If the MPs can't decide then the only remaining option is to let the people decided
It was obvious Theresa May's Brexit Deal would be rejected by Parliament. It was the scale of the defeat that was remarkable. In normal times, having suffered such a loss the PM would resign. These though are not normal times.
Corbyn has tabled a motion of no confidence. Ironically the very MPs who helped vote the Brexit deal down will now express their confidence in Mrs May. Of course if they don't the Government could fall, there would then have to be a General Election, Corbyn could get his hands on the keys to number 10, and those MPs would be out of a job. I doubt those MPs have any confidence in the PM, their vote of support will represent nothing more than one of self interest.
I expect Mrs May will survive the vote of confidence, but then what? Parliament is in utter turmoil. There is no common consensus, no hint of a plan that the majority of MPs could agree on. And even if there was, would it be accepted by the EU? The EU have already made it quite clear they are not prepared to reopen the negotiations.
No deal is one option, but MPs are unlikely to agree to that for fear of the havoc that could unleash. An alternative is to cancel Brexit altogether, but MPs won't take that path as they would not want to be accused of ignoring the will of the people.
If the MPs can't decide then the only remaining option is to let the people decide. A Second Vote, giving the electorate the choice of
Leaving the EU on the terms negotiated by Mrs May, or
Cancelling Brexit and staying within the EU.
As someone who voted in 2016 to leave, I don't agree such a move would be undemocratic. Circumstances have changed since then and giving the people the chance to express their opinion, knowing what we know now would be entirely democratic.
The alternative is months if not years of continued uncertainty.
I have spent the last week reading opinions on the Brexit deal. The Prime Minister is unlikely to get the deal approved in Parliament, too many MP's are opposed to it. However, the Daily Mail reports today that the majority of the country think Parliament should accept it, believing that it is the best deal we are going to get.
I suspect the public are sick to the back teeth of the whole sorry mess, and just want it resolved, one way or the other. And it really is a mess. The government triggered Article 50 without having prepared, and seemingly with no clear idea about how they would achieve their goal. Indeed, I am not sure they knew what the goal was.
The EU are tough negotiators, and appear to have got what they wanted. As for the UK, Mrs May wants us to agree a plan whereby we must, for a period of time, continue to follow the EU rules but without any representation at the EU. We will remain in this situation until such time as a new trading agreement is decided. We cannot leave this arrangement without the agreement of all the EU member states. They would have the UK over a barrel, the EU would squeeze every last concession out of the UK before finally allowing us to leave.
The result? A democratic deficit and an inability to strike deals around the world for as long as the EU deem it. A bad deal really is worse than no deal.
Has this situation come about because of the utter incompetence of the government, or is it a prelude to the abandonment of Brexit?
I can't make up my mind. The government are it seems stock piling food and medicines just in case the UK leaves the EU without a deal. It's as if we are on a war footing, and it is to say the least very worrying.
What I can't decide is if this situation has come about because of the utter incompetence of the government, or whether it is a prelude to the abandonment of Brexit.
If it is the former, then would our government be any better than the EU? I voted to leave in part because it was apparent to me that the EU did not care about the wellbeing of the people of Europe. The European project would continue, regardless of the cost to the people. Now, it is becoming apparent that Brexit is likely to have a detrimental effect on the wealth and wellbeing of the people of this country. By pushing on with the project, and knowing the potential damage it could cause, is our government any better than the EU?
The other possibility is that what is happening now is a gradual application of pressure, a continuation of Project Fear, preparing the populace for the moment when the government says it is abandoning Brexit. With warnings of the potential for catastrophic economic damage growing ever louder, who but the most die hard of leavers would object if the government brought Brexit to a halt? Such a scenario has one flaw. It assumes the government know what they are doing.
Theresa May announces on Friday that her and her Cabinet have agreed a united approach to the Brexit negotiations. I couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't had that meeting when the referendum result was announced in 2016, why they didn't agree their strategy before entering into negotiations with the EU.
Now, the minister responsible for Brexit has resigned from the Cabinet. So much for a unified front. This government is an utter shambles, and any hope of obtaining a good exit agreement must now surely be lost.
How can EU non-Brits have confidence that their rights will be properly protected
The way the Windrush immigrants have been treated by the Government has been appalling. Their treatment must be of grave concern for EU citizens living in the UK, worried about how they will be treated post-Brexit.
Sajjad Karim, a Conservative MEP made this point when asking
If the British Home Office and our justice system have so demonstrably failed in protecting Windrush British citizens how can EU non-Brits have confidence that their rights will be properly protected? Frankly today they can't.
It beggars belief that anyone in Government could have thought an attempt to deport the Windrush Generation was the right thing to do. Morally, there can have been no justification for it.
Iceland have more volcanoes than professional players. England were abject, I have never seen such an awful performance.
Last night England were knocked out of Euro 2016. Beaten 2-1 by Iceland. Iceland. A country of 300,000 with no professional teams. They have more volcanoes than professional players. England were abject, I have never seen such an awful performance.
After the match Roy Hodgson resigned. He would have been sacked anyway, so it was just as well he did so. He is an honourable man who made some appalling tactical decisions. A bit like David Cameron who resigned as the PM in the wake of the referendum. Another honourable man who made some poor tactical decisions.
In the days since the vote, I remain convinced the decision to leave was the right one. I had always thought the EU was a corrupt, self serving institution. It needs reform, but it was never likely to happen without a seismic event; Britain's decision to leave may prove to be that event. Juncker, the EU President is being blamed in part for the British decision. Some of the Eastern European members are questioning the direction the EU is taking and are even arguing the treaty that binds the members should be completely redrafted.
The ramifications of the vote will be quite profound.
The EU has become a self serving, corrupt, Byzantine bureaucracy that has become more important than the people it is supposed to serve
Friday. It's the day after the referendum, and the country has voted to leave the EU. When I went to bed the indications were that Remain would win. This morning we find the result is 52/48 in favour of leaving. I voted to leave because I do not believe the EU is democratic. It is a project created by the politicians. It has become a self serving, corrupt, Byzantine bureaucracy that has become more important than the people it is supposed to serve. The way Greece has been treated is a prime example of the disdain with which the EU holds the people.
The calls for a second referendum have begun, but I would say that we do not need one. We have voted and the majority decision was to leave. The process of negotiating withdrawal will take years, which will mean years of uncertainty. Difficult times lie ahead, but I think in the long term Britain will confound the doubters, and the country will prosper.