Back in 2017 during the general election, when Theresa May announced her U-turn on what Labour had successfully described as the dementia tax, she stood before the assembled press and intoned, “Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.” We know now that this wasn’t a mere attempt to brush away a politically embarrassing change in course by downplaying its significance, the kind of thing politicians frequently do, it was an insight into Theresa May’s soul. There are abandoned cars with no wheels or engines rusting away at the back of a scrap yard which have greater agility than Theresa May. There are fossils trapped in rocky sediments buried deep underground which have more life in them. The reason she loathes the EU’s principle of freedom of movement so much is that she’s incapable of movement herself.
Today, Wednesday, Theresa May stood before the House of Commons and yet again submerged herself in her fantasy world where nothing ever changes. This House has indulged itself for far too long, she lectured, as though her own self-indulgent red lines and refusal to negotiate with anyone except Jacob Ree Mogg hadn’t existed and she hadn’t spent the past two years offering the DUP cheques on the border. Nothing was her fault. Everything that had come to pass was the responsibility of MPs, of remainers, of the EU, of those who wilfully contradicted her, and only when they all returned to the one true path of St Theresa the Immobile could right and order be restored to the universe.
She stood at the dispatch desk and nodded solemnly at the righteousness of her own words. She glared at the opposition benches with the contempt of a Tory, immobile and unshakeable in her God-given right to rule. How dare they have different opinions. How dare they continue to defy her. At no stage did she display the slightest awareness that she had any role at all in the creation of this sorry mess, with her fetishisation of her red lines, her decision to put the unity of the Conservative party above all other considerations, her refusal to reach out and build a consensus, her bribery of the bigots of the DUP, and her inability and unwillingness to listen to anyone.
We are in the greatest crisis in the post-war history of the UK and the British state is led by a person who talks about respecting the will of the people while repeatedly ignoring the procedures and processes of parliamentary democracy. The only meaningful thing about her meaningful votes is that she means to keep repeating them until she gets the result that she wants. Theresa May’s plan to get her deal accepted remains the same as it was before it went down to the biggest defeat in Commons history. It remains the same as it was before it went down to the fourth biggest defeat in Commons history. It remains the same as it was before the Speaker told her that she can’t keep bringing it back to the House. This is stubbornness as a pathology. This isn’t being a “bloody difficult woman”, this is the behaviour of a person who has become unmoored from reality.
On Wednesday afternoon the Speaker of the Commons decided to permit an emergency debate to go ahead. The Prime Minister was notable by her absence. She was too busy writing her letter to the EU begging for an extension of Article 50 until 30 June. Just last week her government was arguing that any extension would have to be a long one since a short one off extension would be pointless. She didn’t even bother informing cabinet of her decision, yet now it’s what she’s asking for so that she can continue her pointless dance with the ERG. Everything changes so everything can remain the same.
This is a timetable that the EU has already hinted strongly that Theresa isn’t going to get. The EU has stated this week that they’re not disposed to grant a short extension merely in order to allow Theresa May more time to waste. They will only grant a short extension on the condition that she can win that vote that she’s already lost twice and which the Speaker has told her that she can’t keep putting back to the House. And no, they’re not going to renegotiate it. But the Prime Minister didn’t get where she is today by listening to anyone, and she certainly wasn’t about to start now.
She hadn’t even been listening to the person telling her when she needed to get her letter off to the EU, and so she missed the post. EU sources were saying late on Wednesday afternoon that EU leaders won’t be making a decision on Thursday about extending the deadline, because the letter arrived too late. You might think that getting important letters off in time was fundamental to basic office management. The fact that the UK can’t even manage that tells you all you need to know about why Chris Grayling and David Mundell still have jobs.
Then after sending her letter, and without even bothering to send MPs a copy, the Prime Minister called a meeting of party leaders in order to reach a cross-party consensus on a letter that she’d already sent. It’s the appearance of listening, without any of the substance. Jeremy Corbyn took the huff and refused to attend, because members of The Independent Group were present. He wasn’t about to let Theresa May win any competitions in immaturity and toddlerish foot-stomping. Reporting on the meeting, Ian Blackford of the SNP said it was the same old same old, my way or the Brexit cliff, from Theresa May.
We were then told, by the Irish Prime Minister no less, that the Prime Minister was going to make an announcement outside Number 10 at about 8pm in the evening. We’ve now reached the point where we have to rely on Dublin to tell us what’s going on in London.
Hacks started getting excited that perhaps she was going to announce her resignation, or perhaps she was going to announce a general election, or perhaps she was going to abandon some of her infamous red lines in an attempt to gain cross party support, or perhaps none of the above. The last couple of times she did her lectern in Downing Street thang she said absolutely nothing of any importance or relevance at all. It’s a fairly safe bet that this time will be no different and it will indeed be none of the above. Theresa May makes announcements as a way of occupying some time and going through the motions of politics without any of the actual motion or politics. She’s long since perfected the political art of constructing sentences that are devoid of semantic content and don’t answer any questions. It’s the only real political talent that she’s got.
Then just after 8.35 pm Theresa marched out in front of her lectern to make her much anticipated announcement with a look on her face that could fry half a pound of mince from halfway across the solar system. She told us how tired the public were of the indecision and the stalling. She didn’t mention how tired the public are of her. It’s all Parliament’s fault for not being able to support her. It’s all the fault of MPs that there’s going to be a delay to Brexit. It’s not her fault, oh no. She spoke about how divisive a failure to progress with Brexit would be, she didn’t mention her role in creating those divisions. So she’s determined to keep putting her deal to the Commons until she gets the result she wants. Bugger the Speaker. Bugger parliamentary convention. Bugger parliamentary democracy. Bugger everyone. Bugger reality. Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.
Meanwhile a poll published today found that 90% of people believe that Brexit is a humiliation for the UK. So Brexit has produced a general consensus after all then. However in one important sense Theresa May is perfectly correct. The British state continues its decline into political chaos and what’s left of its reputation is being flushed down the Brexit toilet. We were screwed last week, and we’re screwed this week too. The UK is the land of cognitive dissonance, a misplaced exceptionalism, and nostalgic fantasy passing for policy. It’s five to midnight and nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.
Scotland, it’s time to wake up. This is not the UK that we were sold in 2014. It’s a UK that has sold us all out.
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Wee Ginger Dug 
We’d be better wi’ a dug for PM than onybiddy oot o’ that gene pool.
As you say Paul, sadly you are correct. No idea what happens now. GE? Maybe a nervous breakdown.
Freedom
A perfect summing up of the state of (dis-)play IMO. So when will this awful woman see sense and resign or call a GE? Or at least be dragged out of no. 10 in a strait-jacket??
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
Paul, I know Oliver Mundell is useless, but did you mean to mention his Dad instead?
Oops. So I did.
Easy mistake – he’ll be holding out for Daddy’s job one day – if we don’t escape soon.
Notice that Film4 has the best comment on the momentous 4 minutes of nonsense.
They’re showing Titanic.
Enough said.
Maybe the maybot thinks she’s the iceberg.
Damn near choked on the evening cuppa Joe when she dolefully warned of a loss of trust or respect in politics as a consequence. First thing that sprang to mind was a rusting and long broken, stable door. (Only just hanging on its hinges) The great, great, great, great, great…etc. offspring of the horse that had long since bolted, enjoying its feed elsewhere.
Also? I’ll never get that coffee stain out of the carpet. (dang it!)
Try bicarbonate of soda – for the coffee stain that is.
[…] Wee Ginger Dug Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed. Back in 2017 during the general election, when Theresa May announced her U-turn on […]
Absolutely nailed it. It feels as if we are living in a strange parallel universe where nothing is real. She goes through the motions but there is no progress. How the hell do we escape?
I know the answer I want, but just wish it would start happening.
May brings sociopathy into disrepute.
I thought Gordon Brown was bad but she has completely eclipsed him.
Seems to be a requisite these days for high office in the British state.
She will be gone soon but I shudder to think what might replace her…..Davros the Dalek perhaps?
Davros at least always had a PLAN ! And he showed more empathy than Treeeeza ever did !
Now is the time to make the section 30 request formally. She will reject it, then we resubmit it unchanged . You know what comes next…. oh the irony.
Then Nicola will step up and declare the uk a failed state and declare a referendum in independence is happening , without support of Westminster. Scotexit is coming .
I fear for peace and stability in the uk. It’s on the brink of massive public demonstrations.
“Scotexit is coming”
I quite like Scoot for an acronym
That’s good, I like it! 😂😂😂
Scootland – For all of you who love typos! 😀 😀 😀
Seems like Einstein’s observations had merit after all. At least Thatcher managed to collect her P45 before going completely gaga. Quite a pathetic spectacle despite – or maybe because of the anger. But you have to feel some sympathy – she’s just another career politician whose deficiencies have been woefully exposed and surgically dissected. And it’s scattered her marbles for sure. I guess she only has herself to blame – but she was always in an impossible position. Her weakness was lacking the vision to see it.
Can we have Jacob Rees Mogg or Boris Johnson next? Then the fun will really begin.
If May is allowed to bring her deal to the table again.i hope not but I can see her getting it through.she will have at her back all the Tory’s that have come back into line.she will have the backing of the Scottish Tory’s.thats them we are told are standing up for Scotland.she Will also have the DUP.backing her.and here is the most stupid thing.would you believe she will have labour mps.who have said will support her.i cannot believe it.i hope I have got this all wrong because I want to see her humiliated again.and her gone.wake up Scotland.we deserve better than this.
Somewhere underneath the panto dame’s madness is a ‘trump’ed up connivance for something seriously sinister…don’t know what…but there’s a vacuous head on that body with a time bomb in it.
Aye, with you there.
“Of course, the logic of Theresa May’s assertion that Parliament’s indecision is frustrating the will of the people is to put the issue back to the people and let them decide. If she is confident that the people back her, what’s stopping her?”
– Nicola Sturgeon
8.27 a.m.
21 March 2019
I never thought that Gordon Brown would be challenged for his position as the worst PM in living memory. The fact that it has happened so soon after indicate just how far mighty Blighty as fallen.
Think he just lost that title to thresea may.
I would put Gordon Brown third in the league of worst Prime Ministers. Surely David Cameron ranks alongside the Maybot in infamy. After all he has caused the whole mess in the first place by agreeing a referendum to solve an internal problem in the Tory Party.
Having said that, if May shuffles off, just look at what is coming down the track – Boris, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab. How will the Scottish Tories cope with the ignomy of having been outplayed by the DUP and trying to cheer-lead for any of those leadership contenders.
Time to move Nicola.
Edward Heath was a stoater ….during the miners strike of 1970’s ..had to put hot water bottles wrapped in towels into my new babies cot as we sat in darkness watching a flickering candle flame. He was such a total failure in negotiations.
Mays latest mad statement has alienated any of those mps who might have voted for her deal next week…. Next?
And nothing has changed right enough. On 30/3/19 the new EU Tax Haven Legislation starts to come into force.
An extension without approving Terrible May’s deal will mean the seriously rich 1% will be exposed to the EU’s new tax haven legislation.
Terrible May’s deal will protect them and make it look like a last minute rescue, make it look like they’ve been trying.
No Deal also protects them and enables the full scale fire sale of our national public assets to the USA, etc. Kaching.
Meanwhile – the Speaker’s action has now introduced the concept of Prorogue’ing parliament, in order to re-open a new session – in order to deal with this emergency situation.
Which is also what they will do, as part of the procedures, if/when it comes to invoking the Civil Contingencies Act.
When parliament is prorogue’d – there are no standing MP’s in existence, so no representatives to complain to, or to speak on our behalf.
I have heard people say that Brexit / No Deal is all stuff and nonsense – like the millennium bug. Which just goes to show, what you don’t know, won’t worry you.
But if you look at what the EU membership actually does, then the picture could not be more serious.
EU membership enables the Netherlands to export electricity to England – will that stop with ND? Will the actual lights go off?
Scotland also exports electricity to England.
Flights – aircraft engineers qualifications – are recognised internationally under EU legislation – this stops with ND (and probably needs to be re-negotiated under TM’s Deal)…. which means the planes will not be Insured for flights.
And that’s before you extend that to the Pilots qualifications, the air traffic control, the EU treaty for air access…. and, and, and.
Of course with our ‘just in time economy’ there is no reason why – at our end – we need to inspect goods coming into Dover, and lets be honest, we are not going to have the staff are we. Not to begin with. So fingers crossed, no disreputable farmers from the EU are going to offload any crops or animals with nasty spreadable diseases that could decimate our farming industry.
A little bit of foot and mouth won’t hurt anyone, much.
And a lorry load of refugees crammed into a container, while not exactly ‘taking back control’ of our borders, is probably only a short term blip. I’m sure. An none of them will be terrorists of course.
And our haulage drivers access to mainland europe – vehicles safety standards, Driving qualifications, vehicle insurance…. going, going, gone. Oops. Not so good for our trade balance I suppose, but hey.
And lets not talk about medicines – human and animal – most of which come from the Eu, or the fact that our Chemical Industry supply component chemicals to the EU, who turn them into other chemicals, which come back to the UK for final use in other products. All of which is regulated by the EU, and with ND – we fall out of the regulations and so cannot export.
And lets not talk about maritime legislation within the EU, for Sailors qualifications, navigation, safe transport of Haz Chems.
And all of the above is just to scratch the surface.
Still, I’m sure it will be fine, really, no emergency, no ‘incidents’ to speak of, a few blips, but nothing to write home about.
And definitely no emergency proroguing of Parliament, especially not if the opposition manage to get a chance to vote for A50 to be cancelled. No way that ‘something’ will happen that means parliament will Prorogue to run the clock down to the end and invoke Civil Contingencies Act, and then close Holyrood.
I’m sure I’m just reading too much into it.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/21/uk-biggest-toilet-roll-supplier-wepa-stockpiling-no-deal-brexit-avoid-customs-delays
UK’s top toilet roll supplier stockpiling in case of no-deal Brexit
German firm Wepa stores 3.5m toilet and kitchen rolls in UK in bid to avoid customs delays
– Is this coz we’ll be even further in the merde, post-Brexit? That the UK is going down the pan?
More toilet jokes, welcome. (With WGD’s permission, of course.)
Hi Paul
Sorry to be off topic but Stuart on Wings has a post on Channel 4s Kay Burley and its less than honest news coverage. I commented that The National has been doing a cracking job on its front covers recently exposing BBC bias. Do you think it would do the same for Ms Burley and channel 4? The more we call them out on it, the better – and since you’re a columnist, would you be able to maybe ask the powers that be at The National if they would give KB and Ch 4 the same treatment? Especially as I think more people are starting to have their eyes opened via The National about what’s going on.
Thanks Paul.
Tonight’s National News gives a flavor of the fallout from Mrs Mayhems wee address to the Nation last night , MPs from every side openly fearing for their safety I wonder if that was the Aim of the message and how much influence has been absorbed by associating with the DUP , whats the saying about Dogs with Fleas ? .
Another totally o/t it was good to see INDEPENDENCE LIVE on the go again with a livestream from Rutherglen , not quite sure of one of the panel partisapants who managed to ruffle more than a few folk previously at the newspaper she gravitated too , Damascus & the road too comes to mind . I suppose everyone is due a second chance .
The on-line Petition to simply Revoke Article 50 is fast approaching 2 million.
On the BBC website this morning:
“She (May) also dismissed calls to revoke Article 50 – as a petition calling for that on the Parliament website attracted more than two million signatures – saying people had voted to leave and were told their decision would be respected.”
It’s fast approaching 3 million now.
Another in a long list of who knew(?) moments.
HERE
well, at least we know what that Dick Leonard’s job is as leader of the Red Tory Branch Office now.
Not for him the vagaries of Brexit and taking part in ‘joined up’ Scottish Government Emergency Contingency plans should Scotland be dragged out of Europe against its will because his boss, Commie Corbyn the Allotment Man from Islington will not speak to Chukka, or the plight of 200,000 EU Nationals working, settled, or married here, who are on the brink of No Deal deportation as we fall out of the Pubs next Friday night on Eurmageddon Day.
None of the ‘big things’ have anything to do with Red Len.
We are paying this ex Union clerk two grand a week to work out the NHS Cleaners’ rota, apparently.
At FMQ yesterday (just catching up with it on BBC i Player) this was Stuttering Dick Leonard’s Big Question to NS.
What was she going top do about the cleaners’ shortage. People were dying because of pigeongate at the Southern General, and IT’S ALL STURGEON’s FAULT.
There is no doubt that this man is an alarming failure, at any level, yet his colleagues cower in their seats around him, and let him prattle on, week after week, heads bowed as he ‘performs’.
Jackson Carhire, the Blue Tory with the ridiculous put-on posh Elite accent rambled on about the increase in death from drug abuse, and it’s ALL NICOLA STURGEON’S FAULT as well.
Two men, who clearly are operating well above their pay grade who appear to think that Brexit is not a relevant and vital part of Scotland’s Parliamentary agenda 8 days before we are removed from the EU against the democratic wishes of the People of Scotland whom they are supposed to represent at Holyrood, typify the Brit Nat role in our Parliament.
They are there to clog up the works, to destroy our Scottish democracy.
Willie Rennie is quite simply completely out of his depth.
Bah Rooh May and her speech last night, but No to Independence…
He is increasingly deranged. The Yellow Tories; the Fatuous Five.
It is perhaps they who needed their erses skelped, not reportedly innoicent little boys.Pointless.
Patrick Harvie called on NS to fire the indyref starting gun.
Hear,hear.
The next 8 days will reveal all.
Toodle Oo The Noo Taylor re-run the highlights on May’s Midnight Rant.
His ‘journalistic chums’ agreed that May would not agree to Indyref 2 so it wouldn’t happen.
BBC Jockland at its Brit Nat Best.
A waste of airtime and licence money.
Toodle Oo For Ever, Taylor.
Just heard on EBC World Service News.
The Eu has won itself some breathing space!!!!!!
Multiple parallel universes are now in being.
Along with false names on the petition, they’re worried now.