MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
PM May's snap election driven by “political opportunism”, claims EU parliament Brexit negotiator
UK Prime Minister Theresa May's claims that a general election victory will strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations have been called “nonsensical” by the European Parliament's chief Brexit coordinator. Guy Verhofstadt, a long-standing critic of Brexit, wrote in The Observer that it was “irrelevant” whether the Conservatives increased their majority. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules”Will the election of more Tory MPs give Theresa May a greater chance of securing a better Brexit deal? For those sitting around the table in Brussels, this is an irrelevance.“
Apr 24th, 2017 - 12:04 pm - Link - Report abuse -5Ouch. Truth much.
A woman that loves veiled threats a la Mafia, with airs of (a poor man's) Thatcher-wannabe on one side, an egomaniac who lives in Wonderland on the other who can't let go of power for the good of his party and by extension his country. And as a third choice, a party that is the Fourth Reich well under way.
UK politics are the most unstable, extreme, and the laughing stock of Europe.
Of course it is Guy, of course you want to strengtten ones hand so would you and so would I in the circumstances, and I dare to say so would you AO
Apr 24th, 2017 - 12:25 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Argie politics were the most unstable, extreme, and the laughing stock of Europe.
Apr 24th, 2017 - 12:37 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Nostril, hows the toilet roll situation down there? Clarin? BA Herald?
Mr. hyperbole strikes again. You don't live in the UK, you have hardly been anywhere outside your province but you have a special insight in the affairs of the UK. All you have gleaned is from reports and articles of biased news agencies. Try speaking to the average Joe on the street if you want a more balanced view...but again you can't.
Apr 24th, 2017 - 01:23 pm - Link - Report abuse +6It must fit your illogical unbalanced view of the UK.
The UK is worse than Venezuela ? Twelve more Venezuelans lost their lives on Friday in violence associated with a wave of anti-government demonstrations,
Do you see riots outside ex PM's houses a la Argentina. “According to the Rio Gallegos media this is the second time in the month that the governor or Santa Cruz had to lock herself in. Last April 4, it happened at Government House where she had to wait for over eight hours for the protestors and demonstrators to lift the siege.”
You probably think that this is normal.....it is for Argentina.
Mrs. May is probably correct in saying that it will strengthen her hand....IN THE UK PARLIAMENT. not that it will get the UK a better deal in negotiations. It will stifle dissent from her detractors if she can get a larger majority in Parliament.
Both sides in the Brexit negotiations will have to compromise or both will suffer.
If the EU want to make the UK suffer as an example then I think we should withdraw military cooperation and let them stand on their own feet without calling on the UK for support. We have shed enough blood in two world wars to prove we were good Europeans. We should selfishly look to our own interests.
By the way, did you see the French results ?
If Le Pen gets in for France, goodbye EU anyway.
@ Clyde
Apr 24th, 2017 - 03:07 pm - Link - Report abuse +3I explained all that to him, about why May called the election but he seems not to understand. He used to be brighter but all those hours on conspiracy theory websites seems to have dulled his brain.
I can't see Le Pen getting in. It is true that France has some of the strongest anti-EU feeling but her politics are too extreme for a fundamentally socialist country. Though in this peculiar world, who knows?
Nostrils doesnt want to understand, he views everything through a blind anti British prism. He is not stupid, just a racist bigot working off his obvious frustrations and low self esteem by posting ludicrous rubbish.
Apr 24th, 2017 - 03:36 pm - Link - Report abuse +5Kayne summed it up - NeanderTroll!
Rubbish! What does he know about what the British people want to say,,,the fact ism a General Election will give us a chance to say our way.
Apr 24th, 2017 - 06:17 pm - Link - Report abuse +3This Euro Gent is profiling himself- he's an opportunist (surprise-surprise; a politician)
Never mind if Mrs May has a hidden agenda - the people will vote and if they make a mistake it's theirs (mine too) It is called
Democracy.
I'm not being funny Guy....but WTF has British politics got to do with you...?
Apr 24th, 2017 - 06:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0When the UK wants your opinion...they will ask for it, in the mean time, mind your own biz...
Also we know fine well that Europe has to give the UK a decent deal or risk creating Europe's off-shore tax haven and losing billions in exports...
Verhofstadt, is simply stating the obvious. It's very clear to most adults in the UK (or anwhere else) who can coun up to ten, that TM stands to loose her majority in WM if these 30 plus Tories are proscecuted for election fraud. Shall I post some UK articles on this?
Apr 25th, 2017 - 12:10 am - Link - Report abuse +1Don't bother....
Apr 25th, 2017 - 12:21 am - Link - Report abuse +2Instead...dwell on this...
“The First Minister’s denial came after two polls at the weekend showed a remarkable surge of support for the Scottish Tories, with one putting their rating at 33 per cent, 18 points higher than the general election two years ago.”
SNP are going to lose seats in this election to the Tories...
That may be so, but they will still have an overwhelming majority of SNP MP's yes?.
Apr 25th, 2017 - 12:28 am - Link - Report abuse 0Now on topic again, - Look at these.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4436518/PETER-HITCHENS-snap-election.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4436518/PETER-HITCHENS-snap-election.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4436518/PETER-HITCHENS-snap-election.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-4436518/PETER-HITCHENS-snap-election.html
“That may be so, but they will still have an overwhelming majority of SNP MP's yes?.”
Apr 25th, 2017 - 12:46 am - Link - Report abuse +3????...
This is a Westminster election...they don't have any majority of SNP MP's there..
ps..you are only allowed one link if you want more miss the http off...
You were talking about the Tories gaining seats against the SNP - The 59 Scottish seats were you not. I take it you didnt understand what your own post was about then? it's about the 59 Scottish seats - SNP will still have a big majority of said Scottish seats regardless.
Apr 25th, 2017 - 01:18 am - Link - Report abuse 0Meanwhile back on topic - http://observer.com/2017/04/theresa-may-general-election-criminal-investigation/
The EU survived without the UK and it would survive without France.
Apr 25th, 2017 - 02:54 am - Link - Report abuse -1SNP WM wipeout! SNP local elections Armageddon! Labour wipeout! Voice campaigning for the Tories? WTF?
Apr 25th, 2017 - 06:36 am - Link - Report abuse +1So the Tories cheated in the last election by spending above the limits and not declaring it. And now they have been found out, May is trying to get round the problem by calling a general election. Corbyn is a fool, he should have refused to go along with it until the expenses prosecutions had been cleared up.
Apr 25th, 2017 - 07:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0@ AustrOllOpithecus
No. France was a founding member of the EU and has always been more central to the project than Britain. The EU could not survive in its current form without France.
EscoSesDoidao
Apr 25th, 2017 - 07:58 am - Link - Report abuse -1“You were talking about the Tories gaining seats against the SNP - The 59 Scottish seats were you not. I take it you didnt understand what your own post was about then?”
You obviously do not understand what you are talking about...
The Scottish Tories are the same party as the English Tories...WTF else could I have been referring to in a UK ELECTION....?
You have lived outside the UK for that long that you now struggle to understand simple British politics...
Current composition of the House of Commons, based on the number of MPs in each party.
Conservative 330
Labour 229
Scottish National Party 54
Liberal Democrat 9
Democratic Unionist Party 8
Independent 4
Sinn Fein 4
Plaid Cymru 3
Social Democratic & Labour Party 3
Ulster Unionist Party 2
Green Party 1
Speaker 1
UK Independence Party 1
Vacant 1
Do you see any Scottish Labour party listed?
Do you see any Scottish Conservative party listed...?
Like I said... SNP don't have any majority in Westminster and they are going to lose seats to the Tories...
Live here and perhaps you might begin to understand...
Troll boy
Apr 25th, 2017 - 10:39 am - Link - Report abuse +1Germany and France ARE the EU. If either leave then it will collapse like a pack of cards.
More like the EU was hoping the influence of the Europhiles in government would prevent May from any kind of Hard Brexit. By calling an election & thinning the Europhile heard by getting a majority before negotiations begin she can then push through things like leaving the single market or control of the EU courts without hindrance.
Apr 25th, 2017 - 02:33 pm - Link - Report abuse +1AustrOllOpithecus
Apr 27th, 2017 - 05:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0”For those sitting around the table in Brussels, this is an irrelevance.“
The same attitude the EU had during the Brexit referendum.
Where's their next major donor coming from?
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!