Sunday 8 September 2019

Brexit: an accptable sequence?


At church this morning the Epistle began with these  words from St Paul to the Romans:

I consider that the sufferings of this present  time are not worth comparing  with the glory about to be revealed to us.

Could have been written as words of comfort for Mr Johnson and his Brexiteers.

Yesterday Leeds for Europe held a very successful day conference entitled Europe: Remain and Reform.

One of the highlights was a speech from Hilary Benn, who was applauded for masterminding the
successful Bill to stop any no-deal Brexit on 31st October.

If I understood him correctly he outlined the following  sequence for after the 31sr October.

1.  We apply for an extension of Article 50 until 31st January.
2.  In that time, if he has not already achieved one, Mr Johnson continues (assuming he's actually started) to attempt to negotiate a new deal.
3.Then the new deal (or no-deal if no new one is available) is put to a People's Vote against the alternative of Remaining.
4.  Then, whatever the result, we have a General Election.

If MPs continue to lack the courage to Revoke Article 50, that seems to me a reasonable sequence of events.

One of the points raised at the conference is that the Brexiteers are good at devising simple slogans
which appeal to the emotions.  (Take back control! Give us back our sovereignty! It's democracy!). We Remainers tend to respond with facts rather than in emotional kind.

One acceptable slogan suggested is: Tell the truth!

We are anxious for further suggestion.

On the sovereignty issue there's been a Radio 4 series on "How others see us."  In the one on how Poland sees us:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0008432

a Polish interviewee pointed out that our Brexiteers  claimed that in the EU we had lost our sovereignty.

That is untrue.  We hadn't lost our sovereignty: we were perfectly able to have a referendum to decide whether to remain in the EU or to leave it.

Poland under the Soviets didn't have such a choice.  That's what "loss of sovereignty " means.

Yes, tell the truth.

Almost  all "expert" opinion takes the view that  "glories" are most likely to be "revealed " in a co-operative future inside the EU rather than as a lonely island of diminishing importance outside


1 comment:

  1. Hilary Benn, who was applauded for masterminding the successful Bill to stop any no-deal Brexit on 31st October

    Well, for taking down the bill as it was dictated to him over the telephone from Brussels, anyway.

    ReplyDelete