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LAST UPDATE | 16 Oct 2018
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has gathered her divided cabinet to seek their support for her approach to Brexit, the day before she addresses EU leaders at a crucial Brussels summit.
Negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union have stalled ahead of the summit, which had been billed as the deadline for a draft deal before Brexit day on 29 March.
May is still struggling to reconcile conflicting demands from Brussels and her own MPs, raising fears of a chaotic and damaging divorce.
Several of her senior ministers reportedly met last night to coordinate their approach over takeaway pizza, before today’s regular cabinet meeting focused this week on Brexit.
Media reports this weekend suggested several Brexit-supporting ministers were considering resigning if May compromised too much with Brussels.
Asked about the pizza meeting yesterday, May’s spokesman said: “Cabinet ministers are free to eat whatever they choose.”
But with a deal looking unlikely this week after the latest round of talks broke down on Sunday, the immediate threat of walk-outs appears to have reduced.
The prime minister will still go to the summit, where she will make her pitch to the other 27 EU leaders before they have dinner without her to talk about the next steps in the Brexit negotiations.
Another summit has been pencilled in for mid-November, although some leaders have said it will only go ahead if there is progress this week.
‘No deal more likely than ever before’
The European Union President Donald Tusk has warned that a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario is “more likely than ever before”.
British and European leaders insisted they could still reach a Brexit deal yesterday, despite the latest failed round of divorce talks.
May admitted there was still “disagreement” over how to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, although she said a deal was still “achievable”.
“We’ll just have to keep negotiating”, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he believed “we can make progress”.
But Tusk said in a letter to members of the European Council that while he encouraged all involved to remain “hopeful and determined”, the EU must prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario.
EU Summit
As noted above, May will update the other 27 European Union leaders before their dinner in Brussels tomorrow, with the summit kicking off on Thursday, her Downing Street office confirmed.
The EU’s Brexit spokesman Michel Barnier met his British counterpart Dominic Raab in Brussels on Sunday, but they failed to agree on a draft Brexit divorce arrangement as had been hoped.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said an agreement was now more likely in November or December.
Meanwhile, the DUP have warned that the impasse meant it was “probably inevitable” that Britain would leave the EU with no deal.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald warned the party that if a hard Brexit transpires, “then there will be an immediate demand for a referendum on Irish unity”.
‘Cool heads’
Meanwhile, May has also made a statement to the House of Commons to address what she called “inaccurate speculation” about the Brexit talks.
The Conservative leader said it was time for “cool, calm heads to prevail”.
“I continue to believe that a negotiated deal is the best outcome for the UK and for the EU. I continue to believe that such a deal is achievable,” she said.
But the threat she faces was revealed by Sammy Wilson, the Brexit spokesman for the DUP, which props up her government.
He suggested there was no Brexit deal that would command the support of all British MPs, saying a ‘no deal’ scenario was “probably inevitable”.
European leaders insisted there was still time to resolve the outstanding issues before a possible emergency summit in November.
“We were actually pretty hopeful that we would manage to seal an exit agreement. At the moment it looks more difficult,” Merkel said, adding “we’ll just have to keep negotiating”.
In Paris, Macron said: “I believe in our collective intelligence, so I think we can make progress”, but added that the EU was “ready for all scenarios”.
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I thought the headline referred to the staff!!!
I left it open. It can also refer to the parents!
Fix the caption on the second picture! She’s bawling, not balling – unless she’s Tom Haverford from Parks & Rec? #BallerTime
Friend of ours drives a school bus and was telling me yesterday that one of the new 1st yrs was disembarking and gave a really loud ‘oh nooooo’ …… when my friend looked up the child’s mother was waiting at the gate for him. He was mortified.
Scarred for the rest of his secondary school life. Day 1. Poor fella.
Reminds me of 1st year boy worrying he would not find his mum at gate after school. Fed up mum said ‘ You will see me – I will carry a placard with MAMMY written on it’.
Lol Mary. Irish mothers of a certain vintage and their humour :}
I p*ssed my pants on my first day of school. My teacher was kind enough to change them for me and bring me back to class. P*ssed them again thirty minutes later! Poor woman must still suffer flashbacks.
It’s awful for that to happen to you on your first day of secondary school Kevin :}
College, actually. ;)
Ah, you’re an arts student then?
Aquaculture research and development. :)
I almost pissed myself laughing when I read that! Had to put the phone away for a few minutes (I’m on public transport and didn’t want to risk laughing to death).
They’ll be grand in a few days. New friends for them, new life for parents that finally get a little freedom after years.
Good times all round.
Whatever about having kids in creches for the first 4 or 5 years of their lives I do think it is a good idea, even if a parent or other adult is looking after them until they reach school age, to send kids to pre/play school for at least a year before “big school”. I have 5 adult children & when the older ones were smallies there was very little talk of play school & both them & I found going to primary school very traumatic but the younger ones were lucky enough to be able to attend a local play school for a year & when the time came to go to primary school they settled in much better & some of the kids they’d been in play school with started also. They also had a good grasp of the little basics that infants are taught in baby infants. I’m not sure how the years free pre school thing works but I would advise parents to check it out & avail of it it at all possible.
I think the majority of kids go to playschool for the free preschool yr, 2 out of my 3 did, eldest didn’t have it at the time but had sent her to a playschool anyway, the real thing that hit me on the eldest she was 4 and wasn’t ready for school didn’t really have the skills to sit still and do work, the following 2 didn’t go to school till 5 there was a massive difference.
“Bawling” not balling surely on picture 12 !
I was the only kid crying when collected from school. I wanted to stay later like the big kids. Cried all the way home…
my brother on the other hand spent the first year sitting on the teachers lap. It was the only way to keep him from crying.
My montessori school is back open on Monday. I dread seeing crying kids coming in the door in the first few weeks. It’s my least favourite time of year. Poor parents. By the time they have arrived at work the kids are playing happily (usually), and the mums and dads are riddled with guilt and worried. A couple of weeks in and it should be all smiles if your child is happy in the facility.
My son was in a crèche from the age of 1. First day of school was still a big event. As was his first day of secondary school. As these are HUGE life changing events in your child’s life.
I actually got a bit teary eyed looking at these photos, my son has just start preschool today so I hope by the time next Sept comes he will be used to being in school, in saying that I know there will be tears but most likely mine.
I don’t blame them crying…I hated school and you can’t leave not like a job. Most the stuff you are taught you don’t actually need in life either…funny how you aren’t taught how credit cards and loans work but are taught algebra
Wats diff between this n babies/toddlers going day care 5days a week from 7 am to 6 pm, with both parents working ! Say those kids get on better on their first days !
If I can interprep your written’English’, the difference is that one is lifestyle choice and the other is education
Sorry not all of us want to leave our kids in a crèche 5 days a week. Some of us out off work till our kids are a bit older.
Put**
My daughter was in creche from the age of 2, she cried every day I left her even at school until she was half way through senior infants. Some kids suffer with separation anxiety.
how nice you can do that chloe, not an option for all
no its not a lifestyle choice, we had no choice but to put our son in the creche. We had a mortgage to pay. I cried daily having to make that decision, as i’m sure most women and fathers did in that position. Its not by choice that i work, believe me.
True Helen, many unhappy people out there that were sold a pup. A lot of women I know feel guilty for working, and guilty if they don’t. Such is the two faces of feminism and capitalism combined.
Well said Niall and Helen.
tell me about it, we bought our place 5 years before our son was born. First place, thinking we would stay there 3 or 4 years. Then bam!! the market fell, and we were left with no choice. getting older and seeing where the market was, we had no choice but to have our son when we knew eventually i’d have to go back to work. I took a 8 months out and was not paid for the time off, maternity benefit covers 6 months, at the end of the 6 months nothing for the further 2 months. It killed us, and I had to return to work. To pay our mortgage, to put food on the table., to make sure my child was supported in every way I can. Yes I feel guilty for it, as you said alot of mothers do, but there isnt a choice there.
Well said Helen, it’s certainly not for the love of it that I go to work everyday
Ya, I know the drill Helen. I’m a stay at home father essentially – but I work a few nights a week. Herself works about 25 hours a week. We’re lucky in that we can manage between us. But if I didn’t work nights, and had to work days instead we’d be sending our daughter to the creche too.
Almost all of the 30 something women I know with kids locally – and that’s a lot – are in negative equity and would prefer to be renting and staying at home to raise the kids. At least for the early years. It’s a bad situation for all involved.
No Emma, trying reading what I said instead of reading between lines that aren’t there in the first place.
There’s no common denominator between what I said, and what you said, except your own supposition.
I’m not on the dole? I saved before my child was born so I didn’t have to work for the first years of her life. My job was very understanding and I will be retiring when she is a bit older shes only 17 months now still far too young to be away from her mother imo.
Returning sorry auto correct on this phone.
What was that you were saying about judging other parents?
Sorry wrong thread, Chloe, out of interest do you rent/have mortgage or live with mammy and daddy? Just returning to work myself after exhausting all holidays, unpaid maternity and a week of parental leave. Once your parental leave is finished you have no right to your job back regardless of how understanding an employer is!
Sorry Niall that wasn’t aimed at u.
I rent privately. Yeah I know they don’t have to but my boss said as soon as I’m ready to come back to just give him a call.
No worries Emma :}
Yeah I was in Australia with my boyfriend and we saved alot of money there and I got pregnant when I was there , came home when I was 4 months pregnant. Still have a good bit of savings behind us. Old job is in Australia but not sure if I will go back, might just stay here as we are settled.
Always difficult to move, or even contemplate moving with a baby Chloe. May be best to stay put if you have a family support network here. That’s just my 2 cents.
Very well put Niall.
I’d prefer keep my brain working at least part time anyway as u get bit baby brained at home with kids, And working keeps extra money for what we want buy instead relying on goverment assistance . A lot kids kept are home tend be bit clingy I think but that’s my opinion,,,
my son goes to creche, and has done since he was 7 months old – he goes into creche without a bother, but there was a time only about 3 months ago, he cried every day going in for about 3 weeks, then just stopped. It can happen at any stage, I seen these pics and my heart was broken knowing what may be ahead of me. Im thankful my lad wont be starting school till 5. But I know it will still likely be upsetting for him to him because yes he’s been to a creche and knows rules etc, but now he has to go into a Completely different invironment and this will be a huge shock for him like it would be for a kid who was never in creche. I think creche is good for pre education and rules and sharing and all that, it is amazing. But i still think there will be heart ache (mine and his) when he starts big boy school. I dread the day.
Chloe, to be fair, you are in a slightly different position to many people; you were too young to get caught in the market boom/crash (unless I misread and you’re not 21?). Lots of people who had planned to stay home with their children, got caught up in a VERY nasty situation. They weren’t greedy, they weren’t grabby, they made life decisions based on the best information at the time. And whether parent’s choose to put their children in a creche or childminder or choose to stay home with their children if they can, one is not necessarily better than the other; there are pros and cons to both.
I know sometimes comments can be meant slightly differently to the way they come across but in my opinion it’s better to support each other in these situations, I’m sure you didn’t mean to be critical but it did come across that way. ‘Enough guilt heaped on by employers/govt/ etc etc without parents doing it too really.
Well said Jeanette.
I would love to saved before we had children but I was busy paying my mortgage
I think those pictures describe how all teachers felt this week too!!! Oh no… Back to school signs :(
Sorry wrong thread, Chloe, out of interest do you rent/have mortgage or live with mammy and daddy? Just returning to work myself after exhausting all holidays, unpaid maternity and a week of parental leave. Once your parental leave is finished you have no right to your job back regardless of how understanding an employee is!
4 is very young – should be a mandatory 5 for starting primary school
Most of us started at four, no harm done,gives people extra yr to repeat later in secondary school if needed ,in fact coming from a small village my mother was asked send my bro to school at three to make up numbers many yrs ago to keep da school open! So he was eleven starting secondary, !
Tears and tantrums. As it was on the first day, so shall it be on debs night
I remember school: http://postimg.org/image/m8htia3q3/ < it was all downhill after that.
Parents hipe up starting school making it traumatic for themselves and their children.
Dead right , send them of, let them wee wee them selves , whatever , none this crying at gates,kids member that, having 8 or 9 before me in my family I think I was made find my own way on my first day hahaha
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