Brexit

[HairOfTheDog]

Looks like you were right Mags -- after failing to agree on the terms for a Brexit deal for over three years now, it seems the government will take the issue back to UK citizens for a referendum vote on how to proceed.

If that current plan holds, the vote will take place in December.  

The cold weather, Winter break and travel for college-aged voters, and holiday distractions have some of the politicians worried that turn out for a December election will be low.  But, the people's passions on this issue, which will shape the economic future of the UK, are still high.  So, we'll see.

Anyway, citizens of the UK will be voting on four different party options rather than only 'remain' or 'exit' when the issue comes up for the people's vote again.

[HairOfTheDog]

These are the four party/options that will be put to vote, with a simple majority deciding the direction of the UK's potential exit from the European Union.

Conservative Party: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will campaign on his Brexit deal, which he agreed with the EU earlier this month. It looks a lot like Theresa's May pact, save for one crucial difference -- Johnson has swapped out the backstop for a customs border in the Irish sea. He'll need to persuade Brexit purists that he can be trusted after failing to deliver his "do or die," "dead in a ditch" promise to take Britain out of the EU by October 31.

Labour Party: After much deliberating, Jeremy Corbyn backed a confirmatory referendum on Brexit earlier this year. His party's plan is to negotiate a softer Brexit deal with the EU, and then to put it to a vote against the option of remaining. Corbyn says the process can be pulled off within six months of an election, and his is the only major party pushing for a second poll.

Liberal Democrats: After branding themselves as the anti-Brexit party, the Liberal Democrats have seen their membership and MP count surge in recent months. The group backs revoking Article 50 and scrapping Brexit altogether, the most hardline of all Remain options. They are traditionally the UK's third party and winning a majority is essentially impossible, but the group could damage the Conservatives in seats that have typically voted Tory but are also heavy Remain-voting areas.

Brexit Party: Nigel Farage reprised his role as a pro-Brexit agitator when he set up the Brexit Party, which performed well in this year's European election. He wants a no-deal Brexit, an outcome economists have warned against but the government briefly talked up before striking a deal with the EU. Farage will take on Johnson over his Brexit credentials, and the winner of that battle could dictate the election -- if Farage picks up momentum, the Conservatives could be squeezed from both sides on the issue.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/bre...index.html

[HairOfTheDog]

After the Conservative Party's landslide win in the recent British election (which secured Boris Johnson as Prime Minister), it's looking like Britain will actually leave the European Union fairly soon.

The latest:

Boris Johnson's latest Brexit bill has passed through its final stage in the House of Commons, clearing the path for Britain to leave the EU at the end of January.

With a 80-strong majority, Johnson's government raced the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through all three of its stages in the Commons in just three days.

The legislation will now head to the House of Lords next week where it will be scrutinised by peers.

The bill's speedy passage through parliament represents a stark contrast to its fortunes in the last parliament, where it was rejected three times under Theresa May's premiership.

It is ultimately expected to pass through all stages and receive Royal Assent before entering the statute books by 31 January, when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.

The legislation could face a somewhat more difficult passage through the Lords, where the government has no majority.

In particular, the prime minister could face opposition from Labour and Liberal Democrat peers who want the government to reinstate a guarantee designed to guarantee that child refugees should be allowed to reunite with their families in the UK.

More: https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-jo...xit-2020-1

[BigMark]

Is this good or bad for them?