Brexit Vote: Next Steps

Theresa May lost last night’s Brexit deal vote. But being the tough Saturn in Scorpio ‘difficult woman’ that she is, she’s not giving up. Between now and the deadline of 31 March, MP’s will now be subjected to an increasing number of pincer movements by the government as the UK prime minister attempts to force the House of Commons into a unified position by gradually ruling out their options.

It would seem that she plans to do this by tabling a set of motions designed to back them into a corner, beginning tonight. She told the house after last night’s defeat that they will now have to vote on an ever-narrowing set of options: firstly, whether to reject the possibility of No Deal, followed by a vote on whether or not to Extend Article 50 with a view to getting changes to her current Brexit Deal over the line at a future date…

According to an editorial by a member of The Independent Voting Group, Anna Soubry:

Even after suffering another humiliating defeat last night, the government is still playing games. Having promised a vote on the no-deal option, it’s tabled a motion that would trap parliament into leaving on 29 March with a “deal”. May’s plan is clear: she will keep on coming back and try to batter us into submission and vote for her rotten withdrawal agreement with the clock ticking.

What Now?

Having had a chance to see the astrology of yesterday’s chart in play, I thought it would be interesting to do a second take on tonight’s vote. Given that both votes happen at the same time and place, and only a day apart, very little will have changed beyond a few degrees of movement by some of the faster-moving planets, which should give us an opportunity to do a retake on certain key symbols, especially the Sun.

Still, a day in both politics and astrology can make an awful lot of difference, so let’s see what tonight’s chart can possibly reveal about where the Brexit process might be heading.

BREXIT NO DEAL VOTE

The Sun

Yesterday, I assigned the symbol of the Sun mainly to Theresa May because in mundane astrology, it usually represents leaders. However, in horary astrology, that honour can also go to the ruler of the 9th house or the Midheaven, the 10th house being the house of the government/ruling party or head of state.

This chart has very similar house cusps from yesterday because of the two votes happening so close together datewise, and at the same time and place, which means I don’t have to repeat myself.

However, if we consider that the 11th house does represent the House of Commons – Parliament as it were – then the Sun could well represent this body as a whole and therefore ‘majority rule’. The Sun remains in Pisces in the 6th house of work, health etc, close to Neptune, and Mercury.

So if we do a re-take based on the outcome of yesterday’s vote, we could say that the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to reject Mrs May’s Brexit Deal. Is this reflected in the chart?

The 4th House – Opposition Party

Well, yes, if we reconsider the significator for the Labour Party. Deborah Houlding tells us that in political astrology, the Opposition Party is often represented by the 4th house (which stands 180 degrees from the 10th house). If we apply that rule, then the significator for Labour changes from Neptune to Saturn in Capricorn. Yesterday Labour voted overwhelmingly against the deal. However, from Jeremy Corbyn’s speech, it is clear that he still backs a softer form of Brexit – one that involves the UK remaining in the single market, so there is still room for he and the prime minister to strike a deal.

If we consider that Theresa May and the default government position is symbolised by the Moon (Cancer rules the 10th house cusp) in Gemini (this dual zodiac symbol is quite apt if we consider that the government only has a majority if it has the support of the Irish DUP, making it essentially a two-party minority government), then things get a little interesting: the Moon made NO ASPECTS beyond a sextile to Chiron yesterday, which fits – a wound or lesson…

Labour Voting Patterns  

Now the Sun (Commons) made a sextile to Saturn (Labour) on Saturday, and is still within 3 or so degrees of this sextile when last night’s vote took place. Almost every Labour MP voted with the House, giving the ‘No deal’ vote a massive majority. So, on this occasion, the House and Labour were on the same side.

Today, though, the Sun will sextile Pluto in Capricorn, signalling a potential revelation, moment of truth or point of no return. Pluto is currently in the 4th house – the house of both the Opposition party and the landed gentry. Yesterday we saw Pluto as representing the landed gentry, the aristocracy, who traditionally make up the House of Lords. Although these two parties or groups are usually diametrically opposed, right now as a result of appointments made during Tony Blair’s Labour government, the House of Lords actually has more Labour and Liberal Democrat peers than Conservatives – 281 versus 247, to be exact!

Saturn vs Pluto – who really holds the power in the Labour Party?

Something else to consider in this situation is that, although Jeremy Corbyn may be the official labour leader (Saturn), he is being increasingly seen as a relic of the 1960’s who is a good team player but not actually a great leader or someone that members can see as a future prime minister, especially given all the ructions and scandal that the party has seen under his watch.  Many commentators actually think that the unofficial leader of the party is John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor. Pluto and shadows go together rather well, as does money, so could McDonnell actually be what Pluto represents here? Potentially confirming this is the fact that in last night’s chart, Pluto rules the second house of money and the economy – the very sphere of influence of a shadow chancellor…

Now McDonnell gave an interview to the Guardian in November 2018 in which he stated that Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of achieving a general election are fading fast, so he believes the Labour Party will eventually have to stop sitting on the fence and shift to a definite position on Brexit, which he believed would eventually come down to backing a second referendum. He went on to reveal that he had been meeting with various groups who are pro a people’s vote, including ‘leading figures from the People’s Vote campaign’, like Alastair Campbell as well as members of the Scottish National Party (SNP), the Liberal Democrats and the Greens Party, adding:

“If we can’t get a general election, people’s vote is on the table and that might be an option we seize upon.”

Corbyn, by contrast, has said little about backing a people’s vote beyond the idea of asking the British public to vote on approving a deal if it is eventually passed through Parliament. A known Eurosceptic, he has been reportedly meeting with more moderate Brexiteers in a bid to push for a softer Brexit:

The Labour leader is instead expected to focus on winning support for a scheme that involves a customs union with the EU. Last week he met two Conservative former ministers, Nick Boles and Oliver Letwin, to discuss their “Common Market 2.0” plan, which involves staying in the single market and having a customs union with the EU after Brexit.

So, while McDonnell and Labour Remainers seem to be moving closer to backing a second referendum, Corbyn seems to be moving further to the idea of a Norway-style deal. We actually see this in the astrology too: today, the Sun sextiles Pluto = a collaboration between McDonnell and the more liberal elements of the House of Commons; while Mars moves to trine Saturn.

Mars is currently in Taurus in the 8th house of tax, shared resources, trade deals/economic ties with outside parties. The latter aspect calls for a more traditional, conservative approach and chimes with Corbyn’s Mars in Taurus  – all very Common Market 2.0, so the merging of Saturn (Corbyn) with moderate Conservatives (Mars) sounds about right. In a press interview today, Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin is reported to have said that he was ‘increasingly confident that MPs from across the Commons were ready to unite behind a pro-business alternative.’

Labour Civil War?

If the astrology is anything to go by, it would seem that a schism is developing in the Labour party – one that could affect Brexit voting patterns going forward. A recent opinion piece in The Telegraph appears to confirm this:

While the Conservatives continue to tear themselves apart over Brexit, the Labour Party is undergoing an even greater schism.

Now, it is interesting that Saturn and Pluto are close to a conjunction – both are in the mid degrees of Capricorn, which might, on the face of it, signal a reunification of these two opposing sides. However, if we look at the astrology, we notice that the conjunction doesn’t quite reach completion right now because Saturn turns retrograde at the end of April…

So, could Labour MPs become so disaffected and exasperated by Corbyn’s stubborn (he has Mars in Taurus) refusal to act, achieve a general election or choose a workable position on Brexit, that they decide to do what the Conservatives did to Theresa May and force him out? Possibly. But that could still be a few months off. In the meantime, it doesn’t resolve the Brexit issue.

Wednesday’s Brexit vote – What can we expect?

Getting back to our chart, we need to observe the movements of the Sun (House of Commons) and the Moon (Theresa May) to see if:

a) An agreement/consensus is likely (positive aspect between Sun & Moon)

b) One side wins a decisive victory over the other.

House of Commons Vote – Aspects of the Sun 

Let’s consider the Sun first. Between now and the Full Moon on March 21 when the Sun enters Aries, it will:

• Sextile Pluto (13 March)
• Square Jupiter (14 March)
• Conjunct Mercury (15 March).

The Sun-Pluto sextile takes place today, and I think it will reveal itself via tonight’s vote in the form of camps within the House, particularly within Labour. This is a ‘free’ vote, which means that MPs do not have to vote along party lines, but according to personal principles and I suspect that it will reveal who in Labour stands with McDonnell (Pluto) and the other Remainers in the House; and who stands with Corbyn, May and Brexit.  This is when the power balance could shift within the House itself as hidden alliances and true feelings are revealed. This, I suspect, is the real reason why May is holding the vote – she wants to see where the chinks are in certain voting camps and who can potentially be won over.

Next comes the Sun’s square to Jupiter. Jupiter in Sagittarius once again sits in the 3rd house of the media, political communications, education and public relations. It is a difficult aspect. It is also conjunct the Part of Bondage. This potentially suggests a media announcement regarding an agreement or coalition, but one that is uncomfortable and involves the repayment of a debt, or an imbalance of some sort. Jupiter tends to amplify or exaggerate things, so it’s possible that various lobby groups may come out and campaign more vigorously for their particular position, but do so with some added spin, like stating that they have more support for their particular solution than they really do. It’s also possible that certain ‘tribes’ or blocks may leak information about talks with key figures, or imply that certain people need to go, such as a party leader or whatever. I definitely think the media war is going to amp up over the next few days as Mercury takes over from the Sun post the Sun-Mercury conjunction.

Alternatively, this aspect may concern a written document or proposal. Here the speaker of the house John Bercow, may also be implicated – he has to choose which, if any amendments, get to be added to tonight’s motion, and so had a lot of power over what ultimately gets voted upon. Many people have criticised him for being partisan and pointed out that Bercow could potentially play a decisive role in determining the outcome of future votes on Brexit after his controversial decision to allow an amendment to the January vote on the Brexit Deal, so could it be that he somehow puts a spanner in the works?

We know that for tonight’s vote, the Speaker has already ruled out several amendments put forward by MPs after last night’s vote. According to the BBC:

Backbench MPs and opposition parties put forward eight amendments to show which direction they want the government to take on Brexit.

Speaker John Bercow has selected two of them to be put to the vote in the Commons later.

The amendments included are:

• Spelman/Dromey amendment

Amendment a), submitted by the Labour MP Jack Dromey and Conservative, Caroline Spelman, alters the wording of the government motion to: “this House rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a Framework for the Future Relationship”.

• The Malthouse Compromise

This amendment f) requests:

1. The government publish tariff schedules
2. An extension of leaving to 22 May 2019
3. ‘Mutual standstill agreements’ between the UK and EU until the end of 2021, including payments to the EU
4. A unilateral guarantee of citizens’ rights

He rejected the amendments of the Independent Voting Group and those of the parties of the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, which included options to hold a second referendum or remain in the EU. This could prove to have far-reaching consequences further down the line for the Brexit process.

Sun conjunct Mercury

However, Mercury will have the final say – on Friday, the Sun moves to conjunct Mercury, which then translates its light, firstly back to Jupiter (remember, it is retrograde, so crossing paths with the Sun back through Pisces). It then carries the baton back to Pluto (16th)! In this chart, Mercury rules the 9th (foreign affairs, religion, law, higher education, culture) and 12th (secrets, backroom deals, hidden enemies, self-undoing, hospitals and other institutions) houses. This signals that there could be some behind the scenes discussions over the weekend that could lead to developments or announcements next week. Mercury will also retrace the Sun’s steps of recent weeks back to Mars (18th) and then Saturn (20th) – BEFORE the Sun changes signs. So I think that we can expect this situation to go down to the wire…

May and the Government: The Moon

Does the Moon’s movements reveal anything about tonight’s’ vote, or the fate of Mrs May?

The Gemini Moon makes only two aspects today:

• trine to Venus
• square to Neptune

The first aspect of the Moon to Venus is favourable and suggests that some clarity may arise as a result of the vote for businesses, care of Amendment f) the Malthouse Compromise, which asks the House to provide clarity about tariff schedules and interim payment schedules in the event of a no deal. Venus rules the Libra Ascendant, which is conjunct the Part of Commerce, as well as the 8th house, which rules tax and trade deals or agreements, so this fits and provides a bit of certainty and breathing space on the economic front. So I think that will pass.

The second aspect, a square to Neptune in the 6th house, suggests a deepening of the muddle and confusion currently going on within Parliament around Brexit. Neptune rules the 6th house of work, health and perhaps also the ‘workings’ of the House of Commons itself. The Part of Enemies is very close to Neptune, suggesting that the current confusion is having a subversive and corrosive effect on British politics – eroding the democratic process itself. The EU have increasingly called on the UK to ‘make up its mind’ so that matters can be wrapped up – they are tired of uncertainty and mixed messages in Brussels. But with the Executive and the Legislative branches of the government still very much at odds, this looks virtually impossible at the moment. Some experts have called this a constituitional crisis, and perhaps that is what the Part of Enemie sis suggesting. One thing is for sure – it certainyl isnt good for British buisness or workers (both 6th house matters).

Sadly, I suspect that this aspects signals that after tonight, no one will be any clearer as to the direction of travel…

As for Mrs May’s fate, although May’s resignation would change the game, it doesn’t look like she is going anywhere for now. Independent MP, Anna Soubry certainly thinks so:

It’s become the norm in these most extraordinary of political times: the prime minister suffers another humiliating defeat after two years of negotiations on the most important decision in decades, and no one in the House of Commons shouts: “Resign!”

Although there is little, if any, sympathy for Theresa May (the consensus being that she is the author of her own misfortune), no leader of any party stands up and demands she steps down. Even though it’s widely recognised that the prime minister is largely the problem, it’s accepted that the Conservative party is unlikely to find anyone much better to replace her.

Let’s see what the next few days bring…

 

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