Deadlock

The rebel Bill passed the Commons and will pass the Lords by Monday. It commits Johnson to ask for an extension unless there is a deal by October 17 or unless the House votes for no deal. Normally, it would look quite reasonable, but everyone knows it is a way to stop Brexit. 

Johnson called for an election but failed to get the necessary 2/3majority for one, since Labour would not support him. He has refused to ask the EU for an extension. Watch this space.

The GRaunb has this:

Now that Labour has refused to rise to the prime minister’s bait, his project lies cruelly exposed in all its absurdity

I was also drawn to a piece by a LibDem MP on why she wants to oppose a no-deal Brexit (ie Leave). I was looking, as usual, for the reasons for all the passion and hysteria.

I was elected in 2017 on a staunch “stop Brexit” mandate by the people of Oxford West and Abingdon, so my voting decisions are straightforward [so the simple majority must dominate there? She gained 26,256 votes (43.7%) and a majority of 816.]

Anxiety permeates the areas in which all MPs work and live. Protesting is a fundamental aspect of our democracy, and I will always encourage this course of action, but it can be intimidating....I have been called a traitor, and worse...we are besieged with threats and abuse online....What provides me with the strength and conviction to walk proudly among protesters so angry about the policies I endorse is the support I absorb when I am in my own constituency. Whenever I am at home, I am met with smiling faces, and words of thanks, even hugs.

stopping a no-deal Brexit is about protecting their livelihoods, their futures. That, I am sure, is what motivated the 21 Tory MPs who have lost the whip as a result of their votes last night, votes that protected the very people most MPs are honoured to represent, votes that were in their best interests....I got into politics, to make a difference. I will always believe that my vote, and the votes of my Lib Dem colleagues, are the best thing I can do to save this country from a no-deal Brexit and save it from Boris Johnson.

So -- a prediction about the economic consequences and how they might affect her constituents in a rather prosperous constituency, a belief that she should represent the 22k supporters and ignore those (larger numbers) who voted against, and that a majority of 816 is a mandate. Then there is a personal desire to make a difference, and getting hugs from her supporters.