“Oh, what a tangled web we weave ……….”

Above, a cropped image of Sir Henry Raeburn’s 1822 portrait of Sir Walter Scott.
The famous line which forms the title of today’s post is well known as it the following line, “When first we practise to deceive! ” Taken from “Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field” (Canto VI, stanza XVII) is frequently miss-attributed to Shakespeare is one of the most quoted excerpts from Scottish poetry. The reason: because it is so relevant so often to so many situations!
We have reached a stage in this saga where none of us – even the best informed (http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=87403) – know what is going to happen. We are all to a greater or lesser extent wandering around in the dark. The difference being that the less informed the wanders are paradoxically the less the darkness appears to be!
The reason why Canto VI, stanza XVII is so relevant to “Brexit” is that deception, which involves lies, or to use the parliamentary acceptable expression, “terminological inexactitudes” (TIs ?), has been practised from the very start of the period when British politicians, urged on by US politicians, began to seek entry into what was then the “European Community”.
At the start of the process, a new term was coined: “Common Market”. It was deliberately deceptive. It set out to deceive and mislead the British electorate into thinking that the UK was making application to a sort of free trade area. What was NOT stressed was that what was envisaged was a “common regulatory area” that went far beyond matters of simple trade in goods and services but to cover social policy, environmental policy and eventually foreign and defence policy.
Of course, this deception was not unnoticed by such statesmen as the late Sir Peter Shore who repeatedly called it out for what it was.
If the reader was to approach a group of UKIP members or Brexit Party subscribers they would readily inform the reader of these facts.
The sad FACT of the matter is this: Most of the British politicians and journalists involved appear either to be obsessively compulsive deceivers (they know they are spouting bullshit) or are obsessively compulsively delusional (they believe the bullshit they are spouting).
Two egregious bullshit phrases are, “clean break Brexit” uttered by the Famous Farage and “get Brexit done” by the Buffoon. Both phrases are nonsensical!
A “clean break Brexit” would leave British businesses in chaos! It’s effects have been described before so will not be repeated here.
As for “get Brexit done” this again is an egregious TI – uttered from the mouth of a man particularly adept at this. Here is a FACT: IF the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified and put into effect, Brexit will not be “done” as the Buffoon suggests. It will in FACT drag on for years and the negotiations and the subsequent legislative and ratifying process of any new treaty will take much time!
Here is yet another FACT: Not only will such negotiations take up much time, energy and resources (civil servants, specialist lawyers &C.) on the part of the UK but also on the part of the EU! It has, is and will continue to preoccupy British politicians and to a lesser – but still critical extent – EU politicians.
Here is another FACT that needs to be borne in mind – by “Leavers” and “Remainers” alike: The ONLY way to END the Brexit crisis is to, A: Revoke Article 50 and B: Hold a General Election after this – without delay.
There is a possibility (probably but not necessarily, slight) that such a revocation could take place.
We will not have to wait very long to find out!
At this moment, we are awaiting the decision of the “EU 27” on Parliament’s request for an extension under Article 50. NB: This is a request from the UK Parliament and NOT a request from HMG as the Buffoon’s letter advising that the extension should not be granted.
Thus the EU27 are faced with a dilemma. An important dilemma. Herewith below are the hypertxt links to the relevant letters:
Extension Request Letter: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHRW92iW4AAdIiu?format=jpg&name=900×900
Signed letter from the PM to President Tusk:
Page 1: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHRVyFCWsAAoVve?format=jpg&name=large
Page 2: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EHRVyraX0AE059f?format=jpg&name=large
The dilemme diplomatique is this: Does the EU comply with the wishes of the legislature OR does the EU comply with the wishes of the government?
This is NOT a minor matter!
This is because it sets a precedent! Internationally!
There are many troubled situations that occur from time to time and governments may well be faced with analogous situations in the future – where a state is in political turmoil and the legislature makes a formal request which is countered by that state’s government or vice-versa.
NB: The important thing to take into account is that historically, states (the governments thereof) recognise and contract with the governments of states and NOT other parties such as a legislature.
One wonders then IF the EU will decline the request.
IF it does then there will be panic and pandemonium in the House of Fools in Westminster.
Rather than pass an Act demanding a revocation of A50, the fools may finally put down a No Confidence Motion, defeat the government, force the Buffoon to resign, appoint a new PM (probably Comrade Corbyn) form an Emergency Temporary Government which would have two tasks:
#1: Revoke Article 50 (by passing an Act authorising the Secretary of State to do so by Statutory Instrument and repeal all relevant Brexit related legislation passed since July 2016.
#2: Put and win a motion to hold a general election under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.
All this could take place between Monday 28th to Wednesday 30th October 2019.
If so, expect a general election on Thursday 19th December 2019.
The phrase “Turkeys voting for an early Christmas!” comes to mind – if only by a week (7 days including polling day and Christmas Day)!
Update ~ 19:40PM: Brexiteer Jeff Taylor has uploaded an interesting video on YouTube.British Gazette comment: Mr Taylor’s logic is sound. This news could be a tactically similar version of the declinature of extension request possibility suggested in today’s post. Were such to come about the Remainers would seek to force an A50 revocation. The most likey/effective was would be the NCM route overthrowing the PM and replacing him and the government with another.