Thursday 3 January 2019

The joy of making politicians work for a living - more positives of Brexit

In 2017 the media and press really tried to remind the voters of the sheer awfulness of Jeremy Corbyn and his past. Little effect did it have as he hugely over-performed in the election. Voters wanted something new and different and were quite happy to listen to a siren song of free gifts for them from his Government. It proved a close call for Theresa May and in the end probably will be terminal for Brexit.


However, the power of Brexit has been strong over the holiday period. Even now, we can see May is aware that she is going to lose her vote. Twice this week she has phoned Merkel to see what can be done to try and improve her deal. At last, she is personally trying to bash heads together to get something workable.


In the same vein, Jeremy Corbyn has failed to push the government to a vote of no-confidence, refused to back a second referendum and maintains Labour will negotiate a better leave deal. This ruse, for it is no more, to allow Brexit and somehow keep remain Labour onside, is finally damaging his credibility with his deluded faithful.


Brexit is a big problem and the politicians are having to at last make hard choices instead of following the traditional European route of can-kicking. All in all, a good thing.

14 comments:

Dan said...

The basic problem with May is that she lacked the backbone during the last election to actually participate in a head-to-head debate with Corbyn. Worse, she also tried to mute her greatest asset in anti-Corbyn operations, which was and remains Boris Johnson.

The upshot was that Corbyn's pseudo-Marxist drivel was allowed to go unchallenged and acquired a vague sort of legitimacy through not being called out as the toxic crap that it actually is.

Furthermore, McDonnell was similarly permitted an open field and his lunatic notions of nationalising things and deciding the price his government would pay (basically, Acts of Attainder by another name) were also allowed to pass unchallenged.

Corbyn and his manky mates consisted of the very best selection of twerps to engage in a battle of wits with; they were practically unarmed in such a contest. Why she didn't sally forth and engage them defeats me.

AndrewZ said...

I think that May will win the vote on the WA. Firstly, the Conservative Party’s culture of loyalty to the party and its leadership usually ensures that backbench revolts fizzle out as soon as the rebels are faced with the prospect of actually defeating a Conservative government on anything important.

Secondly, I suspect that there is a widespread fear of the consequences of “No Deal” or of cancelling Brexit. Politicians tend to be very risk-averse about anything that might cost votes, and most of them will see both of these options as involving a very high degree of political risk. The safe option is to let the WA go through and leave Theresa May to take the blame for any negative consequences.

Thirdly, Conservative MPs will fear that losing the vote would result in Labour tabling a motion of no confidence that could bring the government down.

Fourthly, many Labour MPs would fear the same. If the WA is rejected then Labour would lose all credibility as a serious opposition party if it didn’t propose a motion of no confidence in the government. But if they win this vote there would be a General Election. Either the Conservatives are returned with an increased majority (it could hardly be less) or Labour wins and then has to take responsibility for completing or cancelling Brexit. Any decision it then takes would immediately split the party and its supporters. Much easier to let the Tories make the hard choices and then blame them for whatever happens.

The can-kicking may be over but there's still room for some buck-passing.

E-K said...

The BBC has been in full-on terrorising mode. May's WA will go through - a second referendum to follow.

CityUnslicker said...

Interesting, I think the WA is dead in the water and so we will have an interesting few weeks indeed.

Thud said...

I think she'll get it.

E-K said...

I think my Brexit prediction a couple of years back was uncanny.

I said that Cameron would - on the delivery of a Leave win - say "Ah. This gives me grounds to go back to the EU and further negotiate with them."

Well that's almost exactly what has happened (it was May who did it instead.)

andrew said...

http://fantasyequitycrowdfunding.blogspot.com/2019/01/what-hell-are-seaborne-freight-up-to.html?m=1

Well, if this is representative of the state of the govts preparedness for no deal it really is time to buy tins of beans etc

Sebastian Weetabix said...

The biggest problem with May is she is quite spectacularly useless. She has the opposite of the Midas touch.

I also do not support the contention that if she had won a bigger majority in 2017 we would have had Brexit. No, no, no. She would used her majority to inflict this treacherous capitulation on us. The fact we have a hung parliament means we are far more likely to “crash out”. Which is what we actually fucking voted for.

Nick Drew said...

In the same vein, Jeremy Corbyn has failed ...

it is quite interesting how far Magic Grandpa is willing to court massive unpopularity by insisting he wants 'his' Brex and not R2

if he just wanted to keep his options open, he could easily have kept his head down

the lefty commentators** are really getting themselves into contortions trying to rationalise it optimistically, but the simple explanation seems the most likely, he really is a stubborn, immovable old git

**Zoe Williams is particularly funny

BlokeInBrum said...

It's quite amusing really.
If we do indeed crash out, we effectively get what we voted for rather than what our betters have planned for us.
This slim chance has only been brought about by a rather long chain of improbable circumstances.
May throwing away her majority and having to get into bed with the DUP for one. Gina Miller inadvertently nobbling the govenments ability to force us to eat a shit sandwich for another.
The leader of the Opposition a stubborn old git who in all likelihood wants just as hard a Brexit as us who voted leave, unlike the majority of his party, and the majority of MPs.
You couldn't write this as a screenplay, people would think it too far fetched...

Elby the Beserk said...

Sebastian Weetabix said...
The biggest problem with May is she is quite spectacularly useless. She has the opposite of the Midas touch.
=============================================
Gordon Brown in drag. And like him, everything she touches turns not to gold but shit.


Nick - Zoe Williams, bless her. Recent article on potty training and the class war a perfect examnple. Her and the Poll going blow for blow for top Guardian eejit. Oh, sorry, forgot Little Owen Jones, who, to my horror, was brought up in Bramhall. As I was.

James Higham said...

May Brexit be with you.

Bill Quango MP said...

The Maybotov-Robbinstrop pact seems to now involve keep bringing the Chequers plan to parliament.

Each week, the plan is presented. Sometimes in a new binder. Sometimes with a new title.
Maybe even with the odd word changed.

But essentially, the plan must be passed. And May will keep bringing it to Parliament until it is.

Anonymous said...

@andrew - ouch.

Grayling - name or species, I'm unsure - is utterly useless.

He has a rich history of being shit - I'm surprised Rory Stewart hasn't decked him for having to wipe up after him - and his current stint at transport isn't doing anything to combat that. After the train farrago, are we shocked he's also incompetent with ferries?

May must find him politically reliable, because every day he gets out of bed is one rich in the prospect of yet another SNAFU, and so should have been kept away from anything important a long time back.