"Unless Odey have sold down further, they still retain about 8%...

"Unless Odey have sold down further, they still retain about 8% of ESS shares so can single handedly break the deal - and possibly could be the swing vote to make the deal also."... incorrect, the Scheme needs 50% of holders and 75% of SOI to vote yes. Odey selling down at least some (at 48c lowest price) means he is unlikely to be a lead agitator for higher offer from Tianqi.

News that TLEA don't need FIRB approval and that shareholders are already acting on emails to 'click and vote' (easy as you like) means the chance of a second bid has fallen (supports the theory Odey's west perth contacts leaked to him likley other bidders were not interested and thus he cut his losses and ran). Votes can still be changed by 18th Apr, so not much damage done for another bidder holding out a bit longer, but the share price has been telling us for a while it's probably not coming.

3% return at 48.5c for a couple of months is worth waiting until late April even if another bid doesn;t happen, if you have spare cash. All things considered in this market, with lithium prices/stocks falling I'm happy enough to take the 50c.