Weekend Brexit

It is Friday evening, and May is still PM, though not really in power.

She has appointed new minsters, and the much heralded vote of no confidence has been postponed until next week. Apparently.

Gove, Fox, Mordaunt, Grayling, and Leadsom; "leading" Brexiteers stil in cabinet are meeting next week to "redraft" the WA to their liking. That this will have no effect on the EU escapes them, and the whole idea of leaving the EU as being something both the UK and EU do side by side is lost on them. As you would expect from Leadsom, a politician so inept she holed her own leadership bid two and a half years ago after her first interview was published. Fox we know about, sadly, as we do Grayling; aka the Minister for Chaos and Gove is, well, Gove. Mordaunt decided, like Gove, not to resign on principle, showing she has none.

They might be able to write their own names, but actually writing a coherent legal text is surely beyond their skills.

Stephen Barclay is the new Brexit Minister, though he won't be meeting the EU in negotiations, he is tasked with preparing the UK for Brexit, once they decide what form it will take.

Just remember the clock is ticking. Not only does the WA have to be ratified here in UK, but also in each of the EU27 Parliaments. Originally 6 months was to be given for this task, meaning that should have started last month, or that nearly a third of the available time has been lost. And there is still no guarantee that the EU thinks that it should be ratified, what with the clusterfuck going on here at the moment.

The ERG do not, apparently, have the 42 letters required to trigger a vote of no confidence in the PM. Even if they do, there is no real chance of having the numbers to topple her, nor a viable "stalking horse" or viable alternative to stand against her were they able to. If May were to win such a vote, another could not be launched for a year.

Labour could force a vote in Parliament, but they are still pushing the idea that they could negotiate a better deal with the EU. Of course, it was the PM's fault that the EU offered us such dreadful terms, not that they held all the cards and the clock was ticking down. Yes, Jezza is wonderful and just his mere presence will be enough to make Barnier swoon and give in to all UK's demands.

Of course.

I'm sure the UK will wake up from whatever madness has gripped it these last two years and all things will be back to normal on Monday.