Brexit is Heating Up!

It looks like tempers are fraying among our political classes as they try to locate the impossible – a political solution to the Irish Border Backstop issue.

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This is getting unbelievable.

Do you remember when everyone was having a pop at the US President Donald Trump for taking to Twitter to get his message across and almost conducting national and international policy with it?

Well that's where we seem to be going now with Brexit.

For some reason, the EU chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, published five consecutive Tweets putting out his latest ideas on the backstop.

Now, I've done a quick trawl back over his account and can't see where he's ever done anything like that before, not recently anyway.

Now these ideas have already been rejected by the UK, as it would mean treating Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK should the backstop be triggered by putting a customs border in the Irish Sea.

This is what drove Theresa May to take the extraordinary step of expanding the backstop to cover the whole of the UK in the first place. Hence why we are, where we are with it.

In response the UK Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, Tweeted back:

"With a very real deadline looming, now is not the time to rerun old arguments. The UK has put forward clear new proposals. We now need to agree a balanced solution that can work for both sides."

I've also had a quick look back over his Twitter account too and this one also seems to be more direct than his usual and out of character with previous Tweets.

He presumably wanted to nip Barnier's public bid in the bud as soon as he could.

An obvious sign that pressure is mounting on both sides. Trump's got a lot to answer for hasn't he?

The DUP said Barnier's offer was neither 'realistic or sensible' and Boris Johnson – remember him? – said that the EU was trying to 'annex' Northern Ireland.

The Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, told Reuters:

"There is still hope, but I have to say I'm deeply disappointed with what we're hearing coming out of the EU, I do have to ask myself what game are they playing here."

And she also said that winning the vote for Theresa May's deal on Tuesday depended on the EU playing ball.

But the language is also getting a bit stronger from Dublin as well.

The leader of Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald, has unhelpfully put in that the UK is welcome to its Brexit, "But they won't take the North with them and they're not going to wreck the Irish economy and upend our peace process." She said.

Last time I looked Northern Ireland is staying exactly where it is and the only people using the Irish border as a political football are the republic of Ireland and the EU.

Anyway, with just 3 days until Theresa May has another go at trying to sell her tired lemon of a deal to MPs, I don't think we will see any more progress on this matter.

And hackles are going up within the Tory party I see.

According to Leave.EU, Conservative Central HQ (CCHQ) is using every tactic it can to stop motions of no confidence against sitting pro-Remain MPs at their Annual General Meetings.

One of the tactics says Leave.EU involves the changing of rules so that motions can only be tabled if they are received 21 days before the AGM. But the notice for AGMs is also 21 days, so as soon as they are informed of a meeting it's too late to put a motion of no confidence in.

But while all this goes on, for some of our politicians it's business as usual.

And by that I mean the continual manoeuvring to become the new incumbent in Number Ten.

And according to the Express, the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has been holding secret breakfast meetings and sounding out other ministers about what juicy job they would like post Theresa May.

And according to one cabinet source, Jeremy Hunt is telling Remainers that he will compromise and telling Brexiteers he is the only one that can deliver Brexit.

But he's not the only one. The home secretary, Sajid Javid, was also said to be holding his own restaurant meetings in anticipation of a May downfall.

And some have speculated that Boris Johnson has recently polished up his act possibly with his eye on the top spot. But others are saying that the fifty four year old former Foreign secretary's slimmed down and short combed hair look, has more to do with his thirty year old girlfriend Carrie Symonds than with any leadership aspirations.

Anyway, the way things are going the Tory party might well be tearing itself to shreds by the end of the week and Labour won't be faring any better either.

How on earth can either of them consider themselves as fit to lead this country?

Sources:

With a very real deadline looming, now is not the time to rerun old arguments. The UK has put forward clear new proposals. We now need to agree a balanced solution that can work for both sides https://t.co/yN9ZuiVj1M

— Steve Barclay MP (@SteveBarclay) March 8, 2019