[mrjonathanr]

Well that was nicely worded by Matthew Parris. He is saying what I have always believed: the drive to eliminate EU ‘red tape’ aims to remove legislation protecting workers and the environment.  His Gulliver is the free market nutters’ Britannia Unchained.

I fear Corbyn will go down in history as the enabler of the collapse of workers’ rights and the welfare state.

[tomtom]

Letwin amendment carried 👏👏

[James Malloch]

Parliament Square was rather jubilant when the results were announced...

I don't quite get what that means now though - Borris having withdrawn the bill and planning to bring it back on Tuesday - if anyone would care to explain...

[tomtom]

I think... it means
1. BJ has to ask the EU for an extension by 11pm tonight. This should rule out a loophole that could have allows a no deal exit to sneak through..


2. Which if he does makes him possibly look a bit silly as he’s refused to (political point scoring). If he doesn’t then there’s a court hearing on Monday that will probably find him in contempt - and may rule someone else has to.

3. It means there will be more time before it’s voted through - which may mean more scrutiny of the deal and possibly the result of any vote changing. 

[James Malloch]

Thanks! Does the Letwin amendment stay attached when the bill is next brought to parliament?

I guess the aim of that was to ask for an extension so then gives the government 3 months to get the law sorted before approving the deal?

[teestub]

As far as I understand it doesn’t need to stay attached as the deadline for requesting an extension is 11pm tonight. So assuming there’s no loophole for the PM, the next time the bill comes to parliament the extension will have been requested and hopefully granted!

[TobyD]

The decision  by Johnson to send a photocopy is frankly fucking childish.  It's like hes wearing his school uniform and leaving the short untucked to rebel. Whatever your view on extension, delay or whatever this is one of the most unstatesmanlike actions I've ever seen from a supposedly senior politician. 

[Fiend]

Our very own Trump 

[tomtom]

The decision  by Johnson to send a photocopy is frankly fucking childish.  It's like hes wearing his school uniform and leaving the short untucked to rebel. Whatever your view on extension, delay or whatever this is one of the most unstatesmanlike actions I've ever seen from a supposedly senior politician.

Yes. Agree.

But like a 5 year old having a tantrum it’s best ignored. As Europe have done and are moving on the extension request. Nice OP in the guardian explaining how the side note is worthless and even if it’s not signed that doesn’t matter.


What really riles me is the incessant vox pops and pundit viewpoints on the BBC, Sky etx.. saying everyone wants this deal done. Bollox. Total bollox.

[tomtom]

Interesting thread

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1185989844281020418?s=21

If this is right the govt screwed up on sat and it’s going to be a rollercoaster week.

[galpinos]

The decision  by Johnson to send a photocopy is frankly fucking childish.

We shouldn't be giving this kind of press briefing air time. What does it even mean? He didn't sign it, it was a photocopy (really?!) etc.

He said he would never send the letter. He sent the letter. End of.

[galpinos]

Interesting thread

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1185989844281020418?s=21

If this is right the govt screwed up on sat and it’s going to be a rollercoaster week.

I read that thread this morning but I'd don't know enough about palimentary procedure to get this bit:

"There is a common misconception that the govt pulled the vote on Saturday. They did not. They just didn't  bring the motion as amended to a division. It went through on the nod. The House decided something. I.e. Letwin, that there is no deal until WAB passes. That is big."

What does "amended to a division" and "went through on the nod" mean?

[Will Hunt]

Interesting thread

https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1185989844281020418?s=21

If this is right the govt screwed up on sat and it’s going to be a rollercoaster week.

I read that thread this morning but I'd don't know enough about palimentary procedure to get this bit:

"There is a common misconception that the govt pulled the vote on Saturday. They did not. They just didn't  bring the motion as amended to a division. It went through on the nod. The House decided something. I.e. Letwin, that there is no deal until WAB passes. That is big."

What does "amended to a division" and "went through on the nod" mean?

And WAB? I think I've missed something somewhere.

[remus]

And WAB? I think I've missed something somewhere.

WAB = Withdrawal Agreement Bill

[teestub]

A division is the voting in the Commons, where you walk through one corridor for yes and another one for no. As far as I understand the amendment that passed essentially gutted a lot of the text of what the PM tabled, so once the amendment passed, there was no vote on the bill (it ‘went through on the nod’, as it it was passed without dispute which happens a lot to stop things that are definitely going to pass having to be voted on to save time).

I think the issue is that, in the terms of the commons, this counts as a vote on that deal, and as with May’s deal(s), the speaker made it clear that you can’t just bring exactly the same thing to be voted on again when you didn’t get the result you wanted first time.

[galpinos]

there was no vote on the bill (it ‘went through on the nod’, as it it was passed without dispute which happens a lot to stop things that are definitely going to pass having to be voted on to save time).

I think the issue is that, in the terms of the commons, this counts as a vote on that deal, and as with May’s deal(s), the speaker made it clear that you can’t just bring exactly the same thing to be voted on again when you didn’t get the result you wanted first time.

This is how I read it but that means the bill was passed, so there's not need to bring it back to be voted on again?

[Offwidth]

I agree with Gina

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/20/boris-johnson-ride-roughshed-laws-grant-extension-law

It would be awful if Boris scraped an election win because brexit votes split less than those of the progressive parties. People really need to consider tactical voting on an ABB basis in marginal or 3 way/ 4 way seats. The only exception I'd make to the tactical voting likely to be suggested on her site is to support no tactical voting in very safe seats (ie much bigger than 50% single party majorities) as this allows parties like the greens to grow confidence and better influence policy.

[teestub]

This is how I read it but that means the bill was passed, so there's not need to bring it back to be voted on again?

This I’m more hazy on but I think they want a vote on an unamended version to show that there is support in the house for the legislation to pass.

[galpinos]

This is how I read it but that means the bill was passed, so there's not need to bring it back to be voted on again?

This I’m more hazy on but I think they want a vote on an unamended version to show that there is support in the house for the legislation to pass.

https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1186250561676595200

Having listened to this, I think it means it was defeated "on the nod" as they didn't even put it up for a vote.

[GraemeA]

From the Beeb
"15:38
BreakingSpeaker refuses Brexit deal vote

House of Commons

Parliament
Commons Speaker John Bercow has refused the government's call to hold a vote on the prime minister's Brexit deal today."

[teestub]

This is how I read it but that means the bill was passed, so there's not need to bring it back to be voted on again?

This https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/21/brexit-what-just-happened-and-what-happens-next makes it all a bit clearer after today’s events.

[TobyD]

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2019/10/exposed-brexiteer-hypocrisy-over-bercow-ruling

[tomtom]

What a colosssal fuck up this all feels like...

Interesting tweet from an FT journo:

"A wild guess at what happens next: @BorisJohnson wins second reading, MPs who feel guilty about backing the deal then block programme motion; EU grants extension of a few weeks. Johnson accepts (and doesn't pull bill). Brexit happens. No election till 2020. Lab changes leader."

[petejh]

That would be a fairly accurate reflection of the last 3.5 years - Brexit scrapes through; labour not in power because the public sees them as a flip-flopping shower of; Cornyn gone becasue he couldn’t lead a dog.

[tomtom]

My favourite report of the day:

The Irish Mirror is reporting that the Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar is very keen to get Brexit done by 31 October because he has tickets to see Cher on 1 November.

“He has tickets for the pop legend in Dublin’s 3Arena on November 1 and wants to enjoy it properly,” the paper reports.

“Mr Varadkar is a self-confessed Kylie Minogue fan who sent her a personal letter and got a selfie with the Aussie when she performed here last December.

“But he is also believed to love Cher and has been looking forward to the concert for months.”