brexit negging when yr mandate is is trash: or further chronicles of a garbage-fire

one of the things we're abt to find out is whether sir-humphrey-esque wordgames in these kinds of agreements -- where the negotiators of difft sides deliberately choose agree to read the same words as having difft meanings -- can actually function in the age of the internet (when the fact of this shared fiction is instantly undermined)

There we are:

Breaking...

Ominous comments from Arlene Foster: "We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates NI economically or politically from the rest of the UK."

— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) December 4, 2017

good luck with that

I find it impossible to read any DUP statement, without hearing it in that voice from the Harry Enfield sketch.

What odds of this insoluble clusterfuck bringing down the Tories any time soon?

This is also my question.

What odds of this insoluble clusterfuck bringing down the Tories any time soon?

― calzino, Monday, 4 December 2017 14:25 (three minutes

2018 elections odds dropped from 9/4 to 7/4, now clear favourite ahead of 2019 and 2022

Too early to say about government, but I would be surprised if May survives to the New Year.

this is all getting very confusing

RTÉ says Taoiseach's statement now postponed as "the meeting between Mrs May and Mr Juncker is ongoing in Brussels".

The timing of the DUP statement (before Varadkar at 2.30) has done a job.

#wegotthis

Huge ramifications for London if Theresa May has conceded that it's possible for part of the UK to remain within the single market & customs union after Brexit. Londoners overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU and a similar deal here could protect tens of thousands of jobs.

— Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) December 4, 2017

Technically they don't actually need the agreement of the DUP here, right? But it's a gamble that they won't just take their ball and go home.

huge ramifications for hackney if theresa may has conceded it's possible for part of the uk to remain within the single market

each person should decide whether they personally should be part of the single market or not

three things in may's medium-term survival's favour:

1: the structure the EU has kindly provided (stage 1: talks abt talks, stage 2: details) does allow her to kick the can a little down the road re the stuff foster (and others) want to lose their shit abt -- she can say "plz to not lose yr shit until we reach the stage where it's relevant" by which time enough other things may be in place to mollify key pressure groups (e.g. not sure they have an actual pressure point to lose their right-now shit at: parliament doesn't have to vote for us to go through to stage 2, and the vetoes all happen at the end) (a threatened veto can distort a negotiation but actually it needn't in the diplomats on point keep their heads)
2: no one faction or party can bring her down and the anti-may coalition is surprisingly hard to configure
3: LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE WANTS THIS CHALICE IT IS VERY VERY POISONED

caveat: "politics, dead boy, politics" (in which a week is a long time iirc)

Oh no

Do re me fa DUP: Listen to Arlene Foster belt out a classic Mariah Carey tune for charity https://t.co/QbinX9wKTS

— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) December 4, 2017

needn't in s/b needn't if

also "politics DEAR boy" politics is canon, tho i now prefer my version

elementary my dead watson

But this is creepy politicians we’re discussing, dead boys not necessarily off the menu.

Leo making an outside run at PM imo

Theresa May ringing Arlene Foster later today to pitch deal. V angry DUP source adds: "We made it clear none of this is acceptable. We'd prefer WTO instead of this". https://t.co/0txBeNajeO

— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) December 4, 2017

and

BREAK: Sky sources - the Prime Minister spoke to Arlene Foster by telephone within minutes of the @DUPleader's statement. If anyone thinks the C&S agreement is not an issue, think again. #Brexit

— David Blevins (@skydavidblevins) December 4, 2017

popcorn.gif

Anguilla, a tiny British territory in the Caribbean, has warned that the island could face economic disaster after Brexit https://t.co/4UCksoYTCL

— The Times of London (@thetimes) December 4, 2017

Wales gone too

We cannot allow different parts of the UK to be more favourably treated than others. If one part of the UK is granted continued participation in the Single Market & Customs Union, then we fully expect to be made the same offer.

— Carwyn Jones (@fmwales) December 4, 2017

So here we go again. #london and #Scotland dominating news headlines about they want after this likely Irish deal. And Yorkshire's voice? Not heard...#oneyorkshire

— Yorkshire Party (@Yorkshire_Party) December 4, 2017

Irish deal!

Who will stand up for Cornwall?

That presser was... awkward

http://uk.businessinsider.com/no-deal-britain-and-eu-fail-to-reach-agreement-on-irish-border-2017-12

slowhandclap.gif

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/hmc.gif

Lol the DUP run Britain

Fair dos, there's None More British after all.

Coveney looking pretty naive now.

"But I have to say that she is a tough negotiator, and not an easy one. She’s defending the point of view of Britain with all the energy we know she has."

Damning.

He's a joker, Juncker.

Hearing it was the DUP call that sunk today's chances of a deal - Foster held her press conf, 20 mins later May leaves talks with Juncker to call her, goes back into the room and the deal is off

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) December 4, 2017

This couldn't have been handled more embarrassingly if May had walked off with the tablecloth tucked into her belt.

I don't much care beyond lulz at the moment but all these tits acting like the UK has ever been an homogeneous entity are quite annoying. Looking at you, Khan.

kicking the can down to...later this week. #okcool

why would may think the dup were going to accept this deal? surely she's not that stupid?

is it just a way of clearly highlighting that it's the dup's fault - she'll have her revenge when they lose all their seats in england, scotland and wales next election.

driving the clown car to a new parking spot down the road xp

So what's her next move? Call the DUP's bluff? In the Commons there is likely a majority in favour of this deal, or any deal that keeps us in SM, frankly. That leaves her facing a no-confidence vote, which they either let her lose and we go straight to Corbyn, or she wins and the deal's done?

This was very foreseeable as soon as they made the C&S deal so you'd think most governments wd have foreseen it. Most.

It's almost as if she's a fucking cretin or something.

Far be it from me to say etc

but in a weak semi-defence of May this is a result of the structural inadequacy of our polity as it stands

so glad she crushed the saboteurs