The debate on Boris Johnson's attempt to force an election will start soon. Commons working its way through some points of order. parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/12…
It's dark, it's cold, they've only just started, everyone is dreadful.
And we're off.
Boris Johnson moves the motion. How many times has this happened now? God knows. Feels like 13.
"Across the country there is a widespread view that this parliament has run its course." First, but not last, statement today in which the speaker projects their own views onto the nation.
This parliament began a couple weeks ago by the way. The turgid nonsense that comes from his mouth.
Johnson making up some kind of bizarre storyline in which losing the programme motion meant he was unable to put it forward again on a decent timetable.
The Johnson argument, if you can call it that, is that parliament will constantly delay unless there is a "hard stop" of a December 12th election. It makes no sense, but that's what it is.
I must say it is quite painfully tiresome. I've barely heard this prime minister say anything which isn't false, or nakedly self-interested, or at best disingenuous.
While Johnson is talking, his letter accepting the extension request comes out
The prime minister is doing what he said he'd never do while telling everyone the other things he wants to do.
Corbyn up. Doubt this'll be much better.
Corbyn highlighting Johnson's broken promises. But there is a problem here, because his position is currently that he wants him to remain prime minister.
There is a lot of babbling, self-serving & vacuous nonsense being spoken by the leaders of both main parties, the contents of which are not worth reporting.
Labour MP Paula Sheriff reads out some of the messages she got after Johnson's surrender act statement, one of which threatened to string her up. "The PM has never apologised for saying what he said that evening, so how can we trust him that we can be safe?"
Corbyn offers to give way to the PM if he'll apologise. Johnson gets up. "I'll happily apologise if the shadow chancellor would apologise for inviting the population to lynch the sec of state for work and pensions." Sigh.
Interesting moment. Corbyn says he opposes an election on December 12th because students would struggle to vote. Says this "may not be the case on the 9th of December and we will consider carefully any legislation proposed that locks in the date".
Sounds like Corbyn potentially prepared to vote for Lib Dem and SNP bill.
Corbyn's three terms for an election: "When no-deal is off the table, when the date for an election can be fixed in law and when we can ensure students are not being disenfranchised".
Lib Dem/SNP bill satisfies the latter two conditions. The first doesn't really mean anything in the current circumstances.
John Redwood is currently giving a speech in which he attacks parliament for not giving the government a majority. Or something. I dunno. He is reaching for coherence, but it is beyond him.
Ian Blackford, SNP: "We are not leaving Europe on the 31st of Oct. The Conservative party and the prime minister defeated, once again."
He shows how it is done. "A general election on the terms offered by the Pm are not and will not ever be acceptable to the SNP. We do want an election, but not with the hand that this PM is offering."
Blackford says he won't accept an election date which allows the PM to bring back his deal to the Commons beforehand.
"We cannot allow the PM to railroad through this disastrous deal."
"It's not an issue of three days between election dates. It's an issue of whether we're in the EU or out of it. That is fundamental. We are ready for an election, but it must be on those terms."
"My message to the Labour party is lets face an election, let's do it on our terms, let's make sure we take the PM and his toxic Tory government out of office. We can do it if the opposition unite together."
Extraordinary attempt in the Commons from Blackford, slightly marred by an attack on Labour MPs for sitting on their hands. He's not wrong, but it was more effective when he was appealing to them rather than beating them.
Slight uncertainty around whether Blackford was suggesting he wanted votes for 16-year-olds. Doing so now would have meant amendments, delaying the election bill. But says he "understands the circumstances we're in".
Presume that's code for saying SNP won't legislate for changing voting age in this bill, although fact he's said this will raise alarm in No.10.
Jo Swinson, for some unfathomable reason, has decided to dedicate this speech to attacking Labour for not supporting a People's Vote, even though it does support a People's Vote. Apparently this takes priority over challenging the government.
Even weirder when you consider Lib Dem official policy isn't even to hold a People's Vote.
Anna Soubry says "there is no doubt that across this House there is a majority at the right moment for that confirmatory referendum". God knows why she is saying this or how she is calculating it.
There really is a doubt. It is a very substantial doubt. So substantial that it is in fact not true.
Swinson now in the right. "I dearly wish it were the case that we were at a majority situation for a People's Vote. But in the absence of that support being clearly demonstrated, we have to act. We cannot just wait."
"The PM and the leader of the opposition say they want an election. If that is the case, then the govt will give time for the bill that we have published and the leader of the opposition will ask his MPs to support it."
Sammy Wilson, DUP: "We will not be supporting this motion tonight. But not because we're scared of the electorate."
"The Unionist electorate in NI are so angry, so despairing, so bewildered at the way the PM has broken his promises to the people of NI they'd return a 100 DUP MPs if they had the option."
Heard some dreadful debates in my time, man. I've trawled through the sludge on this thing. But that was very bad.
Anyway, MPs are voting now.
It won't pass. The numbers will sound like it has. Labour will abstain, so votes for will outnumber votes against. But under the Fixed-Terms Parliament act, the PM needs a two-thirds majority, which he ain't gonna get.
I can't wait until this shit is over so I can order a vegan burger and pretend the world has ceased to exist.
Government loses.
Ayes: 299
Noes: 70
Ayes: 299
Noes: 70
Ayes have it, but motion doesn't get the 2/3rds majority required, so the Noes have it.
Johnson: "We will not allow this paralysis to continue. So later on this evening the govt will give notice of presentation for a short bill for an election on 12th December."
This is interesting. "There is no support in the House for the Withdrawal agreement bill (WAB) to proceed." So Johnson appears to have given up on that.
But he's stuck with the Dec 12th date, which SNP and Lib Dem rejected. Didn't even move it by a day.
Balckford: "We don't trust this Pm. So if he is going to bring forward a bill, he must give a cast iron assurance there'll be no attempt to bring forward the WAB."
This is getting close now. There is very little of substance stopping a majority in the Commons on an election. They're bickering over a matter of days.
The days are important though - will write on this once this is over. And before the burger. You fuckers.
Corbyn: "We will obviously look and scrutinise that bill."
Alright that's the end of the Nightmare Brexit Perpetual Shit Show Fuck Everything It'll Never End programme for this evening. Full report on that crucial debate over the election date coming up in a bit.
Lots of hate for vegan burgers in my feed. Guys, I'm a meat eater. I love that shit. But vegan burgers are good now. You don't feel bloated and grim afterwards, and you make the planet a slightly better place.
The Battle of the Three Days: Why the debate over the exact election date could dictate what happens with Brexit politics.co.uk/blogs/2019/10/…
Yes that's right, I am writing all the Brexit tweets like they're Game of Thrones episodes now.
What this all comes down to, as ever with Johnson, is a question of trust. He's plainly a scheming liar. That is demonstrably and objectively the case. So the three-day issue is crucial to whether there's an underhand trick going on.
We'll likely find out which way that plays out tomorrow. Right, now burger.
