Mayhem in Grimsby!

As a northerner, I know the town of Grimsby well. One – if not the – most prominent feature/s of the town is the magnificent Grimsby Dock Tower. This hydraulic accumulator tower was said to be obsolete on it’s completion on 27th March 1852 the technology being superseded by the weighted accumulator.
It is 309 feet high and was designed by James William Wild. It is situated at the entrance to the Royal Dock, Grimsby. The tower is essentially a simple machine. 30,000 Imperial gallons of water were pumped into a header tank 200 feet above the ground and the water pressure due to gravity provided hydraulic power to power the machinery in the dock. The tower can be seen for several miles around. The tower was typical of Victorian architecture and engineering projects of the day. The extra 109 feet above the header tank was decoration. Wild based his design on the Torre del Mangia on the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena.
Even at this very, very late stage, Madame is keeping us guessing!
It is expected that Madame’s Deal will, in the manner of an uneaten meal served up yet again to a recalcitrant child be presented to MPs for their approval in the so called “Meaningful Vote” on Tuesday 12th March and the recalcitrant children will again refuse to vote for it.
According to earlier statements it is expected that Madame will then seek the Commons opinion on the desirability of a No Deal Brexit and should this option be rejected, the Commons opinion on extending Article 50 will be sought.
IF (it is not safe to assume that this is a foregone conclusion) Madame follows this course of action, it will be clear that Madame is seeking to close off options for MPs. It is also clear she is seeking to lay the responsibility for any disaster at the feet of those other than hers!
IF the above happens then the next significant milestone will be the EU Council meeting on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd March 2019 – exactly one week to go to what is (as of now) Brexit Day.
EU leaders, most prominently, Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron the French president has stated that a request to extend A50 – without an attached plan will not be approved by him. It is important to note that an A50 extension must be approved by ALL 27 EU states.
And here we have three imponderables:
Imponderable #1: Will Madame have lost control in the sense that MPs succeed in forcing an amendment to the Withdrawal Bill to contain a binding “Confirmatory Vote” aka a second referendum!
IF this happens and Madame is mandated to seek an extension in these circumstances (the Withdrawal Agreement approved subject to another plebiscite) then it is safe to assume that the EU 27’s agreement is a foregone conclusion.
This brings us to Imponderable #2: IF the “Confirmatory Vote” amendment fails and Madame’s “plan” is time for further negotiations on the text of the withdrawal agreement, it will be rejected. This means that IF Madame pursues this option she may return to the Commons and place the withdrawal agreement AGAIN for approval on Lady Day, Monday 25th March 2019. At this late stage, MPs may try again to resubmit the “Confirmatory Vote” amendment. This is however running it VERY close to the wire!
This brings us to Imponderable #3: Will the 27 heads of government (some Heads of State, others not) make a suggestion at the meeting of the 21st/22nd? Will they themselves put forward an offer to the UK? If so, would it in effect be an offer to extend based on the withdrawal agreement containing at “Confirmatory Vote”?
IF this happens, MPs will likely be presented with an opportunity to vote to approve such on Lady Day 2019 or shortly thereafter.
Persons of a patriotic disposition would describe this as handing the government of the country to a foreign power!