Following on from the RWNJ Tea Partyish ERG wing of the Conservative Party deciding to vote for PM May's Withdrawal Agreement, the Ulster RWNJ DUP landed a bombshell signalling they are running for the hills. I genuinely guffawed until I could guffaw no more. The consequence of all this is that Brexit is slowly sinking. Remember

- No Deal Brfexit is ruled out.
- May's Deal is ruled out
- 7 other posibilities in the Indicative Vote were all beaten.

You shouldn't need to join the dots as to where this is headed

Brexit: Nigel Dodds 'would rather stay in the EU than risk union'

The DUP deputy leader has said he would "rather stay in the EU and remain rather than risk Northern Ireland's position" in the union.

Nigel Dodds told BBC Newsnight his position showed how strongly he felt about the union.

It comes after Theresa May saw her Brexit deal defeated in the House of Commons by 344 votes to 286.

However Mr Dodds also said the government must not accept the EU's position as "unalterable".
The prime minister said the UK would have to find "an alternative way forward", which was "almost certain" to involve holding European elections.

Mr Dodds said he did not rule out supporting a "soft Brexit" and that the withdrawal agreement in its current form risked leaving "Northern Ireland behind, causing economic and political ruptures between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom".

However, he did maintain the DUP's support for Brexit: "We believe the referendum result should be respected and delivered on."

He reiterated his party's position that it wants Brexit delivered without the Northern Ireland backstop.

Link here




I hope the standard of subtitling improves....

Interesting interview, but from 24 min mark on what has caused this, which will resonate in the US.

Committee right now

https://www.c-span.org/video/?459258-1/house-intelligence-committee-examines-russian-election-interference-tactics&vod

I really enjoyed this podcast where Craig shoots the breeze with the guys.

Just weeks from mayhem as EU sets ultimatum for UK

Threat of a no-deal Brexit remains very much alive. European leaders growing increasingly frustrated as political chaos in Britain raises risk of no deal. Chancellor Merkel said if there was a no-deal Brexit there would have to be a hard Border in Ireland

The threat of a no-deal Brexit remains very much alive after the EU’s superpowers wrangled over setting a point of no return for British Prime Minister Theresa May.

The UK’s exit from the European Union will not now happen in seven days’ time after a two-tier delay was eventually agreed. Mrs May now has until May 22 to plan an orderly Brexit if she can finally get support for her deal next week. However, should the House of Commons reject it for a third time the UK would only have until April 12 to decide whether to crash out or begin preparations for holding European Parliament elections.

Mrs May was shut out of a meeting of EU leaders last night as they rowed over how to stave off a cliff-edge scenario. Germany’s Angela Merkel argued for flexibility while French President Emmanuel Macron took a hard-line stance. During a private meeting, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Mrs May that it is now the UK’s responsibility to end the uncertainty. Speaking to German journalists, Chancellor Merkel said if there was a no-deal Brexit there would have to be a hard Border in Ireland. “We’re trying to avoid that,” she said.

snip

Over the course of the evening, France and Belgium are understood to have argued for the UK to be forced out of the EU before a May 9 summit in Romania, to celebrate the "renewal" of Europe. This led to the option of an unconditional extension to April 12, the final date on which the UK can opt to take part in European Parliament elections. It will then be up to Westminster to decide to either crash out or take part in those elections in order to get a longer extension. Mrs May wants to avoid a longer extension at all costs as it raises the chances of her being bounced into either a second referendum or even a general election.

The news for the prime minister wasn't much better back in London, where MPs were still furiously arguing over the next steps. Remain-supporting ministers were reported to have told Mrs May they are prepared to resign unless she offers a free vote on a backbench move to prevent the UK leaving without a deal. A cross-party group of MPs is today expected to table an amendment to force her to accept a longer extension to Article 50 if her deal fails.

The amendment, to be put to the vote next week, will mean that parliament, rather than the prime minister, will take control if Mrs May's deal is again defeated in the House of Commons.

Today,

May has sent a letter to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, requesting a 3 month extension of the Brexit Departure Date.

Tusk responds saying she CAN have a limited extension to the end of May, PROVIDED the UK Parliament votes to pass the Withdrawal Agreement. I don't think May was expecting that proviso.

For the Brexiteers in Parliament, they've reacted with glee, as they see an opportunity to exit on March 29 after all.

What we are left with now is brinksmanship. where utter stupidity will see the UK crash out. Who will blink first ?


https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1108399947278237696

The development comes exactly 1,000 days after the referendum of 23 June 2016, which delivered a 52%-48% majority for leaving the EU.

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has warned that Brussels will want a good reason to grant a long delay to Brexit.

In an apparent reference to options like a second referendum, general election or cross-party consensus, he said that a lengthy extension "needs to be linked to something new ... a new event or a new political process".

Any request for extra time is subject to unanimous approval by leaders of the remaining 27 EU states at a meeting in Brussels tomorrow.


https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1108402377768529922