What Help Will A General Election Be?

[ToraToraTora]

In all this brexit shambles I regularly hear a call for a general election Surely that would simply un focus us from the immediate task. Brexit/remain is a cross party issue so surely a GE would simply obfuscate further. Dump the PM by all means and introduce a brexiteer to tell the EU how we are leaving but stop all this GE cobras.

[vulcan42]

"We're in a total shambles, lurching from one crisis to the next."
Do you think Labour would solve that particular problem? they are as inept as the Tories.

[jim360]

Doesn't say much for the state of politics, then, does it?

[ToraToraTora]

doesn't matter who the leader is. Just stop the DD and ssip ffo, end of. I'm sick of all this "deal" cobras, we don't need a deal, they do.

[vulcan42]

jim, therein lies the problem, the political situation in this country is dire.

[BANANASPLITS]

Who in their right mind would want to take all this on (MP) can't see anyone who's got the guts to do it!

[riptide]

God help us if Labour get in with Corbyn and his cronies, they will ruin the country, you think it is bad now, we would be bankrupt within 5 years, although I am sure there would not be much of a majority.

[jim360]

Still labouring under the delusion that this deal was more about what the EU needed than we did?

TTT, the UK has been chasing this deal because it needs something to avoid the mess that awaits us under "No Deal". The EU needs a deal too, for sure, but you're seriously mistaken if you think we can just walk away without dire consequences.

[ToraToraTora]

needs must jim it'll get sported. All this cobras is politicians puffing out their chests. In the end if we leave with no deal it'll be in both sides interests to agree things pronto. The EU sells us £80bn of goods do they want that lot taxed under the default rules? NI is just an inflated issue for remainers to use to thwart the will of the people. Easy to to sort if we wanted to. The PM is a remainer so she was never going to get any sort of sense out of Junket and co. Remember anything they do to us we can do to them and it effects 27 disparate, nations who will be wondering how this will effect them.

[emmie]

it would make us even more of a laughing stock, if that were at all possible.

[jim360]

The catch, though, is that the EU suffers proportionately less than we do, even if the absolute hit is larger. Thus, the incentive is greater for us to find a deal, and always has been.

[jim360]

Nor is NI an inflated issue: it was pointed out before, and besides, Arlene Foster, that well-known prominent Remainer (...), has raised the issue often enough herself for you to have heard by now. It's not a jumped-up issue to thwart the will of the people; it's a serious issue that requires attention.

[jno]

labourites plan a general election to gain power

as I understand it, that's quite a common approach for opposition parties.

Whereas the parties in power want to retain it.

[mushroom25]

//Arlene Foster, that well-known prominent Remainer //

how much of a remainer is she really though? she could elect to cede to the republic. bet she doesn't though.

[ToraToraTora]

NI is an EU problem, ROI, NI and UK are all happy with the status quo. If the EU are not then that's their issue. We should simply not discuss it. If after Brexit they want to force ROI to so something that's on them. Why are we even getting involved?

[jim360]

She's not a Remainer, which was the point.

Also, TTT: how many times does this have to be explained to you? The status quo is impossible to maintain without the UK remaining, at least int he short term, in a Customs Union -- that same Customs Union which it wants so desperately to leave.

[Jackdaw33]

It amazes me that May can cling to office when she has
dismally failed and most people want to see her gone. We don't need a general election, just a new Tory leader worthy of the name.

[grumpy01]

The problem goes back to 2015 when call me Dave decided to have a referendum and having no idea that to leave would be a majority vote.Thus he then decided to go and Theresa May was thrown in at the deep end.The EU has made negotiations difficult because they know our budget contribution is significant in helping prop up the poorer economies in the 27 and also is a deterrent to those other states wanting to leave.I do think that Jeremy Corbyn's chance of winning may have come and gone last year because of the anti semitism rows besetting Labour.As the Tories nor Labour for that have a stand out candidate to be Prime Minister then it's probably better to keep the status quo at least for now.

[jim360]

"...most people want to see her gone."

Apparently this isn't actually true, though. Make of that what you will, but most polls indicate that May (and the Tories) still have about the same level of support as before. At the same time, May is still preferred to plausible alternative leaders, such as BoJo or JRM.

[ToraToraTora]

jim: "The status quo is impossible to maintain without the UK remaining, at least int he short term, in a Customs Union -- that same Customs Union which it wants so desperately to leave. " - why? what would happen if UK/ROI/NI did nothing at all?

[grumpy01]

Jim 360, Boris Johnson nor Jacob Rees-Mogg are plausible leaders.Trying to do a Churchill impression or wearing a double breasted suit doesn't make you a prime Minister.