On course for a General Election, this strategy could almost write itself...

[Soph0571]

Based on the votes that took place yesterday - yes to the second reading of the Boris Brexit deal (thanks to some Labour support) but no to the limited time frame with which the Tories wanted to push the deal through to prevent proper scrutiny (which will lead to a further extension to the Brexit leave date), must suggest that the UK may well have a pre-Christmas General Election.

Some strategies for winning literally write themselves…

Conservatives – Jeremy Corbyn has blocked the Brexit that MPs voted for, if it were not for Labour we would have left on the 31st October, Labour BLOCKED Brexit. Vote for us for Brexit.

Liberal Democrats – Jeremy Corbyn bailed out the Boris deal, Brexit is only happening because of Labour votes, if we leave the EU, Labour PUSHED THROUGH Brexit. Vote for us to Remain.

Labour – uuhhmm, oh shit.


Heh.

[zaj]

1. I don't get it

Help translate to Americanese?

[Recursion]

2. Corbyn's Labour party has been sitting on the fence for three years now

A majority of their membership is for remaining, but their "leave" supporters are in some electorally important districts. So Corbyn has tried to play both sides. This has had some positive aspects (he destroyed May's majority in the 2017 elections) but it's allowed the Liberal Democratic party (roughly: the Mitt Romneys of the UK) to take the position as the only national full-throated Remain party.

This is further complicated by the fact that the Scottish National Party looks poised to take literally every seat in Scotland, and the Brexit Party (Nigel Farage's new party after he left UKIP) are going to eat a way a ton of Conservative votes if Johnson doesn't manage to deliver at least a fig leaf of a Brexit by October 31st.

[zaj]

3. Awesome.. best intro I've ever read

So how do we get tons new election?

[Recursion]

4. Ah, here's the other fun thing

From, oh, 1066 AD or so until 2011, we would have already had new elections by now. For most of the UK's history, if the Prime Minister lost a vote on an issue from their official platform, the PM has to resign and new elections have to be held. In 2011, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition passed the "Fixed Terms of Parliament Act", which allowed the Prime Minister's government to continue even if they lose a platform vote: they can only be removed by a specific Vote of No Confidence introduced by the Leader of the Opposition (in this case Jeremy Corbyn).

Corbyn is refusing to call a VONC because if he won that, Parliament would be suspended immediately until the elections were held 8 weeks or so later, and that would allow Johnson to simply exit the EU without a deal. So he's forced Johnson to request an extension (he can do this because Johnson has kicked 20 members out of his party and no longer has a majority) and will only call the VONC after the EU grants it.

There was an amazing moment earlier in Johnson's ministry where he came into the Commons to give his first speech as PM. He had a majority of 1 vote in the House. Tenuous, but still workable. As he talked, a Conservative MP literally stood up, crossed the aisle, and sat with the Liberal Democrats, meaning while he talked Johnson lost control of the House. If you're into Parliament stuff this was seriously high drama.

[zaj]

5. I saw that, but t didn't quite get that level of significance... But

I meant vote again on Brexit