I have just heard that in this highly unusual Saturday sitting in the House of Commons the 'Letwin Amendment' has been passed.
So what is the 'Letwin Amendment'? Well Boris Johnson announced sometime this week just passed that he had agreed a 'great new Brexit deal'. Strikes me that for all egotists the prefix of 'great', 'wonderful', 'beautiful' or some variation of the superlative must be attached to anything they touch; it can never be just a 'good deal'. Anyway by this superlatively excellent new deal - touched by Boris himself - Northern Ireland would 'technically' remain within the UK customs union but no border checks would be carried on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - rather the actual customs duties and the tariffs on imports between the two would only occur between the UK mainland and Northern Ireland - so effectively in the Irish Sea. The BBC explanation of this sham deal is here; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50083026 I have not read the full text yet but from the BBC overview it looks like an invitation to smugglers to me.
Naturally this 'great new deal' did not go down overly well with the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, the Party who previously were propping up the Conservative Government in Parliament - until they threw out 21 of their own MPs - and for who's support Theresa May payed £1bn in subsidies in Northern Ireland - expensive for 10 votes one would think. They complained they would de facto not be like the rest of the UK so would be 'second rate UK citizens'. The current imbecile in the Foreign Office, Dominic Raab(id), then apparently attempted to assuage these Ulster Unionist fears by telling them they would get the 'best of both worlds'. Oh dear... Almost Mulvaney level foot in mouth job since clearly if the Northern Irish are truly 'getting the best of both worlds' the rest of the UK - including the Scots and Welsh are missing out of the supposed benefits enjoyed by the Northern Irish. I always thought Dominic Raab was an immense p*llock but to have someone of this profound stupidity at the Foreign Office representing the country abroad is dangerous.
So this 'great new deal' then went to Europe along with Boris to get the formal 'ok' which it duly received. Meanwhile back in Parliament, I believe on Thursday, the Honourable Member for the Edwardian Age, Jacob Rees - Mogg, lured away once more from his country estate in Somerset, announced that the House would sit on Saturday (today) and be presented with an option to vote the 'great new deal' or else no deal. Another 'oh dear' moment ensued as for all their bravado to make such a demand everyone knows they lack a majority and this position caved in almost immediately when MPs voted that Amendments to this ultimatum could also be put to the vote. Enter the 'Letwin Amendendment' which means "approval of the deal, until the legislation to enact it was safely passed - a move that would automatically trigger the "Benn Act" and force the prime minister to request a further postponement of Brexit until 31 January. " (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi...ments-50098128)
So there we are... an extension must now by law be sought today. Boris apparently says he will submit his 'deal' to Parliament again next week! These guys are mashochists... they have not won a single vote since Boris was elected but want more? Moreover Boris apparently says he will not ask for an extension which if he truly does not could land him in prison. Nor do I believe he can submit the same deal unaltered to a second vote next week as the Speaker previously ruled regarding Theresa May's attempt to do the same - it must be 'materially different'.
So what is the 'Letwin Amendment'? Well Boris Johnson announced sometime this week just passed that he had agreed a 'great new Brexit deal'. Strikes me that for all egotists the prefix of 'great', 'wonderful', 'beautiful' or some variation of the superlative must be attached to anything they touch; it can never be just a 'good deal'. Anyway by this superlatively excellent new deal - touched by Boris himself - Northern Ireland would 'technically' remain within the UK customs union but no border checks would be carried on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - rather the actual customs duties and the tariffs on imports between the two would only occur between the UK mainland and Northern Ireland - so effectively in the Irish Sea. The BBC explanation of this sham deal is here; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50083026 I have not read the full text yet but from the BBC overview it looks like an invitation to smugglers to me.
Naturally this 'great new deal' did not go down overly well with the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, the Party who previously were propping up the Conservative Government in Parliament - until they threw out 21 of their own MPs - and for who's support Theresa May payed £1bn in subsidies in Northern Ireland - expensive for 10 votes one would think. They complained they would de facto not be like the rest of the UK so would be 'second rate UK citizens'. The current imbecile in the Foreign Office, Dominic Raab(id), then apparently attempted to assuage these Ulster Unionist fears by telling them they would get the 'best of both worlds'. Oh dear... Almost Mulvaney level foot in mouth job since clearly if the Northern Irish are truly 'getting the best of both worlds' the rest of the UK - including the Scots and Welsh are missing out of the supposed benefits enjoyed by the Northern Irish. I always thought Dominic Raab was an immense p*llock but to have someone of this profound stupidity at the Foreign Office representing the country abroad is dangerous.
So this 'great new deal' then went to Europe along with Boris to get the formal 'ok' which it duly received. Meanwhile back in Parliament, I believe on Thursday, the Honourable Member for the Edwardian Age, Jacob Rees - Mogg, lured away once more from his country estate in Somerset, announced that the House would sit on Saturday (today) and be presented with an option to vote the 'great new deal' or else no deal. Another 'oh dear' moment ensued as for all their bravado to make such a demand everyone knows they lack a majority and this position caved in almost immediately when MPs voted that Amendments to this ultimatum could also be put to the vote. Enter the 'Letwin Amendendment' which means "approval of the deal, until the legislation to enact it was safely passed - a move that would automatically trigger the "Benn Act" and force the prime minister to request a further postponement of Brexit until 31 January. " (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi...ments-50098128)
So there we are... an extension must now by law be sought today. Boris apparently says he will submit his 'deal' to Parliament again next week! These guys are mashochists... they have not won a single vote since Boris was elected but want more? Moreover Boris apparently says he will not ask for an extension which if he truly does not could land him in prison. Nor do I believe he can submit the same deal unaltered to a second vote next week as the Speaker previously ruled regarding Theresa May's attempt to do the same - it must be 'materially different'.
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