Indeed - quite aside from all the associated madness that's going down in Westminster, the fact that cabinet ministers have defied the whip means that the sacred 'collective responsibility' has gone out the window - and there are reports that some of those people were given private assurances that they wouldn't lose their jobs if they voted against or abstained.

Mrs May has taken on all the characteristics of a stubborn bogey that no amount of picking, blowing or tweezers will remove; she has lost credibility, authority and whatever gravitas she once possessed - and despite all that, she apparently intends to bring her deal back twice more, in an attempt to chip away at the dissenters.

I suspect that the sole reason she's still in her role is that the Tories realise that a leadership contest now would seem self-indulgent, given the looming Brexit deadline - and would damage them in the subsequent GE.

That and the fact that nobody wants the job [inow[/i. Instead they’d rather have the easier job of picking up the pieces once the decision is made without being tainted by it. I suspect that’s why the likes of Johnson and Raab gave up the responsibility of being in the cabinet.

I noticed on morning tv this morning that the DUP are considering excepting the deal (wonder if that was another tax payers bribe), she is also apparently trying to get the ERG on board saying that Corbyn's deal is much softer than hers, so if they don't vote for her deal they could end up with a much softer Brexit.

The ERG have put forward a motion to rule out another referendum, they are awaiting to see if the speaker excepts it

Even though I was really hoping her deal would have been excepted, its been defeated end of

Exactly this.
It's far easier for all of the future "contenders" to pick fault but, allow her to get past the Brexit deal.
After that there seems little doubt that she will be gone and under normal circumstances, she would have been removed many months ago.
Any new party leader cant look good while the Brexit fiasco remains "unsolved".

No doubt she's on manoeuvres - and I wouldn't rule out the DUP swinging to support her - but there will be a heavy price; that's what they do.

I see also that the Speaker has the power to prevent her bringing the same deal back to the House for a third time, under a parliamentary rule that prevents motions being brought to the house again and again - and Bercow is considering that.

Ironic that the people who are so against the people being given another vote, claiming "do you just keep having them until you get the result you want?" seem quite content to let Mrs May do exactly that with her awful deal that nobody likes.

This whole saga (pantomime) shows how screwed our parliamentary democracy is, even when a bill passes the commons the unelected Lords get a say.

The British Public's decision to leave the EU (which indicates the very fact they've termed it "Brexit" tells you how serious they are) was based on lies, from both leave and remain.

Was it Einstein (it is claimed) that said repeating the same actions but expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity.

Absolutely, we must get rid of that unelected jobs for the boys institution called the Lord. Our elected representatives in the commons should represent the people.

The problem is even some constituency MP's don' t vote as their constituents wish.

I'm not so sure about that, it only takes the E.R.G. lot & the D.U.P. to do a U-turn & agree to May's shoddy deal.

Yes, it's not what they want, but surely it's slightly better in their eyes to what we have now. What a shambolic situation that the whole Brexit fiasco will probably decided by ten bribed Irish M.P.'s.

If it's true that the majority of M.P.'s are remainers I just don't understand why they don't band together & just kick this catastrophe out of the ball park, for the sake of the country.

It's simple, most MP's are about self-preservation.

I'm sure that many of them wish as hard as they can for a time machine, so they can go back and prevent the imbecile Cameron from holding the referendum in the first place; it was one the most inept political decisions in history.

The Tory habit of putting party before country has really f**ked us this time - they landed us in this mess in an attempt to oust UKIP, then fought a flaccid and ineffectual campaign to remain, and now we have a zombie PM fronting a chaotic government, desperately trying to force through a steaming turd of legislation that only disaster capitalists and offshore trust fund millionaires will benefit from; and whilst a majority of MP's *want* to remain, they're too scared of the backlash to do anything meaningful about it.

What would happen if all the Remain MP's band together and say "actually no - you made a choice, but it was an unwise choice, so we're not doing it. Now do your worst?"

they would all get voted out and we'd end up with the disaster of Corbyn in number ten.

They need to pull their fingers out. Most voted to invoke A50 so they've made their bed. I'd have more respect for them if they came up with a genuine cross party plan and got it through rather than wondering if they'd remain MPs afterwards. Politics is what is holding things back, nothing else.

I've a feeling it'll end up being May's deal or No deal since MPs seem unable to think for themselves or have the backbone in enough numbers to form a consensus that will fly. Useless fecktards.

Agree 100%
Junker has basically said if we ask for an extentension it will be years, not months. GE here we come!

They would be threatened with rape & being hung drawn & quartered, even more than they are right now!

Totally agree mate

I thought you voted for your MP based on his/her policies & principles, & those of his/her party.

You do, then they do as they pleaseix n a lot of cases.

(apologies, it wasn't junker, it was Tusk)

You are quite correct in this posting. It’s a complete mystery that the majority of parliament voted to invoke article 50 and now most of the same people are trying every trick in the book to frustrate the will of the people.
If they didn’t want to leave the EU why did they vote to invoke article 50. I don’t think the members of all the main parties realise the utter contempt that the British public have for them ,as we witness this pantomime. Unfortunately all this is being viewed around the world . Not forgetting business leaders need to know the outcome especially for long term planning.

Maybe Treeza is secretly sticking to her Remainer principles, and bolloxing it up on purpose, so that eventually, she can say "there's no consensus, time has run out, we have no choice but to cancel the whole thing." Then she can go run through a field of wheat, or walk up a mountain, or whatever she does for kicks, safe in the knowledge that although she's secured her position as the worst PM ever, she at least saved us from the economic suicide that is Brexit?

I think you are bang on the money there.

That is the idea of our democracy and some do such as me. However, I think the majority of people in some areas certainly vote for the party, you must have heard comments like if I vote for the Tories or Labour my dad will turn inn his grave etc, etc

I am of then opinion that if I put a red rosette on in my constituency I would get elected.

She'll need to check in with a good quack first. The last 2 and a half years have aged her by about 15.

While some would undoubtedly prefer to remain, the issue, in the first instance, is how, not whether, we leave.

For example, the ERG are contributing to preventing May’s deal passing, not because they don’t want Brexit (though, I do half wonder at times), but because they’d prefer to leave with no deal.

On the other side there are plenty who want a brexit, but a softer one.

Add in the 114 who opposed invoking article 50 the time and you’ve got a coalition big enough to stop stuff, but way too disunited to progress anything.

If the DUP switch, and can take about two thirds of the remaining Tory dissidents with them, it’ll need fewer than 20 more labour MPs to switch too for May’s deal to squeeze through at the third time of asking.

We have to learn from this and not take the same approach to the future relationship negotiations - assuming we do avoid no deal. This isn’t how to conduct negotiations. This isn’t even how to play poker when you’re holding a pair of 5s. The whole country, not just the government and not just parliament, has to get a grip and realise that we are not the centre of the universe, and that behaving like we are won’t make it so. Ambitious bespoke deal, my bottom.

I think you said in an earlier post that in your opinion the leave voters, voted to leave for many different
reasons and I think this is a casing point, the ERG can only see what we now refer to as a hard Brexit, however, I really don't see the problem with leaving the EU with a deal that will also appeal to some people that voted to remain for example we should be able to agree a form of the customs Union and a Trade Policy. Which is why we entered the Common Market originally.