Word has reached the SKWAWKBOX from Tory insiders that preparations have begun at CCHQ (Tory headquarters) for another ‘snap’ General Election, with May preparing to risk everything on a ‘back me or sack me’ gamble.
Word also comes from different Tory quarters that knives are being sharpened for a ‘civil war’ between ‘Centre One-Nation True Blue’ Tories and ‘bonkers right-wingers’.
With Labour riding high in the latest polls and the Tories at their lowest for years, the first option might seem wildly improbable – but the inevitability of the second may make it a more viable possibility.
May’s desperation to achieve some progress – any progress – in the Brexit negotiations led her into a cul-de-sac of her own incompetence’s making.
On Monday, the hapless PM leaked news of agreements over Ireland – before having to row back desperately when DUP leader Arlene Foster, whom she hadn’t bothered to inform about what she was planning, announced that she would under no circumstances accept any solution that put Northern Ireland on a different regulatory footing than the rest of the UK.
That leaves her with two options, both of which spell disaster for the government: plough ahead with an ‘all-Ireland’ option that will tear apart the Tory-DUP ‘confidence and supply’ agreement – or keep the whole UK within the customs union and single market.
Putting her on a collision course with the hard-Brexit fringe and triggering that civil war.
Being faced with two no-win scenarios, either of which can easily cause the government to fall, just might persuade Mrs May’s fevered mind that a General Election is the ‘least worst’ option for her Tory faction, such as it is.
The idea of another election is also made less outlandish by the fact that the Tories were recruiting just a few months ago – for a number of campaign managers.
It’s also made more plausible by briefings by ‘senior Tories’ – on the other side of the ‘civil war’? – to media this morning that May might resign before Christmas, which looks very like factional positioning and line-trailing:
The rumours can’t be substantiated and the chances are still fairly slim that May would take a gamble that nobody in her party thinks she can win – and it may be that the ‘preparations’ are an attempt to bluff her hard-Brexit opponents to back down, just as their ‘briefing’ against her to LBC and others is an attempt to manoeuvre her out.
But then, few would have predicted that she would go to meet the EU on Monday armed only with a hare-brained scheme and a complete lack of forethought and communication that painted her into a corner with both the DUP and the extreme fringe of the Tory party.
So keep a weather-eye open.
The SKWAWKBOX needs your support. This blog is provided free of charge but depends on the generosity of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal. Thanks for your solidarity so this blog can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
I think she should go she’s a very weak leader
She should have stood up to the no party,(Dup) they don’t talk for all the people in the north of Ireland
We need strong leadership at this time
Hoping May would be arrogant and thoughtless again. And Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn cannot fail, but landslide victory. We are ready for that.
The Tories are just treading water at the moment. It would be impossible to run a General Election campaign over the Xmas period. It’s clear that everyone is waiting for the New Year before real anarchy is unleashed. It would need a few weeks to build up after the Tory MPs get back to Parliament following their Xmas recess. Once the winter weather is over my betting is that we will have a General Election some time in March 2018. It won’t however be of May’s choosing it will be because the Tories with their DUP pals will be split in to several factions who are unable to work with each other
Bring it on!
It is imminent I see no other option
When Labour forms the next Government should we continue doing the dirty work of the far right and carry on with Brexit or tell the public the truth that there is no such thing as a good Brexit and give them another choice?
Looks to me like the Tories need another ‘General Election’ so they can ‘gain a proper majority’ – then no need for them to have to agree with anyone else as they ‘negotiate Brexit’. Of course, the meanings of ‘General Election’, ‘gain a proper majority’ and ‘negotiate Brexit’ won’t be anything like a normal person would understand by these terms.
She failed to win a gamble no one thought she could lose – so why not try and win a gamble no one thinks she can win ?
Everything is in place for a Labour Government to take over and complete the negotiations.
The country is tired of being led in ever decreasing circles by this useless and self serving Tory government.
Looks impatiently at Cohiba cigar and thinks to self: ‘Not long now’
Looks like being a Happy New Year already!
Bring. It. On!
…but we mustn’t forget that the Blairite filth will be fighting a dirty do-or-die campaign for their political lives.They’d rather lose than let Corbyn win. The whole neo-liberal axis and their MSM will throw everything they’ve got at keeping Corbyn out of number 10, by smear, by hook or by crook. I hope Jeremy and his team are ready for them.
GET VITAL BUT STILL LOST GREY VOTE FOR LABOUR
Labour need to win 60 further Labour MPs instead of Tory MPs sat in post to become a majority government nearing 326 MPs. Get that vote by pension age 60 for men and women and increased state pension for all pensioner ages into Labour’s Manifesto. Admin PENSION 60 NOW – PETITION – need more men to sign especially to save the I Daniel Blakes and the NHS for us all – https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/pension60now
Yes and perhaps we should expose the Tories latest ruse – getting more years out of working people. In a few years retirement will be up from 65 to 66 and I think for 45 year olds it will then be 68 and for all 18 year olds it will be 70! But if Labour offered retirement for all at 65 (60 for manual workers) this could scoop up a few votes plus would create loads of jobs for young people who would then go on to pay tax so we hav joined up thinking. A 35 hour week could help too! Solidarity!
Labour NEC needs to get its act together be ready in January. Someone should get an urgent resolution to them to try have selections in all seats by March (or at least Labour held seats and marginals) otherwise we may not have had DEMOCRATIC selections since what 2010? No more appointmentism!
Bring it on!
It could be a typical low level move by May. Not saying they are any good – but she really would risk losing the whole party rather than move aside and let new team steer the ship. Put Mogg in and let him try and salvage what is left. No she is that gutless and selfish. Easy just move aside- she would probably get some respect back from admitting it was too much for her. Nut this a normal route for many in management- overstay leave date and commit basic suicide as a result.
http://www.theclubuk .co.uk really need more people to visit, join and help create a new modern political party for the people. Events show Tories are liable to collapse as for Brexit being no 1 but really they have dropped the general public in so many ways they have lost any respect. May will stubbornly think that going to the country will boost her. Main problem is , as last time, she is so self centred believing she is right and everyone else is wrong , she has become disillusioned. God help the country of Corbyn gets in!. We need a new party for the people by the people. Cannot be ready for January but could be for Jan 2019 with the help of the people.
Yes if Corbyn gets in we’ll fight poverty, give the UK a pay rise, buiild the homes that are needed, have public investment to grow, end austerity, take back control from Tory Neo-Liberalism and have rail, mail, water, public utilities in democratic public ownership so some of our country is actually ours instead the thiefdoms of profiteers! Power to diverse working people including the working class and progressive middle class and the general middle class need to join the progressives to reach a higher social plane! Will also sort Brexit and control labour and capital supply and for Southern Ireland and the North of Ireland have a sea border control but for citizens of the above and their goods they go through the NO BORDER CHANNEL unchecked whilst non-citizens of the South and North go through the BORDER CONTROL CHANNEL – we used to have something like this in airports.
Power to working people through Labour -JC 4 PM!
Reblogged this on seachranaidhe1.
Even the Tories’ most die-hard supporters must by now secretly recognise the staggering incompetence that’s led to this desperate situation.
They’ve certainly seemed muted lately – in real life I haven’t been able to pick an argument in weeks.
Is it possible that discussion of EU internal reform with a putative Labour government could happen – with a view to keeping the UK on board and placating other member states whose populations share some of the Leavers’ objections?
Wouldn’t movement toward reform shift public opinion away from Brexit while satisfying Scottish, Welsh, Irish & Londonish objections – and be something which could only further humiliate the Tories?
EU would surely recognise that a UK Labour government’s participation in EU measures against tax avoidance would give them enormously greater weight.
The Conservatives have always put themselves first and their billionaire backers a close second.
The country and its people merely an inconvenience only good for plundering the public purse and laughing at for believing their lies. #ToryTHUGS since 1834.
I would love to see this happen, but I do worry about the fact that so very many people are taken in by the media messages making Jeremy Corbyn into the baddie 🙁
There are still a lot of people out there who either can’t, or won’t, think about the things happening, and who still believe the lies driven by the BBC 🙁
I just really, really, hope I’m wrong!