Politics

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Wales results in.

Remain parties - 42.4%
Brexit + UKIP - 35.8%
Labour - 15.3%
Conservatives - 6.5%

I'd say that makes Wales a remain country again.

Martin

[Andy Turnbull]

Scotland hasn't yet but forecast is

3 SNP
1 Lib Dem
1 Conservative
1 Brexit

So we will still be remain country.

[The Doctor]

Our future Prime Minister.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/police-called-to-loud-altercation-at-boris-johnsons-home

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

Not yet, all those jnr doctor card carrying Tory members could yet vote Jeremy!

[The Doctor]

One would hope this is the final straw that stops him getting into Number 10. Sadly, the Tory obesssion with Brexit above all else means that character and decency count for nothing these days.

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Heh. Amnesia has given me a new perspective on things, you people want Boris Johnson as your Prime Minister?!

Hilarious.



WHAT?!?! WE ELECTED WHO AS OUR PRESIDENT?!?!?! OH FUCK ME!!!!



-Lt. Asher Knight, Delta Force Daddy

[The Doctor]

I saw footage of a certain world leader at a rally today. There was some chanting of a new slogan they've come up with. Instantly I was reminded of Nuremberg rallies of the 1930's and I just boggled, unable to believe what I was seeing for several moments.

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

It was disgusting frankly.

[Dezzeh]

So, Gary Busey, I mean Boris, is now PM. The European dream was nice while it lasted eh.

[Fortmax2020]

I've had a whinge on Twitter. My plan now is to work harder at ensuring this doesn't happen again and when the inevitable General Election arrives Boris and his kind get nowhere near power again.

[The Doctor]

We've just replaced one racist with another.

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Just marked the ascendance of Boris Johnson by reinstating my lapsed Lib Dem membership.

Martin

[The Doctor]

I seek solace in Judge Dredd.

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

The PM's first job:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49049852

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Swindon elections 'badly distorted' says voting campaign group

www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/17805504.swindon-elections-39-badly-distorted-39-says-reform-campaign-group/

While the Conservatives, who increased their majority at the elections, received 39.6 per cent of the votes cast, the party won 12 of the 19 seats up for grabs – 63.2 per cent. The gap between votes cast and seats won is 23.5 per cent, putting the borough second only to Exeter of authorities in the region which held elections third year.

[The Doctor]

Phil's dodgy council!

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

*checks news*

Oh dear.

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

At this point I feel Corbyn needs to be reminded he had the chance to take Johnson down last month but refused to because he still thought it was all about getting himself to be Prime Minister.

[Philip Ayres]

I genuinely think Johnson has blown it today.

He's managed to alienate the remaining "proper Brexit deal done though Parliment" MPs - likely to cost him the leader of the Scottish Conservatives tomorrow www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-49502861 - and surely will get taken down with a vote of no confidence at the earliest opportunity.

I don't see quite what the route is from here though but I know the suspension is on it's way to a court challenge

[Pinwig]

Drink up, the world's about to end.

Not even Thursday.

[The Doctor]

"Keep the change."
"From a fiver?"

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

I'm going to lie down and put a paper bag over my head.

[Philip Ayres]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RuthFox01/status/1166780601896243200

Lots of discussion today about whether the length of #prorogation really matters given the upcoming party conference season. But conference recess hasn't been agreed. So we’ve crunched the numbers and yes, the length matters! (thread – 1/17!)

The government’s desire to bring this long session to an end and outline a new legislative programme in a Queen’s Speech could be met with a prorogation of one to two weeks. Anything longer than this is both unnecessary and beyond the norm. (2/17)

We do not yet know on which day between 9 and 12 September Parliament will be prorogued. The Order in Council states that it will be no earlier than Monday 9th September and no later than Thursday 12 September. (3/17)

This is a prorogation of 31 to 35 days. Prorogation is normally uncontroversial but one of this length is unprecedented in recent times. (4/17)

In this decade, as @commonslibrary stats show, prorogations for the start of a new session (rather than for dissolution) have been 5 days in 2016; 20 days in 2014; 12 days in 2013; and 7 days in 2012 (5/17) researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefi…

The 2014 #prorogation, hitherto the longest this decade, covered the period of elections to the European Parliament, when MPs were out campaigning, as well as what would have been the Whitsun recess. (6/17)

Defenders of the govt’s decision today argue that as the Commons would not be sitting for the party conference recess – probably rising on Thu 12 Sept and returning on Mon 7 or Tues 8 Oct – then a Queen’s Speech on 14 Oct means a loss of up to 7 sitting days at most. (7/17)

However, the government has not brought forward a motion for the conference recess. Any dates for recess have to be agreed by MPs. And Opposition party leaders reportedly discussed opposing such a motion yesterday. (8/17)

So in calculating the days when the Commons might / might not have been sitting, it cannot be assumed that it would have gone into recess for party conference season. (9/17)

And even if the Commons agreed to go into recess for party conference season, the House of Lords could have carried on sitting. #Prorogation denies both Houses the opportunity to decide. (10/17)

Counting from the return of the House on 3 September, without a conference recess there could be 35 Commons sitting days to Brexit day on 31 October, assuming no sitting Fridays. If the House sat on Fridays there would potentially be 7 more sitting days. (11/17)

If Parliament is prorogued on the 9th Sept there will be only 16 sitting days left to 31 Oct, assuming no sitting Fridays. If it happens on the 10th Sept there will be just 17, on the 11th just 18 or on the 12th just 19 sitting days left, assuming no sitting Fridays. (12/17)

So, the government’s manoeuvre halves the number of potential pre-Brexit sitting days when government ministers can be held to account. (13/17)

In the current Brexit context anything longer than a usual short prorogation to end the session and start a new one helps the government evade parliamentary scrutiny. (14/17)

If Parliament stands prorogued ministers cannot be called to account each day at the despatch box. There will be no urgent questions, no emergency debates, no ministerial questions, no Prime Minister’s Questions. (15/17)

There will be no scrutiny of ministers’ negotiations with the EU or of the progress being made with no-deal preparations while both Houses stand prorogued. (16/17)

Select committees will not be able to sit and scrutinise government planning and decision-making. If the House had merely adjourned – e.g. for conference recess – then they could have held evidence sessions if necessary. (ends)

I’ll be on @bbcr4today tomorrow morning at about 06:50am discussing all of this.

[The Doctor]

Let's just put this here:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/29/mad-suggestion-how-tory-ministers-once-viewed-call-to-prorogue-parliament

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/269157

Martin

[Philip Ayres]

“Prorogation would mean the end of the Conservative party”

A sorry tale of how Matt Hancock, Amber Rudd, Nicky Morgan, Sajid Javid & Michael Gove sold out their principles and threw parliamentary democracy under a bus.

Then and now: what senior Tories say about proroguing parliament

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/aug/29/then-and-now-what-senior-tories-say-about-proroguing-parliament

[browny87]

genuinely gutted about Bercow, he did his best to keep the idiot extreme brexiteers in line

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Sept 9, 2019 15:03:45 GMT browny87 said:

genuinely gutted about Bercow, he did his best to keep the idiot extreme brexiteers in line

Ah, but he's timed his retirement so as to ensure it's this Parliament, and not the next one, who chooses his successor. Very, very clever.

Martin

[The Doctor]

Johnson has now lost his first five votes since becoming PM:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/09/mps-order-johnson-to-hand-over-aides-messages-about-prorogation

At the time of writing, he may be about to lose a 6th later this evening. I suspect he is not enjoying being PM as much as he thought he would.

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

My cousin's 13-year-old daughter has asked me to sign her school's petition to the government. Some of you may also wish to consider signing it or giving it a plug.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/272167

Thanks.

Martin