician, MP, woman, human being even. Did the British people truly deserve this ghastly creature bestowed on them to “run” the affairs of a (still) great nation ?
It is sickening to see how deep the country has fallen, heart-breaking even.
Denis ” Did the British people truly deserve this ghastly creature bestowed on them to “run” the affairs of a (still) great nation”? Those who have voted Lib/Lab/Con/Green since 1992 (Maastricht Treaty) do deserve this cesspit of a political establishment. They are the ones who have created the system that has spawned this awful woman. Those who have been trudging the streets and fighting the battle to restore true representative democracy do not. .
Jake – it was rhetorical. Trouble is we all suffer.
As for anyone thinking of retribution, let’s rather not go there.
If the WTO option is not taken – and soon – Heaven only knows what the future will be. And it must happen soon soon.
The UK is a laughing stock as a result of the persistent efforts of this horrible woman, no discussion for me.
By Popular Demand – The Betting
Today’s is interesting
Next Permanent PM
. . . . . . *PaddyPower *Ladbrokes WillHill
Boris Johnson 6/4 6/4 7/4
Dominic Raab 6/1 4/1 5/1
David Lidington 3/1
PPower Next PM Now locked 16.30 hrs (no more bets)
European Election 2019
. . . . . . Seats………..% of Vote *PPower *Ladbrokes
Brexit 27+ 8/13 35-40% 7/4 30-40% 1/2
Labour 14 5/6 15-20% 6/4 10-20% 4/5
Cons 7or8 5/6 5-10% 13/10 Lessthan10% 4/6
LimpDems 13or12 5/6 15-20% 13/8 15-20% 11/10
NoChangeUK 6orless 1/20 00-05% 2/7 00-05% 1/4
UKIP not given
PETERBOROUGH BY-ELECTION To win
. . . . . . Ladbrokes WillHill
Brexit Party 4/7 1/2
Labour 11/8 13/8
Seems that LimpDems may do remarkably well and self-important NoChangeUK will crash and burn, oh, and predictions are there will be a Brexit Party MP.
While waiting to pick up the car from a service this morning, I said to the mechanic will you be voting tomorrow, ‘what for , didn’t know there was an election on’ he replied, It’s the euro poll, you should really vote I said, ‘Well if I do I shall vote for May, because she has done such a brilliant job, it all those people against her causing the trouble’ I thought at first that this was a wind-up, then a second guy said ‘ not worth voting they only do what they want anyway and I thought we’d left the e.u,!
It wasn’t a wind up.
When it comes down to money and politics nothing happens by chance. Therefore the latest proposal from Mrs May may be a farce but it bodes ill for the future. She is obviously not going to give up. And it seems the Remainers have finally achieved their objective of creating complete chaos and, like a river in flood, the EU election will soon be forgotten and Brexit will founder.
Edward Yes, this has been the normal way goverments have worn opponents down and got their way but politics has never descended to such depths before and anything can happen yet.
Many suggest that we should not vote in tomorrow’s elections.
But this Guy says that we should give even more powers to Brussels. The last thing he wants is more Eurosceptic MEPs there.
So let’s do the opposite and stick as many trouble making MEPs in with him as we possibly can – NOT Lib/Lab/Con/Green.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1129874/European-elections-latest-update-Brexit-Party-Guy-Verhofstadt-Matteo-Salvini-populist
——-
We know that MEPs don’t run the show in Brussels. They probably won’t help us much to get out of the E.U.
But they can work with others from Italy, France, Belgium etc to worry E.U. tyrants – who want to end our nation state.
But imagine if no UK Brexiteer MEPs get into the E.U. assembly and that all 73 are Lib/Lab/Con/Green remainers. Is that OK?
Imagine all those Euro Quislings snivelling around that Guy, pretending to represent you. Best vote for a real Brexit Party, long known as UKIP.
If the Brexit Party wins emphatically then MPs may be put off the idea of a second referendum. And if the win is big enough many MPs will start to feel insecure and more cautious about defying the leave electorate. These are worthwhile goals.
But you suggest not voting – you want MPs to feel they can have it all their own way? – or wasting a vote on UKIP.
Country before party. Party before country is the Labour and Conservative way.
He is saying the opposite, that we should vote. As for who for, though I think UKIP should have saved their limited resources and sat out these ludicrous elections, I don’t think a vote for them is wasted: it helps them try and retain their deposit and shows that there is a demand for a party that is not afraid to dodge anti establishment issues like Islamisation and mass immigration.
Absolutely even though I am screaming inside
listening to Vince Cable talk about the economy and the EU, he’s talking rubbish and I’ve written about this, I wish Nigel would challenge him on this ridiculous narrative.
“Market Gymnastics”
https://independencedaily.co.uk/market-gymnastics/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8qLhtxSYJY&feature=youtu.be
My interview on RT News about Theresa May’s “deal.”
You know the end for May is in sight when the E-i-C of ConHome writes
“If May isn’t on her way out by the end of today, don’t back her in tomorrow’s European elections”
Link: https://www.conservativehome.com/thetorydiary/2019/05/if-may-isnt-on-her-way-out-by-the-end-of-today-dont-back-her-in-tomorrows-european-elections.html
You might like to read this little report of yesterday’s final rally of TBP:
https://brexitcentral.com/the-westminster-establishment-seem-blind-to-the-political-earthquake-nigel-farage-is-causing/
With the YouGov poll (and we know who they are …) now given TBP 37%, I’d predict there’s more to come. There’s the debate between Farage and Cable coming up – and there’s Ms May having to present her ‘deal to the HC later today … fun and games ahead!
What has been worrying me looking at this Brexit betrayal is when I wonder what the end game is supposed to be? Surely Theresa May, her government and the EU don’t think that the British people, waking up as they are, are going to put up with this betrayal in the long term?
The only way our government and the EU could possibly hope to keep their show on the road is with draconian, Orwellian Totalitarianism, the last refuge of every crazed, power hungry dictator in history when people no longer believe and support their lying deceitful narratives. This is how the EU and its quislings in our government operate, they say history doesn’t repeat but it rhymes, well it’s certainly rhyming now.
The Tories and Labour are self destructing but how do we know that this isn’t just part of the EU’s game plan to leave is with ineffectual (more than they are already) governments that will soon be subsumed by the EU via their withdrawal agreement. As for the
totalitarian control, there’s the accelerating and draconian Internet censorship, the absorbing of our armed forces into the emerging EU army, EUROGENFOR and ten thousand European troops already on our soil.
Very soon our government and democracy will be gone, the EU will have all of the necessary means to exert totalitarian control over us and it’s a sobering thought that perhaps the only obstacle in their way is Nigel Farage and The Brexit Party.
It could well be very nearly time for rope and lamp posts, it certainly is for Theresa May, the worst traitor in British history and this a fate that is almost certainly too good, too quick and clean for the likes of her.
Flyer. You ask what the end game is. I think everything the Tories have done over last decade, including this fake brexit charade, is to deliberately waste time, distracting voters attention, while the EU are quietly stitching us more and more into their web in the background: all this time their immigration and also military -security and integration programmes have been proceeding apace. They wanted to ensure that by the time voters woke up it will be too late. One of Battens tests for true Brexit was that it should be completed within the time limit agreed, 29 March 2019; and this was not for an idle reason. I wish voters the very best of luck with their “saviour” Farage; but it seems very fishy to me that Farage is being touted all over the MSM. Anyone, or any thing, that really is a threat to their agenda is either smeared or blacked-out by MSM.
mary – this is exactly right, the EU have been stalling for time while they get their systems in place to control us, they never had any intention of letting us go.
I watched the Farage / Cable debate and it was like a staged and scripted theater, it only dealt with the subjects discussed at a superficial level, just regurgitating the same old sound bites.
That the UK economy will flounder without a trade deal with the EU would be laughable if it weren’t so serious, this is one of the biggest lies ever told and I could tell you why.
I’m just wondering whether to write an article about the above to send to Viv for the morning, people need to wake up to this incredible deception but unfortunately not many people have heard the in-depth argument.
You can’t trust any of them. Watch this before you vote.
https://youtu.be/iPcmebRH904
Oh dear Tories down another 2 points. That core vote is really down to the bedrock now 🙂
European Parliament voting intention: BREX: 37% (+3) LDEM: 19% (+2) LAB: 13% (-2) GRN: 12% (+1) CON: 7% (-2) CHUK: 4% (-) UKIP: 3% (-) via @YouGov, 19 – 21 May Chgs. w/ 17 May
After her latest gurning display yesterday must be down to 5 today with TBP near 40. I would love to see UKIP above the CHUcKles AND the Tories when the counts come it.
Uninformed Plebs, or suffering from the same BBC/ MSM disorder that seems to have affected May. I heard this yesterday,’ I voted leave, because of the £350 million going to the NHS ( our religion) but ‘they lied’ and now locally we have 500 members of our Remain club, but what about Cameron and his ‘project fear’, the answer to that was, ‘that was not lies, just a little embellishment’.
The world as seen by some of the ‘baby boomer’ generation, I’d lay odds that they were all retired public sector workers probably teachers, it was that sort of venue.
Cameron was dumb enough to lead the remain Campaign.
Had he spent £9m on an unbiased, balanced cost/benefit analysis of EU membership, that might have been justified, but that is not what the booklet provided.
In fact it misused taxpayer’s money in an attempt to brainwash them – but it failed and it was deficient in a number of areas:
• The Government was in no position to make the commitments on page 1 of the leaflet, without binding reform.
• The leaflet relied on snapshots rather than trends and it omitted to demonstrate the increasing trend in and potential for, exports to the rest of the world.
• The linking of 3m UK jobs to EU membership would have led many to conclude that most of those jobs would all be at risk, from a vote to leave.
• In implying that living costs would increase, due to Brexit, the leaflet omitted the reduction in the cost of imports from beyond the EU, outside of the customs union.
• By citing that the Services sector contributes 80% of UK GDP, the leaflet left voters to deduce that 80% of UK GDP would be at risk, from a vote to leave.
• The leaflet failed to mention the enormous cost of compliance with EU regulations, estimated at 7% of GDP in a 2005 Treasury report, equating to around £140bn pa.
• It did not mention the large sums lost to the UK Treasury, because free movement of capital facilitates tax avoidance.
• Neither did it mention the potential financial liabilities, which would be carried by the UK if it decided to remain an EU member.
• The EU’s drive for Fiscal Union would have ended the independence of the Bank of England, at some point dragging the UK into the Eurozone.
• Most serious of all, the leaflet did not ask whether or not voters wanted ever closer union, when that would be unavoidable without binding treaty change.
A very good video on this subject here, it addresses the real issues. I’ll comment more on this later.
“BREXIT PARTY SURGES AS A SLEEPLESS THERESA MAY TAKE THE CONSERVATIVES INTO UNCHARTED DEPTHS!!”
https://youtu.be/HfB6gSiY9mQ
Another day, another Sargon story 🙄
https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2019/05/233306/lawrence-webb-defends-carl-benjamin-rape-joke-ukip
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p079v099