Tag: Brexit

The United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to give a special closing speech ahead of the delayed Parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal. The vote is expected to begin at 2 pm ET. Watch the results here. FOX…

These people do have a right to protest. So, while conflict is inevitable, it is also essential for the health of our democracy that the conflicting sides recognise each other’s right to exist and their right to hold and defend an opposing view. This is the difference between “agonism”, which is defined by Mouffe as a struggle between adversaries who still recognise each other’s rights, and “antagonism”, which is a struggle between enemies. Those who mobbed Soubry on Monday demonstrated the increasingly antagonistic nature of Brexit politics. This is the politics of pure antagonism, the politics of populism. Brexit and antagonism Examples of this antagonism have been evident in different forms since the referendum. The headline, complete with pictures of the judges, presented the “people” as a homogenous group who were in an antagonistic struggle with their “enemies” who posed an existential threat. While far-right groups and some in the pro-Brexit media are clearly using highly antagonistic language, it should be noted that some Remainers have not been averse to ratcheting up the tension either, referring to pro-Brexiteers as “gammons” – a clearly pejorative term. One need only look at Tommy Robinson, the former leader of far-right group the English Defence League, to see how clashing with the establishment can actually help your message resonate with supporters. The highly public abuse of Soubry should serve as a reminder to those of us who truly value our democracy that, unlike the mob outside parliament, we need to listen as well as to speak.

Theresa May has said she was surprised that the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, had allowed MPs to vote on Dominic Grieve’s Brexit amendment on Wednesday, and called on him to explain himself before parliament. John Bercow: Speaker unafraid to hold the government's feet to the fire Read more The prime minister said there should be “consistent interpretation” of the rules as she waded into the row about Bercow’s decision to allow Grieve to submit an amendment on a government motion that was intended not to be altered. May has no power to dismiss Bercow, who has been in the job for over nine years. His appointment is a matter for the whole House of Commons, and the Speaker retains the support of pro-remain Conservatives as well as opposition MPs. But she warned that the Speaker was at risk of making up the rules as he went along. “Members of Parliament need to know that there is a set of rules in the House of Commons; they need to know that there will be consistent interpretation of those rules so that they know how they can operate within the House,” May said. Grieve’s amendment passed on Wednesday by 11 votes after Bercow allowed it to be debated. Government business managers had submitted a procedural motion for the Brexit debate that they said was unamendable, but Bercow directed his clerks that it should be taken for debate. Earlier, a defiant Bercow had told MPs that “there was nothing arbitrary about the conduct of the chair yesterday” when he was accused of arbitrarily changing the rules by Leadsom in the Commons. “This Speaker is well aware of how to go about the business of chairing the proceedings of the House because he’s been doing so for nine and a half years,” Bercow said, describing criticism as “water off a duck’s back”.

Here’s your no-frills primer to what’s going on in Brexit – and what might happen next. Two-and-a-half years and a fraught series of negotiations after the UK voted to leave the EU, the two parties finally managed to sign their two-part divorce deal late last year. In theory, this whole package must now be approved by the British parliament so the necessary legislation can be passed to allow the UK to formally leave the EU as planned at the end of the two-year article 50 exit process on 29 March. So why isn’t it? Essentially because the withdrawal agreement – and particularly the backstop, which will come into force if the detailed terms of the future trading relationship do not manage to avoid that hard Irish border – does not have a majority in parliament. MPs in favour of Brexit fear it could leave Britain a perpetual Brussels “rule-taker”, potentially trapped in the EU’s regulatory orbit for ever. Those opposed to Brexit say the deal risks leaving the country economically weakened, with no say in EU rule-making, and worse off all round than staying in the EU. The Ulster unionists of the Democratic Unionist party, on whom the government relies for its majority, also object, leaving the government facing a crushing defeat in the House of Commons. For this reason, Theresa May, the prime minister, pulled the Commons vote on the agreement that was planned before Christmas, rescheduling it for 15 January in hopes she could persuade the EU to come up with concessions or guarantees that would win her opponents (or enough of them) over. The problem is that while there is no clear majority for May’s deal, there is no clear majority for anything else either: not for a second referendum, nor a fresh election (Labour’s objective), or no deal (which almost all economist and business groups say would be a catastrophe), or a mooted “Norway-plus”, single-market style deal.

Theresa May’s room for manoeuvre should her Brexit deal be rejected next week was further constrained on Wednesday night, after the government lost a second dramatic parliamentary showdown in as many days. An increasingly boxed-in prime minister must now set out her plan B within three working days of a defeat next Tuesday, after the rebel amendment passed. There were furious scenes in the House of Commons as the Speaker, John Bercow, took the controversial decision to allow a vote on the amendment, tabled by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve. The motion setting out the government’s plan can be amended by MPs hoping to push their own alternative proposals, from a second referendum to a harder Brexit. He told MPs: “There is a question of the extension of article 50, which may well be inevitable now, given the position that we are in, but of course we can only seek it, because the other 27 [EU members] have to agree.” Quick guide Why extend the Brexit transition period? But it also, after an intervention by the Democratic Unionist party, committed the UK (not the EU) not to have any trading differences between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The new EU idea is to extend the transition period to allow time to get to option A or B. The Irish and the EU will also still need the backstop in the withdrawal agreement, which must be signed before the business of the trade deal can get under way. Otherwise it is a no-deal Brexit. Mann was among a group of Labour MPs who met the prime minister on Wednesday to discuss what changes she could make to win their support for her deal, with other attendees including Stoke Central MP Gareth Snell.

Britain will install a border gate after Brexit to protect the nation’s borders. It’s hoped the gate will either deter illegal immigration or stop people leaving the country on mass, depending on just how badly Brexit goes. The proposed border gate will consist of exactly one gate without any surrounding fence or wall to cut down costs. ‘Frankly, we’re taking a big loss of Brexit. A single gate is all we can muster from our budget,’ said one government chief. ‘If you don’t want to get tutted at, don’t sneak in. Or out,’ said the project head. Chris Grayling has already awarded the £20 million contract to build the gate to a nice chap he used to go to school with. ‘He already owns a hammer. I’ve done my research on this one,’ promised Grayling.

More than half of Conservative party members want Theresa May’s Brexit deal to be rejected in favour of leaving the EU with no deal, according to a survey. Standfirst ... unknown title 0 10 20 30 40 50 Leave the EU without a deal 57% Leave the EU with the proposed deal 23 Remain a member of the EU 15 Guardian Graphic | Source: ESRC. Sample size: 1,215 Conservative party members In a three-way referendum, with the options of leaving without a deal, staying in the EU or leaving with May’s deal, 57% preferred leaving without a deal. Only 23% of members said they would vote for May’s deal in a three-way referendum. Just 29% of Tory members would vote for May’s deal, compared with 64% who would vote to leave without a deal, if there was a two-option referendum. Sample size: 1,215 Conservative party members Among party members, opposition to the deal negotiated by their own leader outweighs support by a margin of 59% to 38%. More members (53%) think May’s deal does not respect the 2016 EU referendum result than the 42% who think it does. Sample size: 1,215 Conservative party members Tory divisions: the factions preparing for fall of May's Brexit deal Read more The findings are a further blow to May, who hopes to win a majority in parliament for her EU deal, which is expected to be put to the vote later in January. The research showed that a greater proportion of Tory members think the government has made a mess of negotiating Brexit than those who just support the party. But the poll of party members found that 68% of Tory members think the government is doing badly at negotiating the country’s exit from the EU – a proportion that rises to 78% of those party members who voted leave in 2016.

The mayor hailed the event, in which the London Eye was lit up in the blue-and-yellow colours of the EU flag, as part of a wider message to Europe that the capital would stay “open-minded” and “outward looking” after Brexit. As the fireworks went off along the Thames, the words “London is open” were said in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish just after midnight. The event also featured musical performances by European artists. “We, in my opinion, are one of the greatest cities in the world; one of the reasons we are one of the greatest cities in the world is because of the contribution made by Europeans,” Khan said before the display. “I hope that members of parliament, members of the government will see the fireworks tonight, will listen to the soundtrack and will reflect on what sort of country they want to live in post-March.” He said the display was about “showing the world, while they’re watching us, that we’re going to carry on being open-minded, outward looking, pluralistic”. Andrew Bridgen, a Conservative MP with an occasional sideline in Brexit-based hyperbole, said the message had been “a betrayal of democracy”, telling the Sun: “It’s low, it’s very low to politicise what is an international public event.” Roger Helmer, a former Conservative MEP who defected to Ukip, tweeted: “While the UK is locked in critical negotiations with Brussels, Sadiq Khan chooses to display the other side’s flag on the London Eye. Would he have shown an Argentinian flag during the Falklands war?” The anti-Brexit message is in keeping with Khan’s wider views on Brexit, where his public expressions are notably different from the pledges to respect the verdict of the 2016 referendum made regularly by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Khan, who took over the mayoralty from Boris Johnson and plans to stand for another four-year term in 2020, has argued for a special Brexit deal for London, to protect both the contribution of its high population of EU nationals, and the financial institutions of the City. In September, Khan said the time wasted by Theresa May and the risk posed by a no-deal Brexit meant he was supporting a second referendum, which should include the option of staying in the EU. A large-scale fireworks display on the Thames has gradually become a regular part of London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations since one was organised for the millennium celebrations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered a slowdown to the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Syria, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday. The president had declared victory over the Islamic State group in Syria, though pockets of fighting remain. Graham had been an outspoken critic of Trump's decision, which had drawn bipartisan criticism. The announcement also had shocked lawmakers and American allies, including Kurds who have fought alongside the U.S. against the Islamic State group and face an expected assault by Turkey. "I think we're slowing things down in a smart way," Graham said, adding that Trump was very aware of the plight of the Kurds. Critics had contended that the U.S. withdrawal would embolden Iran and Russia, which have supported the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. National security adviser John Bolton was expected to travel to Israel and Turkey next weekend to discuss the president's plans with the American allies. During his appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Graham previewed his arguments to Trump for reconsidering the Syria pullout. "I'm going to ask him to sit down with his generals and reconsider how to do this. Slow this down.

Some in Fianna Fáil believe the longer Varadkar is in office, the more he will be damaged At the beginning of the year, the prospects for the Government surviving the year seemed slim. After the resignation of Frances Fitzgerald, relations between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil – and personally between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin – were poor. Varadkar made a public appeal to Martin to open negotiations on a renewal of the confidence and supply agreement, also telling his Cabinet at a special meeting at Derrynane House, Co Kerry, that he would seek a two-year extension of the deal. Except that the time had already run out for Varadkar. And even if there was time, he couldn’t viably call an election – right at the time of maximum sensitivity in the Brexit negotiations – and claim it was because he needed stability during the Brexit negotiations. His polling numbers are good, if not as good as many think. There is a strong view among some in Fianna Fáil that the longer Varadkar is in office, the more he will be damaged and the easier he will be to beat. At the end of the year, Brexit continues to overshadow all. Varadkar and Simon Coveney have run a hard line on Brexit, securing consistent and strong backing for Ireland’s needs and positions during the Brexit process and negotiations. The outcome of that struggle in UK politics will dominate Varadkar’s 2019.