On 23rd June the British electorate voted to leave the European Union. This vote was despite the avalanche of frightening stories that came from politicians, bankers, businessmen and others, all telling us that a vote to leave would result in immediate and catastrophic economic collapse.
Admittedly there were claims from some of those who wanted to leave that were also rather dubious, but they, at least, had tales of hope and forecasts of a brighter future. They were positive about the prospects for the United Kingdom freed from the stifling bureaucracy of the European Union, while those who wanted us to stay in could only try to frighten us with claims of the horrors that would be unleashed should we dare to leave.
Leaving the European Union begins with the 'triggering' of Article 50, part of the Union's constitution which sets out how a member country can leave. Following the triggering, the Article allows for 2 years of detailed negotiation before final separation can be achieved and this period can even be extended if all parties agree. To my mind, the vote of the British people on 23rd June was a clear statement to Government that Article 50 should be triggered; after all, Government and Parliament are there to do the Will of the People, are they not ?
Not, it now seems. The likes of Ken Clarke see themselves as somehow better than the rest of us and much prefer to dictate rather than represent.
Yesterday's High Court ruling has given fresh wind to the sails of those who want us to remain in the Union, giving MPs and Peers the chance to refuse to allow the triggering of Article 50. Some such as Ken Clarke and Owen Smith, have said that they will vote against triggering the Article, come what may. Others, such as Nick Clegg, have said that they will only agree to its triggering if there are certain highly restrictive provisos written into the Government's negotiating stance, in effect, making any meaningful negotiation impossible. Quite simply, these MPs, supposedly representatives of the people, propose to reject the clear view of the people as expressed on 23rd June, in favour of their own. It appears that many in the unelected House of Lords are of a similar mind.
Amid all of this, Theresa May has apparently told the EU's leaders that her timetable for triggering Article 50 remains unchanged, something which both France and Germany are rather keen on. Both have elections next year and neither wants the water to be muddied by continuing uncertainty over 'Brexit'. Nonetheless, the reality has to be that, unless the Supreme Court overrules the High Court when it considers the matter in December, the likelihood is that we are going to have to endure weeks, and even months or years, of renewed campaigning over this issue.
The Government may be able to push a brief measure through Parliament fairly quickly, though that is far from certain; something more comprehensive is unlikely to be viewed favourably unless it has all manner of provisos included, such as a guarantee that we will remain within the Free Market and that freedom of movement will be largely unchanged. If they have to consider resorting to primary legislation, that could take years and effectively stop us from ever leaving.
Given this mess, Theresa May could well find herself having to attempt to call a General Election, though even this could be a messy affair. Because of the 'Fixed Term Parliament' Act, she would need to gain a large majority of the House of Commons or lose a vote of confidence in order to be able to ask for a dissolution. Many 'Remainers' may baulk at either possibility and many Labour Members may be terrified of what an early election might do to their representation in the House. In other words, Mrs May may be unable to get either a sufficient majority or to lose a confidence vote due to the simple cussedness of some MPs. What would happen then is anyone's guess.
We are undoubtedly in for a turbulent time in the next few months. Had the vote been in favour of 'Remain' we would have had none of this, but the 'Remoaners' have far too many vested interests of their own to ever give up and listen to the 'little people'. They are the establishment which has done so much to destroy our society and economy over decades and, as the 'establishment' they control much of the power in the land. It's time for the little people to rise up and give them a bloody nose.
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