And now the candidates are lining up.

Chris Riddell: Observer: 31st March 2019

Our government is close to collapse. The sclerotic British political system is deadlocked and in crisis, and there’s no clear route out of a mess that’s been created because the features of the British state, which were once seen as the strengths of British democracy, have now turned into its greatest weaknesses. The first-past-the-post electoral system no longer produces strong governments: it produces weak governments who presume to absolute power on the basis of a minority of votes. The unwritten constitution is no longer a source of flexibility, but rather an excuse for a mendacious government to make up rules to suit itself. The two-party system has become a recipe for majoritarianism where each of the two major parties is more interested in gaining its own turn at absolute power than it is in seeking to build consensus. Short term party interest becomes the only important political consideration. And Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are powerless victims of the malignancies of English nationalism.

All this is happening, and yet the Conservative party’s leadership is far more concerned with an impending leadership contest as the only way of keeping their fractious and inept party of inadequates together. The challengers for the Conservative leadership, and it’s a very long and tedious list, are without exception a feeble bunch of lying, duplicitous, hypocritical chancers. And those are their good qualities. Not one of them has an answer to the many difficulties and issues facing the British state. They don’t really want answers to those questions, because it’s only due to the weaknesses of the British state that they have the opportunity of taking the leadership and wielding the absolute power of their predecessor. So we have a series of absolute mediocrities as Prime Minister, each one vying for the title of Worst Prime Minister Ever. It’s not an accident that British rule produces the leadership of the mediocre. It’s a consequence of something that is no longer fit for purpose. It has to change.

But let's be crystal clear about one thing, before the Tories start their leadership contest, and try to change the narrative to something more beneficial to themselves. Brexit is their fault. Useless and ideologically hidebound as Jeremy Corbyn is, equivocating as he is, as mediocre as any Tory leadership candidate as he is, being as useful as a defence against Brexit as a bag of peanuts as he is, Brexit is not his fault.

Brexit is not the fault of the Lib Dems either, even though their desire for a second referendum on the EU issue but their refusal to countenance one for Scotland is as hypocritical as anything you’ll find in the Conservative cabinet.
Brexit is not the fault of the SNP, who have consistently argued against Brexit from the start, and who have proposed policies to mitigate Brexit’s effects which have been ignored by Westminster. This is not the fault of the Greens. It is not the fault of Plaid Cymru. It is not the fault of Northern Ireland. It is most certainly not the fault of the EU, who have been clear about what they will and will not accept from the very beginning.

This mess is the fault of the Conservative party which panders to the loonies of UKIP, and it’s particularly the fault of those who still hold prominent positions within the Tory fold. They own this cock-up and no one else. They’ve trashed the UK, they’ve trashed their so-called precious union, and they’ll go on to trash our lives, livelihoods, jobs, and prospects in pursuit of the mythical exceptionalism of the vainglorious English nationalism that wraps itself in a union flag and calls itself British.

And you thought things were bad now? It can only get worse. Whoever takes over as Conservative leader from Theresa May will only do so by appealing to a Conservative party membership that has been heavily infiltrated by former UKIP members. That’s who will lead the next stage of negotiations with the EU, and they’ll pursue the neo-conservative wet dream of a privatised state. All of us should be quaking in our boots at the prospect.

Britain is broken. It’s been broken by its own establishment, by those who claim to love it, by those who seek to lead it. Britain is broken because it has long since turned into a vehicle for personal ambitions and personal enrichment. It’s time to make a moral stand. It’s time to say that we as a nation can be better than this. It’s time to find our voice, and to use it.

You couldn't make it up.....

According to reports, the small elitist group of arch-Brexists in the Tory party who attended a meeting with Theresa May at Chequers over the weekend have taken to calling themselves the Grand Wizards. You know, what the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan call themselves, so that’s terribly reassuring. Only it’s not so much a burning cross on the lawn as it is a bonfire in Parliament.

But it’s true that the Grand Wizards of the European Research Group are magic, their intransigence has managed to make the UK’s reputation for stable democratic institutions and pragmatism disappear, along with their own preference for a no-deal Brexit. Jacob Rees Mogg was forced to admit on Tuesday that it was now looking like a choice between Theresa May’s deal or no Brexit at all. He was forced to concede that he was now “reluctantly” considering lending his support to the deal even though the DUP remain opposed to it.

On Monday, frustrated with the paralysis and chaos of a government which has lost the trust of even some of its own members, MPs voted to take control of the business of the Commons and to debate a series of what are called indicative votes. The aim of the indicative votes is to ascertain whether there is a majority for any approach to the Brexit crisis in the House. The approach to Brexit adopted by most people in the UK is to either run screaming from the room whenever the topic is brought up on the telly, or alternatively to rock slowly back and forward while crying uncontrollably. We are repeatedly told just how divided the UK has become because of Brexit, but nevertheless everyone is united in the fact that a huge majority of the population of the UK can agree that the English language has run out of words to describe the magnitude of the cock-up that Brexit has created.

According to a recent poll, just 7% of people think that the government has handled the Brexit process well and only 6% think that the UK will get a good deal out of leaving the EU. The latter are also the same people who think that The Clangers is a searing social documentary about life on another planet. Coincidentally, the same planet on which most no-deal Brexit supporters live.
A similar proposal a couple of weeks ago for MPs to take control of Parliamentary business was rejected, but even Conservative ministers have now got so frustrated with the delusions and inflexibility of the Prime Minister that they felt they had no choice but to vote against their own government. It’s not merely that Theresa May has long since become divorced from reality. Reality recently had a bit of a breakdown as it tearfully explained how badly affected it was if Theresa May attempted to approach within the same orbit on the galactic plane. Theresa May has become the Alan Partridge of politics, only without his self-awareness that he’s a parody.

On Tuesday, Theresa’s grasp on events was blasted even further into the most distant reaches of the galaxy when the DUP announced that it would prefer a lengthy extension to Article 50 to her deal. Despite the likelihood of her deal ever getting passed now being lower than the chances of Ian Paisley Jr leading the Belfast Gay Pride parade, Theresa has signalled that she may not accept the results of any indicative vote that manages to gain a majority in the Commons. The government is not bound by an indicative vote, and Theresa May is not about to allow a trivial little matter like parliamentary democracy get in her way. Even so, she’s not going to present her deal for a third meaningless meaningful vote tomorrow because she knows it won’t pass. She’s not going to resign either. She’s certainly not going to change her mind. She’s just going to keep on keeping on, glowering at everyone and blaming them for her own mess. Theresa May is now the largest single obstacle to any progress being made in the British political process. She is the fatberg in the sewer of British politics, a glowering lump of unpleasantness that prevents anything else from passing.

Speaking to the Commons, arch-Brexist Andrea Leadsom said that the priority for the government was to ensure that it fulfilled the Conservative mandate given to it in the General Election by the voters. That would be those voters who ensured that Theresa lost her majority. This is possibly the first time that a British government has prioritised its election manifesto. There are several options which MPs will be debating on Wednesday. The order which they are put to MPs will be crucial, as those who support one particular option will want their favourite to come last, as then those whose own favourite options have already been rejected will be more likely to support it. The options range from a no deal Brexit, through accepting Theresa May’s deal but without the Irish backstop (which the EU considers a non-starter), Theresa May’s deal again, a Canada style free trade deal which won’t solve the problem of the Irish border, Labour’s plan to remain in a customs union, so called Norway plus which means retaining freedom of movement, a second referendum which could be linked to one of the other options, to unilaterally revoking Article 50 and staying in the EU. There is no guarantee that any of them will manage to achieve a majority in the Commons.

And then we’ll be back where we started, watching the Grand Wizards of Brexit perform their magic trick – making British politics disappear up its own backside.

And a little ditty to end up with.
 

Can 5 million plus people be wrong?

As over 1 million people took to the streets of central London demanding that Brexit is cancelled, the petition calling on the Westminster Parliament to revoke Article 50 is now over 5 million signatures. It’s the biggest online petition ever seen on the official parliamentary petitions site, and it continues to attract new signatures. If you haven’t signed yet, why not? The link is here. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/241584

In the real world of course, it doesn’t matter how many people sign the petition or who take to the streets of London in protest, it will have no more influence on changing Theresa May’s course than removing a single grain of sand from the Sahara will prevent desertification. But the fact that the petition is not going to sway a notoriously unswayable politician is not the point. The reason for signing is because silence equals complicity. It’s only by making your voice heard that you can register the fact that Brexit is not being carried out in your name. On Wednesday evening, Theresa May stood before a lectern and presumed to speak for you and for me. She has sown division and now claims consensus. She has pursued a Brexit in the interests of the Conservative party and now claims she’s acting for everyone. Speaking up means telling Theresa May that she doesn’t speak for us. Silence means that Theresa May can continue to delude herself that she is on the side of the people. Silence means you agree. Silence means you don’t care. Silence means giving Theresa May permission.

Meanwhile, let's also not forget that we’ve still got a leader of the Opposition who is as committed to Brexit as the Conservatives. He just doesn’t want to take the blame for it. Even at this late stage Corbyn is still preaching his own fantasy of a jobs first Brexit. Silence also means giving consent to Jeremy Corbyn’s deceptions, lethargy and fantasising. Silence means allowing Jeremy Corbyn to say that he’s listening, when all he’s listening to is the sound of his own voice.

Brexit is driven by populism, fuelled by nationalism and the belief that the views of those who won a popular vote can ride roughshod over all other considerations. Mrs May has spoken in decidedly populist terms, most notably in her shameful speech last Wednesday when she blamed MPs for the paralysis her own approach to Brexit has created. The reason that Brexit has become a complete cock-up is because the British state and its political leaders don’t understand, or care for, the distinction between majoritarianism (the belief that those constituting a simple majority should make the rules for all members of a group, nation, etc) and true democracy. The British state seeks majorities, not consensus. We suffer from a political system in which the winner takes all and the loser is left with nothing. The first past the post electoral system so beloved by Westminster means that a party which attains only a minority of the vote can end up with a crushing majority, and once it does, there are few effective limits on the powers of whoever is prime minister. We are in this current mess because Theresa May insists on acting as though she still commanded a majority in the House.

When majoritarianism rules the day, the majority can impose its will on the minority irrespective of how narrow that majority is. Those who are in the minority, especially those who are a permanent minority like Wales and Scotland within the UK, are doomed forever to be subject to the whims of a majority which they are powerless to influence.

True democracy means reaching consensus. It means ensuring that the views of as many as possible are taken into account. And above all it means finding means and methods of including those sections of the population which are permanent minorities. That can only be achieved with proportional representation, with a written constitution which strictly separates the powers of the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary, and which strives to attain consensus instead of crushing the minority under the heel of a parliamentary majority. In other words, it can’t be achieved within the British state the way it is. The cock-up of Brexit has highlighted the shortcomings, inadequacies and failures of the British state. It has shown us that the UK is unfit for purpose, that it is only a partial democracy. We want a political class which can be held to account, which seeks to build consensus, which looks after the interests of the entire nation and not just their own party. I'm not holding my breath but perhaps, just perhaps, the aftermath of the Brexit Cock-up might lead to changes?


Chris Riddell: Observer: 24th March 2019

That's the south coast of Cornwall done!

A walk on the south coast of Cornwall with Mrs P that marked a milestone for our trek around the county. Read on...………….

 A 6-miler that involved parking one car at Downderry, driving to Tregantle Fort with the other and then walking back to Downderry by the Coastal path. Undulating is the best way to describe it, as the elevation profile shows. Weatherwise, it was clear and sunny when we started but it became misty with poor visibility for the major part. It brightened up later.

The significance of this walk is that we have now completed all of the south coast of Cornwall, that's around 154 miles from the eastern extremity at Cremyll Ferry to Land's End. In fact, as you might be able to make out from the black line on our 'route' map, the continuous stretch runs up to around Polzeath, which is 247 miles from Cremyll. It is now generally accepted that the coastline is around 296 miles, so we've got about 30 miles more to do to complete it (we've already done bits and pieces of the remaining stretches. Unfortunately, we've left the most strenuous parts in North Cornwall for last. Better get it done whilst our legs can still do it!

We started the walk at Tregantle Fort and were greeted by this friendly fence...………

...and this welcoming notice from the MOD.

 

The footpath goes, when the firing ranges are not being used, through the grounds of Tregantle Fort, one of several forts surrounding Plymouth that were built as a result of a decision in Lord Palmerston's premiership to deter the French from attacking naval bases on the Channel coast. Collectively they are known as 'Palmerston's Follies' as they were never really used in anger.

It really is an impressive structure, built to house over 1000 soldiers and around 100 large guns. In practice, these numbers were never met and the fort is now used for gunnery practice on a regular basis. As far as I can gather, there is no permanent military presence kept at the fort.

Looking back along the 4 miles of sands of Whitesands Bay, a very popular place in the summer for the good people of Plymouth, who stream here over the Torpoint Ferry. In the distance is Rame Head.

Portwrinkle. A village based on fishing for pilchards but the glory days have long passed into history. Nowadays it's a mixture of holiday lets, chalets and the Whitesands Bay Hotel and golf course. The Jolly Roger Café was a convenient stop for tea and coffee but I wouldn't add to my list of favourites.

We came from the right and went to the left. Not quite sure why the footpath was signed as being 'unsuitable for motor vehicles' as it was only about 3' wide at this point. I wonder what was the reasoning behind putting the sign up.

 

Looking west over flowering blackthorn towards Batten Cliff, the highest point on our walk.

Close to the end of our walk, the beach at Downderry. It gradually gets sandier as it morphs into Seaton Beach.

Female Winchat and friend.

Male catkins of Goat Willow - again. These prompted a botany lesson for Mrs P who can now identify a dioecious tree from 20 yards.

The verdant but slippery path down to the beach at Downderry.

Male Winchat and gorse.

I've never had much luck photographing Skylarks but, at least, I got the full body of this one as it came into land. There were lots of them around but way up in the sky, singing away.

Leucojum vernum - Spring snowflake. A really attractive flower that comes just after the Snowdrops. We've transplanted a few into our garden from a garden in Bournemouth (thank you, Anne!).

Vinca minor alba - small white periwinkle. Is it native or is it an escapee? The literature seems ambivalent on this question. 

Sweet Violet/Wood Violet/Common Violet - Viola odorata. In quantity, these were the most numerous flower on this walk. Apart from the blossoms of Blackthorn, that is. And the celandines. Oh, yes, let's not forget the daffodils that were still around. There were quite a few dandelions as well as some Red Campion.

 

A walk in the countryside around Tremaine

For this walk, our leader had selected a circular route starting and ending at Tremaine church - St Winwalo's. It was unexplored countryside for all of us and, with the weather looking reasonable, it was something to look forward to. It turned out to be a trip not without incident - disappearing foot paths requiring a diversion, stiles overgrown with unforgiving vegetation, a swept-away footbridge necessitating some backtracking and mud, lots of mud, making it a hard walk in parts. Add on to all of that the fact that the countryside was rural and secluded, rather than spectacular, it was a walk that we were unlikely to repeat. One for the OK category but it was good exercise with pleasant company. As ever, a few photographs for the record, with a bias towards plants, which says something about the scenery.

Our circular route started and ended in the car park of Tremaine church. My GPS clocked just over 7 miles for this one. Probably a third of the walk was along quiet lanes and rest was across muddy fields.

Our starting point: St Winwalo church at Tremaine. Dating from the 12th century, it is one that we've visited quite often.

The variegated leaves of Ivy-leafed Cyclamen - Cyclamen hederifolium - presaging what will be a spectacular display of blooms.

This is one I prepared earlier - last year, I think, in pretty much the same spot as the previous image. This is what is to come in a few weeks.

The delightful blue flowers of Spring Squill - Scilla verna. Squill is a corruption of the Latin, Scilla. We've seen it more often on the various coastal footpaths we've walked on.

This one is an anemone of some kind. Not a wild flower and may have been planted in the graveyard in memory of someone. Botanists would class this as an 'escapee'.

No, it's not my farm, just an unexpected coincidence.

A rental property slate sign that caught my eye.

Male flowers, or catkins, of the Goat Willow (Salix caprea). Also known as the Pussy Willow, but these flowers have gone passed the stage when they look like a cat's claw. I can't find anything that sheds light on the connection with goats.

The female flowers of the Goat Willow, built for receiving rather than producing pollen. Like the Hazel, the Willow is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate trees. True harbingers of Spring, methinks.

This panorama typifies the countryside we walked through. Rolling pasture punctuated with quite steep valleys cut by streams.

At one time, there was a footbridge here that spanned the River Ottery. Marked on the map but obviously not there now. We had to make a 1/2 mile backtrack to get over to the other side as there was no crossing for many miles downstream.

An early dandelion 'clock'...……...

……….that looks better/different in monochrome.

White Deadnettle interspersed with Common Nettle. Lots of shades of fresh green.

A clump of indeterminate Ink Caps - Clustered, perhaps, or Glistening? An interesting fungus, if that's what grabs you. As they mature, autolysis sets in and they dissolve into a characteristic black mush, used by some as ink. 

Our view of St Winwalo as we approached it at the end of our walk.

We can't go passed without taking in the tranquility of the unadorned interior.

Am I missing something? Have something changed?

Back in 2017 during the general election, when Theresa May announced her U-turn on what Labour had successfully described as the dementia tax, she stood before the assembled press and intoned, “Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.” We know now that this wasn’t a mere attempt to brush away a politically embarrassing change in course by downplaying its significance, the kind of thing politicians frequently do, it was an insight into Theresa May’s soul. She's static. The reason she loathes the EU’s principle of freedom of movement so much is that she’s incapable of movement herself.

Yesterday, Wednesday, Theresa May stood before the House of Commons and yet again submerged herself in her fantasy world where nothing ever changes. This House has indulged itself for far too long, she lectured, as though her own self-indulgent red lines and refusal to negotiate with anyone except Jacob Rees Mogg hadn’t existed and she hadn’t spent the past two years offering the DUP cheques on the border. Nothing was her fault. Everything that had come to pass was the responsibility of MPs, of remainers, of the EU, of those who wilfully contradicted her, and only when they all returned to the one true path of St Theresa the Immobile could right and order be restored to the universe.
She stood at the dispatch desk and nodded solemnly at the righteousness of her own words. She glared at the opposition benches with the contempt of a Tory, immobile and unshakeable in her God-given right to rule. How dare they have different opinions. How dare they continue to defy her. At no stage did she display the slightest awareness that she had any role at all in the creation of this sorry mess, with her fetishisation of her red lines, her decision to put the unity of the Conservative party above all other considerations, her refusal to reach out and build a consensus, her bribery of the bigots of the DUP, and her inability and unwillingness to listen to anyone.

We are in the greatest crisis in the post-war history of the UK and the British state is led by a person who talks about respecting the will of the people while repeatedly ignoring the procedures and processes of parliamentary democracy. The only meaningful thing about her meaningful votes is that she means to keep repeating them until she gets the result that she wants. Theresa May’s plan to get her deal accepted remains the same as it was before it went down to the biggest defeat in Commons history. It remains the same as it was before it went down to the fourth biggest defeat in Commons history. It remains the same as it was before the Speaker told her that she can’t keep bringing it back to the House. This is stubbornness as a pathology. This isn’t being a “bloody difficult woman”, this is the behaviour of a person who has become detached from reality.

Yesterday the Speaker of the Commons decided to permit an emergency debate to go ahead. The Prime Minister was notable by her absence. She was too busy writing her letter to the EU begging for an extension of Article 50 until 30th June. Just last week her government was arguing that any extension would have to be a long one since a short one-off extension would be pointless. She didn’t even bother informing cabinet of her decision, yet now it’s what she’s asking for so that she can continue her pointless dance with the ERG. Everything changes so everything can remain the same.

This is a timetable that the EU has already hinted strongly that Theresa isn’t going to get. The EU has stated this week that they’re not disposed to grant a short extension merely in order to allow Theresa May more time to waste. They will only grant a short extension on the condition that she can win that vote that she’s already lost twice and which the Speaker has told her that she can’t keep putting back to the House. And no, they’re not going to renegotiate it. But the Prime Minister didn’t get where she is today by listening to anyone, and she certainly wasn’t about to start now.

She hadn’t even been listening to the person telling her when she needed to get her letter off to the EU, and so she missed the post. EU sources were saying late on Wednesday afternoon that EU leaders won’t be making a decision on Thursday about extending the deadline, because the letter arrived too late. You might think that getting important letters off in time was fundamental to basic office management. The fact that the UK can’t even manage that tells you all you need to know about why Chris Grayling and David Mundell still have jobs.
Then after sending her letter, and without even bothering to send MPs a copy, the Prime Minister called a meeting of party leaders in order to reach a cross-party consensus on a letter that she’d already sent. It’s the appearance of listening, without any of the substance.  Jeremy Corbyn took the huff and refused to attend, because members of The Independent Group were present.  He wasn’t about to let Theresa May win any competitions in immaturity and toddlerish foot-stomping.  Reporting on the meeting, Ian Blackford of the SNP said it was the same old same old, my way or the Brexit cliff, from Theresa May.
We were then told, by the Irish Prime Minister no less, that the Prime Minister was going to make an announcement outside Number 10 at about 8pm in the evening. We’ve now reached the point where we have to rely on Dublin to tell us what’s going on in London.

Hacks started getting excited that perhaps she was going to announce her resignation, or perhaps she was going to announce a general election, or perhaps she was going to abandon some of her infamous red lines in an attempt to gain cross party support, or perhaps none of the above. The last couple of times she did her lectern in Downing Street thing she said absolutely nothing of any importance or relevance at all. This time will be no different and it will indeed be none of the above. Theresa May makes announcements as a way of occupying some time and going through the motions of politics without any of the actual motion or politics. She’s long since perfected the political art of constructing sentences that are devoid of semantic content and don’t answer any questions. It’s the only real political talent that she’s got.

Then just after 8.35 pm Theresa marched out in front of her lectern to make her much anticipated announcement with a look on her face that could fry half a pound of mince from halfway across the solar system.  She told us how tired the public were of the indecision and the stalling.  She didn’t mention how tired the public are of her.  It’s all Parliament’s fault for not being able to support her.  It’s all the fault of MPs that there’s going to be a delay to Brexit.  It’s not her fault, oh no.  She spoke about how divisive a failure to progress with Brexit would be, she didn’t mention her role in creating those divisions.  So she’s determined to keep putting her deal to the Commons until she gets the result she wants. Bugger the Speaker. Bugger parliamentary convention. Bugger parliamentary democracy.  Bugger everyone.  Bugger reality. Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.

Meanwhile a poll published today found that 90% of people believe that Brexit is a humiliation for the UK. So Brexit has produced a general consensus after all then. However in one important sense Theresa May is perfectly correct. The British state continues its decline into political chaos and what’s left of its reputation is being flushed down the Brexit toilet. We were screwed last week, and we’re screwed this week too. The UK is the land of cognitive dissonance, a misplaced exceptionalism, and nostalgic fantasy passing for policy. It’s five to midnight and nothing has changed. Nothing has changed.

Who loves John Bercow?

Well, that’s buggered that then. Today in the House of Commons the Speaker John Bercow blindsided Theresa May by telling her in no uncertain terms that her government can’t just keep bringing the same deal back to a vote in parliament in the hope that it will eventually get a different result to the two rejections it has already received. His decision has blown what passed for Theresa May’s strategy out of the water. That strategy was one of taking all the options off the table, until eventually MPs were left with just her deal. The Speaker has now taken her deal off the table. Her tactic involved running down the ticking clock until enough MPs were alarmed into voting for her deal. John Bercow just silenced the clock.

A meaningful vote that has no effect other than to make the Prime Minister bring her deal back for yet another attempt is not a meaningful vote at all. John Bercow’s decision means that the meaningful vote held last week was a whole lot more meaningful than the Prime Minister had intended. She thought that she could keep returning for another go as often as she wanted. That was obvious from the language that she used when addressing the House in the immediate aftermath of her second defeat. She showed not the slightest awareness that her deal had been rejected and displayed every intention that, since she had just received the wrong answer, she was going to keep asking the question until she got the answer she wanted. And then she prattled on about respecting democracy. Self-awareness is not Theresa May’s strong suit.

There is a long standing parliamentary convention that a motion can’t be brought back for the consideration of the Commons if it has already been rejected earlier in the same parliamentary session. Like all the conventions which underpin what passes for a constitution in the UK, it’s not a law, but rather a tradition of practice which relies upon the willingness of governments and opposition to respect gentlemanly fair play. Or at least to respect fair play as far as other members of the British establishment are concerned. The rest of us have never enjoyed the same considerations. But that’s always been the British way.

This government hasn’t shown much interest in respecting those traditions. Might is right with Theresa May, and she’d have gotten away with it had she enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The British system allows, indeed encourages, the government of the day to act with the untrammelled powers of a dictator. If Theresa May had a majority, she would never have needed to keep bringing back her deal to parliament, because she’d have had the power to ram it through the first time. Theresa’s problem is that she persists in acting as though she has a majority and as though she has unlimited power, when she is in fact the head of a minority government which is riven with infighting and factionalism.

The effect of John Bercow’s ruling is, unless there are major and substantive changes to the deal, that it cannot be brought back for parliamentary consideration. Since the EU has already announced in no uncertain terms that it is done negotiating and the withdrawal agreement is not up for renegotiation, Theresa May has no room left for movement. There is no new deal or substantially different deal that the government can bring before the Commons.
If Theresa May is still hell bent on bringing her deal back for another go, she has only two options left. She can call a general election, and hope to return with a majority in a new parliament. But that means she’ll have to ask for a lengthy extension to Article 50 from the EU, and the chances are that her exasperated party will seek to replace her with a different leader. Any general election will most certainly be fought over Brexit and would be an effective referendum on whether the electorate wants Brexit at all. The Conservatives might be facing a weak and ineffective Labour party, but that’s not who worries them. They’re far more worried by a resurgence of UKIP and Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party.

The other option is to prorogue Parliament for a few days and then to recall it in a new session in which the clock has been reset and the Speaker can’t block a vote on the deal on the grounds that it has already been voted upon during the same parliamentary session. But that means that the government will have to request permission to prorogue Parliament from the Queen, who acts in such matters on the advice of the Speaker as well as the advice of the government of the day. Politicising the monarchy is a very high risk strategy.

Brexit was all about English nationalists wanting to restore full power to the UK. They kept banging on about the sovereignty of parliament while practising the untrammelled power of the executive. The great irony is that Brexit has now surrendered the fate of the UK to the 27 other members of the EU. They’re the ones who will decide what happens next. They’re the ones who will decide whether to grant an extension to Article 50 which is long enough for the UK to try and sort itself out, or whether to kick the UK out of Europe on Friday of next week with no deal at all.

The EU doesn’t want no deal any more than anyone in the UK with a modicum of common sense, which clearly doesn’t include sections of the right wing press, a large part of the Conservative party, and the swivel eyed spittle flecked Brextremists. That means that the chances are that we are now facing a lengthy extension to Article 50.

The only deal which has any chance of getting through the Commons is for May’s deal to be accepted conditionally on confirmation in a public vote, which requires an extension of Article 50 long enough for the vote to take place. The vote would have to be between no-deal, May’s deal or remaining. It’s the only sensible way out of this mess. But there’s no guarantee that a government which is in thrall to those lacking in sense will embark upon the sensible course of action.

This is an unprecedented constitutional crisis. No one knows what’s going to happen. Our jobs, our security, our futures are all at stake. At the last General Election Mrs May told us that a vote for here was a vote for strength and stability. How’s that working out for us all?

A meander along the North Coast of Cornwall

It's always a joy to show off our part of the world to friends. And this is what we did recently. Here are a few photographs as evidence.

The area of our jaunt was the North Cornwall coast between Trebarwith Strand to the west and Crackington Haven to the east, with Boscastle and Tintagel in between. Stunning scenery and crashing seas. And, at this time of the year, no tourists to get in the way!

There's not a lot in Crackington Haven but it has a stony/rocky foreshore and a reasonably sized sandy beach at low tide. That's Gull Rock in the distance and this is view is sometimes seen in various TV series - Doc Martin and Poldark are just two.

If you want a spot to view the waves without walking too far, Trebarwith Strand is as good a place as any - as long as it's out of season. In season, forget it. Too many people for such a small place with limited parking and narrow single lane access.

More waves. We do like the sea and would hate not to be within easy travelling distance. It takes us about 45 minutes to get here from home.

It also takes about the same length of time to get to Boscastle, famous because of the flood of August 2004, which caused extensive damage to the village. It took many years to repair it all and, notwithstanding the enormous trauma caused by the flood, Boscastle now has an enhanced tourist profile, which probably benefits local businesses. No gain without pain?



 Boscastle is on a natural inlet protected by two stone harbour walls built in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville. It's the only significant harbour for some 20 miles of coast. 

Fishing nowadays from Boscastle is restricted to catching crabs and lobsters, most of the latter going out of county and even out of country to the end-consumer.



A load of old bollards at the harbour. I liked the textures and their sea-worn look.

What a load of old rope.

More waves off Boscastle harbour. You can imagine the difficulties in navigating into the safe haven in conditions such as these.

Not a sign you see often, particularly at a beach as stony as the one in Crackington Haven. But it was a big enough problem for the local Parish Council to take steps to threaten errant holiday-makers with large fines. Apparently one such miscreant drove several hundred miles to return their ill-gotten stones. The rationale behind it all was "the stones are part of the essential sea-defences of the low-lying hamlet and, if we allowed people to pinch stones willy-nilly, then all the stones would soon be gone and the houses and cafes inundated". It's a view not shared by every parishioner or, for that matter, by many sane people.

As you can plainly see, Crackington Beach is almost devoid of stones.

It may not have many stones but the beach does have lots of very interesting geological features, including these folds.

And these are not stones, they are boulders. Lots of them. Pinch them if you are strong enough - and if you don't mind risking the wrath of the Parish Council.

The beach here doesn't look much at present but it's appearance, and the amount of sand, varies with the storms. Sometimes there's lots of sand at low tide and, at other times, very little. It's a good beach for surfing, apparently.

A bonus for the small but select band of trig point baggers who read my blog. S5504 at Tresparrett Down on the way to Crackington Haven. A serendipitous find as I'm not that sad that I'd drive out of my way to find one (well, not often. But it has been known). If you are interested, it's a secondary pillar and was first erected in 1949.