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

How many MPs have to resign before it becomes a major problem?

this many? idk, waiting for the tankie line

obviously 'antisemitism' is largely a jumped-up pretext at this point (despite some real actual problems which could be dealt with like adults by all concerned) and these people are all indulging some sort of one nation tory fantasy that will - they hope - result in coalition with the conservatives at some stage. they must be trounced

nick watt reporting on news night that woke soubz, wollaston and allen might jump to split club seven eight tomorrow

would be genuinely surprised if any tory actually follows through with a threat to leave the party

agreed

unless it's to go further right, i.e. carswell

otm

I'm sorry I just can't picture Anna Soubry in the same party as Mike Gapes.

That really is the thing. You have to represent something that’s not just, idk, anti-Corbyn.

Also:

RT 🔒: Joan Ryan is a racist who criticised Jeremy Corbyn for visiting a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan on the basis that if - as Corbyn advocates - these refugees were granted a right to return, Israel would no longer be ethnically pure. https://t.co/oBDb0PaJiV

— ciarán (@schmrn) February 19, 2019

The gapes party is a very broad church

Broad and lactose-tolerant.

Why is it funny to post pictures of milk to Mike Gapes? I only know it as an alt-right threat, but that doesn't really work in this context.

looking forward to a definitive ruling on what actions by UK citizens abroad lead to loss of citizenship

The definitive ruling will be that none of them do as it is transparently illegal, as Javid well knows. He gets to look like a hardman and whinge about the courts in a few months so it’s a win-win for him though.

Xp,

Gapes has a weird milk obsession and made a long speech in parliament once about how awful it is that milk from the north of England and milk from the south of England gets mixed before reaching the consumer iirc.

matt - think the magic number is 36. it's at that point they overtake the SNP as third largest party (attracting short money, questions at PMQs etc.)

the thing they need is time more than numbers tho - time to organise, consolidate into a party, build a base, design a policy platform, get known by the public etc. there's a very real risk with everything coming to ahead so soon that theresa may (her political instincts such that they are) will call an early GE pretty soon. she'll feel buoyed by her chances following this no doubt - if that happens, the labour party will unite and these lot will likely get swept away

"What's going on in the Commons?" I absolutely do not hear you ask pic.twitter.com/PBqO5R0Btp

— Esther Webber (@estwebber) December 4, 2017

Mike...thank you for your service. pic.twitter.com/8vobOdIMbk

— Reel Politik podcast (@reel_politcast) February 18, 2019

SV I think the milk speech was about NI vs Ireland, and the complexities a hard border would throw up etc? In context not such a crazy thing to be talking about.

its londondairy nest pas

May might actually want to sweep them away on the grounds that if they don't consolidate further they might represent enough of an threat in some parts of the country to deny the Tories an election.

I wonder if Labour backing a second referendum might relieve a lot of the pressure here but it would also look so much like capitulation that it's the one thing he's least likely to do under the circumstances.

I can’t believe joan ryan was on today saying - with a straight face - she won’t fight a by-election because she wrote a letter during the 2017 GE arguing corbyn bad and that’s the reason she increased her majority by 10,000

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz1gxq2X4AEKAjR.jpg

say what you like about Joan Ryan, she isn't remotely racist, doesn't soft-soap crims and is exceedingly talk to-able on the doorsteps of her concerned constituents. Just a damn good all-rounder really, big loss.

I suppose the good bit about not being part of an officially-registered political party is that the Israeli embassy can deposit the money directly into your bank account without having to go round the houses.

Joan Ryan has resigned from the Labour Party. pic.twitter.com/f4G9uXDAb6

— Nadeem Ahmed (@Muqadaam) February 19, 2019

Meanwhile May's racking up the airmiles again. There really is nothing, nothing new in here is there?

I'm sorry I just can't picture Anna Soubry in the same party as Mike Gapes.

― Wee boats wobble but they don't fall down (Tom D.), Tuesday, 19 February 2019 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Nor can I but if (like Boles and Wollaston) you have re-selection proceedings initiated she might go before she is pushed, and I can well believe the local Tory Party would be crazy enough to do it even now IG has been established.

more defections at 11 am according to nick watt

Damn it! I came here to post that!

Michael Gove sais yesterday that the government will impose tariffs on food imports to protect domestic farmers, which is effectively admitting what we will know - that the talk of the border being optional is and always has been a fantasy.

giddy up

Timing is nice for rebels though, puts May off her stride for pmqs.

Good day to bury bad news for Gove.

I'm guessing there are real trooper constituency MPs who could win a by-election an as independent but none of this lot strike me as being anywhere near that status. Chuka might be the closest but he's just as likely to split the vote and let the Tory candidate in.

People actually like Chuka Umunna?

The more defections there are the more refusing to stand down and fight by elections looks arrogant and undemocratic tbh. It's really going to boost their popularity with their constituents.

hard to see this as more than a long overdue blood-letting. be nice if the party could lock the door to these types ever coming back in.

Expel anyone publicly supporting them, imo.

Including Tom Watson.

Tom is an odd case because he was certainly on the right of the party even pre-Blair, he's nothing if not consistent. they're all tainted now tho so sure, chuck them out and reaffirm a minimum-level commitment to democratic socialism in the party's membership rules.

Going away to a group (not even a so-called party) with no accountability was one of the big pluses for this crowd.

If anything the membership should be working harder to push more of these ppl out.

Hope John McDonnell's 'listening' was bullshit. Corbyn hasn't even gone that far with any kind of gesture. Good.

I'm guessing there are real trooper constituency MPs who could win a by-election an as independent

Its pretty damning, MPs that are only interested in appearance and personality not policy yet they don't have the personality to win in their own seats as independents. How many mps, realistically would win their own seat as an independent?

Wouldn't surprise me if they didn't try to fight their own seats and tried to run a spoiler / decapitation strategy against the leadership.

I really need to stay out of this thread, but McDonnell & listening was bullshit. Like I know we disagree on the anti Semitism charges against the Labour Party, comrade alphabet, but last night the Jewish chair of young labour was dogpiled by a bunch of other YL numbers for objecting to the official YL account retweeting Asa Winstanley. He had targeted her personally and claimed she was an agent of Israel. The time for action is way, way overdue.

The issue isn’t that people care too much about this, it’s that people care about antisemitism enough and don’t give two fucks about most other bigotry. See: Sarah Champion. Joan Ryan is also getting deservedly sharp criticism for her ludicrous comments today.

it has gone 11

tick tock

Soubz out

Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen as well!

BREAKING: Tories Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston resign Conservative whip to join Independent Group

— Ben Glaze (@benglaze) February 20, 2019

er...xp

lol

One of Hedges' greatest achievements is I now can't think of Soubz without singing this in my head

Woke Soubz (woke soubz) she'll stop brexit
Woke Soubz (woke soubz) always votes this way
Woke Soubz (woke soubz) wokest Tory by miles
Woke Sooouubz alwaaayys shiiine

— Simon Hedges (@Orwell_Fan) January 19, 2018

Where’s Boles?

in the next wave

obviously 'antisemitism' is largely a jumped-up pretext at this point (despite some real actual problems which could be dealt with like adults by all concerned)

I know there's a lot going on, but I think it's important to take the time to ask you to fuck off with this shite - Luciana Berger has been receiving police protection as a result of her abuse from the left (and the right, but also the left) - there isn't some magical adult thing she could do that would set everything to rights.

I suppose the good bit about not being part of an officially-registered political party is that the Israeli embassy can deposit the money directly into your bank account without having to go round the houses.

I know you're usually good with the receipts, so I'll have to ask you for them, because without some evidence this is a pretty disgusting thing to say here.

hard to see this as more than a long overdue blood-letting. be nice if the party could lock the door to these types ever coming back in.

I'm assuming this angle wasn't particularly on your mind here, because you're an arsehole, but you're not a complete arsehole, right?