@simonjhix Until Erdogan, televised election debates took place here in Turkey, these are not good signs. Congrats to BBC, ITV.— Сэлчук Озшахин (@ozsahins) April 19, 2017
Yvette Cooper asked a pointed question (she's good at that, and she's ambushed May before). David Mundell said something which looked rude, but (much) later he "explained" he'd actually said "leadership pitch" (she's not so good at that)
Former shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper confronts Theresa May: "Isn't the truth that we cannot believe a single word she says?" pic.twitter.com/HPoViJOhBj— Press Association (@PA) April 19, 2017
Last Friday saw the announcement of a competition between other EU cities to be the new hosts of the EU medicines and banking regulators (both are currently in London). David Davis popped up to protest that there was no reason for them to go anywhere.
That was a silly idea then (and Davis must have known it) but the EU's Department of the Bleedin' Obvious reaffirmed on Wednesday that EU agencies must be in the EU.
European Union agencies must be based in the EU. The decision to relocate EU agencies based in the UK is not part of the Brexit negotiations pic.twitter.com/74M6Zzd2Ee— European Commission (@EU_Commission) April 19, 2017
Imagine (to pluck an idea from nowhere) that Scotland became independent. Could the UK Oil and Gas Authority stay in Aberdeen? Much of its work would have to be transferred to a Scottish body, but any remaining UK agency would have to move, probably south of the border.
Then there was the fun surrounding the Gorton byelection, which was supposed to take place on May 4th alongside the local elections. A new MP would be elected... to a parliament which wasn't sitting... and would have to be elected again a month later.
Everybody agreed this was daft, but nobody knew who could cancel the byelection. It wasn't the government and it wasn't Labour, who'd called the vote in the first place. Attention rested on the local returning officer but she said it was nothing to do with her.
Finally it seemed to be decided that a special motion would have to be passed in the Commons to enable her to avoid embarrasment all round.
Theresa May has announced an election designed to give HER a mandate to offer strong leadership. She had worked out that Brexit wasn't all going to be done by 2020 and that she should take advantage of an apparently weak opposition to buy free passage to 2022.
But then the CPS "made it clear" that decisions would come very soon on prosecutions for Tory election expense irregularities in 2015. That couldn't possibly be part of the real motivation for an early election could it?
