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Jo Swinson @joswinson
, 3 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
My thanks to MPs from across different parties in the House of Commons for their goodwill and best wishes as I voted, at 40 weeks pregnant, in today's close division on giving Parliament a meaningful vote on Brexit (govt maj 16 votes, sadly my side lost). However... (1/3)
This is no way to run a Parliament in a modern democracy. Deciding matters of state, or which parts of the country will have their voices heard, should not be determined by which MPs can be discharged from hospital or happen to be in childbirth. We need proxy voting. (2/3)
And to everyone saying nice things about me coming in to vote on Brexit while 9 months pregnant....

I've done what I could this week, can you do yours by joining the People's March on Saturday to fight for a People's Vote and an #ExitfromBrexit? (3/3)
libdems.org.uk/liberal-democr…
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Just how low will your govt stoop @theresa_may? When @andrealeadsom delayed proxy voting motions, she *assured* those of us who were pregnant that we would be paired when necessary. Today your govt broke that agreement - @BrandonLewis paired with me but voted. Desperate stuff.
Don't try any nonsense about a mistake - this is calculated, deliberate breaking of trust by govt whips @JulianSmithUK to win at all costs. Brandon abstained in afternoon divisions, but voted in the two crunch votes after 6pm. There's a word for it - cheating.
54,000 women lose their jobs each year in the UK due to pregnancy & maternity discrimination. Despite claims to want to fight "burning injustices", govt response to this problem has been shockingly poor, so perhaps it should be no surprise they treat MPs on mat leave like this.
Read 4 tweets
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Today I viewed the 'sectoral analysis' in the @DExEUgov Brexit reading room. I was handed two hefty lever arch files. During my slot I managed to look at 24 of the 39 separate papers. (1)
Of these 24 sectors, the papers show that in 21 of them, industry has concerns about skills gaps, attracting talent and labour mobility post-Brexit. (2)
The papers detail calls from many sectors to remain part of existing EU institutions, programmes or agreements, such as EASA, Euratom, IEM, Horizon 2020, Erasmus and SES. (3)
Read 11 tweets

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@narendramodi @narendramodi_in @AmitShah @PiyushGoyal @nitin_gadkari @smritiirani @M_Lekhi @Sanju_Verma_ @RavinarIN

#1-1-2019

Dear @BJP4India Politicians

Best Wishes from Indian #MIG , whose pockets have enabled you to give to the rest of India what they MAY deserve

1/n
For 2019, I wish God Almighty grants you the strength to give back something to 200 Million + MIG who #Created the #2014Narrative to #Power you to #Parliament

If there is any segment that has not SIGNIFICANTLY benefited from your policies, it is the MIG

2/n
They have stood through thick and thin, defended you at the cost of their lives and liberty, with no reward or benefits unlike Congress Pidis, because they had the conviction in their choice.

But after 4.5 years of constant battering of their pockets, they need something.

3/n
Read 14 tweets
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There are some pretty serious things happening around the meaningful vote provisions and s13 of the Withdrawal Act, which sets out the House of Commons' powers to intervene in the end stages of Brexit negotiations. For example...
1. The indefinite suspension of the s13(1)(b) meaningful vote
By law, the deadline is "before the European Parliament decides whether it consents", conceivably too late for the meaningful vote to be, well, meaningful.
Until it happens, no "plan B" vote under s13(6) is required
2. This series of (later apparently disowned) tweets by @HouseofCommons earlier today pushing the line that the "failure to agree" vote is no longer under s13(8) because "agreement in principle" has now been reached:

Read 9 tweets
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1/ Yesterday @theSNP passed an important resolution to protect the #citizensrights of EU citizens in the UK & @BritishInEurope in case of a no deal Brexit. There are now 35 Scottish MPs in Westminster who will fight for a separate citizens' rights agreement.
2/ The Prime Minister & Dominic Raab have advocated unilateral guarantees to secure rights. Apart from unilateral guarantees protecting less rights (eg. state pensions & recognition of professional qualifications) creating 28 unilateral guarantees across the EU will lead to chaos
3/ 28 unilateral guarantees will lead to divergence of rights and to conflict which could affect citizens on both sides of the channel. With no public body to resolve these conflicts.
Read 5 tweets
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So after the fun of this evening's foray in to just how little people understand* about the EU's democracy, and how it compares to our own, a little thread just detailing these comparisons to try and better inform fellow Brits about what goes on (1/35)
*I also understand that people have good reason to not understand how the EU works. The papers have consistently worked to misinform about it, neither the EU nor the UK does a good enough job in advertising and educating about it, even around actual election times. (2/35)
First.... "Donald Tusk isn't elected". He is elected though. The term is "appointed" I believe, officially, but he is elected by the 28 heads of state currently that make up the EU Council. He becomes the President of the European Council (3/35)
Read 35 tweets
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Lots of news sites leading on @theresa_May's claim, in interview w @bbcnickrobinson, that MPs' vote on the Brexit deal will be a choice between what she has negotiated, and no deal at all. But as @instituteforgov has argued, the reality is more complex. 1/
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Ofc, the PM is right that the legal defaults are set to no deal. The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March 2019. This does not automatically change if the UK and the EU fail to agree a deal, nor does it automatically change if Parliament declines to approve the deal. 2/
But, if Parliament wants to express a view beyond ‘yes or no’, it will be able to. For a start, MPs will be able to amend the motion to approve the government's deal. More explanation of this here. 3/
instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publications/v…
Read 17 tweets
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1/ Welcome to the end of year Brexitlandia bumper edition 📚
2/ In 2016 the UK had a referendum to leave the EU. U.K. Gov said it would implement the outcome of the vote but made no plans as to what would happen if we voted leave 🤔
3/ In fact lots of key people such as Farage, Johnson and Gove all tried to run away rather than seize the moment and deliver what they campaigned for. 🏃
Read 36 tweets

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