EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

would the opposition have the opportunity to go to the Queen and demonstrate their ability to form a government before the election was approved?

No, under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act she just needs a two-thirds majority to trigger one. There's no reason the opposition would be given the chance to show they could form a government.

There has to be at least a 25 day gap between Parliament being dissolved and the election.

DUP will never in their lifetime support CORBYNIRA. [to the extent they want a GE]

Yeah, that's the level of thinking here. Even though Thatcher was also seen with the IRA leaders, but OK...

Hopefully Corbyn can pull in a few favours and get Sinn Fein MPs to take up their seats to form part of his governing coalition.

Nigel Dodds and Sammy Wilson would probably simultaneously combust if that happened.

Which would increase his majority by two for a while, so there’s an upside too.

I'm sure you're joking, but that will never*, ever happen

*NEVERRRRRRRR x3

Grieve amendment passed 308 v 297.

Interesting times...

SF would also see this place burn if it gets them what they want.

On a less bitter note, their voters are happy with the abstentionist policy. So I don't see it change. Not even to get Dodds/Wilson to combust though it would be worth it :)

Why would Corbyn go to the Queen with a coalition government when he wants a GE?

He may as well wait, then have an actual majority (if he thinks he can win), than create a coalition with three parties who hold views which are either totally opposed, or mostly opposed, to his own WRT Brexit? Plus, Brexit would happen in the background whilst he waited for the GE, and the chaos of no-deal would possibly push a bunch of people his way - for e.g. people who would not then be voting leave or remain, as that ship would have sailed, but Labour vs Tory.

Why would Corbyn go to the Queen with a coalition government when he wants a GE?

It was in response to the calls for May calling an election, and delaying the polling day, to prevent parliament from having more of a say, and forcing hard Brexit by running down the clock.

I can't quite follow your second paragraph, so apologies if I missed something.

In part two, subsection seven, it states that “the polling day for the election is to be the day appointed by her majesty by proclamation on the recommendation of the prime minister.”

I wonder what level of chaos it would take before Her Maj interferes. Probably nothing short of country-wide riots.

Themselves, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the LibDems and Caroline Lucas combined would still leave them with 5 seats less than the Tories.

Once again, the DUP hold the balance of power. I’m sure it’ll be fine this time

If it was hang about while a no-deal Brexit happens automatically or join the ^ massive coalition, I reckon there'd be enough Soubry/Grieve types to cross over and swing the majority.

I think it’s one thing to vote against your party to ensure Parliament remains sovereign, quite another to support your political opponents in Government.

I can't quite follow your second paragraph, so apologies if I missed something.

Put another way, if Corbyn waits then he gets both the things that he wants - an election, where he could get a majority without relying on others, and a Brexit that is 100% blameable on the Tories.

If he tries to form a coalition government then he's a) beholden to the other parties to get stuff done and b) those other parties all disagree with his stance on Brexit, and the price to form the coalition may well be a second referendum, or A50 retraction.

Therefore, if May calls an election and he waits, he potentially gets absolutely everything he wants, if he tries to form a coalition he does get into power, but as a member of a coalition, encumbered with terms and conditions which he doesn't want.

I can't see any reason, on balance, that he'd do anything other than wait for the election.

Put another way, if Corbyn waits then he gets both the things that he wants - an election, where he could get a majority without relying on others, and a Brexit that is 100% blameable on the Tories.

I stopped reading because this is nonsense. Corbyn knows a hard Brexit would be very bad for Britain and the British people. He doesn't want that to happen.

What can you point to that supports that assertion?

If he wants no deal then the options are May's WA, or Remain - and he's ruled out both.

The only option that is left, is no-deal.

What can you point to that supports that assertion?

Labour's position is they want to negotiate a Brexit which includes access to the single market/customs union. They may be worse than May at this, but that's their position.

Corbyn has not ruled out his support for a second referendum.

The last two days have shown Labour voting for measures which would make a hard Brexit more difficult.

There is little evidence here that he secretly desires a hard Brexit.

But the EU has said, repeatedly, that they won't re-negotiate the WA.

The single market access and customs union can be negotiated in the next part of the sequence - but not if there is no WA. Corbyn's ambitions there are impossible on both counts, anyway, which makes it doubly unlikely that the EU would agree to a) re-open negotiations and b) turn the sequence on it's head.

Labour are voting for measures which make a hard Brexit less easy to mitigate, and I grant that the motivation may be to make no deal less likely - but where is an actual route forward that isn't no deal?

There is little evidence that Labours approach would not lead to no deal, currently.

and I grant that the motivation may be to make no deal less likely

Then we agree.

but where is an actual route forward that isn't no deal?

This is all happening very fast and parliament has been able to show that there is not support for no deal. It would be dumb to predict the coming days/weeks. However! I do think the EU would be open to extending article 50. And we do know the UK can unilaterally withdraw.

I agree, the EU has shown that it would be open to extend A50 for a further referendum - but they've been clear that they would not extend for a re-negotiation.

Would they extend for a GE? They'd need to be asked, by the current government.

With regards to withdraw- yes, the ECJ said we can , but Corbyn has shown absolutely no desire to do so, and has recently stated that Labour would go ahead with Brexit.

The evidence available to us points to Labour having a less coherent approach to Brexit than May, at the current moment.

There is no plausible route forward, today, given what is in the public domain, that doesn't end with no deal - unless May's WA is passed during the MV.

With regards to withdraw- yes, the ECJ said we can , but Corbyn has shown absolutely no desire to do so, and has recently stated that Labour would go ahead with Brexit.

They would go ahead with negotiating Brexit. If that is not possible a referendum is much more likely (and I believe Corbyn has said this).

How would negotiating Brexit be impossible?

Do you mean re-negotiating the WA? That, I grant, is impossible.

Negotiating Brexit is always possible.

We're talking about different things now. My original point was that it's nonsense to claim Corbyn would get what he wants with May calling an early election in order to force a no deal Brexit.

But you didn't show that it's nonsense, so whilst that's an opinion it's not one supported by the available evidence.

"I grant that the motivation may be to make no deal less likely"

That was you literally minutes ago. How can Corbyn both want a no deal Brexit and want to make it less likely?