Halloween Article 50 Deal Agreed.
EU Throws Theresa May, A Lifeline.
We should have been leaving the EU, without a deal on 12 April, but instead, the EU 27, have agreed to an Article 50 extension, until 31 October. There were rumours that the EU 27 in Brussels, would agree on a year-long extension, to get the UK government and others in the House of Commons, to get their act together, and, agree, on a deal, Mrs May, could then take back to Europe, which in theory, they could back, and the UK, could finally leave, the EU.
It was said that during the summit of the 27 remaining EU nations, (though technically the UK is still a member until it leaves) French President Emmanuel Macron, wanted the UK to leave as soon as possible, to put the EU and the UK, out of their miseries.
Theresa May herself, it is reported, only wanted, an extension until June. Now, it would appear, at least in theory, Mrs May could possibly get parliament to agree to a Brexit, with a deal. If this were to occur, The UK could leave the European Union, before the 31 October. Meanwhile, it would appear, Mrs May and Mr Corbyn, are still trying to get a deal, both parties, can agree on.
The UK is gearing up, for the potential eventuality, that should the UK, still be a member of the EU, the UK would find itself, taking part in EU elections, to elect and re-elect British EU MEP's, to the European Parliament.
Former UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, has a new party called 'The Brexit Party', with candidates already to run, in the EU elections. Mr Farage, however, would be going up against UKIP, under its current leader, Gerard Batten. Both parties are regarded as nationalist, populist and on the right. It seems, The Brexit Party is sure to garner a lot of support, as will a resurgent UKIP. How the votes pan out between the two, however, cannot be known, if the UK, has to take part in the EU elections. It is possible, that both Labour and Tory, the two main parties in the UK, could receive a hammering from the voting public. In May, there also the local elections, so those results for all parties will be interesting.
Rogues Gallery of Populists and Brexiteers.
Euro Populism.
Across the length and breadth of the European continent, there are populist parties either waiting to gain power or in government. Why have these far right and sometimes far-left parties, gained power or the realisation, of potential power?
The answer to that is simple, people across Europe, are sick of the old parties. Many ordinary Europeans are suffering austerity and feel left behind. When they see UKIP in the UK, AFD in Germany, The Front National in France, for example, they flock to these parties, because these parties, like them or not, speak the language of the common people. Many politicians from the established parties are career politicians, who have never worked an ordinary job, before being elected. Many politicians today, mostly seem out of touch with the ordinary life of their constituents. They are perceived as living in a bubble, which has nothing to do with real life.
If the UK takes part in the EU elections, there is bound to be a strong showing by populist parties like UKIP and The Brexit Party. Also, populist parties in other EU member countries are expected to do well too. Once they have become MEP's, it has been said they could cause havoc in the EU Parliament. This would be a nightmare for the likes of Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk.
If the UK has a right-leaning, populist, Brexiteer Prime Minister (if May steps down) like Jacob-Reese Mogg, Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab, this would also be a nightmare scenario and major headache, for the European Union.
