This week, Westminster debacle left us all slack-jawed, Italy’s new government is a little bit odd, and Vdl has her full Commission squad.

This episode is sponsored by Plastics Europe, more about them at the end.

Happy rentrée. I hope, like us, you’ve had a relaxing break and come back with batteries fully recharged… because you’re going to need them!

First up, Westminster came back all guns blazing as UK MPs voted to back a bill aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.

British PM Boris Johnson – no, I still can’t get used to saying that – didn’t exactly conduct himself with aplomb at the dispatch box, calling opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn a “chlorinated chicken,” “a big girl’s blouse” and saying his ideas were “shit.”

Hardly prime ministerial Mr Johnson. In fact it reminds us more of someone else:

**Trump Klaxon**

The altercation naturally sparked headlines including this abomination!
Helen Nianias is keen to know both the original brief and the deadline the art team were given!

In a frenetic few days for BoJo, James Felton summed it up best:
Day 1 of parliament:
– loses his first vote in commons
– reduces his majority to minus 43
Day 2
– becomes first PM in history to lose his first three commons votes
Day 3
– his own brother quits rather than see out the week

Antoine Bertrand likened Boris to Monty Python’s knight in the Holy Grail, blindly blithering on, when it’s clear he’s been defeated.

https://twitter.com/AntBertrand/status/1169559457447206918/photo/1

Meanwhile Jacob Rees Mogg didn’t exactly raise the tone. His bizarre slouching soon had photoshoppers everywhere editing with glee:

https://twitter.com/dombrewer/status/1169549756424687616https://twitter.com/hallidayfineart/status/1169541145568759814

Though I have to say this is my favourite:

As the UK continues to lead the basketcase of Europe award, Italy finally seems to be getting its house in order.

Catherine Fieschi asked is there a chance that Boris Johnson might shoot himself in the foot as comprehensively as Salvini did?

As the new Italian government was officially installed on Thursday minus Matteo Salvini, Italy’s former interior minister, and de facto leader of the anti-mass-migration movement.

Jean-Claude Juncker sent his congratulations to Giuseppe Conte on his reappointment.

While Belarus News said: “Similar to a dragonfly, the average Italian government has a lifespan of about six to eight months.”

Deutsche Welle News described Italy’s new government as an “unlikely coalition” of the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party.

Valentino Larcinese tweeted: “Whatever your view on the new Italian government, it is difficult to explain to non-Italians how could government switch from right to left with no discontinuity in Prime Minister identity. There is a word for this, “trasformismo”.

Magnus Franklin can’t help but think how the Spitzenkandidat process and the choice of Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President, could have played out differently with the current Italian government around the table.

Well, quite.

So turning to Brussels rentree and the new Commission.

With the nomination of Paolo Gentiloni as Italy’s pick for Commissioner on Thursday,

Ursula von der Leyen said she had received names from all the EU Member States and will present the full College on Tuesday.

Jack Parrock spotted that she was “Absolutely nailing the “pointing at things” game already!”

But how will she manage with the kissing and the awkward three-way handshake??
Jean Claude Juncker’s a tough act to follow!

A reminder from Sam Morgan: the way things stand now, S&D group will have more affiliated Commissioners than EPP, men will only outnumber women 14 to 13 and it’ll all be led by the first female president. Brave new EU world

This week are sponsored by PlasticsEurope. Find out more about #zeropelletloss at the Operation Clean Sweep Workshops at the K fair 2019 in Düsseldorf. You can register online now.

That’s it for this week, join us next Friday for more more of the same.