It seems Brexit is the beast that just refuses to die. With the events of Super Saturday now etched into the public memory, Boris Johnson had earlier this morning, threatened to remove the Brexit Bill if MPs voted against it, and instead put forward a push for a Christmas General Election.
It seems that this Parliament is doing all it can to keep Britain in limbo, preventing a deal from being agreed on, and preventing Boris from doing anything other than sit there and look like a lameduck. Indeed, all of this has now gotten to the point where, half an hour ago, Boris Johnson acknowledged that his ‘do or die’ pledge to leave the EU by 31st October, is perhaps no longer viable. He did state he would be happy to allow a short extension, perhaps with the aim of getting more votes for his deal and the government backed amendments.
Now, what this means is anyone’s guess. Whether or not this changes how MPs vote is quiet up in the air. Personally, I do not think that this will change anything. If there is a delay, Boris might have acknowledged the actuality of things, but he will have egg on his face. However, if he plays it of having to concede to a hostile Parliament, he might just get some leeway from the European Research Group and hardcore Brexiteers elsewhere within the country.
Of course, this all depends on whether or not the EU will agree to an extension. There is a general sense that the EU is beginning to run out of patience with Britain, and to be honest, there is no faulting them for that. The UK has gone from one stage to another, without any actual concrete sign of where it’s going. As is often said, Parliament doesn’t have a clue what it wants, but it knows exactly what it doesn’t want, and that is No Deal.
And yet, they have voted against May’s deal, and there is a high likelihood that they will now completely disregard Boris’ deal, which makes this article by Politico highlighting the pros and cons of any extension or none, all the more enlightening.
Overall the article highlights that whilst there would be some immediate short term benefits for the UK, in terms of kicking the can down the road, the longer term impacts are still there. The EU wants to move on, it wants to achieve something with itself and get ready for life without the UK, the UK seems to be constantly having a crisis of consciousness, which to be frank is embarrassing. As with the past three years, the article makes clear that the extension in any form is just burying things for a bigger blowout then that does eventually come.
This is a situation that Parliament has gotten itself into, after doing what it could to not agree with Theresa May’s deal. It is beginning to look more likely that we will never actually leave the EU. Perhaps it is time we front up to that and accept the consequences.
Vivek Rajkhowa 
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