May meets party leaders to try and arrive at compromise deal
A RALLY to demand a General Election and a new government will be held in Glasgow city centre this weekend, as May struggles to find a way forward for her defeated Brexit deal.
The rally is being organised by People’s Assembly Scotland between 1 and 2pm at the Royal Concert Hall steps at the top of Buchanan street on Saturday 19 January.
The rally is one of several taking place across the UK following a national demonstration in London on Saturday 12 January.
Speaking to CommonSpace, organiser Keith Stoddart said: “The demand is for a General Election. Despite whatever the Tories think is going on in Westminster, they’ve lost the confidence of the country.
On Brexit, he said, the government had failed and it was time to “let someone else have a go”.
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“Be that a Labour government, or a Labour government with support from the Scottish National Party, the Greens and so on. But the Tories are hopelessly divided, they’ve run out of steam. Universal Credit is universally despised and it’s imploding. You’ve got the farce that half of them have no confidence in her [Brexit] scheme, but do have the confidence in her, becuase they are feart of a General Election.”
The rally will hear speakers from unions including Unite and Unison as well as local anti-austerity groups including West Dumbartonshire Against the Cuts.
The protest comes as May meets with party leaders to try and forge a path for her badly damaged Brexit deal, which wen’t down to the worst defeat for a sitting government in British parliamentary history on Tuesday (15 January), losing my 230 votes – far exceeding predictions of how bad the defeat would be.
A vote of no confidence in the government launched by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was defeated by 19 votes.
May has since met with SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable and DUP leader Arlene Foster among others, as she tries to come up with a new deal without losing the support of hard-line Brexiteers in her own party.
Corbyn has refused to meet May until she takes a ‘No Deal’ Brexit off the table.
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Meanwhile, independence supporters gathered outside Holyrood to demand an independence referendum.
Speaking ar First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Greens co-convenor Patrick Harvie argued for a a new push for independence.
He said: “…the Brexit crisis has also shown – ever more clearly as the chaos has escalated – that the UK political landscape itself is broken.
“Regardless of whether Brexit can be stopped or is ultimately forced upon us, the people of Scotland deserve the chance to reject the absurdities of Westminster where Scotland is clearly held in such contempt and instead chart a course to becoming an independent member of the EU.”
Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday that she would “say more” on an independence referendum timetable “within a matter of weeks”.
Picture courtesy: Alistair Brown
WHERE NEXT FOR BREXIT? CommonSpace Live Show Thursday 17 January 7pm, on Facebook
