The reason the WA didn’t pass is the blind brexiters argument. This provides the ammo for the PD.
Leaving aside the fact that it is possibly the softet Brexit possible (and therefore pointless) it is very clever politics. If that gets up the Conservatives will implode. Hopefully, Steve Baker will immolate in the HoC to liven things up. Amusingly, Labour are also likely to fall to pieces if the Govt does collapse.
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I get the political argument. I’m just saying that’s it intellectual horseshit to suggest that “here’s what we could / might do” is not a blind Brexit. I welcome the fact that we’re actually talking about options but it’s far too little far too late, and therefore far too little too early
Edit: I’m obvs not suggesting you’re full of horseshit (on this thread) …just the argument itself
Would it leave any of her red lines (no CU, no SM, no FoM, no ECJ) uncrossed ? I suppose it maintains no hard border in NI. And perhaps we get our fish back.
VB
Yes all of those. And it’s as off the shelf as it comes, so it could be concluded quickly. Probably before the EU elections in June.
In hindsight, the only problem with the gun powder plot was the getting caught bit.
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Meh, a mear triffling technicality
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Why would it need agreeing before the EP valg?
As you say , it’s off the shelf. They’ve already said it’s a model that works (less so the EEA / Efta countries, but fuck em) . It’s domestic political window dressing. The27 only have to say “yeah, sounds cool. let’s talk on the other side of you leaving.”
Won’t there be a question of money that we’ll have to pay to stay in all this stuff (sorry, that’s another red line crossed, I forgot about that one) ? And how much of a say on stuff we get.
VB
Meanwhile
Christopher Hope 
@christopherhope
BREAKING Theresa May is holding a mass meeting with some of the 170 Conservative MPs who signed a letter to her demanding the UK leaves the EU on April 12 ‘with or without a deal’.
MPs have been sent text messages - seen by The Telegraph - asking them to be ready to meet Mrs May
It’s about half what we pay now, apparently.
I think this is the main ideological sticking point. I agree, it’s not as good as remain, but on the subject of not being able to do your own trade deals, my response would be “So fucking what?” I’d rather have a bloc doing deals which are far better than anything we’ll ever get by flying solo.
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Especially when one considers just how sharp our negotiators have been with their EU withdrawal work.
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Labour seem to be whipping for everything. Be interesting to see how many rebel. Doesn’t Common Market 2.0 (fucking stupid name) allow for free movement? It is also a unicornish around the edges as it is not one of the three possible outcomes on the table (Deal, No Deal, Revoke).
Yes, free movement has to be respected of course.
It’s not that unicornish, is it? The EU would have our hand off for this, I suspect.
Richard Drax making sure that this afternoon kicks off as mental as it possibly could do.
I don’t doubt this for one moment. However, the legal position is the three options I listed. I bet the Govt. will try and rule it out on those grounds, meaning another vote next week to instruct the Govt to do what Parliament wants. We are then into all bets are off territory.
So would I, but we do need to have input into the deal, otherwise they might ignore an important area for us - New Zealand lamb, say.
Or, as someone suggested this morning (or yesterday morning perhaps - it’s all becoming a blur …) cheap (=dumped) Chinese steel.
VB
Yeah we were the ones that stopped a tariff being imposed there, as we valued cheap steel over a steel industry 
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