For three years we have been trying to find a solution which honours the result of the Brexit vote and makes our exit as smooth and painless as possible.
The country is split, not between leave or remain but by variants of the two. There are those who want to leave with a deal, others who want to leave and trade on World Trade Organisation rules. There are pragmatic remain voters who acknowledge and accept the vote. There are also some who want to extend Article 50, repeal it, have a second referendum or, like the Lib Dems, ignore the vote altogether.
People are angry with Parliament and Parliamentarians, but never in a generation has Parliament so accurately reflected the people. We all fit into one of the above categories.
The vast majority of the public are pretty much in the same place; they want to leave, or they have accepted the instruction given by the people and they want to leave with a deal. I want a deal, the Prime Minister wants a deal, most of Parliament who accept the result of the referendum want a deal, the majority of the British public want a deal, so why can’t we have one?
Those who are trying to thwart the result will give any excuse; they say the deal is not good enough. The twenty or thirty MPs who want to leave on World Trade Organisation rules also say the deal is not good enough. There is only one thing that could bring a majority of Parliamentarians together. The Northern Ireland Backstop.
It was this part of Theresa May’s deal which prevented us from leaving on the 29th March. The draft Withdrawal Agreement is dead. It has never been ratified. It is not an agreement, it never was. It was a draft to be agreed and it couldn’t command a majority in Parliament. The European Union’s negotiators said the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened. This attitude is misguided.
By saying the draft Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened, the European Union are refusing to negotiate. If they continue, then the Prime Minister says we will leave without a deal on the 31st October.
So who will be responsible for a no-deal exit? Prior to the 29th March, it was those MPs who refused to compromise on the draft Withdrawal Agreement. Now the responsibility lies squarely at the feet of the EU. If they want a smooth exit which protects their manufacturers as well as ours then it is incumbent on them to find a solution to the undemocratic backstop.
If not, we will leave on the 31st October without a deal.
‘So who will be responsible for a no-deal exit? Prior to the 29th March, it was those MPs who refused to compromise on the draft Withdrawal Agreement’.
Hi Royston. I would say thank goodness for those MPs who wouldn’t compromise .. they did the UK a massive favour, otherwise we could have ended up with Theresa Mays awful draft being implemented. I am completely grateful to those who would not compromise on their principals .. neither would I have done so. The country voted OUT … Theresa Mays draft would have kept us in by the back door ! I am so pleased that she is no longer our PM .. at no time did I believe she had the backbone to deliver Brexit. Now we have Boris. I know he can be a divisive figure but he will get the job done .. one way or another ! In the event there is yet another general election, I wish you success.
Regards,
Graham.
Morning Royston,
It saddens/angers me that so many of our elected Parliamentarians think its ok to dismiss the result of whether to leave or stay in the EU. As for the Liberal Democrats, they should be totally ashamed that they think its ok to totally ignore the vote, I’m sure in the next General Election the results will reflect that statement.
On the 23 June 2016 17.4 million people (The majority) voted to leave the EU. Yet here we are 3 Years + and we are yet to leave.
I’m pleased to see that we now have a Prime Minister that is willing to stand up to the likes of Donald Tusk. We as a nation should be united and show the EU that we mean to leave with or without a deal. Its in the hands of the EU to negotiate/compromise on a solution.
Regards
Simon
Hello Roystron. “..a smooth exit which protects their manufacturers”? They will just shift any supply or service vulnerabilities to other countries and are already doing so. There is nothing but loss on the horizon for the UK. The responsibility lies squarely in the hands of the conservative party.
Hi Royston,
You make some very valid points. The nation is divided over what Brexit should look like and if it should happen at all, just like parliament.
Why then is it considered reasonable within Conservative government to pursue Brexit by the deadline regardless of the cost? As it stands there is a weak mandate to pursue Brexit but no mandate for what it should look like. So the current policy does absolutely nothing to reflect the diversity of views in the party, parliament or country. Given the lack of consensus, surely the democratic position is to take the time to engage the people with the available options and allow them to decide.
By flatly refusing to engage the people now that the possibilities are more apparent, your party has proven itself to be increasingly authoritarian and playing to the tune of the somewhat extremist DUP and Brexit parties, the darker underbelly of conservatism in the UK has been revealed for all to see.
We now are a nation that can’t be trusted on the international stage (regardless of what happens with Brexit) and the Conservative party will be held responsible. This is a mess that you and your party created. The EU’s red lines were clear from day one, so why should they renegotiate them now? No, a No-Deal will be the fault of the Conservative party and they will be held responsible.
When I see such blind determination I’m tempted to hope that the dog does catch the car and gets it’s just desserts. But then I think that the owner however careless in it’s care does love the dog and so do his children and I will miss it too. There must be a solution.
The considered and sensible points you make do, I feel, omit a few salient points. The NHS is the best in the world and is in chaos- and the possible Americanisation of it very scary. The sacking of ministers MPs and advisors by anybody / or everybody is not what you signed up for? When Boris goes to Europe to talk to his “friends” he is lucky to get a handshake. Given an increasingly volatile and unpredictable electorate, Cummings is sometimes bluffing? Sitting MPs standing as Conserve Values will get back in if they have a strong local presence?
Could you please clarify your position. Are you backing the government in pushing for Brexit on 31st of October come what may; or are you supporting the “Rebel Alliance” in seeking to prevent a no-deal Brexit?