Let the dust settle on the first indicative day

There has been some premature pessimism (and on the Leaver side, undue celebration) as a result of yesterday's votes in the House of Commons. However, as Sir Oliver Letwin, the prime mover of the process, said in the post-mortem:

It is, of course, a very great disappointment that the House has not chosen to find a majority for any proposition. However, those of us who put this proposal forward as a way of proceeding predicted that we would not this evening reach a majority, and indeed, for that very reason, put forward a business of the House motion designed to allow the House to reconsider these matters on Monday[.] If on Monday the House can reach a majority view, it would be in the interests of our constituents and the country, ​but I personally continue to harbour the hope that my right hon. and hon. colleagues will see fit to vote in favour of a Government motion between now and close of play on Friday, which would obviate the necessity for a further set of votes on Monday.

He was backed up from the other side of the chamber:

Margaret Beckett (Derby South) (Lab): I do not know what anybody else expected, but I did not necessarily expect any motion to carry a majority today, certainly not the one I proposed, which, if I recall, has had almost an identical result to the one it had the last time it was moved in this House. My understanding of the procedure instigated by the right hon. Member for West Dorset (Sir Oliver Letwin) was that we would first let 1,000 flowers bloom and see where we went, that that would expose some things that had perhaps little support, and that then we would seek to proceed to see whether ranking things in an order of importance made a difference.

Two votes did deliver a knock-out blow, those against leaving the EU without a deal. If MPs consider the situation logically (a tricky demand, one must admit) that must mean that they are bound to commit themselves to a course of action - whether by accepting the May-Barnier deal, or by calling a third referendum - which will prevent the UK drifting out of the Union by default. We await the second stage of Sir Oliver's scheme on Monday, if there has not been a sudden surge of support for May-Barnier - or even Revoke A50! - by the weekend.