Originally Posted by
Huehuecoyotl
Try and look on the bright(ish) side.
There isn't a majority in Parliament for a hard-Brexit. There is JRM and his 40 or so disciples, but that's about it. The Tory party won't fall into line behind it, Labour would vote against, as would the SNP and Liberals. Hell, even the DUP would come out against it, since it would only work with the border in the Irish sea, which the DUP have already made their "blood red line". Which is the kind of rhetoric that an Irish politician of any persuasion should no better than to use.
On the other hand, is there a majority for a truly soft Brexit, a BINO if you will? The SNP and Labour might back it, although there are certainly some Labour MPs who wouldn't regardless of the whips. Plenty of Tories who wouldn't, and others who wouldn't if supporting it was turned into a "back me or it's General Election time" situation.
So if we can't find a deal that the MPs can actually support, what does that leave us with? Three options, from where I'm sitting. No-deal Brexit, with all the horrifying consequences laid out in the 80 odd government papers (and even worse, a happy Dribbles). Or an extension on the negotiating period beyond that stipulated in Article 50, which the EU are unlikely to agree to (especially since there is no guarantee any more time would make it any more likely to get a deal sorted). Or finally the cancellation of Article 50 entirely, which might be possible unilaterally, if the case before the ECJ agrees, otherwise would need the agreement of 27 countries. Might be possible, if they know the alternative is no-deal, that damages literally everyone.
I have no idea which of those are possible at this point. To say we're in uncharted waters is an understatement. Personally, I think it's only going to happen if one or both of the main parties decide that the damage in being involved in a really damaging Brexit is worse that the damage caused to their party by cancelling it. Or doing a BINO. This is the point where we need politicians that can take a position that might be personally damaging for the sake of the country, because that's the right thing to do. We need big people, for a big time of our political life. Sadly, I'm not sure if we have them.