"oh you don't get me I'm the end of the union": lol brexit is how we're all gonna die

I don't understand how a general election happens, whats to stop them going on till 2022? Presumably with a leadership challenge in December

lol yes Corbyn has such charisma. xp

(incidentally the reason i voted for labour under corbyn was because i thought that the left-wing signaling was sufficient to merit some support on the basis that the uk is terribly tory, was obviously going to vote tory in that election, and a larger popular vote for labour under corbyn would help bolster the legitimacy of labour alternatives to blairism)

Oh for crying out loud, I'm sure if you can be arsed it isn't difficult to find SNP policies to the left and right of Labour.

Question of what happens next is far more interesting.

At least you’re not in my house where we’re having an argument about whether Michael Gove sounds Scottish.

anyway the story the inappropriate punch-left talk was based on is thin to the point of not actually really being there at all -- this wasn't an official announcement by anyone, it was a reporter passing on a rumour, which might be idiocy on their part or their sources, or malicious porkies or who knows

example: laura k yesterday extremely confidently passed on the info -- from someone "very in the know" -- that there were so many abstentions on the meaningful vote that the tories might win it: in the end literally no one abstained

this is a fervid time and all kinds of ppl have all kind of agendas, a lot of them very dumb

xp. he does. a lot less scottish than an aberdonian who went to state school has any right to but there's a wee inflection in there

Yeah, he’s an Aberdonian who went to Oxford and probably had some elocution lessons on the side.

Smart move, given: 1) ruling it out would drive May’s MPs mad 2) not ruling it out makes her look reckless 3) the very fact she won’t rule it out diacourages eurosceptic Tory rebels from backing her deal 4) It gives Labour a popular all-purpose attack line https://t.co/o5GbUvEYM0

— Jon Stone (@joncstone) January 16, 2019

he's an alien who skipped clapping lessons, what's wrong with you all xp

Yes I’m aware he is Scottish, but he doesn’t sound it.

plus you can't actually 'take it off the table' short of (i) passing a negotiated settlement or (ii) extending/revoking A50

I hear a little Scottish in Gove's accent

May could commit to extending Article 50 but she won't for the reasons above. Hope you're all looking forward to an extended game of chicken.

peak zugzwang

He sounds Scottish. He sounds a lot more Scottish than some friends of mine from Aberdeenshire and a lot less Scottish than others.

Does Fraser Nelson sound Scottish to you? I’ve never heard anyone talk like he does but he still sounds Scottish.

Yeah, I've worked with people in Glasgow that spoke like that.

Excellent subtitle error as Michael Gove winds down no confidence debate. #batman #jeremycorbyn #NoConfidenceMotion 🦇 pic.twitter.com/WCj25DV583

— Nina Massey (@ninamasseyPA) January 16, 2019

Any Dutch speakers around?

Bloody hell, the Dutch don’t hold back. pic.twitter.com/uznUSZDhch

— Rich Rippon (@RichRippon) January 16, 2019

I'm assuming the LibDems/Nats announcement is intended to make it impossible for Labour to force an election, in effect bouncing them towards backing a second referendum.

In fairness there's also how many goes do Labour get before they have failed to force the election.

In general I'm okay with some flexibility for Corbyn, but tbh I'm fine with this line of attack entirely due to the arseholes on social media who've been going "You guys come onnn, the party convention laid out a series of steps to take and he's just going through them in the right order" for the last month.

wait has the story kempsall tweeted turned into an actual official announcement? all he said was "understand there are conversations underway right now between SNP, Plaid and LibDems etc" -- which on its own is thin stuff imo

no - kirsty blackman has confirmed

This is absolutely not @theSNP position. Whether or not the PM wins the vote tonight we will continue to have no confidence in this conservative UK Govt and will vote to make that clear whenever we have the opportunity. This is why we tabled our no confidence motion in December! https://t.co/Y8e04vZ2CO

— Kirsty Blackman (@KirstySNP) January 16, 2019

extremely good tweet

At exactly this stage in Ed Miliband's leadership compared to Corbyn LAB had a YouGov lead of 9%

— Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) January 16, 2019

ross kempsall, political editor @talkRADIO, columnist @BritishGQ
mark s, distracted very-online shitposter with a memorystick full of blobby gifs

ffs "i could do better" is a very low bar

May is making a statement at 10pm. Probably another damp squib.

My predictions:
- a big chunky necklace
- “come together as a country”
- “the people voted for Brecksit”
- “delivering a deal that works”
- unexpected Larry cameo (but I’d prefer Palmerston)

[grabbing ||||||||'s clipboard, banging on it] snap snap SNAP SNAP... !

May pulls off her mask to reveal Gove underneath.

unexpected Larry cameo

https://permanentplastichelmet.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/blackmon.jpg

So the Ross Kempsell story was arguably true given a loose interpretation - what the letter says is 'you had your shot at forcing an election and failed despite all our assistance. You now need to follow your own conference motion and move on to the next stage which is 2nd ref.'

It doesn't say they won't back other ones but makes clear they think (jointly) that the time for VONC is over.

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2019/01/who-ll-blink-first-stand-between-jeremy-corbyn-and-theresa-may

So what happens next? The pattern throughout the rest of Europe is clear: when the electorate throws up deadlocked legislatures, the centre-left opts to take political damage in order to avoid systemic political damage. That’s part of why so much of the social democratic left is in such a bad position electorally.

But Corbyn isn’t of the social democratic centre-left and his political incentives are different. Anyone relying on him to blink to avert the deadlock is likely to be disappointed.

nah mate Corbyn just name drops Allende and Sankara he'll roll over in no time.

Massive Maine Road style floodlights... but also PM crest on the podium. Not an election. pic.twitter.com/j0Nr3VBIAg

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) January 16, 2019

it's an election

emergency may statement at 10.03pm?

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2019/01/who-ll-blink-first-stand-between-jeremy-corbyn-and-theresa-may

So what happens next? The pattern throughout the rest of Europe is clear: when the electorate throws up deadlocked legislatures, the centre-left opts to take political damage in order to avoid systemic political damage. That’s part of why so much of the social democratic left is in such a bad position electorally.
But Corbyn isn’t of the social democratic centre-left and his political incentives are different. Anyone relying on him to blink to avert the deadlock is likely to be disappointed.

nah mate Corbyn just name drops Allende and Sankara he'll roll over in no time.

― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, January 16, 2019 1:31 PM (one minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ah yes the radical leftist politics of... not taking a definitive position on brexit to avoid the political ramifications of being too remain or too leave

oh youve covered it

but my info says 10.03

interesting to see whose sources are good here

corbyn may not blink first; but there are plenty of people on his back benches from the social democratic centre left who might screw the pooch

"they will not back further VONCs"
"we will absolutely back further VONCs"

the rest of the letter is a nothing, just an advisory on preferred tactics going forward

VONC me ‘til I fart

10.03 bcz they need to hurry the correct podium crest out and stick it on to make it election-announcement-compliant

(i have no idea if this is even a thing)

Its just politics jim, which Corbyn seems to be better at than most ppl give him credit for. But you know if you want to talk up the radical certainties of the SNP not sending in Scotland's finest to muck about in Syria then be my guest.

A moment of true Britishness amid the Brexit crisis: the PM's message to the nation will not now be carried live on the BBC 10 O'Clock News, because Southampton v Derby FA Cup replay has gone to extra time.

— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) January 16, 2019

The letter doesn't actually mention future VONCs at all.

10.03 bcz they need to hurry the correct podium crest out and stick it on to make it election-announcement-compliant

(i have no idea if this is even a thing)

Blank lectern = party political (election usually), lion & unicorn = speaking as PM (most other things)

Blank lectern also ‘personal statement’.

Can I get odds on this being another portentous statement which changes absolutely nothing?

rare footage of the lion the unicorn AND the cake (of A50 extension)

http://www.victorianweb.org/art/illustration/tenniel/lookingglass/7.4.jpg

the lion is wearing corbyn's glasses that he took off or whatever don't @ me im matt

"sorry we'll have to interrupt this inconsequential blathering for the penalty shootout..."

Specialty jam tomorrow

Fuck's sake does she know there's cameras in the House?