Wednesday 16 January 2019

Night of the Long Knives


I was watching a news report following the Brexit vote last night and a young, fresh-faced, Brexit-supporting, female MP was being interviewed. She said there could be no 2nd referendum as it would destroy democracy. On three previous occasions – Denmark on the Maastricht Treaty, Ireland on the Nice Treaty and Ireland again on the Lisbon Treaty – voters have been given a chance to reconsider their votes. That  opportunity to reconsider didn't destroy Danish or Irish democracy; quite the reverse - it strengthened it.


The same woman went on to say that Europe doesn't want the UK to leave on the basis of WTO, as the UK would be at a competitive advantage. I wonder what form of distorted logic she used to arrive at that conclusion? Pure Flat Earther stuff.  If that were the case, then surely the EU would be tripping over its feet to give us a superb deal, which it clearly isn't.

I think the offending MP was Penelope Mordaunt, but can't be certain.

I still believe Mrs May is playing the long game and, providing she doesn't lose the vote of confidence, she'll end up going for one of two options; declaring Brexit too difficult after an extension, or going for a 2nd referendum, again after an extension, despite having said there would not be one. I'd plump for the 2nd option.

Corbyn is the only fly in the ointment; however, should be become PM without declaring his hand during campaigning, which I believe to be Leave, and then proceeding on that basis, he would not last long as Labour leader.

Political scientists have noted that betting odds would appear to give more accurate predictions than polls and, using Paddy Power odds, a 2nd referendum's odds are 43.5% for and 63.6% against. In the instance of a 2nd referendum their odds are 33.3% for remain and 16.6% for leave. That said, while one's own decisions are a known known and can be aggregated in betting odds, someone else's decision is an unknown known.

Interestingly, Paddy Power gives the odds of Mr May winning the vote of no confidence as 97.1% and losing at 9.1%. Seems no-one wants Corbyn. Providing May survives and the extension is long enough, there would be sufficient time to ditch Corbyn and replace him with the moderate David Miliband - the best of all worlds.

On the issue of a motion of no confidence, it's ironic that this requires a 2nd vote, To quote from the Glossary of the UK Parliament; "A motion of no confidence, or censure motion, is a motion moved in the House of Commons with the wording: 'That this House has no confidence in HM Government'. If such a motion is agreed to, and a new government with the support of a majority of MPs cannot be formed within a period of 14 calendar days, Parliament is dissolved and an early General Election is triggered." Therefore there has to be another vote after 14 days in the event Mrs May can form a new government.


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