Thursday 2 February 2017

Brexit: Britain betrayed


In our history we've had a Short Parliament, a Long Parliament and a Rump Parliament.   I suspect future historians will dub this one the Pathetic Parliament.  They have:

  • set up a referendum not in the interests of the nation but to help one political party try to solve a domestic problem;
  • failed to provide for a supermajority and other safeguards , such as would be normal in any civic organisation which wished to change its constitution:
  • allowed an advisory referendum with a small majority of those who voted to be translated into "the will of the people";
  • granted the government the right to implement this result despite the majority of them believing that this will  be damaging to their constituents and the country as a whole:
  • amazingly, voted for this before seeing the customary White Paper setting out the Government's plans
Our MPs cannot argue  that they were unaware of their right and responsibility not to leave the EU.  The philosopher A C Grayling wrote to each one of them individually setting out the case, my friend John Cole set it out in  the lead letter in  the Observer on Sunday (link now found); there's a similar one from me in the January edition of Prospect; and Polly Toynbee had a vigorous article on the subject in the Guardian the day before the debate.

Best of all is Ken Clarke's excellent speech in the Commons on the first day of the debate


Most Members, I trust, are familiar with Burke’s address to the electors of Bristol. I have always firmly believed that every MP should vote on an issue of this importance according to their view of the best national interest. I never quote Burke, but I shall paraphrase him. He said to his constituents, “If I no longer give you the benefit of my judgment and simply follow your orders, I am not serving you; I am betraying you.” I personally shall be voting with my conscience content, and when we see what unfolds hereafter as we leave the European Union, I hope that the consciences of other Members of Parliament will remain equally content.

It is invigorating to read the whole speech, available at:

 https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2017-01-31/debates/C2852E15-21D3-4F03-B8C3-F7E05F2276B0/EuropeanUnion(NotificationOfWithdrawal)Bill

Instead our MPs cravenly succumbed to the loudness of the shouting of the Brexiteers and voted for something which they believe will harm both our country and the people they were elected to serve.  Shame on them.
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4 comments:

  1. Unknown2 February 2017 at 19:48

    The Conservatives MPs are pathetic. They vote like sheep, follow the crowd, we must keep the party strong. It does not matter if the UK falls apart, if we come out of the G7 for economy, on which most of us rely on sinks. Conscience is not their strong point Both Labour and Tories ARE pathetic.

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  2. Unknown2 February 2017 at 19:48

    The Conservatives MPs are pathetic. They vote like sheep, follow the crowd, we must keep the party strong. It does not matter if the UK falls apart, if we come out of the G7 for economy, on which most of us rely on sinks. Conscience is not their strong point Both Labour and Tories ARE pathetic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Peter Wrigley3 February 2017 at 07:15

    There's a line in the play "This House" (running at the moment in the West End) that "A Conservative government always eventually falls becasue they believe themselves entitled to power." Let's hope it's soon, though the antics of Labour MPs at the moment don't give much confidence.

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  4. Severn Boar8 February 2017 at 09:40

    The Conservatives have no real political philosophy, just the attainment and retention of power. Just recently they seem to have adopted Ed Miliband's earlier "Stalinist" policies on energy pricing and housing.

    ReplyDelete