May still in job but refuses to rule out ‘no deal Brexit’
Theresa May in the House of Commons
(CNS): British Prime Minister Theresa May refused to rule out a ‘no deal Brexit’ Thursday, in the wake of surviving a no confidence vote on Wednesday. Just over two months before the UK will leave the European Union after some 45 years, May has now decided to invite cross-party discussions about a revised deal after her agreement with the EU was resoundingly rejected by the House of Commons this week. But Opposition and Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has declined the invitation until she ruled out a ‘no deal’ departure, which she has not yet done.
As May has lurched from catastrophe to disaster over the last few weeks, she has now been dubbed by some commentators as the ‘Lady of Perpetual Crisis’, but the Conservative leader has remained at the helm of both her party and the government.
However, with the clock running out, Downing Street has insisted that the prime minister will stick to her Brexit “principles”, including rejecting a customs union and a second referendum, even as she embarks on these cross-party talks to try to salvage her deal, while setting the stage for a deadlock in British politics.
On the specific issue of a customs union, which is a key demand of both Labour and backers of a Norway-style softer Brexit, a Downing Street spokesperson said, “The PM is absolutely clear on the importance of having an independent trade policy in order to honour the result of the referendum,” as members of the customs union cannot strike their own trade deals. “The ability for the UK to reach out throughout the world and strike its own trade deals is an important element of taking back control,” May’s officials said in a press statement.
Following another tumultuous day for British politics on Wednesday, as the PM clung on to power, Thursday appeared to be no smoother, with no answers on the horizon as to how chaotic Britain’s exit from the EU will be or whether it will happen at all.
Category: Politics, UK, World News
The Brexit vote was decided by ignorant poorly educated racists. That is not to say that all Leave voters are ignorant poorly educated racists, there are small minded nationalists and extreme right wingers to. But it was the block vote of ignorant poorly educated racists that tipped it over the 50% – the sort of cave dwellers who watch and share Tommy Robinson videos and agree with the bile in them.
Genau.
– Who
Listen to these comments. This is why you can’t have nice things.
The quicker the English get over themselves the quicker the rest of us will no longer have to hear of this UKIP wet dream called Brexit.
My compassion is limited to the sensible British youths, free of the mental shackles of faded imperial glory, that voted Remain in no uncertain terms.
Now they will be stuck with the unwanted decision of their dead and gone racist, and or xenophobic, and or simply arrogant foreparents.
The reason the (arguably) sharpest British minds cannot make head or tails of this debacle is because Brexit is founded on emotions and knee-jerk reactions; (migrant crisis, immigration fears, sagefuard of Anglo-European “heritage”.
The greatest irony of all is the fact that the economic force of the UK represents everything that the Leavers resent.
What a load of bollocks!
What a surprise, even remoaners here are spouting that liberal leftist hate speech, proudly proclaiming all leavers as racist, xenophobic and arrogant.
How do you define youth? I’m 33 and voted leave, after growing up in Europe!
The question on the Ballot was simple, do you want to stay or go.
No where was it written, ‘do you want to kick out all the immigrants’, nor was there written ‘are you racist, if so, tick leave’, it was not asking if you wanted to pull up the drawbridge. Simply, stay or go.
Many remainers voted so that their annual holiday to Spain or Portugal would not be affected..now tell me that this is a sensible reason to vote remain?
Anyone who thinks that immigrants are not needed / wanted is plain and simple out of their minds!
Why can only leave voters spout nastiness? Oh my mistake, thats only allowed for labour voters.
The world will not end with Brexit. The asteroid will not hit the planet because of Brexit, nor will life on this planet suddenly stop or the power stop working. The stock markets will not stop, the petrol will still be in the pumps and the food will still be on the supermarket shelves. It might be different but it will still be there.
Yes some things will change, most importantly of all, is mindset.
Stop throwing your toys out of the pram and think about getting on with things as they are because thats democracy. Even a majority of 1 is democracy.
Anyone might accuse you lot of being sore losers!
I’m 34 and voted leave because of the same reasons you have written.
The worst part about the remainers is they have created a stigma that we are racists for our political views. This alone has made people question their stance on the matter. I don’t like being labeled a racist either, but I have enough fortitude not to change my views on the matter because of the nasty words they are labeling us with.
I wanted out of Europe because I wanted our country to be able to make decisions for its self and not be dictated to by the EU. If travel to Europe is a little trickier because of this then so be it!
Well, practically every British racist / xenophobe did vote Leave.
Lest we forget.
– Who
Except for all the ones who voted remain. Looks pretty even to me.
Why don’t you move to one of the EU nations, Who, where your incessant and divisive drama will be most appreciated.
…or, I could just move to the mother country.
Btw, where do you live?
Yeah…thought so.
Also, and most importantly, the vast majority of young Brits voted to Remain.
That fact cannot be ignored.
What a legacy to inherit. In 20 years time Britain’s diplomatic reality will no longer be a democratic one.
Very sad times for the UK.
Young people can change their minds. How do you know what people will think in 20 years? What does your crystal ball say about the world in 20 years.
I refuse to believe you are as daft as your post suggests.
Please, say it ain’t so.
– Who
Why vote on anything in that case?? What’s the point because people might change their minds? Also, I don’t think anyone has changed their mind, the remainers have made this notion up to suit their agenda. Your argument is complete and utter horse shit.
They really are a hateful bunch with their nasty words! They remind me of the US Democrats, acting like a bunch of spoiled little brats when things don’t go their way.
Speaking of spoiled little brats
Kinda like Theresa May with her botched and unworkable Brexit deal that she knew wouldn’t pass so she waited out the timer
Kinda like President Trump with this shutdown
Or Mitch McConnell when he vowed to block Obama’s entire Agenda including a SCOTUS pick for 10 months
or like when the GOP tried repealing the Affordable Care act 70 times in 6 years
I could keep going, but what happened to free speech
or is that only free pre-approved conservative speech?
You and me both enjoy freedom of speech, as does everyone on this forum. You have the right to say what you think, and I have the right to believe that you intentionally introduced a plethora of off-topic opinions in order to marginalise those in favor of Brexit.
Nice try. Sort of .
Crazy thought; but the perspective of the sector of an economy / society that essentially carries the others should probably be respected and carefully considered.
Allowing the economic deadspot of Hull to override the stance of cash-cow London on this Brexit question may not be the smartest move.
Jus sayin..
– Who
Of course, now I understand, democracy should be the preserve of the wealthy…… how very liberal.
The wealthy??!
Have you met the average Londoner of today?
Wealthy they are most definitely not.
However, had you described them as “employed” as you drafted your sarcastic reply then I would agree..and answer a resounding YES.
The quintessentially English makeup of places like Leave-friendly Hull rely heavily on the commercial productivity and taxes of the multi-cultural and British-minority London / South-Easteners aka Remainers.
You really couldn’t make this crap up.
Wait, I thought we were supposed to listen to the diverse young people. Now it’s the old white guys too?
How so exactly?
– Who
Branding people as racist, and or xenophobic, and or simply arrogant because of their political views is a pretty shitty thing to do. For some of us it was about more than secure boarders. We want control of our country and to take power away from the EU.
You do know you are speaking to the biggest xenophobe of them all, right?
Valid.
That’s what the racists say.
I know right…
We are at a time in history where unless one proudly declares themselves as a card-carrying racist – one cannot be regarded as such.
Utter bullsh!t.
Interesting.
Question:
How would you describe the typical UKIP party member?
Maybe ask Jo Marney to share her views?
Re: “For some of us it was about more than secure boarders. We want control of our country and to take power away from the EU.”
Be that as it may, for MORE of you, it was ALL about racism and xenophobia – and we do live in a democratic society after all.
It is what it is.
– Who
You are as wrong about this as you have ever been on anything, Who, and that’s really saying something.
I doubt you would be tracking my contributions as you obviously are if I was always “wrong”.
If so, that says more about you than I.
But – go crazy Bud.
– Who
You are right. The young are being forced to watch as a terrible decision tipped over the line by ignorant racist pensioners is forced through without their say. Many of the leave voting bigots have died since the referendum. To May, dead racists have more say than the millions of 18-20 year old voters who never got to vote on the issue.
6:29 You won’t make daft comments like that when the EU decides these islands are an open house for anyone with an EU passport and we end up over-run with Eastern European migrants. That’s the biggest issue – open borders allowing every piece of EU s*** to go anywhere they want and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.
I must disagree with your point about Eastern Europeans, especially in Britain where it seems they are the ones doing the jobs that the ‘native’ or British, shall we say, population either refuse to do or just don’t want to do because the welfare system is so good.
So in this respect, I am happy to have them. 🙂 in spite of voting leave.
That said, the situation that really, really worries me is that the entire southern European border is open. The taxi service from Africa to Europe has brought in countless (I don’t know the number) under the banner of refugee’s. Is every single one of these people an actual refugee or are some of them people who fled when I.S dramatically imploded/implodes even now?
I suspect, although I have no proof, that there is a connection between the incidents in France, Germany and Britain (most recently in Manchester on the 31st December 2018) and the European southern border being open.
Once a ‘bad guy’ comes into Europe they can go anywhere, no checks, no borders..they are free to roam and do what they want. Essentially they disappear. While not all incidents are related to this open door, some I am sure, like the Nice vehicle attack, will probably have a connection either directly or indirectly.
That’s what worries me! So call me a racist, xenophobe or arrogant leave voter as much as you like.
“That’s the biggest issue – open borders allowing every piece of EU s*** to go anywhere they want …”
Naaaah, no racism or xenophobia in your mindset at all!
LOL!!
Even in a direct reply you couldn’t cover-up your truth.
I rest my case.
– Whodatis
*Cayman has happily and smoothly hosted a TRIPLING of its population in 25 years.
Stick around long enough and you may be able to learn something and in turn – teach your countryfolk how to be decent, modern human beings – and hopefully drag them into the 21st century.
President Trump#2 .
The reason this is all currently a cock-up, is because the EU is pulling out all stops to screw up the process. Why? Because when the UK successfully navigates through this mess, then other European countries will likely follow.
It isn’t racism that brought about Brexit; it’s almost a crime to characterise it so, because that term attempts to marginalise the true reason for it: The EU has been screwing the UK for decades, and FINALLY the people who are feeling the crunch the most, voted to be self-determining.
OF COURSE the EU is against it, and quite frankly, people like you who try to characterise the democratic vote as both racist and a product of the elderly are not only disingenuous, but hateful. The citizens have voted and decided. Get out of the way.
A leader who would rather remain in the illusion of power than dare to even consider changing her position or that the British people could have changed their minds from 2016
In her feeble attempt to please the far right euroskeptics among whom are thinly veiled white nationalists or persons with white nationalist sentiments she will end up ripping the UK apart
Even now the unrest in Scotland is growing with Nicola Sturgeon is already eyeing a way out of this mess even if it means rallying Scots into the streets to demand independence
The DUP meanwhile the only reason May is still PM is likely to flip as soon as they realize she doesn’t have a “Plan B”. May has spent the last two years pretending she has an incontrovertible mandate from the people and that her party will just bow their heads and submit to her as the Iron Lady 2.0
But her premiership has been a pale imitation of the original
Theresa May since unveiling her Brexit deal has been a Prime Minister in office, entrenched by dozens from her own party and the opposition and certainly not in power by any stretch of the imagination
She delayed the vote in December because she knew the outcome as well as anyone else
Her grand plan was always to wait out the clock and put a gun to the head of the members of the commons
Well it would appear that her “My way or the highway” style of leadership has led to precisely the mess anyone with a brain could have predicted
The Tories think they can have their EU cake and eat it too
The EU will sort them out quick, fast and in a hurry
Corbyn is a snake, agree? He has left May in the position of ‘no way or no way’, which reminds me a lot of the Democrats in the U.S.
You are either part of the solution, or part of the problem. There is no other ground that matters.
Sorry you need to do your home work..the correct answer is Mitch McConell and the GOP.
Constitutional Critic?… you should really be called Constitutional Clown…. Eurosceptics are ‘far right’… seriously? The 17.5m+ that voted Leave included people from across the political spectrum and of all races.
If you had any knowledge of constitutional matters you may begin to understand why the majority voted Leave.
In the future, please leave politics to the grown ups.
Referring specifically to the UKIP clowns and the ERG (Rees Mogg and Company) acting as if they represent all 17.5 million leave voters is a stretch and a half
Up until a couple months ago the Tories couldn’t even organize what they meant by Brexit behind closed doors and much of the mess that May is in now is specifically trying to court these far right groups
To pretend as if all leave voters have some clear indication of what Brexit was going to transform into is another stretch (you seem to be quite good at these)
Though feel free to ignore reality in favour of your “:brexit means brexit” and “leave is an easy, universal ideology”
The UK electorate were sold a pack of lies by the like of Nigel Farage at least have the decency to admit it
Oh my word
Imagine that
Motherland is in political disarray
As if we are any better off under this hellish union we call a unity government
The UK will slip themselves out of this Brexit mess it’s only been 2 years and they always find a way to keep on ticking
Here in Cayman we have been wrestling with the same snakes for the better part of 30 years
We have zero ground from which to levy criticisms
Actually the UK has been in political disarray much longer than the Cayman Islands. But I see your point, we are living in a modern day denial state in the Cayman Islands.
Don’t know if she has principles, but a clean break was called for. Leave the Irish border wide open on your side until you figure out how to manage it. Your remainers are nimble enough to profit from the changes despite all the moaning.
Perfectly said.
If I were Supreme King for a day, I’d have Northern Ireland join the rest, and Scotland Scexit the UK.
On what basis would you betray the British citizens of Northern Ireland?
Because they are too much trouble. Let Dublin deal with them.
I did not see “clean break” on the ballot. I do remember Gove telling everyone that we could do a Norway deal…
Did you see negotiate on the ballot.
Her beahaviour in the last 36 hours has been a disgrace. She acts as if she just lost her vote by a few votes not by 230 odd. Her “red-lines” show she is not listening to the majority of MPs and the vast majority of the electorate who want to take the imminent risk of no deal off the table.
And what about that great leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who after being made an open offer by Teresa May to have a meeting, set out his own ‘red line’ of not even meeting her until she announced that the UK would not leave the EU without a deal.
Talk about giving the EU a blank cheque not to agree anything – what a ridiculous negotiating principle.
Theresa May would rather go down in flames in a no deal crash out scenario as long as she can be the one holding the empty fire extinguisher on the way down
She spent 2 years with her cabinet arguing behind closed doors then brought this mess of a “deal” out
The blame lies squarely with her and her cabinet
Hence the influx of resignations
Only took her two years to decide she was interested in what he has to say
Labour laid out what was necessary for them to support any deal Theresa May brought back to parliament more than a year ago
If she had any interest in bipartisanship she could have easily involved them from the get go or taken note of their concerns (which have been public the whole time)
This “open offer” to negotiate is only being made because her own party screwed her and now her back is against 3-4 walls (some of her own creation)
‘The vast majority of the electorate’ want ‘no deal’ off the table… are you basing this off your own views, BBC, Sky or CNN?
You have no idea what the ‘vast majority’ of the U.K. public want. Based on the history of the people of the U.K. it is more likely that the vast majority would prefer to tell the EU to FU.
yet polling shows in the last 2 years remain has never been more popular
Which is exactly why the tories refuse to hold a second referendum
You think if Theresa May could have gotten a second upvote from the people on her god awful plan she wouldn’t have done it already
She and the rest of the tory leadership were wrong about the initial referendum and they know what the second will bring
It is only a matter of time
The parliamentary arithmetic is clear there is no clear majority for any plan and no clear way to resolve the Irish issue without either breaking the Good Friday agreement or crossing May’s self imposed red lines
The politicians screwed it up, so give it back to the people
Just like they do every 5 years to pick new MPs
Are these the same pollsters that prior to the referendum said remain would win?
These two concepts might be new to you, but you can look them up so next time you wont be so stupid
Margin of error
Political apathy
Remain has a 12 point lead in the latest polls. The polls in 2016 had either outcome in the statistical margin of error. So you’re point is ignorance or deflectIon – Brexiteers are good at both. And bigotry. They are really good at that.
The poll was of 1070 people. The result was then refined so that the ‘don’t know’ group were ignored and the percentage of remain v Leave was calculated. Not exactly a large sample considering 34 million voted last time and also considering the ‘don’t know’ group were ignored.