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THE UK PARLIAMENT is closed.
After rejecting Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s second attempt to force a general election, parliament was suspended in the early hours of this morning.
There were angry scenes in the House of Commons as the procedure took place. Rebellious MPs sang, chanted and attempted to block Speaker John Bercow from entering the House of Lords.
This past week saw a group of cross-party MPs seize control of the Commons to force through a bill aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit, veteran Tory MPs ejected from the Conservative Party and Jacob Rees-Mogg lie supine across Commons leather.
So what happens now?
MPs are due back in parliament on 14 October for what’s known as the Queen’s Speech, which officially opens the House of Commons once again.
Three days later on the 17th, EU leaders will gather for a crucial summit in Brussels. It should become clearer at this point if Johnson intends to take Britain out of the EU with a deal or without a deal.
Johnson had promised MPs a vote on his Brexit strategy scheduled for 21 and 22 October.
But, of course, there is the Benn Bill, which was passed into law yesterday. That bill is designed to extend Article 50 and prevent the UK from leaving the EU without a deal. It would push the current Brexit deadline of 31 October to next year at the earliest.
One of the conditions of the bill is that Johnson must either seek MPs’ approval for a withdrawal deal or their approval for a no-deal Brexit by 19 October.
Neither of those seem likely outcomes.
If Johnson has done neither of these by then, he must request a Brexit extension from the EU until 31 January 2020, the bill states.
Johnson, however, has said that he’d rather be “dead in a ditch” than demand an Article 50 extension. He has also said he’d follow the law, though.
All in all, after a week of rejections, ejections and rebellions, today is the beginning of the calm before the proverbial.
In the meantime, the Labour Party is gearing up for its annual conference which will take place in Brighton from 21 to 25 September.
Two days later on the 27th, the Conservative Party will descend on Manchester for its assembly.
Amidst all that, it’s being suggested the UK and EU could still do a deal, with the return to the table of a Northern Ireland-only backstop providing a possible solution to the impasse – coupled with an expanded role for Stormont.
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I watched in disbelief late last night as the chuckled and hawked in the chamber. Lives will be lost in Northern Ireland & blood will be on their hands – such egotistical elitism with no respect for the people they purport to represent
@emer caffrey: blood will be on the hands of those that kill and main people, no need for violence in the North anymore, not in my name … A United Ireland will only come about peacefully through democracy, we will just have to wait until the numbers are right for a border poll.
@Paul O’Sullivan: you
@Rebecca De Stanleigh: ‘You!,’
I can only see a caretaker government here. Johnson resigning down rather than seek the Benn Bill extension. Caretaker government seeking the extension followed straight away by a General election.
Then there will either be a hard Brexit (unlikely) if it’s a Tory/Brexit party coalition or a referendum again if it’s labour LibDems.
Either way, there won’t be any form of Brexit this year at all.
The lunitics have taken over the asylum
Tory front row were a disgrace last night. Contempt for the people of the UK with their childish poor behaviour. I hope it bites them at the polls.
@Kevin Conway:
Thank heavens I’m not a politico. I’ don’t understand. .What about the original referendum result? What if a possible 2nd referendum resulted in a higher percentage wanting a hard Brexit? YIKES
… Their parents made them all come directly home right after school, and when they went to their church, they shook and lurched all over the church floor??? I mean crash test dummies lyrics seem more logical than what’s going down with the UK MP massive, represent!
iv never voted blue in my life but I cannot understand for the life of me comments, posts and opinions that the torys are showing contempt for the people of the UK and they are anti democratic when they are the only party actually trying to enforce the results of a legal referendum which is the democratic will of the people.
Whether your a Eurosceptic or an EU lover in relation to this matter it is completely irrelevant its done and dusted the people have spoken and there is nothing more damaging to democracy than ignoring the results of a peoples vote for self gain which is what they are all doing and everyone in Europe and the world should be concerned if the results of the referendum in the UK are not honoured because it essentially means that democracy is dead and the EU have is all exactly where they want us, trapped in system totally controlled by non elected people chosen through cronyism and corruption where the vote no longer counts for nothing.
@Jonnie Kenny: Would it not be more democratic to accept that the people voted in mostly darkness three years ago, and to let the go at it again now in the light of day?
And democracy is not having a vote and living and dying by that vote until kingdom come…we vote again and again every few years as thr times change.
Surely enough time has passed since the first vote, and enough new info has come to light, to make that first vote almost meaningless?
@Jonnie Kenny: the biggest problem is not that brexit is to happen, it’s that parliament cannot agree what type of brexit they want. Add to that Boris and his hell bent mission for a hard brexit which has nothing to do with sovereignty and independence, but mostly to do with the very wealthy not having to follow Eu tax laws and so billionaires and hedge fund managers can make obscene profits by buying up business after their manufactured catastrophic no deal brexit.
@Fozz: Sure we may as well make all referendums best out of 3 by that logic…
@Jonnie Kenny:
I’m with you on this I’m neither labour or Tory but isn’t what you say OBVIOUS? Confused xxx.
@Fozz: Um. Kinduh get your point but we voted to join a Common Market in total darkness in June of 1975….so???? What a mess
@Mazza86: best out of…..it’ll run and run
@Dave Harris: oh now you got me even more confused. I checked out which Parliamentarians have vested interests in STAYING and it’s shocking. Hey ho. The banks will win whatever.
@Jonnie Kenny: it was an advisory referendum, was it not, and many people oted leave in the belief that the UK would negotiate better terms to remain.
Don’t even mention all the misleading lies, xenophobia and propaganda.
Jonnie Kenny Totally agree with your comments .The Referendum has to be respected but the EU again will not respect democracy or the vote of the people.MPs who are remainers are the EU thats what we have to remember.
Fuzz To say that people didnt understannd what they were voting for is very condescending .Everybody knew what they were voting for .The people were informed clearly by Cameron and his remain government lets not forget.The MPs almost 500 voted for article 50 which is very clear on “no deal” .The truth is that remainers are using no deal so that they can remain not because they actually want a deal.
@Hugh McDonagh: The truth is Brexiteers don’t want another referendum because they are afraid they’ll lose
@Dave Harris: Nobody thought they’d win the first one either but alas, here we are… The people have spoken…
@Dave Harris: Um…..have you SEEN the Brexit Party figures of new members? I was SHOCKED.
@Dave Harris: Um….I was shocked! Check out Brexit Party membership sky-rocketing! Yikes
@Mazza86: through lies. The country now knows more about the result of Brexit. Therefore, another referendum is needed. Problem is there will still be lies from those same people who was on the leave side but I sincerely hope that the UK public will see through these lies and the UK will decide to remain in The EU. After all, The UK and Ireland have benefitted a lot by being members of The EU.
@Anita OGalligan: But that’s how referendums work… Opposing sides debate their reasons to vote for or against… There were lies told on both sides, for Brexit and against…. The people vote… The result is honored in a true democracy… David Cameron was very clear in the final week leading up to the referendum that if you voted to leave, the UK would leave the European Union with or without a deal…
Bizarre to watch it last night the Tory’s are like a pack of baying animals. Then we have the spectacle of Ian paisley jnr addressing the house on a point of order telling the opposition to stop using inflammatory language! How ironic coming from a paisley born and bred on inflammatory language! SNP are looking forward to pulling the Tory rug from under them in Scotland. Worrying but interesting times ahead. Hopefully common sense will prevail.
More holidays for the politicians eh. It looked like toddlers at Christmas panto. Useless bunch of #34$
The Truth actually is that the British People Voted to leave and that has to be respected first before any more referendums .Ireland were forced to re do and that whats going on here too.Its totally anti democracy but libreral global politicians whether they be in the Labour,Lib dems or the Tory party really dont care about a little thing like Democracy.The knowledgable people of Britian have spoken and they will be heard.
yep, Denmark and ireland got told “Wrong answer”. Hotel California might be a good anthem for the EU? LOL
Westminster closed, Stormont closed, Leinster house dormant on housing, health services, insurance costs, & almost everything else other than their pay restoration process.
If we close it, would it seriously impair our existence if the state is run by the civil service.
Might we worth trying, or maybe do not vote for anyone next time.
Just write in your granny, or pet dog, instead.
I wish they’d just leave and let us get the recovery under way. Thats what we Irish are good at. Getting trod on and then recover. First by the FF then by FG and Labour now by the Tories/DUP. Recover here we come!
The vote to leave should stand and the form a new referendum should take would be ‘EU deal’ or ‘No Deal’. Simple.
have your say