Brexit Update No. 4

“Shortly after eight in the morning came the first resignation.  Someone no one had ever heard of quitting a job no one knew he had.” – Jon Crace

This is at least my fourth piece about Brexit, which is not bad considering I studiously avoid the subject…

Theresa May

It was quite a week for the indomitable Theresa May, and no day was quite as lonely as Thursday, with her support dramatically eroding, after submitting her 500 page Brexit deal document.

Neither the right nor the left of the Conservative or Labour parties like it.

But what’s a girl to do?

In the words of Ricky Nelson:

“You see, ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please yourself”

The Brexit referendum vote went 52% to the Brexiteers and 48% to the Remainers.  So, in her logic, what she is delivering (neither here nor there) is delivering proportionally what the people asked for.

On that fateful Thursday, Mars was opposing her natal Pluto (indications of danger; well she did face a lot of hostility).

So at this moment in time, she is in a precarious position, with several resignations, a new Brexit secretary, Jacob Rees Mogg triggering a vote of no confidence in her with the 1922 committee, the possibility that 48 letters may begin a new leadership contest, and the remote possibility of a general election which may turn the tide against the Conservative Party.  We are nearly at the end of the two year Brexit process, but nowhere near to a  deal.  All other U.K. society concerns (such as poverty and the N.H.S.) have been sidelined in order to deal with Brexit, and the U.N. are flagging up the parlous state of the poor here.  Has there ever been such a dire moment in our history, since the second World War?

U.K.

The 1922 Chart for the United Kingdom is very sparse on transits, but the 1801 Chart shows Jupiter exactly trine its Jupiter at this time.  Jupiter also sextiles its Uranus, and Pluto sextiles its Neptune.  Those transits would suggest an opportunity of some sort – whether to embrace the flawed deal, or whether to adopt the third option (cancel Brexit).

What was the darkest hour of the second World War?  “The darkest hour” was a phrase itself coined by Winston Churchill for a phase beginning in June 1940 with the fall of France.  Saturn was sextile the UK Uranus and Pluto, for the 1922 chart.  For the 1801 chart, Saturn was trine our Sun, Uranus was square our Saturn, and Pluto was on our Jupiter and sextile our Uranus.  Mixed transits, but with the hope of a fight back. No resemblance, to the current climate. For Winston Churchill, Chiron was trine his Mercury (problem solving), Neptune was square his Venus, the North Node was transiting his North Node (bringing out the bulldog), and Saturn was square his Saturn.

Conservative Party

The Conservative Party, so torn apart, has Pluto sextile its Sun (transformation), and Jupiter on its Venus (emphasis on relationships, but not the kind being displayed this week.  As I said in October: “Therefore the Party seems more resilient than one would think, especially if you are hoping for its imminent overthrow.”

Jacob Rees Mogg

Some of those who have resigned (e.g. Boris Johnson, who resigned earlier and whose star may be on the wane, and Dominic Raab) have been seen to have ambitions for the top job.  But Jacob Rees Mogg, who has played a part in this crisis, has stated that is not his intention. This week Pluto was square his Venus (a ruptured relationship, with arguably some ruthlessness on his part),  and North Node sextile his Uranus (karmic opportunism).

Michael Gove

Michael Gove kept everyone guessing for a day – “will he or won’t he resign?” after turning down the job of Brexit Secretary.  He has decided to fight from within, and with four other Brexiteers in the cabinet, is trying to find a way to amend the current deal which is on the table.  Jupiter is squaring his Sun, in upbeat mood for him.  And Pluto is trine his Pluto, bringing self-empowerment.  He certainly seems strongly poised at the moment, holding a balance of power.

Stephen Barclay

New Brexit Secretary on the block Stephen Barclay is a Taurean, so Theresa may expect more loyalty from him that the previous one who helped fashion a deal then declared it to be rubbish.  Dominic Raab served in the post from just 9th July to 15th November.  Stephen Barclay’s brief is to oversee withdrawal negotiations, and not to re-hash the negotiations.  His birth chart portrays him to be an upbeat chap, with Sun trine Jupiter, Mercury opposite Uranus (not afraid to be controversial) and Mercury conjunct Chiron (a problem-solving mind, which he needs to have in this context).  He also has Jupiter square Uranus, so may be a bit of a chancer (well he has been handed a poisoned chalice).  He has Pluto trine his North Node (his karmic mission is to be an agent of change), and his North Node is currently squared by Uranus (big change for him, personally – he has just risen up in the ranks).

Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn has been fairly enigmatic on the subject of Brexit, suggesting recently in a German magazine that there was no going back on Brexit, and then being contradicted by the Brexit shadow spokesperson Keir Starmer.  Labour MPs when asked about the current deal and the crisis in the Tory Party, always reply that Theresa May should stand down, and there should be a general election.  One wonders if anyone really wants to be in power at this time and sort out the current mess.  At least if the Tories were to see it through, they could be blamed for it.  If Labour took over now, it is difficult to know how they would solve it, and it is not clear what they would do, because their stated position (as on their website) is:

“We will scrap the Conservatives’ Brexit White Paper and replace it with fresh negotiating priorities that have a strong emphasis on retaining the benefits of the Single Market and the Customs Union”

This position will not satisfy the Brexiteers any more than that of the Conservatives.  Maybe they should have taken a more pro-Remain stance, or be supporting the Peoples Vote movement, for more clarity and success.  Certainly I do believe that a Socialist government would do their best to address the inequalities in our society, however, whatever they would or would not be able to do about Brexit.

Despite all that, Jeremy’s transits looked quite chipper this week: Pluto trine his Mars (strength) and Jupiter sextile his Jupiter (luck).  On the adverse side, Mars was opposite his Saturn, and Chiron was square his Uranus.  But Uranus was trine his Saturn.  It might have been a week of opportunity for him.  But he seems to have been increasingly at odds in the last few weeks with the shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, and doesn’t seem completely on the same page as Keir Starmer.

Labour Party

Uranus is currently sextile the Labour Party natal Mars, which could be a dynamic opportunity.

Keir Starmer

I wrote in September:

“Keir Starmer, sometimes tipped as a future leader of the Labour Party, is in charge of shadow policy on Brexit…  He seems to have a steady hand on the tiller.  He has … Uranus trine his Uranus, so he may surprise us at the beginning of this term.”  Well he has been more forthright and confident in recent weeks.  But his transits last week were more lacklustre (Saturn opposite his Mars and Jupiter square his Uranus), so I do not think his time has come quite yet.

Arlene Foster   

Arlene Foster and the DUP hold one of the fingers on the balance of power, in that they conferred a majority on Theresa May’s government in the 2017 election.  Whereas the Scottish National Party feel they have been left completely out in the cold in the Brexit process, Theresa was not able to ignore the Irish question.  Many people feel that the Irish question (of its border) has held up the process of Brexit too long, and some would happily ignore it.  But peace in Ireland was too hard won (as Tony Blair reminds us) not to attend to the matter with diligence.  Arlene herself was not happy this week, as it was felt that even the diligence which has been put into the document has not yielded a satisfactory outcome.  Arlene has Saturn opposite her Mercury (unhappiness with a document!)  She also has Pluto trine her Saturn (holding significant power), and Chiron trine her Neptune (some healing on a sensitive issue).

Brexit Chart

What of the current transit to the Brexit chart (for March 2017)?  Jupiter is trine its Venus (so it is quite congenial in terms of there being a current deal on the table), Neptune is sextile its Mars (sensitivity and constructiveness), Pluto square its Jupiter (big power struggles).  Pluto square its Jupiter reflects and goes back to the Pluto-Jupiter square in the original Brexit chart.  Divisive as ever.  Pluto seems to override the benefits of the other transits.  They should never have demoted him to a dwarf planet.

European Union

There is also a reflection of that Jupiter-Pluto dynamic in the transits to the European Union.  Of course, the European Union has a lot more on its mind than our conundrum, but Jupiter is currently squaring its Pluto, which is a power struggle which is not as difficult as the Pluto square to the Jupiter of our Brexit chart.  Do entities such as Brexit and the European Union have feelings…?

A Brief Handy Glossary

I don’t know about you, but I have spent the last fortnight trying to work out what “Backstop” means, in the context of Brexit.  We have a whole new dictionary….

Backstop

Definition from Sky News:

“A customs plan to avoid a ‘hard border between Ireland and N Ireland if a Brexit trade deal isn’t reached’ ”

Customs Union

Definition from Google dictionary:

“a group of states that have agreed to charge the same import duties as each other and usually to allow free trade between themselves.”

Frictionless Borders

(A favourite phrase of Theresa’s)

Definition from The Independent:

” ‘Trade as frictionless as possible’ is the formulation used by British minsters to mean the lowest level of customs controls, tariffs, quotas and restrictions as can be negotiated.”

Brexhaustion

Explanation from The Guardian, Friday 16/11/18: Gaby Hinsliff:

“Perhaps she is banking on what the academic Rob Ford calls “Brexhaustion”, or the fact that for every man or woman glued to every twist and turn there is probably one who barely cares now how this thing ends, just so long as it ends.”

The End of the Affair

From last week’s Blog:

What can we anticipate during the eighteen month stay of the North Node in Cancer?  …In just under six months’ time we are due to leave the European Union, and if we were to have a one year transition period, that would take us to the end of this karmic cycle.  …North Node in Cancer can make communities more insular, and less open to unity with other countries, and mutual global concerns.”

and

“For the first year of this eighteen month period, Jupiter will be in its own sign of Sagittarius, countering in some respects, perhaps within the House it falls in in your birth chart, the insularity of North Node in Cancer.”

“One way in which Jupiter in Sagittarius can work in contrast to the North Node in Cancer, is in reaching out and establishing wider trade links with faraway places for the U.K.”

Although I am a Remoaner, and I would love a People’s Vote, and there are Brexiters who regret their original vote, I think the Brexiteers would be protesting on the streets if the government did not try and deliver Brexit.  So I personally feel a bit defeatist about the whole thing.

We have two eclipses in January (on 6th and 21st), plus in the middle of January Jupiter is square Neptune (spiritual confusion), so January could be an important turning point in the process.

The day of the Brexit deadline (29th March 2019), Mercury is exactly conjunction Neptune (mental confusion) and the Moon is conjunct Pluto (emotional depth), so I expect it will take a while before we realize at the time what the effects actually are.  We’ll certainly be in the middle of a lot of soul searching, collectively.

Aspects

Tuesday (20th) brings dynamism to the week, with a square between Mars and Jupiter.  This creates a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm, and it is up to you how you use it.  You can’t legislate for those who may misuse it outlandishly, for people can easily go over the top with this wild, spare energy.   It is also a very spontaneous energy, so not easy to plan ahead for, but if you are logging in to the blog early in the week, you may work with it in your higher imagination or creative visualization, to more constructive effect.  In parliamentary proceedings, we may hear of fiery exchanges, produced by the fire of Mars and the fire of Jupiter set against each other!

On Thursday (22nd) the Sun enters Sagittarius, and from an intense collective mood, spirits may pick up.  For some, that might mean an increasing enthusiasm for the preparations for the Christmas season.  Holidays are coming… Cold weather is forecast for the U.K., but hearts may be warming up.  Sagittarius is sandwiched between two very serious signs, Scorpio and Capricorn, and the run up to Christmas often holds all the excitement and anticipation.  Christmas itself comes under the sign of Capricorn, and often has its serious aspects.  So your enthusiasm and preparations now can help create and inject warmth into the big day, in advance.  Your future self will thank you.

In the early hours of Friday (23rd) the Moon is Full at 0 degrees Gemini, with the Sun in opposition in Sagittarius. The principle of the polarity of Gemini/Sagittarius is Communication, whether in its more surface nature (Gemini) or on a deeper level (Sagittarius).  Issues concerning public transport, and social media, could come to a head.  Mark Zuckerberg seems to be in a quandary at the moment, and at the Full Moon he will have Uranus on his Mercury, the Nodal Axis square his Mercury, Uranus opposing his Pluto, and the Nodal Axis square his Pluto.  To paraphrase, the Nodal Axis squares his natal Mercury-Uranus opposition, with Uranus transiting the opposition.  He could make an important announcement around then, about his life, and the future of Facebook.  In your own life, you may want to review how you could better use transport and social media.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tuesday – high energy and enthusiasm
  • Thursday – gathering enthusiasm
  • Friday – emotional tension
Date: Nov 18th, 2018 · Comments RSS · Tags: News