Tory true colours confirmed

The Governent's Withdrawal Bill, which both Mrs May and Mr Johnson in their turns found so difficult to get through the previous Commons, has now passed the present one and is in the hand of the Lords.

There are at least two significant omissions in the present Bill,   and one serious distortion in an official government statement.

Before the election the government, including Johnson's government,  had accepted  a clause,  known as the Dubbs Amendment, which would allow unaccompanied refugee children stranded in the remaining 27 to join their families in the UK.  This has now  been withdrawn.  

Given our reasonably honourable historical  reputation toward refugees (Dubbs himself was welcomed as a Kindertransport guest) just what sort of a message does this send out to the rest of the so-called civilised world?  

Years ago Mrs May warned that the Tories were in danger of becoming "the nasty party."  This heartless, and profoundly inhuman  approach by the party that used to claim to be in favour of "the family" confirms there is no change in direction.

Johnson's government has also voted down an amendment which would have required them to negotiate for continued membership for UK students and apprentices of the EU's Erasmus+ scheme.  This gives financial and practical support to largely young people (though older ones can be included, as I discovered to my benefit) to enable them to explore the EU and its cultures.   This, they say, "will only happen if it is in our interest to do so."  How could it not be?  (Or maybe parents who can afford to send their kids to Eton don't really need it, and the rest don't matter.)

Finally, an official  government spokesperson has warned the Lords not to mess about with the Bill as "The country did deliver a very clear message that they want Brexit to be resolved."

The "country" did no such thing.  

Of the total electorate 53% voted for parties which were either opposed to Brexit or believed it should be put to a further referendum.  Only 47% voted for parties  in favour of "getting Brexit done."  Our primitive   electoral system has distorted this minority into a Commons majority of 80 and Johnson and his clique will crow that their actions represent the "will of the people."  

By continually pointing out this fallacy  we shall be jeered at as "poor losers."  True, in our inability to form a workable coalition of remainders to match the cunning Tory- Brexit party stitch-up we lacked the political flexibility to put our act togethe.

 But leaving the EU is by no means the will of the people, and will become less and less so as younger people move into the electorate.

By clever political manoeuvring this small clique of Brexiteers, "the bastards" as John Major called them, has seized control of the machinery of movement.  It is in fact a "coup d'etat."  The majority, we  "Remainers," must not just sit back and let them trash our national reputation and our children's futures.