Gone!

[Workingman]

It is hard not to have some personal sympathy for Theresa May as she resigns - she looks a broken woman. Unfortunately, as Prime Minister, she has left this country in a mess of her own, and Cameron's, making. We must never forget Cameron's part in this.

We now have the prospect of Buffoon Johnson becoming PM, but that might have a silver lining. If he tries to push through a No Deal Brexit, which has already been voted against by MPs, then Labour will have no option but to put up a vote of no confidence in the government.

Remember, it will not be his government and there are plenty of Tories, plus the rest, who would love to see the back of him, so a no confidence vote might pass.

This mess is not over by a long shot: sadly.

[Kaz]

On a personal level I do have some sympathy for her, BUT she was a stubborn and incompetent Home Secretary and has been a stubborn and incompetent PM. As for taking credit for ending austerity Does she never venture outside London and the Home Counties??

I'm not sorry to see the back of her, but the shower who lining up to take her place are even worse

[Workingman]

I did not think that I could be more disgusted than I already am with politicians, then they go and prove me wrong!

For months they have been stabbing May in the back and calling her all sorts of things, but suddenly she "was a great servant to the country", "tried her best", "acted with dignity", "courage and resolve" and "had an almost impossible job". These glowing words have, of course, been uttered by the bottom feeders hoping to take her job.

I am hoping the Tories do elect Johnson. He will be found out as the worm he really is in no time at all. He would do more damage to the Conservatives than May ever could and they would richly deserve it.

********! <censored>

If I was in May's shoes I would revoke A50 just to spite the lot of them.

[meriad]

If I was in May's shoes I would revoke A50 just to spite the lot of them.

Oh if only Frank, if only - that would be just THE most amazing thing.

But on a serious note, could she do it without parliament approval?


As for her resigning; I actually do have a fair amount of sympathy for her. When Cameron resigned the day of the referendum results; she took on a role she didn't really want - she herself is actually a remainer. Admittedly she didn't handle things well at all but she didn't ever really have a chance did she? I don't anyone would have as there just never was any form of cohesion within the Tory party (and other parties) anywhere anyway. Everyone was out for themselves - not there to get the best deal for the country and the people they are meant to represent.

I dread to see what comes next, I really do.... The thought of a no-deal Brexit scares the living daylights out of me, it truly does. And when it does, the first person to complain about rises in costs of everything, lack of availability of things etc... jeez, I'll be hard pressed not to deck them one!

[cromwell]

I do have a bit of sympathy for her. I'm sure she did try her best.
But she was put into a difficult situation and it was just too much for her. The PM needed the best people and political skills in this situation and she didn't have them.
Her record will read lost the Tory majority when she called an early election, had 30 plus ministers resign, lost 1,300 councillors in the local elections. and most likely got trashed in the Euro elections. It's not a good record.
Whoever gets the job now we still have the same problem; that the UK's political class offered the chance to leave the EU but when that offer was taken up then demonstrated that they did not and does not want to leave.
So we have ended up in a right mess.
Either we ask the EU for an extension which is far from a given, accept the WA that has already been rejected three times or leave with no deal.

[Workingman]

But on a serious note, could she do it without parliament approval?

Ria, it is unclear. The Gina Miller case made it clear that parliament had to "approve" the PM invoking A50. It did not say when or under what conditions, they were left for the PM to decide. I guess that if she did it unilaterally there would be a legal challenge both in the EU (ECJ) and the UK, and Brexit would have to be put on hold. Under law it could not even be discussed in parliament or the media.

I dread to see what comes next, I really do.... The thought of a no-deal Brexit scares the living daylights out of me,

You are not alone. I am seriously considering how my pensions would be paid overseas and what sort of accommodation I could afford to rent.

[Workingman]

Cromwell, the sand in the grease is that MPs have voted against No Deal. It is possible that any government trying to put that through would fall - then what?

I am still minded that a Norway or Swiss style deal could get through parliament and that if it did the EU would go for it as well. Neither would satisfy die hard leavers or remainers, but I do believe that most of us would, reluctantly, accept one or the other.

[cromwell]

Donald Tusk offered May a Canada style free trade deal last year but it seemed to die the death, Lord knows why.
At this stage of the game I'd be happy for Larry the Downing Street cat to become PM.
One meow for yes, two for no.
He would do a better job imo.

[TheOstrich]

I guess you all know my stance, so I'm personally not going to be a hypocrite and say I have any sympathy for her, because I'm afraid I don't.

She has been an abysmal PM, far too easily outmanoeuvred by the Brussels bureaucrats, and quite honestly, she should have gone well over a year ago.

She talks of compromise, yet her appalling deal was another "C" word - capitulation. She, together with Parliament, has turned this country into a laughing stock and a parody.

And what's coming, assuming it's Johnson, is going to be far worse. It will be Johnson, because the Tories are running completely scared of Farage's populism, and need a "populist " of their own to counter him. Well, we get what we deserve, I guess. I shall be glad to see a General Election and the whole sorry (Eton) mess of them swept away.

Best way forward now? Revoke Article 50 and next time, say after 5 years - Plan Properly, tell Brussels it's No Deal from the outset, then only then start negotiating a new relationship with them.

[Workingman]

Plan Properly, tell Brussels it's No Deal from the outset, then only then start negotiating a new relationship with them.

That is what should have happened from the word go. Both Remain MPs and the ERG wouldn't have had a leg to stand on because it would have had to have been "negotiated" in some way before the EU got a whiff of it. Even remainers, such as myself, would have got behind it, and I believe many leavers as well. 'No Deal' would have then been the joker to lay down if the EU started playing silly beggars.

Ah, Canada, I had forgotten that one. It is another that could get through. It just goes to show that there are other options to May's deal.

I am not sure about Larry - something dodgy about him. His house shares keep legging it at short notice.