Cronus wrote:
But - even though I think Johnson and several EU figureheads have quietly agreed to this strategy I actually think most in the EU won't have the cojones to reject an extension and the merry-go-round will continue.
It only takes one one EU country’s leader to veto the request, so either Johnson has or can get an agreement of this type or not.
I think EU representatives would be wise to signal that any delay depends on MPs voting
for something, anything very, very soon. The prevarication now is stunning.
Cronus wrote:
It seems Boris has sent the letter as required by the Benn act, albeit unsigned. He has accompanied it with a (signed) letter stating he believes any delay would be a mistake.
I wonder how EU law handles legal requests made under coercion?
The plot thickens.
It is ridiculous that parliament has made Johnson a puppet rather than putting in a caretaker prime minister, and the blame for that lies mostly with Corbyn imo. ‘Coercion’ is pushing it though, the lad could have resigned.
I’ve knocked the Brexit coalition for being a mixed bad of competing priorities. But I don’t hold out a great deal of hope for much productive coming from one now including the Labour, the Lib Dems, the DUP et al. either.
I would never criticise anybody for distrusting Boris Johnson. However, he can be expected to pursue his own political self-interest, libidinous misjudgements aside. This deal is potentially a first garland of his premiership, so no deal is now just leverage - or it was. And the ERG don’t have the numbers to play that trick, even if they wanted to - I wouldn’t put it past them but they probably don’t.
As long as there is no agreed alternative to implementing the Conservative Government’s deal with the EU, there’s no justification for blocking it, and the moment is passing right now. Yes, many people of think it is poop for numerous and disparate reasons. But the Remain/Brexit sceptic position is now utterly incoherent, whereas Johnson has given the Brexiteers one that is, despite its inevitable faults and limitations, at least clear and easily understood.