Robert Courts' votes on Brexit

Wed 3 Apr 2019, 09:19

"The BBC website shows Robert Courts as voting against all 4 options yesterday, so I don't think he was a teller"

I think the voting mechanics were different on Monday. MPs completed a ballot paper, rather than indicating their preference by the lobby they walked through. So the "tellers" merely collected the ballot papers - and therefore there was no reason to exclude them from voting. 

Who knows? One unanticipated consequence of the Brexit crisis might be that Parliament updates its voting procedures.

Tue 2 Apr 2019, 22:55

The BBC website shows Robert Courts as voting against all 4 options yesterday, so I don't think he was a teller?

Tue 2 Apr 2019, 17:46

My sources tell me that all efforts are now going into;

1) Legislating against leaving with no deal over the coming days.

2) The drafting of a composite motion in the next round of indicative votes next week  bringing together the Customs Union and public confirmation in a vote.

My guess is the Prime Minister would get her deal through parliament easily, if she agreed to public confirmation in a vote.

Exciting times, but entirely predictable. 

Tue 2 Apr 2019, 11:49

Would be ironic if their stance resulted in a hard brexit & Johnson or Mogg as PM!

Tue 2 Apr 2019, 11:33

Yes, Tony, quite surprising to look at how the LibDems voted last night -- or perhaps not, since the LibDems seem to have put all their energies into securing a confirmatory people's vote and/or extending Article 50. 

There were also 5 LibDem abstentions on Common Market 2 & a Customs Union options, including by Vince Cable. Coming off the fence on these 2 issues would also have made a difference. 

I understand that some of those who abstained believe that a tougher version of these 2 motions might be forthcoming later in the week -- that is, if MPs get a chance at a 3rd indicative set of votes. But who knows if this will now happen ... 

Robert Courts was once again a teller, so his votes were (conveniently) not counted. 

Tue 2 Apr 2019, 10:47

Surprised to see that the Lib Dems voted 4 to 2 against 'common market 2' and 5 to 1 against a customs union

If they had voted for the customs union it would have passed & been the 1st time parliament had a majority for a proposal, & one that honours the referendum by leaving but protects trade with a customs union

Instead we have stale mate!

Mon 1 Apr 2019, 14:42

Richard my post wasn't specifically meant to support leave or stay

It was an attempt to re balance the 'rose tinted' view of Europe presented by some leavers

As stated I was a reluctant remainer because I believe in free trade but not a federal europe, or a single currency that penalises the weak & benefits the strong

Mon 1 Apr 2019, 14:32

..and here is Michael Heseltine's speech last week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8oWrF2CXF8

Mon 1 Apr 2019, 13:32

And whilst you're reading, here's Robert Court's article in today's Telegraph:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/04/01/customs-union-real-brexit-unicorn-would-wrong-pursue/

Mon 1 Apr 2019, 12:45

To all those who have contributed to this post please read Tony Morgan's Friday post on the "4m nationally and rising" thread and it will tell you in a nutshell why we should be leaving. 

Sat 30 Mar 2019, 22:16

Stephen,

I bear him no ill will. I just won’t vote for him again. Rather than try to pass him on, it is perhaps better just to vote him out.

Sat 30 Mar 2019, 20:35

Message to West Oxfordshire Conservative Association: Make that swop call. Simples

Sat 30 Mar 2019, 16:01

Following the news that Dominic Grieve, MP for Beaconsfield, has lost a vote of no confidence by local Conservatives because he campaigned for another referendum on the UK leaving the European Union, I would suggest that Courts would be better placed there, as they would appear to represent the "Loony Right" of the party. I would be very happy to nominate him, but I suspect that I would have to be a member of the local party to do that!

Sat 30 Mar 2019, 11:11

Stephen,

In future I shall vote for the person, not the Party. I suspect that Liz Leffmann would have been a far better Constituency MP. I have learnt my lesson

Sat 30 Mar 2019, 10:23

Huw, I assume you, like many other Conservatives in West Oxfordshire, could be described as belonging to the 'one-nation Tory' wing of the Party. 

Given your concerns, why don't you canvas to replace Robert Courts as your candidate in the next election? It maybe just around the corner. I am sure he would be happier in another constituency that reflected his views.

Fri 29 Mar 2019, 21:41

No doubt Robert will get feedback about  his performance as a Constituency MP at the next General Election. Personally I am very disapointed by him. I’m a staunch Tory, but his neighbouring Lib Dem MP is far more impressive. 

Fri 29 Mar 2019, 18:27

Lock the lunatics in the asylum until they come up with a decision.

Come back Guy Fawkes, all is forgiven!

Fri 29 Mar 2019, 16:10

And self-seeking

Fri 29 Mar 2019, 11:25

Oh, forgot to mention criminals and fraudsters. 

Thu 28 Mar 2019, 10:25

Have come to the conclusion that all Politicans are liars and like the sound of the own voice and views. 

Wed 27 Mar 2019, 22:34

This is how our MP Robert Courts voted in tonight's indicative votes (source: commonsvotes.digiminster.com)

O: Preferential arrangements - yes

M: Confirmatory public vote - no

L: Revoke to avoid no deal - no

K: Labour's alternative plan - no

J: Customs Union - no

H: EFTA and EEA - yes

D: Common market 2.0 - no

B: No deal - yes

Wed 27 Mar 2019, 19:45 (last edited on Wed 27 Mar 2019, 22:12)

Well, well, our esteemed legal expert and member of the ERG Brexit Star chamber who resigned over the Chequers White paper, and latterly prefered a No-deal, has decided to back May's deal with all the faults and implications for Northern Ireland that he carefully analysed and set out. Please do not patronise us in future, it was always politics not principles, Mr Courts. 

Given that he will have voted three times on the deal and has now changed his mind I would hope that he would support putting what is finally agreed by Parliament, back to the people - but I will not hold my breath. 

Tue 5 Feb 2019, 22:41 (last edited on Tue 5 Feb 2019, 22:43)

In Oxford the “progressive alliance” brought ordinary people from different parties together to try to ensure more representative MPs. Anneliese Dodds (Labour) in East and Layla Moran (Lib Dem) in West were elected, both have been high-profile, active MPs.

The Conservatives had an experiment with an “Open Primary” in Totnes, selecting Sarah Wollaston. Again an progressive, independent-minded MP.

But these are the exceptions. Too often a few constituency activists select parliamentary candidates for safe constituencies, resulting in MPs who don’t always really represent their area.

Thu 31 Jan 2019, 17:19

I received a reply from Courts today to my letter (see "Robert Courts & Vote of No Confidence" in The Grease Pit.
It is full of patronising waffle (" a second referendum would be divisive ..."), and totally ignores my point about the small majority in the original referendum, compounded by the *lies* of the now-discredited ERG, of which he is a member.
Courts, if you happen to read this, you and your ERG have caused more division in this country than a second referendum would *ever* cause.
In a previous post commemorating my 23 years in Charlbury, I intimated that the one sad thing (for me) about this area is that the current party of government could probably put up an Equus Africanus Asinus (I won't use the actual one-word description here! Look it up!) as their candidate, and it would get elected. We do not have an MP so much as an "ERG Robot".
In his letter, Courts also makes the amazing claim that "whilst we can of course choose to remain within the EU, the status quo is not an option. We cannot erase what has happened in the last three years". Indeed. Most of the *poison* that spread through our land was down to the ERG lies, which have now been shown up as such.
A second referendum is the only way, at this late stage.

Thu 31 Jan 2019, 17:06

This general issue - local MPs ignoring the wishes of their constituents - was the subject of an interesting letter to a national newspaper today:

"The maths of the voting on the Cooper amendment meant there was much focus on the Labour MPs who chose to represent their leave constituents. Could I suggest the Guardian indulge in some Dacre-style journalism and publish photos, on its front page, of the Tory Brexit ultras whose constituents voted remain?
Mark Gooding
London"

Sounds like a good idea. Personally, I blame David Cameron not only for the leaving the whole country completely divided and in a state of chaos with his gamble on the referendum (and then leaving others to try and sort out the mess) but also for resigning so swiftly as our local MP. My feeling is if they had had more warning and time, the local Tory party membership might have found a better candidate to represent the views of the Witney constituency.

Thu 31 Jan 2019, 11:35

I think the local Tory party membership is largely pro-brexit - unlike many Tory voters. So they would vote to keep him as their candidate

Thu 31 Jan 2019, 09:33 (last edited on Thu 31 Jan 2019, 09:34)

But are the local Tory party prepared to put up with him? I can't believe that they want an exit from the EU without a deal. They must realise that if there were now a snap election, there would be a call for all other parties to stand down in favour of a one-term pro-EU candidate.

Thu 31 Jan 2019, 09:22

Sadly, only too likely to be our MP for ever. Unless of course his vision of a hard Brexit becomes reality, there's a revolution, and Oxfordshire declares independence and rejoins the EU.

Wed 30 Jan 2019, 16:46

It's very likely that if he it the Conservative candidate for the next election, he will remain in his seat if the last 35 years are a guide.

Wed 30 Jan 2019, 13:27 (last edited on Wed 30 Jan 2019, 13:31)

I consider Courts not worthy of being our MP, and I hope that he is despatched at the next election, if not before. He is the classic case (sadly not uniquely) of "I know better than my constituents".
He doesn't.

Wed 30 Jan 2019, 06:02

For those interested in this kind of thing:

Our current MP supported Leave in the 2016 EU referendum, and therefore disagreed with the narrowish majority of his constituents, 53.7% of whom voted to Remain, according to estimates by Prof Chris Hanretty. It's likely that about 65% of voters in Charlbury voted to Remain

He declines to tell his constituents how he voted in the December 12 Tory vote of confidence in Mrs May - though the Tory MPs in the adjacent North Oxfordshire and
Cotswold constituencies proudly publicised their loyalty to her.

He voted against Theresa May's Brexit deal on January 15, but also against the Parliamentary motion of no confidence in the Government on January 16.

On Jan 29, Mr Courts voted for the Brady amendment. He voted against the Corbyn, SNP, Grieve, Cooper, Reeves and Spelman amendments.

It seems a reasonable conclusion that Mr Courts supports our exit from the EU without a deal. And, though lacks the guts to tell us his views on the leader of his party, is happy to stab her in the back if he can keep it secret.