Thread by @DavidHenigUK

Wonder whether anyone in Number 10 is familiar with Healey's 1st law of holes?

When you're in one stop digging.

Has been one bad decision after another - prorogue, mislead (repeatedly), lose, expel, fail (to get an election).

Too much hubris, too little listening.

At the heart of the matter - the Conservative Party cannot be both the party of no-deal (maximise Brexit Party votes) and deal (maximise traditional business Conservative votes).

And efforts to do so stretch credibility beyond breaking point.

It isn't of any use complaining the EU are being unreasonable, or Ireland. The terms are the terms, can be dressed up a bit, but we know what they are.

Saying we are the party of deal on our terms means nothing. Decide between realistic deal and no-deal.

If the Conservatives are the party of no-deal they then can stop pretending it is both not scary and scary. But say yes it might be bad but this is the decision we are making.

If the party of deal then an anti no-deal Bill is meaningless. We'll get a deal.

We're at the moment of a Conservative Party split along the lines of the Corn Law repeals which led to to the rise of the Liberal Party. Right now they can't have both @DCBMEP and @RoryStewartUK as members (and don't).

@DCBMEP @RoryStewartUK The Conservative Party doesn't know if it is seriously negotiating with the EU or not. It doesn't know if no-deal is really acceptable or not. It was a high wire act, with election or prorogation to play for time. This week Johnson fell off the wire.

Time to decide. /end