[St Charles Owl]

Did anyone watch that crazy speech by newly elected MEP, Ann Widdecombe, at the EU inauguration ceremony in Brussels?? What a f###### embarrassment!!! A stupid reference to oppression and slaves turning against the oppressor!!!????:I was listening to another Brexit oldie" trying to misrepresent the British population and displaying the usual angst, anger and hate that most of her like-minded protagonists seem to be infected with!! And she is on a salary of about £3500 a week!! I don't think any slave earned such a generous salary eh! This woman is a loon ball, pure n simple, who should be locked up in a quiet room to "chill out"!!! How embarrassing these people actually are!!

I wouldn’t expect anything different from her, once a nut job, always a nut job!! The sad thing is that there are plenty of people who will hang their hat on speeches like this that are all rhetoric and no substance!!

[0762]

I've corrected the venue in my thread, #1589, to the Euro Parliament in Strasbourg. I noticed that the 3 x democratically elected Catalan MEPs have been blocked from taking the oath while 10,000 protesters were demonstrating outside the Parliament - blocked on instructions of the Spanish authorities who have not even convicted these people of any crime!!! And I'm watching these RW British scumbags sitting in this Parliament and peddling their bile on behalf of their "sick" British constituents who stupidly voted for them!!!??? A disgrace and there is something far f###### wrong with this world that I live in and I'd luv to be involved in finally "sorting it out" and doing a favour to millions n millions of irritated people who do not share these extreme values and crass behaviour at all!! IMO the solution is that I want Scotland to break free of this xenophobic British state that does not reflect my values nor does it speak for me!! AND FINALLY MOVE ON TO POLITICAL SANITY AGAIN!!!!

[0762]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48919695
So the Labour Party finally moving towards a "remain" position while I notice the Welsh Labour Party's stance re independence has now altered with a similar alignment to the one in Scotland re a no deal Brexit!! Well that places the Scottish Labour Party in a bit of a quandary with Leonard's opposing Unionist view to Scottish Independence!! No matter because the SLP and Leonard are non-entities in Scottish politics anyway.

[hibeejim21]

More and more brexiteer tory MPs openly talking about suspending parliament to make sure we leave at the end of October.

[0762]

I've been monitoring this bullshit for a while and I doubt this will happen because 1. It will cause one huge "political storm" and 2. IMO There will be civil unrest if they even attempt to hijack the process to attain Brexit against the current wishes of the majority of the British people and the devolved countries who have all been ignored by these shysters!! There is a great cartoon "doing the rounds" that depicts Boris Johnson saying, "My foreign policy team will include colleagues with a working knowledge of humiliating and unquestioning subservience to a greater power in pursuit of an entirely misguided national interest". This is why it will never happen - THEY'VE BEEN WELL SUSSED OUT!!

[hibeejim21]

The tories are now under the control of right wing loonballs. Labour are basically setting themselves on fire. The Lib Dems have zero credibility.

If Scotland can't see independence is a better bet now they might as well close the whole country down and turn off the lights.

---

This pretty much nails it from the new statesman.

Good morning. Is the United Kingdom heading for a no deal Brexit? Boris Johnson and his increasingly superfluous rival Jeremy Hunt have told the final hustings of the contest that the only exit deal they will sign is one with the backstop removed. Not time-limited, subject to a unilateral exit: removed.

Of course, in many ways it simply underlines the central problem of the Conservative approach to the negotiations. You can't maintain the status quo on the Irish border - the achievement and maintenance of which has been a central strategic priority of both political parties for more than three decades - without keeping Northern Ireland within the customs and regulatory orbit of Ireland and by extension with the rest of the European Union.

In addition to the importance of that objective to the British government - or at least, to every British government before June 2016 - it is vitally important to the Irish government, and whatever the complexion of the government in Dublin, there is no hope or prospect of an exit deal being reached which doesn't guarantee the status quo on the Irish border.

The backstop - which, don't forget, was a British diplomatic success, far in excess of what European officials wanted to give - extends that customs and regulatory orbit across the whole of the United Kingdom. Now the Conservative party doesn't want it and any arrangement which keeps Northern Ireland in the customs and regulatory orbit of the EU while cleaving it off from the rest of the EU is unacceptable to their coalition partners the DUP.

That, per the Times' Bruno Waterfield, Steve Barclay, the current Brexit secretary and a supporter of Johnson, told Michel Barnier five times that the withdrawal agreement is “dead” underlines yet further that the trajectory of the government is towards a no deal Brexit.

That ought to make the parliamentary opponents of no deal's lives a great deal easier. What scuppered Jeremy Corbyn's attempt to take control of the legislative agenda was that while 10 Conservative MPs rebelled, many perennial dissidents sat on their hands in hope of a deal, and more Labour MPs than usual rebelled in order to back the withdrawal agreement for a fourth time. That they look highly unlikely to be given another opportunity means that the majority to stop no deal may be alive again.

But the problem is that just because the majority exists in theory doesn't mean that there are any remaining opportunities for that majority to exert itself. A no deal exit may now be inevitable.

[ritchiebaby]

Two months on from my last view on the Brexit debacle and I see no reason to change my view that the UK will not leave the EU. The Houses of Parliament don't want to and the EU doesn't want us to, and are apparently quite happy to have even more delay in order to stop a No Deal.

[0762]

Re the Scottish perspective of this utter shambles Jim, I can’t speak for others, but I believe criticism of leadership, in general, is not a bad thing as it keeps leaders grounded – working for the people.
Some independence supporters, myself included, are becoming despondent over what appears to be lack of action.
I am unclear as to what makes the latter part of 2020 the ideal time to have a referendum – what is being seen in the crystal ball that makes this the ideal time?
If anything, it has many unknowns as it’s so hard to predict what will be the state of affairs 12 months down the track.
The current status is BoJo as PM, a potential no deal Brexit or possibly a GE – and with that a potential hung parliament resulting in a coalition of Tories and Brexit Party – to force through the hardest of Brexits!
Why are we sitting back allowing this slow motion catastrophe? We all know that we get the government that England votes for, well this is very likely the government that will get in!
So under this scenario why do we continue to wait and wait and wait?
When Donald Tusk said ‘don’t waste this time’, perhaps he might have also been signaling that comment to us Scots too.
I think we’re being a little ambitious to assume another extension will be granted by the EU, I’m sure they’re looking on with utter dismay to how this 6 months extension has been handled. I don’t believe Macron will have changed his position in any way given he was very reluctant to agree to the initial 6 month extension.
The UK doesn’t hold the poker cards and it doesn’t seem that Scotland is willing to play its hand. But as in poker and politics you sometimes have to take your chances and play the cards you’re dealt. Perhaps we need to "grasp the nettle" and make a bold push – in politics the stars never align completely, there is never an optimal time. It simply takes bold leadership to carry the troops through to victory! Just a thought re current events and from a perturbed Scot who does not wanna see Scotland becoming a "major casualty" AGAIN!! The shameful events of 2014 (and after with that shit, unfulfilled vow!!) was enough and I pray that a big majority of Scots finally realise that fact!!

[Devongone]

There will be no Brexit.

Bojo will be PM for the next ten years minimum.

There will be a General Election. Labour will do badly, the Brexit Party will only do moderately as will the Dib Lems under the shouty lady. SNP will lose a few seats. Bojo will use his small majority to stop attempting to leave the EU in the knowledge that any electoral backlash will be almost five years away.

(Otherwise we'll leave it'll be Chlorinated Trump Chicken and GM Quinoa on the menu.)

Either way Scottish Independence will be off the agenda till long after Boris I'm afraid. I just can't really see a scenario in which a government will offer another referendum to Scotland. A minority Labour Government propped up by the SNP on the promise of another referendum early in 2024?

But I still reckon we'd all be better off with an independent Scotland by the way.

[0762]

I watched Johnson "enter the lion's den" when arriving in Edinburgh yesterday and visiting the FM and Holyrood. What struck me was the huge Police presence that was deployed for a guy who is a British PM. The negative reception in the West End of Edinburgh from 1000s of demonstrating Scottish opponents was good to see - he was booed down for what he is and what he represents!! I'm sure Putin would've received a better reception than this divisive shit heid who is nothing more than con man lol! The Scottish govt should send to every household a copy of Johnson's poem dirge referring to "verminous Scots" - an enlightenment which is long overdue!!