Events and attitude

That's good news! "With every adversity there's a benefit."

The Supreme Court ruled that prorogation was unlawful, but failed to state which, if any, law had been broken. Parliament will resume tomorrow morning. In the summing up, it was stated that six days would be okay when proroguing parliament. So I guess that the Queen's Speech will be brought forward a week and parliament prorogued this Friday, which would suspend parliament for six sitting days before Monday October 7th when the Queen's Speech will take place. This is just a guess. The government may decide on something else. We shall have to wait and see.

Interesting indeed.  It makes me wonder about the role of the Queen.  She was active during WWII and even drove a truck.  Now it appears that her role is more of “Pomp”, shaking hands and keeping up appearances.   The wealth of the royal family with the cost to maintain it, is obscene, IMV. It would be good if she would speak out and give her views.  She is highly respected and that means much.
I just finished reading a book: “Munich” by Robert Harris.  It is written much like a suspense novel, but factual with the British PM Chamberlin and his efforts to deter a war.  He met with Hitler personally in Munich. Unfortunately, he ignored the warnings that Hitler could not be trusted.

It has been an eventful week and promises to become more interesting over the coming days. The government is about to reveal its replacement for the backstop!

It appears that the events in the UK have been overshadowed by the events taking place in Washington.  It is encouraging to see that the rule of law is being enforced in the face of dictatorial ambitions of power-hungry leaders.  The power of the people is having an effect.  The issues facing us all, like the effects of climate change, take priority over short-term financial interests and political ambitions.  Resistance against injustice is having an impact.

The plan to replace the backstop has been leaked to the press. The government said the leaked document is out of date and has changed. Today, the final plan will be presented to the EU on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. The government will not make any changes to the legally worded document, just as the EU refused to change the wording of the Withdrawal Agreement. If the two do not come to an agreement over the next ten days, the UK will leave without a deal.
If a deal is cut, parliament will be given the opportunity to vote for or against the new agreement. If parliament votes against, the UK will leave without a deal on October 31st. That will not be the end of the matter until that date is reached. Several court cases will take place, and the Prime Minister has already been threatened with impeachment if he refuses to seek an extension. This is no longer a parliament that is willing to fulfil the promise to leave the EU; it is a parliament that is determined to stop the UK leaving the EU.

Wow! the beat goes on and the clock is ticking.

In October 1971, MPs voted 356-244 in favour of joining the EEC. In 1975, the electorate voted to remain in the EEC.
In 2016, the referendum to leave or remain in the EU preceded the vote in parliament. The Withdrawal Agreement has been voted down three times.
In light of parliament's unwillingness to vote for the agreement, Boris Johnson has put forward a deal that parliament will vote for. Ireland and the EU are saying that it's not good enough. They will only agree to an agreement that parliament will not pass.
Theresa May was unwilling to leave without a deal. If Boris holds to his word, the UK will leave on October 31st without a deal. Not long to go before we find out.

Johnson may realize that taking advice from Trump, as did his predecessor May, is not a good thing. 
The events, both in the UK and in the US, are having an unseen benefit.  “With every adversity…”

Greta Thunberg is receiving a lot of media attention about climate change. A journalist wrote:
"Do any of these young activists ever shop online or take an Uber? Do they realise what environmental damage they do every time they look at their phones? Powering the internet generates the same carbon footprint as the global aviation industry. A single pop song – 2017’s Despacito – consumed as much electricity, via streaming and downloads, as Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic put together."
Energy for young people's gadgets comes from burning fossil fuels, but teachers don't teach that, so the young blithely use vast amounts of energy in complete ignorance.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/03/purity-greta-thunberg-young-anti-bp-comrades-delusional/?li_source=LI&li_medium=li-recommendation-widget

I read the article and found it lacking.  With children, for the most part, they speak truth as they see it often to the embarrassment of adults.  To question a child about complex world affairs is a diversion from the single issue being discussed.  We get into the “yes, but…” syndrome.  Pointing fingers at others or events to justify complacency or to maintain the status quo is now a common tactic.  Problem solving involves tearing things down in parts as with “one step (issue) at a time” to solve the whole.  It may appear infantile; however, the child-like approach is effective.  Greta Thunberg has taken a stand on a single issue and she has made an impact reverberating around the world.  The focus on Climate Change has been strengthened.  The side issues, i.e., cell phones, etc., cannot be ignored, however they should not divert attention from the industrial polluters entrenched with fossil-fuels.  I don’t have a cell phone and still use land lines; however, I see the advantage of a cell phone for emergency use.  They are all energy-related, however alternatives to fossil fuels as with wind power are spreading.  Coal-driven plants are being shut down.  That is a positive step-by-step approach.  Unfortunately, people want a one-step solution that is not possible or practical.  Awareness of a problem is the first step.  Education is key.

Scientists have linked climate change and energy use; it matters not if that energy is used for air travel, road travel, electronic communications, air-conditioning, central heating, manufacturing, agriculture or entertainment. We all use energy from fossil fuels. Until demand falls, and it increases daily, then the world will continue to burn fossil fuels. Older people will not give up their SUVs and air travel, young people will not give up their phones and tablets. Young people shouting at world leaders will not change the behaviour of billions of people on the planet, and therein lies the problem.

There are exceptions, but we are in the minority.

At the moment, everything is too complicated to comment on. Parliament is suspended until Monday, when the Queen's Speech will take place in the House of Lords. At the end of the EU summit, things should be clearer, but in no way settled. Parliament will sit on Saturday, 19th October. It promises to be an eventful day. If it goes the government's way, we can expect a great deal of frenzied activity from the opposition benches to try to overturn anything the government puts forward.

I’m waiting with anticipation to hear the Queen’s speech.  She is honorable and her word carries weight.  As for the rest of the ongoing fiasco, it is too complicated for comment as you mentioned.

The EU has asked for more concessions from the UK, knowing that if they push too hard, the deal will not get through parliament on Saturday. For the last three years, both sides have talked about the UK leaving in an orderly way, yet here we are with just two more days to go before the EU summit and the negtiations are completely disorderly. No one knows if the UK will be leaving on October 31st with a deal, without a deal, or will be entering into another pointless extension.

There's a deal, apparently. Saturday should be interesting.

I have been watching the events on CNN.  On the surface it looks positive, however it still requires approval by the UK Parliament.  That will be interesting.

The Brexit situation is still chaotic.  It is important to take a disinterested position and look at the whole scenario.  It is known that Putin and Trump want to see the breakup of the EU.  The European countries (EU) when working in accord is a powerful entity.  The big three – the US, Russia and China, wield their power economically and militarily.  They also hold veto power at the UN.  The UK has been a key player in past military engagements.  The once powerful Great Britain with its colonies were compelled to give them up, however they did so reluctantly to avoid conflict as with the American colony.  Being part of a group of countries and not being the kingpin, could be a stigma that prevents unity.  The EU has resisted Brexit for various reasons, the primary one being open borders and trade without restrictions.  Political power is playing a major role.  The EU made mistakes, the major one being taking away the autonomy of individual country States.  The United States of America are not fully united.  They still have “States Rights”.  Trying to make a United States of Europe, although a worthy ideal, did not consider the problems with language and customs with associated traditions.   A common currency was a worthy ideal, however the UK refused to join, preferring to retain their own currency.  There has been talk by UK politicians about the amount of money they will save by not paying into the EU.  The BBC indicated how much member countries pay and who receives the most back. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48256318.  The largest contributors are Germany and the UK. 
As a member of the EU, there were stipulations/ provisions for exit.  Trying to avoid paying what is due is not honoring agreements.  No one is compelled to belong and if one wants to leave, they should do so in an honorable manner.  It is sad to see a powerful ally leave.  The debate continues in the UK parliament and even another extension may be sought.  Another referendum is sought by some members of Parliament.  Conditions and public information about the effects of leaving may change some votes.   Johnson says that he will not renegotiate the deal he already has with the EU.  The debate continues.

Parliament is slowly strangling the options for leaving the EU. When the Withdrawal Agreement failed to pass, parliament voted for the opportunity to put forward alternatives to Mrs May's deal. Every single alternative was voted down. There was no concensus for one way of leaving that would allow an orderly exit. Parliament also voted against a no-deal exit. Since then, Mrs May stepped down and Boris Johnson became the new Prime Minister. He succeeded in opening up negotiations with the EU and reached a new agreement. Parliament is in the process of trying to stop the deal going through the legislative process and becoming law. Amendments are being added to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill that will effectively stop the UK leaving on October 31st. It is total chaos.
The country wants a general election in order to vote in a majority government to sort out the mess, but the opposition party will not allow a general election, and the minority Tory party is powerless to offer a general election. This will end badly. The electorate cannot be denied forever.

Shelagh, I feel your frustration and that of the general UK population.  Sitting on the sidelines, it does appear chaotic to say the least.  The “Will of the people” that those in parliament are elected to represent, doesn’t seem to be given the attention they deserve.  Your concluding statement sums it up.  “This will end badly. The electorate cannot be denied forever.“
What should be understood is that there were provisions stipulated for members belonging to the EU that dealt with an orderly exit.  To exit, wanting special treatment, is unfair to the other twenty-seven members of the EU, and will set a precedent.  I believe that is a prime consideration in negotiating a special withdrawal agreement.
It is the opinion of many that the repercussions of leaving the EU were not fully explained or understood by the British people. Now that the effects are more commonly known, a new referendum may be appropriate.  Power politics should be set aside.  The “Will of the people”, an informed population, should be adhered to in a lawful manner.  That also includes a lawful and honorable exit, if that is still the wish of the electorate.

If this new deal were put to the people in a referendum, and gained the most votes, the opposition parties say they would vote for the deal and honour the vote of the people. But they could do that now. The country voted to leave. There is a deal agreed that parliament could vote for. There is nothing to suggest that MPs would honour a second referendum, having dishonoured the first. We need to vote in MPs who are willing to do what they promise to do. Until there's a general election, the chaos will continue.

Really sad.  Watching the commentary on the news makes the situation even more confusing.  The politicians need to be reminded that they are elected to serve the people.  That is becoming an important theme in the US for the next election.

Tomorrow, the EU is due to make a statement about another extension. On Monday, the government will table a motion for a general election. The EU says that an extension is dependent on a general election, but parliament won't vote for one. Neither will it vote for a second referendum. Neither will it vote for revocation of Article 50. That's where we are.

I haven’t stayed on top of the latest events; however, I’m not surprised at the stalemate. I think that the parties involved have reached an impasse.  Johnson promised to get things done, however pressing for a general election seems to be another stall tactic by trying to get another extension from the EU.  The EU is becoming frustrated having spent so much time on the matter and IMV, they want the issue to end – deal or no deal.  Then there is the issue of the 39 people found dead in a container that somehow slipped through the borders undetected.  How will the future of border control be affected without cooperation with neighboring countries?  It’s a mess.

Does a picture paint a thousand words?