Brexit

[Oracle]

You may be right there Oracle, I guess we'll have to wait for the memoirs to come out to see how much of the deal was driven by our team and how much by theirs. It was interesting to hear Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, saying when we went over to talk to their team he got the idea they didn't want to negotiate, they thought he was there to "fudge" things.

Mrs May did have her red lines, which were her interpretation of what she thought the majority wanted, and we are told that the deal respects these red lines (or are they part of the non-binding political declaration?). So on the face of it, it appears there was some input from our side in the negotiations. And Mrs May could have pulled out if she'd've thought the deal wasn't worth putting to parliament, so she has to take a certain amount of responsibility.

In fact, now I think more about it, she's also ousted a few Brexit secretaries along the way, by sidelining them and running things through her team of civil servants.

Maybe we should call it the Barnier-May deal?

Interesting point you make with your vegetarian analogy. It has always seemed strange to have a remainer leading things. Mrs May could argue that's why she had David Davis, but then it became apparent he didn't really have any power in proceedings. Maybe that was a mistake. A more savvy politician could have given Mr Davis enough rope to hang himself with his "Davis deal" - or to succeed with getting something something through parliament.

Mays red lines were the minimum that define Brexit. So they are not in that sense an interpretation. They are the only way to be free.
Red line 1 - No Customs Union because common external tarriffs, and collective terms negotiated by brussels overseen by ECJ defy the very essence of brexit. The EU can veto any deals we want to do ourselves.
Red line 2 - No single market because of the inability to limit free movement
Red line 3 - That Northern Ireland is part of the union and must be treated the same. There can be no customs border between us and NI. The last is deliberately violated by the EU
May cannot relax the red lines without keeping shackles from Brussels which is exactly what brussels want, and also prevents brexit in any real sense, leaving us as a vassal state to quote Boris. That is what brussels has always wanted: to make us impotent, whilst giving access to our markets and money.

David Davis would have done a far better job. He rightly refused to go along with the "Negotiating Order" partly because it is a clear violation by the EU of article 50 in respect of "future arrangement", but also it is a nonsense speaking of money and borders without first talking trade. Davis was overruled and clearly angry about it. Our PM and parliament are stupid. Whatever they want, you do not get it playing the EU game.

In any event the problem will now ratchet up. Eu will abuse the refusal of UK to go with no deal to impose unnacceptable conditions on a long extension. What choice does May then Have? Yvette Cooper and Parliament with help of consitutional violation by the speaker have capitulated, so we are now at the mercy of Brussels. Blame Cooper for that. I hope she will pay the 39billion. Because I will not.

ERG were stupid in playing their trump card too soon. A tory confidence vote on the PM in the last month on May would have ousted her. They have now given May one year tenure to enact the final humiliation by brussels. ERG are probably contemplating calling the vote of confidence in the government itself to prevent May selling us down the river for eternity. What happens then is anybodies guess.