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have these people still not realised they're not just negotiating with themselves?
Not yet, but they will eventually.
The EU don't want us to leave.
The EU know that Parliament has indicated that it does not want no deal (Spelman's amendment was only advisory, but it is useful in of itself). Coopers amendment was voted down because it had too much baggage (delays/etc).
The EU will watch us cut off our entire face to spite our limited brains rather than capitulate at this point.
At least one of the EU27 will veto any request to extend/delay our withdrawal.
There isn't time before 29th March to negotiate anything radically new (and no unicorns exist to solve the Eire/NI border problem anyway.)
I can't help but think that May is doing everything she can to end up in a situation where she is forced to withdraw A50 as there isn't sufficient backing for anything (her deal has been voted down by Parliament, no deal is voted down by Parliament, no time to renegotiate a new deal) therefore withdraw A50 is the only option. She'll have to do this under the guise of 'going back to the people' and coming up with a new plan, and the EU will be 'happy' with this (in terms of possible re-invoking A50 at a later date) as it would have the further backing of the country. At which point we'll kick off another few years of constant nonsense, but at least without the impending doom of a hard brexit looming.
Anyway, that's my delusional thinking.
Greenbank-
I can't help but think that May is doing everything she can to end up in a situation where she is forced to withdraw A50 as there isn't sufficient backing for anything (her deal has been voted down by Parliament, no deal is voted down by Parliament, no time to renegotiate a new deal)
This has been my thinking for the past 18 months or so.
The simple fact that they haven't prepared the logistics to leave, nor passed most of the necessary legislation (something like 1000 bills needed, but outstanding I read recently?) has always suggested that they've got no intention of actually going through with it. I always thought that they were looking for a face saving way to back down.
I've wavered more recently though, not sure if that's because it's getting to squeaky bum or something else; possibly my own lessening engagement. It's such a cretinous waste of time and effort.
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I can't help but think that May is doing everything she can to end up in a situation where she is forced to withdraw A50 as there isn't sufficient backing for anything
To do that would destroy the Conservative Party at Westminster. Once again Mrs May has chosen party over country. She has given their hard Brexit minority a significant victory. BBC TV showed them heading for another celebration at Rees-Mogg Towers.
When she and her bedraggled unicorns return defeated from Brussels everyone will blame the dastardly devious foreigners for trying to destroy Our Brexit. Anything Corbyn/Labour do or say can and will be ignored.
If Brexit destroys the country then Cameron and the Brexiteers will be blamed. If a botched deal destroys the Conservative Pary she and she alone will be blamed.
I quite liked Ian Blackford's summing up after last night's vote:
Tonight the Conservative Party has effectively ripped apart the Good Friday Agreement. This House should be ashamed of itself . . .
Scotland has been sidelined, silenced and shafted by the Torieshttps://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/fa6b40ec-a334-405d-8dbb-ea7ea1422619 -from 20:45:49
christianSpaceman
Charlie_L
I have to say, I'm getting more and more exasperated by this. At first it was just unreasonable unicorn expectations that were clearly never going to happen. Now the whole debate has degraded to arguing purely counterfactually. "The PM to reopen the WA", "Voting for an extension of A50", have these people still not realised they're not just negotiating with themselves?