Monday 10 December 2018

Parliament is now FUBAR

This week was always going to be a frantic on in the world of Brexit, but it being on Monday, I don't know if I can stand much more of this.

On a basic level, we now do not have a functioning Government, and haven't had for a few weeks now. The Government had been ducking votes now just to avoid the chance of being defeated, and now has postponed the "meaningful vote" that was promised on the WA.

The DUP have stated that if there is a backstop in the WA, they can not support it. But without the backstop there can be no WA, so for the DUP it is either no deal or no Brexit, and as they are rabid Brexiteers it must mean they are for the chaos of no deal.

It is highly likely that the Government cannot get any kind of vote, maybe on any subject, through Parliament now, then it will happen as per under international law, and there would be nothing May could do. Maybe Parliamant could pass a motion to prevent a no deal, but could such a motion actually get through a vote? A50 can be withdrawn, but in line with the UK constitution and it seems impossible how any kind of legislation can now be passed, as May clearly can no longer govern.

It seems that May's plan might be now to try to get some new concessions from the EU, which is very unlikely, certainly not on the WA, if that fails then she might argue that under the terms of the Withdrawal Act, she does not have to go to Parliament to approve no deal, thus there being no Parliamentary approval for that course of action, and so bypassing democracy.

The DUP is pressing for a censure motion on the Government for the pulling of the vote tomorrow, and is gathering much support. And in the near future there will be a no confidence vote on May herself. She would lose both, and having lost a contempt motion already, it would be a unique hat trick for any Government.

No comments: