Mike Holden - Politics blogs

Last week government announced that it intends to prorogue parliament from the 8 th to the 14 th of October in preparation for a Queen’s Speech. This was not unexpected but the timing causes concern that it could lead to a No Deal Brexit on the 31 st of October. Whether this happens or not, this could be the most dramatic Queen’s Speech in living memory. According to the schedule, parliament will be suspended, legally this time, from next Tuesday until the 14 th Oct, with a Queen’s Speech on that day. The six-day prorogation is a more usual length of time associated with preparations for a Queen’s Speech, unlike the previous five-week long attempt which was of course annulled in the Supreme Court. The Queen’s Speech allows the government to set out its priorities and programme for the coming session, although this one will be unusual in that a General Election is almost certain before any government business gets underway in parliament, so it will be more of a Party Polit...

Opening scene - The State Funeral of Jacques Chirac, World Leaders lining the pews of a cathedral. In bursts Prime Minister Boris Johnson halfway through Ave Maria, tripping over the floral tributes and accidentally squeezing the thighs of a few female mourners on the way to the front. He takes a pew between Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel. It's like the final scene from Ocean's Eleven (Not the George Clooney version, the far better Rat Pack original ). As the eulogies are being delivered Johnson leans over to Macron and Merkel & whispers at the top of his voice: "Hey lads, I've got a plan. I've finally got a plan!" M&M look at him, shocked that he would interrupt a funeral, and more shocked that he has a plan. BJ: "No hard border in Ireland. Cracked it. I was looking at a map of Ireland with this thin line while I was painting a bus on a bit of wood & I suddenly thought 'Hang on, what if it's more of a s-m-e-a-r ?'...

An eye-opening announcement appeared in many of today’s news outlets that after a General Election any Labour majority government plans to negotiate a Brexit deal representing a closer relationship with Europe and put this to the vote. But not only would the party not force a united Leave/Remain campaigning position on its MPs in a 2 nd Referendum, the leader himself suggests he would remain neutral. This brought more howls of seemingly justified outrage from Labour supporters and/or Remain-minded voters. But in the context of a party heading for a General Election this may actually prove to be a smart move. Labour under Jeremy Corbyn have long faced criticism for their strategic ambiguity over Brexit, initially on whether there should even be a 2 nd referendum, and more recently on how to campaign if we get one. But that Labour now pledge to try to negotiate a new, closer Brexit relationship with the EU and put it to the public in a 2 nd referendum should come as no surprise...

Yesterday, government finally provided some much-needed clarity on exactly what their plans are and will be in coming weeks to break through the parliamentary deadlock, turn chaos into order and finally deliver the Holy Gail of Brexit, Do or Die. In various reports from several journalists yesterday, sources close to government and others have suggested that Prime Minister Johnson: -   Was considering bringing back a version of the Northern Ireland-only backstop. Has had meetings with the DUP in which he rejected any notion of a Northern Ireland-only backstop. Is trying to entice back into the party those Tory rebel MPs expelled under instruction from his SpAd for voting against him last week. Is appealing to One-Nation Tories to help him counter the “spears in my back” expected from the ERG & DUP when he brings a plan to parliament (those not so disillusioned with Johnson they’re quitting politics altogether, one assumes). Has begun “scoping” conversation...

Yesterday ITV political journalist Robert Peston wrote the latest in a series of articles which have been baffling in their unstinting praise of Boris Johnson and the Strategic Genius of Dominic Cummings. From someone widely respected for his previously impartial reporting, the recent swerve has been remarkable. However yesterday's piece went further than of late and descended into literal hero-worship. Superhero worship, in fact. The article was peppered with surprising assertions, beginning with the idea that a request by parliament for full disclosure of communications relevant to the PMs decision to prorogue parliament for five weeks was "a naked attempt to politically assassinate Dominic Cummings". This assassination only works of course if Cummings actually did ask/order Johnson to lie about why he shuttered parliament. Otherwise it proves his innocence and makes Dominic Grieve look like a vindictive man and a fool. From that high point it went downhill rapidl...

In the US and UK, many would argue that there is too much news right now – simply too much happening daily for the average person to absorb and process even a reasonable portion of it. But it seems to me there is room for a little more in the US, in the form of a Daily Democrat Press Briefing. Because in a world where Fake News is king, with a President who is the King of Fake News, a window opens to present the facts as seen from the other end of the spectrum. Berkley professor Helen Halpin (Twitter: @Helenhs) and others have suggested a daily event where the news of the day, and specifically Trump's latest falsehoods and outrages, can be discussed in an open Press forum, with questions, from a Democrat viewpoint. The question is - who would do it? Who represents the Democrat party in this way? Who is their front man/woman? The GOP obviously don't have what anyone would call a "leader" right now, but they do have a "boss" and a front man in Trump....

Guardian columnist Owen Jones tweeted at weekend, and expanded in a well-written article about why he thinks it dangerous to call for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal, suggesting that it would not only be ineffective but  counterproductive and divisive. I challenged him on his thinking, he told me to go away and read it before responding. So I have, and am. Here are the reasons why I think we absolutely should continue to fight for a People's Vote on the government Brexit deal, and why Labour should support it. Firstly, the way the referendum was won is increasingly brought into question, with the Electoral Commission actually talking about UKdemocracy being under threat . We all know that political campaigns indulge in bending of the truth and rules, and that both sides did so during the Referendum. But in this case every main plank of Leave arguments – EU budget contributions, immigration controls, EU laws, £350m per week NHS "Brexit Dividend" are prove...