LongTimeLurker

Not saying this means they can do whatever they like, but it might be the part that's applicable to the functioning of the pyramid. https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/media/3998/scottish-fa-handbook-18_19.pdf 62. Powers of the board Article 62.2 (o) it shall be entitled to revoke or alter as it considers appropriate any powers delegated by it from time to time to the Professional Game Board, the Non-Professional Game Board or such other Committee or sub-committee as may be formed by it subject to the terms of these Articles;

...which is why it will be good if KilbowieBenches is right that the SFA Board can override stalling attempts that are made for the wrong reasons.

Because we are still at the stage where they are trying to do things by consensus, and what will make it untenable moving forward is that the LL will want to change the pro/rel equation into the SPFL.

Don't think it's tenable for there to be only one club promoted once the WRSJFA are involved, and if the SFA Board are about to override objections, they can also address that.

Really? If what's left of the ERSJFA is as weak as some EoS people claim, they will be as relevant as the SoS is when it comes to playoffs. Bottom line is either you want an all encompassing pyramid or you don't and right now the LL and EoS are looking like more of an obstacle than TJ and the SJFA from what I can see. Time for the SFA board to break the logjam.

Ian Maxwell's comments in the leaked PWG minutes as to what would happen if the proposal was stalled for the wrong reasons suggested that the LL and EoS don't have an absolute veto on what happens next. I can see why the EoS might feel somewhat aggrieved about no longer being the only east feeder, but LL opposition at this stage looks like pure self preservation society stuff. If west superleague clubs get serious about licensing and progression most of the LL outside the SoS catchment will eventually wind up at around tier 7 at best.

This should be a moment of triumph for the people like Burnieman who have been arguing for junior pyramid entry for the last 20 years or so. Not entirely clear why having two parallel feeders is viewed as being an insurmountable obstacle. Assuming the SFA board can and will override any objections that will no doubt sort itself out over the next few years. In the same sort of way that the Isthmian and Southern Leagues did in England.

Think it goes a bit further than that and even having a grandparent born in either the RoI or NI is potentially enough. It used to go back to great-grandparents but they tightened it up back in the 80s. It still can go beyond grandparents but only as long as foreign births kept being officially registered. I could have done the paperwork to have an RoI passport but didn't want anything to do at the time with a state that the terrorists ran to for sanctuary as Ian Paisley put it and would have had some serious explaining to do with the geriatric embittered southern Unionist portion of my family. Suspect I will probably regret that a bit once I am going through the non-EU passports channel somewhere like Frankfurt if article 50 doesn't miraculously get revoked or a second referendum doesn't go the right way.

Maybe somebody managed to convince Macron that No Deal could genuinely have been the outcome of making it No Deal or May's Deal:

If the numbers were close they would definitely be facing a major dilema.

There's a revoke article 50 resolution that has been submitted to the speaker with cross-party support, which will be the last chance for sanity basically. Can't see Corbyn going for that, unfortunately. Think he'll cave and get his party to abstain so May's deal goes through assuming of course it even can be voted on again. We'll find out next week.

Meanwhile Sammy Wilson says: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-47652775 ...Sammy Wilson said he believed the PM was trying to threaten Parliament. But he said it had not worked and his party would not back the deal if it remained unchanged... and while we are on the subject of Sammy Wilson here's a tune some of you might enjoy:

The gist of it is that the withdrawal agreement won't be renegotiated, so either May's deal gets approved next week or we will have a No Deal scenario.

The die is cast:

Hope this is accurate:

Quite impressive watching how that is jumping by several hundred every few seconds in real time. Judging from the map you can access Edinburgh North and Leith is in the lead in Scotland with signatures at about 5.23% of the electorate signed up so far. Banff and Buchan not doing so well on 0.69%.

The groups that prefer No Deal to May's Deal (DUP and ERG) are not likely to budge at this stage, so Labour are the key. If it is highly credible that No Deal is the only alternative at that point I strongly suspect they will cave in.

...and people are suggesting Labour might abstain in that scenario, in which case May's deal almost certainly goes through.

....or the outcome fitted neither side's preferred agenda.

Hope this is accurate:

Has to be unanimity so France can sink any extension. Now we'll see what Labour do. If they decide May's deal is better than No deal or revoking article 50, the DUP and ERG no longer matter. So now Labour and the Tories need to be in a suicide pact to bring in No Deal. MV3 should happen now because Macron's intervention has made the circumstances substantially different.

There have been rumblings that the French might block it for a while, but few inside the alternate universe bubble that is British politics took it seriously. De Gaulle did something similar on EEC entry at one point.

All seems to be about not alienating Leave voters now for future party political advantage, so over the cliff we probably go unless something bizarre happens like SNP backing May's deal.

Both went the way they did mainly due to belated American intervention is the part that tends to be airbrushed out. Beyond that it was really the Free State that emerged after WW1. The RoI happened in 1948. The Free State was technically a Dominion of the Empire although any pretence over that basically ended in 1937 once Fianna Fail eclipsed Fine Gael.

Keeping No Deal in play may be the only way to keep the Tory party together at this point, unfortunately. There is no obvious motivation for ERG and the DUP to not simply run down the clock at that point, if she isn't going to threaten them with a general election or second referendum, because Article 50 can only be revoked up to March 29th. The pro-Remain majority in the HoC needs to assert itself next week or it will almost certainly be too late after that even if the short extension is granted. She maybe wants to engineer a revocation for petty electoral reasons, so the opposition parties that push for it get viewed as traitors defying democracy by Leave voters, but I suspect Corbyn will not be willing to play along, unfortunately.