Brexit Carried - Endgame

[RoseMorninStar]

'The Troubles' sounds far too gentle a word to describe those times, which I remember hearing reports about as I was growing up.

[Alatar]

Yes. People who didn't live there have a very benign view of the conflict, including most of us in the Republic. People remember Omagh, or Bloody Sunday, but not the daily atrocities carried out on both sides.

[RoseMorninStar]

I was reminded of it while recently watching 'Derry Girls'. What an awful thing to tear a country apart like that. Of course, it seems we have a (p)Resident who seems to think that's a good idea if he doesn't get his way. What an awful thing.

[eborr]

I did at lot of work for the NI Fire Authority in the early 1990's I remember very well how bad it was, working with people who on a day to day basis were involved with the clearing up. I have been in plenty of dangerous cities including the no-go areas of Johannesburg, but nowhere frightened me as much as Belfast

[Griffon64]

I grew up with the fear of Johannesburg's no-go areas ( as well as other areas of the country ) so that statement provides sobering perspective, eborr. This is just awful.

[RoseMorninStar]

I really hope it doesn't come to that. There is enough strife in the world.

[Túrin Turambar]

For those with an interest in pomp and pageantry, here's six minutes of the state opening of Parliament, complete with customary heckling by Labour MP Dennis Skinner:

[Sunsilver]

LOL! When I was in University, the botany building fronted on Queen's Park Circle. One of our profs, an Australian, was trying to give a lecture during the opening of Ontario's parliament, which featured a parade with a band, the Governor General's Horse Guards, and the Governor General arriving in a horse-drawn landau.

Those of us seated near the windows were paying more attention to the display of pageantry than to his lecture. When the 21 gun salute began, he totally lost his patience, and said something like, "I find it impossible to believe that Canada has to follow these archaic medieval British customs!"

You may be wondering why the Queen is not wearing the Imperial State crown. That's because it's extremely heavy. When she was preparing for her coronation, she actually wore the crown for several hours every day, to prepare her neck muscles for wearing it during the coronation ceremony. Of course, at age 93, her poor neck is no longer up to carrying its weight. She is wearing the much lighter George the IV State Diadem.

Here is the content of the Queen's Speech:

[elengil]

Túrin, that was a treat to watch! Thank you

[RoseMorninStar]

That is quite a lot of pomp & circumstance ...and tradition.
The Imperial crown weight: 1.06kg or 2.3 pounds.
The Queen is quite sharp and doing well for her age.
Boris's rocking was odd.
I can understand why they call wigs 'rugs'.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Apparently there is deal reached between Johnson and the EU, endorsed by Merkel and Macron. But whether it can be passed by the UK parliament is another question.

Sent from my LG G6 using Tapatalk

[Alatar]

As expected, he threw the DUP under the bus.

[Túrin Turambar]

We seem to be in the same situation we were in before - Jeremy Corbyn has said Labour won't support the deal, the anti-Brexit parties like the Lib Dems have come out against it, and Nigel Farage has said he opposes it because it's "just not Brexit".

These deal agreements put the Parliament in a classic Mexican stand-off between the deal supporters, hard Brexiteers and Remainers. The hard Brexiteers think of a bad deal as worse than no Brexit, so they oppose them in the hope of a better deal or a no-deal Brexit. And the Remainers oppose them in the hope of forcing a second referendum. None of the three groups can find common ground with one against the other.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I understand that a vote is scheduled for Saturday. Is that right?

[Alatar]

What I'm hearing is that Boris will not call for a vote unless he's sure he has the numbers.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

If I remember correctly October 19 (which is Saturday) is the deadline by which Johnson is supposed to ask for an extension if no deal has been passed by Parliament, correct? Has he continued to maintain that he will nonetheless not ask for an extension if no deal is approved?

[Alatar]

Nope, he's now talking about asking for an extension.

[RoseMorninStar]

Nope, he's now talking about asking for an extension.

I thought an extension was a no-go? Or that the EU wouldn't agree to that?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

So they are voting today.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And .. no they are not. Parliament has passed the Letwin Amendment, which withholds approval of the deal until the legislation to enact it are passed, automatically triggering the "Benn Act" which forces the prime minister to request a further postponement of Brexit until 31 January. However, Johnson is apparently saying that he is not going to follow that law and request a postponement.