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Betty MacDonald, the author of The Egg and I and the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series is beloved all over the world. Don't miss Wolfgang Hampel's Betty MacDonald biography and his very witty interviews on CD and DVD!
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Theresa May and Brexit
Brexit: May loses grip on deal after fresh Commons humiliation
Amendments mean PM would have with little room to move if Brexit deal rejected next week
Theresa May’s room for manoeuvre should her Brexit deal be rejected
next week was further constrained on Wednesday night, after the
government lost a second dramatic parliamentary showdown in as many days. An increasingly boxed-in prime minister must now set out her plan B within three working days of a defeat next Tuesday, after the rebel amendment passed. There were furious scenes in the House of Commons
as the Speaker, John Bercow, took the controversial decision to allow a
vote on the amendment, tabled by the former attorney general Dominic
Grieve. A string of MPs, including the leader of the house, Andrea Leadsom, repeatedly intervened to question the Speaker’s approach. Some accused him of being biased against Brexit.
But parliament went on to back Grieve as the prime minister was defied by Conservative rebels determined to hand control of the Brexit process to MPs if next week’s vote is lost. The fresh defeat, which followed a separate backbench amendment to
the finance bill on Tuesday, means the government will have to return to
parliament swiftly with a plan. An accelerated timetable will also pile the pressure on Labour to
move quickly. The motion setting out the government’s plan can be
amended by MPs hoping to push their own alternative proposals, from a
second referendum to a harder Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn’s party will have to
decide which to back. Keir Starmer,
the shadow Brexit secretary, on Wednesday became the most senior Labour
figure to suggest that the article 50 process might have to be
extended, if the deadlock in parliament could not be broken. He told MPs: “There is a question of the extension of article 50,
which may well be inevitable now, given the position that we are in, but
of course we can only seek it, because the other 27 [EU members] have
to agree.”
Quick guide
Why extend the Brexit transition period?
Starmer also said: “We are going to have to look at what available
options are realistically still on the table and what now are the merits
of each of them.” Corbyn will use a speech in Wakefield on Thursday to step up his demands for a general election, and frame Labour’s approach to next week’s key vote and the steps the party will take afterwards.
“A government that cannot get its business through the House of
Commons is no government at all. So I say to Theresa May: if you are so
confident in your deal, call that election, and let the people decide,”
he will say. “To break the deadlock, an election is not only the most practical option, it is also the most democratic option.” He will insist the best way to overcome the divisions that drove the Brexit vote is to elect a Labour government. Government sources on Wednesday night confirmed reports that they are
considering making another concession, on workers’ rights, in a bid to
win over Labour MPs. May could accept an amendment backed by MPs including Labour’s John
Mann, that would offer stronger protections for workers’ rights after
Brexit. Mann was among a group of Labour MPs who met the prime minister
on Wednesday to discuss what changes she could make to win their support
for her deal, with other attendees including Stoke Central MP Gareth
Snell. Meanwhile, May will seek to underline international support for her
stance, as she welcomes the Japanese prime minister, Shinzō Abe, to
Britain. The pair will announce a series of trade and cultural
collaborations, and hail the end of an export ban on British meat
products to Japan. The government announced details of new concessions on the Brexit deal on Wednesday, in an attempt to win over sceptics. The Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, announced that the government
would accept a proposal from the Tory MP Hugo Swire that will allow MPs
to vote, before the Irish backstop is implemented, if a trade deal has
not been reached by mid-2020. May’s spokesman said the plan would give MPs the options of
implementing the backstop, extending the transition period, or
“alternative ways you could look at, including technology”. But the idea that it would strengthen MPs’ powers to prevent the backstop coming into force was swiftly dismissed in Brussels. An EU diplomat said: “This is a purely internal arrangement in the
UK. What counts is the treaty and the legally binding commitments in the
treaty and why would the UK not want to honour its international
obligations?” Asked if the EU would have to concur with whatever decision was
reached, the spokesman said it would not. “My understanding on that is
that it’s a decision for the UK parliament as to which route we choose
to go down.” However, one senior Brexiter agreed with the view in Brussels that
the withdrawal treaty, once ratified, would trump any vote in
Westminster. “That’s the point of international treaties!” he said. More details were also announced of the so-called “Stormont lock”,
giving the Northern Ireland assembly a “strong role” in regulatory
arrangements if the backstop comes into force. But with the assembly currently suspended, a paper published by the
government setting out the plans was quickly rubbished by the Democratic
Unionist party. Winning over the DUP was at the heart of No 10’s strategy for
smoothing the path to May’s deal being passed by parliament. But there
has been little sign since the new year that its resolve to reject the
deal has weakened. Nigel Dodds, the DUP’s leader at Westminster, described the latest proposals as “cosmetic and meaningless”. Earlier, Bercow had clashed repeatedly with MPs over his decision to
fly in the face of parliamentary convention and allow the Grieve motion
to be voted on. “The chair is simply seeking to discharge the responsibility of the
holder of the office to the best of his ability,” he insisted, speaking
about himself in the third person. “That is what I have always done, and no matter what people say or
how forcefully they say it, or how many times they say it or by what
manner of coordination it is said, I will continue to do what I believe
to be right.” But the veteran Brexiter Peter Bone was one of those Tories
expressing concern. He said the decision plunged parliament into “pretty
choppy and dangerous waters at the time in our nation’s affairs when,
frankly, we can least afford it”. Another MP challenged the Speaker about a sticker on his car that
“makes derogatory comments about Brexit”. Bercow shot back that the car
belonged to his wife. Rebel backbenchers believe the decision to allow the vote strengthens
their hand in what they expect to be a series of battles in the days
ahead, as they seek to prevent the government leading Britain out of the
EU without a deal. Downing Street sought to play down the significance of the amendment.
A spokesman said: “Our intention has always been to respond quickly and
provide certainty on the way forward in the event that we lose the
meaningful vote.”
Wolfgang Hampel's very witty book 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is No 1 Buecher de TOP List.
Wolfgang
Hampels sehr witziges Buch ' Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is
my favourite animal ) ist No 1 Buecher de TOP Liste.
Ich habe dieses Buch gekauft, weil Krimi-Königin Ingrid Noll Wolfgang ... sehr, daß wir die monatliche literarische Veranstaltung Vita Magica von Wolfgang Hampel bald einmal besuchen können.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club, founded by Wolfgang Hampel, has members in 40 countries.
Wolfgang Hampel, author of Betty MacDonald biography interviewed Betty MacDonald's family and friends. His Interviews have been published on CD and DVD by Betty MacDonald Fan Club. If you are interested in the Betty MacDonald Biography or the Betty MacDonald Interviews send us a mail, please.
Several original Interviews with Betty MacDonald are available.
We are also organizing international Betty MacDonald Fan Club Events for example, Betty MacDonald Fan Club Eurovision Song Contest Meetings in Oslo and Düsseldorf, Royal Wedding Betty MacDonald Fan Club Event in Stockholm and Betty MacDonald Fan Club Fifa Worldcup Conferences in South Africa and Germany.
Betty MacDonald Fan Club Honour Members are Monica Sone, author of Nisei Daughter and described as Kimi in Betty MacDonald's The Plague and I, Betty MacDonald's nephew, artist and writer Darsie Beck, Betty MacDonald fans and beloved authors and artists Gwen Grant, Letizia Mancino, Perry Woodfin, Traci Tyne Hilton, Tatjana Geßler, music producer Bernd Kunze, musician Thomas Bödigheimer, translater Mary Holmes and Mr. Tigerli.
