Brexit.

[seafoid]

May hasn't been inept.

She has never, never has a hand to play here. Her country wish to leave. What interest would the EU have in smoothing this over, and handing out sweeteners?

What a second referendum would allow the UK to do is decide whether it's worth continuing with the process, now we are all better informed.

Her red lines were stupid
The aim of the game was to execute Brexit without breaking up the party and she was a poor leader
She is no Geezer (2002 vintage)

[Walter Cronc]

No Irish party (Nationalist or Unionist) makes one iota at Westminster.

Sure look at the number of SNP members that effectively don't matter.

My gripe with SF is they appear to be doing sweet FA here to get things back on track.

They managed to come to an agreement with the DUP only for it to be vetoed by those behind the DUP. Hard to know what you can do when those you're negotiating with don't appear to have any say. What would you have them do?

No work, no pay! Simples.

[seafoid]

EU ready to discuss new Brexit deal if UK changes 'red lines'

Michel Barnier says there is 'no room for manoeuvre' when it comes to backstop


The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator has told the United Kingdom that it could have a different kind of departure deal if London is willing to change its key demands.

Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, Michel Barnier defended the withdrawal agreement struck with Theresa May which suffered a crushing defeat in a House of Commons' vote on Tuesday evening and left theprime minister facing a confidence vote.

Mr Barnier warned that the risk of a disorderly withdrawal was now greater than ever as a result of the vote and that the EU would step up its preparations amid concern a no-deal outcome could disrupt the whole of Europe.

He indicated that one way forward would be for Britain to accept even closer alignment with EU regulations to secure a very close trading relationship in future. EU officials say London could, for example, abandon its determination to leave the EU customs union and the centrally regulated single market.

Referring to statements by the European Parliament and all the other member states, Mr Barnier said: "If the United Kingdom chooses to let its red lines change in future, and that it takes this choice for its advantage of the ambition of going beyond a simple but not negligible free trade accord, then the European Union would be ready immediately to ... respond favourably."

That suggestion for a "deeper relationship" was echoed by the EU parliament's Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt.


Exposed divisions

Mr Barnier and others lined up to highlight how the vote in London exposed only divisions, without shedding light on what Britain's could actually rally behind as a consensual position, just 10 weeks before it is set to leave the bloc, potentially into a legal limbo for citizens and businesses.

"Please, please, please tell us finally what you want to achieve," pleaded Manfred Weber, the centre-right leader in the parliament and an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel.


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But, he added, there was "no room for manoeuvre" in terms of renegotiating the current agreement, which Brexit campaigners say leaves Britain too tied to EU rules, especially due to a "backstop" insurance clause intended to avoid throwing up a hard customs border across Ireland.

The DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson on Wednesday doubled down on his party leader's claimthat there had "never" been a hard border in Ireland, meaning the backstop was unnecessary.

Mr Barnier insisted there could be no weakening on that issue.

"Right now it's too early to assess all the consequences of this vote," he told a Strasbourg chamber that was sparsely attended for the early morning debate, perhaps reflecting a growing weariness in Europe with Britain's troubles.

"We have respected and we continue to respect the democratic parliamentary debate in the UK and I will not speculate on the different scenarios. What yesterday's vote showed is that the political conditions for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement are not yet there in London."

Second referendum

Some EU politicians have called for Britain to put the question of remaining in the EU to a second referendum. The chair of EU summits, Donald Tusk, suggested on Tuesday that division in Britain could lead to Brexit being cancelled.

Frans Timmermans, the deputy head of the European Commission, citing a phrase often attributed to British fantasy novelist C.S. Lewis, suggested Britain should put its past tribulations behind it and seek a fresh start with the EU:

"You can't go back and change the beginning," the former Dutch foreign minister said, "But you can start where you are and change the ending."

But Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party which drove the campaign for the 2016 vote to leave, told fellow members of the European Parliament that any second ballot would deliver an even greater majority for quitting because Britons had been angered by the EU's stance in negotiations.

[north_antrim_hound]

Manfred Weber ask " what do you want to achieve " the answer is they don't know. "We don't know what we want but it's not this" ,It really is laughable at this stage but at least they (EU) are not moving on the backstop.

[johnnycool]

No Irish party (Nationalist or Unionist) makes one iota at Westminster.

Sure look at the number of SNP members that effectively don't matter.

My gripe with SF is they appear to be doing sweet FA here to get things back on track.

They managed to come to an agreement with the DUP only for it to be vetoed by those behind the DUP. Hard to know what you can do when those you're negotiating with don't appear to have any say. What would you have them do?

Hamilton and Poots seem to have been relegated since that debacle.

[maddog]

EU ready to discuss new Brexit deal if UK changes 'red lines'

Michel Barnier says there is 'no room for manoeuvre' when it comes to backstop


The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator has told the United Kingdom that it could have a different kind of departure deal if London is willing to change its key demands.

Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, Michel Barnier defended the withdrawal agreement struck with Theresa May which suffered a crushing defeat in a House of Commons' vote on Tuesday evening and left theprime minister facing a confidence vote.

Mr Barnier warned that the risk of a disorderly withdrawal was now greater than ever as a result of the vote and that the EU would step up its preparations amid concern a no-deal outcome could disrupt the whole of Europe.

He indicated that one way forward would be for Britain to accept even closer alignment with EU regulations to secure a very close trading relationship in future. EU officials say London could, for example, abandon its determination to leave the EU customs union and the centrally regulated single market.

Referring to statements by the European Parliament and all the other member states, Mr Barnier said: "If the United Kingdom chooses to let its red lines change in future, and that it takes this choice for its advantage of the ambition of going beyond a simple but not negligible free trade accord, then the European Union would be ready immediately to ... respond favourably."

That suggestion for a "deeper relationship" was echoed by the EU parliament's Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt.


Exposed divisions

Mr Barnier and others lined up to highlight how the vote in London exposed only divisions, without shedding light on what Britain's could actually rally behind as a consensual position, just 10 weeks before it is set to leave the bloc, potentially into a legal limbo for citizens and businesses.

"Please, please, please tell us finally what you want to achieve," pleaded Manfred Weber, the centre-right leader in the parliament and an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel.


Advertisement


But, he added, there was "no room for manoeuvre" in terms of renegotiating the current agreement, which Brexit campaigners say leaves Britain too tied to EU rules, especially due to a "backstop" insurance clause intended to avoid throwing up a hard customs border across Ireland.

The DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson on Wednesday doubled down on his party leader's claimthat there had "never" been a hard border in Ireland, meaning the backstop was unnecessary.

Mr Barnier insisted there could be no weakening on that issue.

"Right now it's too early to assess all the consequences of this vote," he told a Strasbourg chamber that was sparsely attended for the early morning debate, perhaps reflecting a growing weariness in Europe with Britain's troubles.

"We have respected and we continue to respect the democratic parliamentary debate in the UK and I will not speculate on the different scenarios. What yesterday's vote showed is that the political conditions for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement are not yet there in London."

Second referendum

Some EU politicians have called for Britain to put the question of remaining in the EU to a second referendum. The chair of EU summits, Donald Tusk, suggested on Tuesday that division in Britain could lead to Brexit being cancelled.

Frans Timmermans, the deputy head of the European Commission, citing a phrase often attributed to British fantasy novelist C.S. Lewis, suggested Britain should put its past tribulations behind it and seek a fresh start with the EU:

"You can't go back and change the beginning," the former Dutch foreign minister said, "But you can start where you are and change the ending."

But Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party which drove the campaign for the 2016 vote to leave, told fellow members of the European Parliament that any second ballot would deliver an even greater majority for quitting because Britons had been angered by the EU's stance in negotiations.

Nothing to be afraid of then with 2nd ref. Bring it on.

[johnnycool]

EU ready to discuss new Brexit deal if UK changes 'red lines'

Michel Barnier says there is 'no room for manoeuvre' when it comes to backstop


The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator has told the United Kingdom that it could have a different kind of departure deal if London is willing to change its key demands.

Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, Michel Barnier defended the withdrawal agreement struck with Theresa May which suffered a crushing defeat in a House of Commons' vote on Tuesday evening and left theprime minister facing a confidence vote.

Mr Barnier warned that the risk of a disorderly withdrawal was now greater than ever as a result of the vote and that the EU would step up its preparations amid concern a no-deal outcome could disrupt the whole of Europe.

He indicated that one way forward would be for Britain to accept even closer alignment with EU regulations to secure a very close trading relationship in future. EU officials say London could, for example, abandon its determination to leave the EU customs union and the centrally regulated single market.

Referring to statements by the European Parliament and all the other member states, Mr Barnier said: "If the United Kingdom chooses to let its red lines change in future, and that it takes this choice for its advantage of the ambition of going beyond a simple but not negligible free trade accord, then the European Union would be ready immediately to ... respond favourably."

That suggestion for a "deeper relationship" was echoed by the EU parliament's Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt.


Exposed divisions

Mr Barnier and others lined up to highlight how the vote in London exposed only divisions, without shedding light on what Britain's could actually rally behind as a consensual position, just 10 weeks before it is set to leave the bloc, potentially into a legal limbo for citizens and businesses.

"Please, please, please tell us finally what you want to achieve," pleaded Manfred Weber, the centre-right leader in the parliament and an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel.


Advertisement


But, he added, there was "no room for manoeuvre" in terms of renegotiating the current agreement, which Brexit campaigners say leaves Britain too tied to EU rules, especially due to a "backstop" insurance clause intended to avoid throwing up a hard customs border across Ireland.

The DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson on Wednesday doubled down on his party leader's claimthat there had "never" been a hard border in Ireland, meaning the backstop was unnecessary.

Mr Barnier insisted there could be no weakening on that issue.

"Right now it's too early to assess all the consequences of this vote," he told a Strasbourg chamber that was sparsely attended for the early morning debate, perhaps reflecting a growing weariness in Europe with Britain's troubles.

"We have respected and we continue to respect the democratic parliamentary debate in the UK and I will not speculate on the different scenarios. What yesterday's vote showed is that the political conditions for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement are not yet there in London."

Second referendum

Some EU politicians have called for Britain to put the question of remaining in the EU to a second referendum. The chair of EU summits, Donald Tusk, suggested on Tuesday that division in Britain could lead to Brexit being cancelled.

Frans Timmermans, the deputy head of the European Commission, citing a phrase often attributed to British fantasy novelist C.S. Lewis, suggested Britain should put its past tribulations behind it and seek a fresh start with the EU:

"You can't go back and change the beginning," the former Dutch foreign minister said, "But you can start where you are and change the ending."

But Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party which drove the campaign for the 2016 vote to leave, told fellow members of the European Parliament that any second ballot would deliver an even greater majority for quitting because Britons had been angered by the EU's stance in negotiations.

Rees Mogg and his cohorts cracking open bottles of Champagne after the vote was announced.

Their utopian No Deal Brexit took a step closer to reality.

[haranguerer]

No Irish party (Nationalist or Unionist) makes one iota at Westminster.

Sure look at the number of SNP members that effectively don't matter.

My gripe with SF is they appear to be doing sweet FA here to get things back on track.

They managed to come to an agreement with the DUP only for it to be vetoed by those behind the DUP. Hard to know what you can do when those you're negotiating with don't appear to have any say. What would you have them do?

No work, no pay! Simples.

Pointless ill thought out soundbite.

[Walter Cronc]

No Irish party (Nationalist or Unionist) makes one iota at Westminster.

Sure look at the number of SNP members that effectively don't matter.

My gripe with SF is they appear to be doing sweet FA here to get things back on track.

They managed to come to an agreement with the DUP only for it to be vetoed by those behind the DUP. Hard to know what you can do when those you're negotiating with don't appear to have any say. What would you have them do?

No work, no pay! Simples.

Pointless ill thought out soundbite.

Good

[johnnycool]

Our Sammy doing what Sammy does best;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR7JwVjWByM&feature=youtu.be

48 minutes in.

[Sweeper 123]

Has J Corburn ever come out on top at PMQs ? Even when she is a sitting duck

[north_antrim_hound]

Our Sammy doing what Sammy does best;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR7JwVjWByM&feature=youtu.be

48 minutes in.

😂 Sammy put in his box as usual, what a clown

[GJL]

Our Sammy doing what Sammy does best;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR7JwVjWByM&feature=youtu.be

48 minutes in.

😂 Sammy put in his box as usual, what a clown

Not a clue does he have. The more he is on the TV with educated real politicians the better as it shows him up for what he really is. A bluffer.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Should have established a cross-party committee that performed the negotiations, with numerous visits back to the westminster with indicative votes on key issues to ensure they were following consensus on negotiation.

If she did that, the hardline Tory Brexiteers would have made her life hell.

They might have - but if the consensus within Westminster was to do A, B & C - all they could do is cry about it as they'd no leverage to insist on a different path.

[Franko]

Crispin Odey's comments (made last week) are the reason sterling jumped last week.

The DUP have lost. The consequences for NI are massive.
Arlene bet the farm on no deal.

Seafoid, you're an awful man for the big dramatic statement.

Nobody's lost or won anything with this yet.

No deal is not going to happen, Franko
You can bet Ballymena on it
Parliament won't accept it and neither will the EU

https://twitter.com/fabianzuleeg/status/1085438381973217281?s=12


"Interesting cognitive dissonance between English/UK media/commentators (subscribed to by markets) & EU27: both agree May's deal less likely & remain more likely. But EU27 commentators (incl. myself) think chance of no deal increased much more vs UK ones who almost rule it out"


Fabian Zuleeg
Chief Executive & Chief Economist
European Policy Centre