Happy No Brexit Day

So today is 29th March 2019, the day we were supposed to leave the EU.

We haven't left the EU.

This is great news. Today May tried once again to put her poisonous Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament, and again failed, this time by 58 votes.

We've recently had a situation whereby Parliament took control of the order paper for the day and had a series of indicative votes to see if there was a majority for anything. There was not, although a referendum and a customs union were the least hated options.

The country is in such a crisis. It will be hard to describe in years to come just how bad things are right now. Today there was a demonstration outside Parliament full of leave voters claiming a Brexit betrayal, complete with coffin for democracy. Compare that to the crowds that thronged through Westminster last Saturday when we went on the anti Brexit march.

I don't really know what the answer is to this mess. A second referendum perhaps. I just hope that one day we can all start talking about Brexit.

Ate Swedish meatballs in Borough tonight.

Revoke Article 50!

What a day! Today we marched against Brexit. All 1,000,000 of us. We showed Theresa May that there is a significant opposition to the road she is taking us down. We followed the route of my MP, Neil Coyle, Southwark Labour. Neil has been amazing in his unswerving opposition to Brexit. I'm so pleased that Southwark is a massively Remain area.

It was busy. Very. Much more than the last time I marched. R was not happy with the crowds! But it was worth it to put the message across that Brexit is a disaster for this country.

In addition to the march over 4 million people have now signed the petition to revoke Article 50. It really feels like the tide is turning.

And tonight the Sunday papers are reporting a coup. Is this finally the time that May will fall? But then what? Will a Brexity headbanger take her place?

There are talks of David Liddington (undefined), or Gove (Brexity) or Jeremy Hunt (Brexity).

I just want this all to end. Brexit has ruined my life, my relationships. R was very sweet today in the march though.

Stop Brexit.

I think this is the pinnacle. Something is happening tonight.

She will not do it.

What a time to be alive! So many people are just going about their business and seem oblivious to the fact that we might have a no-deal in 8 days time. If that happens we risk martial law. Already there is a bunker under Whitehall where the military are planning for it.

This. Is. Ridiculous.

Hopefully the EU can help save the day. Right now there is a Summit in Brussels where they are deciding what offer to give the UK for an extension. Yesterday May write asking for one until 30th June, but as that is after the European Elections in May it is doubtful this will be agreed. Also Tusk gave a provisional offer for an extension on the proviso that May was able to pass her deal.

She will not pass that deal.

What's more she then decided to give an astonishing speech from Downing Street whereby she blamed MPs for the mess we are in. No remorse. No self-reflection that perhaps the actions she has taken since 2016 to shut out debate and the red lines she has taken might have contributed to this terrible situation we are in.

I went again to the supermarket to stock up - pasta, sauces, cheese, tuna. I need to be at least somewhat prepared when there is no food in the shops. It is that bad. The risk is that bad.

I can't believe she has brought us to this. But I still do not believe that a British PM would take us to no-deal. She would not do it. She will not do it.

Ding Dong! MV3 is dead!

At least this week it probably is, after Mr Speaker, John Bercow, blocked May's attempts at putting it back for a 3rd vote due to the Erskine-May rules. We are now in full blown constitutional crisis, and with just 10 days remaining until 29th March this is extremely serious.

10 days remaining - and we don't even know if we can extend Article 50, nor by how much.

This. is. ridiculous.

To delay or not delay

Another week and it's going to be another dramatic one, it seems. The Government has until Thursday, when there is an EU summit, to decide whether it will put the MV3 to Parliament, and from the result either ask for a short technical extension (if it passes) or else ask for a much longer extension to Article 50.

I really hope that if the vote even occurs that it does not pass. It would keep us bound by the EU rules for a number of years with no say in any existing or new regulations that come to pass. Worst still is the dreaded backstop which would bind Northern Ireland to these rules should we decide to move against them.

And of course I am dreading a no deal situation. That would risk my supply of medicines and dialysis equipment. I cannot believe Parliament - or May - would let this happen. I have a cupboard stocked with food just in case but it would be a complete disaster.

Rumour has it that any longer extension might be for just 9 months, which seems pretty short to me. I'd rather it be for 2 years, so that the country can decide what it really wants. perhaps by means of a second referendum.

It's odd - generally people I speak to don't seem too bothered by the outcome of a no deal. I think most people haven't really understood the catastrophe that it would be, and are quite relaxed about it all.

The clock is ticking and sooner will will know our fate.

MV3

Just back from dinner on the southbank. For some reason Pizza Express that overlooks the Thames is never busy. We managed to get a window seat too. Wine is vile though, but anyway...


So not much happened politically today. May is trying to get a deal with the DUP and according to reports they are softening. She is going to try again next week with the 3rd attempt for a meaningful vote (number 3 - MV3). Some more might vote with her, but I still think she is not going to manage a majority.

Took delivery of my Bollinger 2008 today. Let's see how that does over the next 30 years. Hopefully it's Corbyn proof for a while.

Massacre in Christchurch with 49 dead. Nowhere is sacred anymore.

Parliament votes for no no-deal, but what happens next?

It's not a given that there will be no deal. This is the thing I am most worried about. No deal will risk a disruption to the delivery of my medicines and dialysis supplies. That the Prime Minister could walk through the No Lobby tonight, voting against the removal of no deal under any circumstances, is despicable. Completely despicable.

And so it was, the will of Parliament is to remove no deal. And yet still, she stated immediately after the vote that there must still be a deal of sorts if we are to truly remove no deal. This is no true. She could choose to revoke Article 50. She doesn't need to hide behind the EU to do that.

On the plus side it is clear now that Theresa May is really losing her grip of power as Parliament starts to express its own. Brexiteers must be furious. But they are also so stupid. Take Mark Francois for example. So thick that he would rather vote against a 3rd attempt of May's Withdrawal Agreement because he thinks it is not completely leaving the EU, ignoring the fact that its the future arrangements that will define our future relationship. I'm glad that these people are blinded by their own ignorance.

I just want it all to stop. Ever since 2015 when I heard about this wretched Referendum I've wanted it to stop.

Withdrawal Agreement voted down a second time

This is proving to be a fascinating time to follow politics. Tonight, thankfully, Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement was voted down again. Now tomorrow there will be a vote to take no-deal off the table and on Thursday whether Article 50 should be extended.

It's not a given that the EU will agree to extend Article 50. My thoughts are that if no-deal is taken off the table, and if the EU refuse to extend Article 50, May might well be forced to revoke Article 50, and we can put an end to this sorry affair.

Strangely, tomorrow's vote is a free vote for Conservatives, proving that May can no longer govern her party. As predicted Corybn did not push for a second referendum.

Given that its been shown recently that May knew how unsafe the Referendum was due to electoral cheating, it seems incredible that she has pushed the "will of the people" narrative for so long. It's nearly 3 years since the will of the people was tested. It's time to accept that this vote, proven to be illegal, was a vote for unicorns. Brexiteers offered an impossible future to the people. Now is the time to get real and return back to the EU with a program of reform, and to fix the problems and reasons of why the people were convinced to blame the EU for all their woes.

Brexit is only 17 days away.