Constitutional Crisis in Britain as Speaker blocks the bill

[malaise]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/18/constitutional-chaos-theresa-may-third-vote-brexit-deal-blocked
<snip>
Theresa May’s government has been plunged into constitutional chaos after the Speaker blocked the prime minister from asking MPs to vote on her Brexit deal for a third time unless it had fundamentally changed.

With 11 days to go until Britain is due to leave the EU, May was forced to pull her plans for another meaningful vote because John Bercow said she could not ask MPs to pass the same deal, after they rejected it twice by huge margins. EU officials, meanwhile, were considering offering her a new date for a delayed Brexit to resolve the crisis.

Quoting from the guide to parliamentary procedure, Erskine May, Bercow said the question “may not be brought forward again during the same session” and that it was a “strong and longstanding convention” dating back to 1604. It must be “not different in terms of wording, but different in terms of substance”, he said, suggesting there must be a change in what the EU is offering.

Bercow’s surprise intervention means May is likely to have to go to Thursday’s Brussels summit with a request for a long extension to article 50, which could mean the UK has to spend more than £100m on participating in European parliament elections.
-----------------------------
May has no choice but resignation at this stage.

[nitpicker]

1. From the live Guardian thread for today

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/mar/19/brexit-latest-news-bercow-speaker-theresa-may-to-chair-cabinet-as-government-responds-to-bercow-ruling-against-repeat-vote-on-deal-politics-live

(snip)
14m ago
10:08

Leading EU minister says there is now 'less clarity' from London about Brexit

George Ciamba, the Romanian minister for European affairs, is chairing this morning’s meeting of the EU general affairs council, because Romania holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

We were saying all the time that we need to have more clarity from London. Clearly, there is no clarity. There is less clarity today than ... yesterday.

We are still looking forward to the European council and to see what is going to be the political will from London. At the end of the day, be it the speaker of the house, be it the prime minister, be it the members of parliament, I think it’s about the political will and about a little bit more clarity what Europe could do, because we know very well what Europe cannot do."

Ciamba also said it would not be up to the general affairs council to discuss the details of an article 50 extension.


'Please deliver, the clock is ticking,' German Europe minister tells Theresa May

The EU’s general affairs council is meeting in Brussels this morning. This is where EU foreign ministers will discuss the agenda for the EU summit later this week. On the way in Michael Roth, Germany’s Europe minister, indicated that Berlin is getting fed up with British indecision. Asked about Brexit, he told reporters:

"The clock is ticking and time is running out.

[We are] really exhausted by these negotiations. And I expect clear and precise proposals [from] the British government why such an extension is necessary.

It is not just a game. It is an extremely serious situation, not just for the people in the United Kingdom, but for the people in the European Union.

For my government, the key priority is to prevent a no-deal Brexit ...

I don’t have any appetite for substance-less, very abstract discussions and negotiations on the Brexit. Please deliver, dear friends in London, please deliver. The clock is ticking."

(snip)

1h ago
09:03
(snip)Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Theresa May chairs cabinet.

9.30am: Unemployment figures are published.

10am: Robert Chote, the chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the spring statement. My colleague Graeme Wearden will be covering it on his business live blog.

11.30am: Donald Tusk, president of the European council, meets Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, in Dublin. Afterwards they will hold a press conference.

12pm: Downing Street lobby briefing.
(snip)

[malaise]

2. Thanks

[rurallib]

5. " Clearly, there is no clarity."

What an understatement - clearly.

[rpannier]

7. Wish I could rec this

Thanks

[Sherman A1]

3. Seems interesting that the PM

Asks for additional votes to get the “deal” pushed through, but the public cannot have another vote on the matter. I am certain that the laws are being adhered to, but the logic is certainly lacking in my opinion.

[Javaman]

10. aside from from may and the tories prideful stupidity in not having another vote...

the time frame to have a vote has passed.

it takes like 6 weeks to pull together a national revote. (according to John Oliver)

time has run out. halfwit may has painted herself into a corner with glue.

[luvtheGWN]

14. May could indeed call for another referendum

and I haven't figured out exactly the reasons she hasn't. I've been discussing this upside-down and sideways with my Brit friends and they think it's for purely political reasons. It seems it was mostly the older, Conservative (with big C and little c) folks who wanted GB out of the EU, while the younger, working people wanted to stay in because of the vast job opportunities for them in the European countries. The Cons hated that their little island was so "open" to non-Brits.

And I still say Boris Johnson's and Nigel Farage's ties to Putin will eventually be exposed.....

[docgee]

4. I wish the EU would grant the extension with the condition

Britain hold another vote.

[Delphinus]

8. Yes!

I've been hoping that for a long time.

[Javaman]

11. there was a great editorial about just that, but here's the rub...

if they choose to have a revote, it will take 6 weeks. that puts them into the month of May, the very same month they have a national vote.

they could put it on the same ballot I guess, but not knowing enough who British elections are orchestrated...

[Myrddin]

15. Wholeheartedly agree!

[Girard442]

6. Clearly, the Brits will have to crash out with no deal and suffer to learn a lesson.

I'm not feeling schadenfreude here but it seems to be the only possible outcome.

[Soph0571]

9. May has no choice but resignation at this stage.

May has had no choice but to resign several times - but still she is here.... I do not want her to resign at the moment..... it will open the door to a hardline brexiter to be PM - we would be out of the EU with no deal before you could shake a stick....

My nation is in peril right now....... it is hugely concerning

[Javaman]

12. pride cometh before the crashed economy/depression. nt

[Farmer-Rick]

13. Well that's something you don't hear much about - the British Constitution

There really isn't one document you can point at and say that is the British constitution; Not like in the US. There are some older documents and law that kind of represent a constitution. I wonder what specific document is in crisis because of Brexit?

[sarisataka]

16. It is an interesting turn of a phrase

From reading the article the question seems to be based on parliamentary procedure and traditional power of the Speaker and PM clashing

[OnDoutside]

17. And replace her with ? The lady's not for going....yet, anyway.