Rise of the Remainers

It seems the Brexit remain camp are getting their act together and are putting forward some plausible reasons for denying the democratic will of the people.

The latest is Tony Blair, who says that on the day of the referendum we voted to leave, but didn't know the terms of the deal and therefore Parliament should have a vote on the terms of the deal.

As a statement it all sounds very straightforward and reasonable, except:

After article 50 was triggered, the EU puts a deadline of 2 years on negotiations. Parliament will be debating on the outcome of the negotiations at the end of the two years. So it's not like Parliament can send the negotiators back for a better deal: it's take it or leave it. Vote to accept the deal or vote to reject it. Reject it and you drop into hard Brexit, exactly the scenario the remainers are dead against.

Are they really saying they will accept a poor deal or a worse situation than we are in now under any circumstances in order to keep the UK tied to the EU? Paying billions to the EU with no voting rights, no influence on legislation?

Are they saying they will not agree to any deal that involves us leaving the EU so we go to a hard Brexit just out of Spite to teach the population a lesson?

Or are they going to (as I suspect) put some spin on it and say the deal is bad, hard Brexit is worse, so lets stay in the EU anyway.... In effect having a "stay in" vote, without actually giving the population a say in the matter. And then revoke article 50.

In any of these scenarios, the remainers are saying they will frustrate the democratic will of the people. We are thick, we didn't know what we were voting for and therefore need to be steered away from the course we plotted for ourselves. We are petulant children that at best should be ignored or worse we should be punished.

The establishment figures in Parliament and it's Westminster bubble need to remember they are our servants: we put them there to do our bidding. They are not there to tell us to be our nanny. They asked us the question: in or out. We replied out and now Parliament should deliver that, as ordered by the people.

Out means out. Hard Brexit is the outest of outs, but I do acknowledge we have prior agreements to fulfil. Once those agreements and projects are completed, then we should not be contributing to the EU in any way. In effect paying extortion money to be able to trade with Europe.

In the years after Brexit and during the transition period, a more permanent solution to the Irish border needs to be produced. One that does not involve us paying money to the EU and certainly one that does not involve an open border to the EU. Otherwise we have a new route for immigrants.

Brexit Becoming a Binary Choice

Last night's vote by the commons to have a say on the Brexit deal virtually ensures that Brexit will become a binary choice: in or out.

There will be no deal. The remainer MPs in May's party will raise their heads again during the vote to kill any deal that May will have extracted from the EU in an attempt to make the exit from the EU as hard as possible.

I suppose they think that once they have killed any deal and we face a hard Brexit, that the public will demand we stay in the EU after all.

Not Me.

I understood when I marked my ballot paper that a Hard Brexit was necessary.

So hard Brexit it is then. Make your plans everyone.

I just hope that the snowflakes don't stampede back to the EU.

After all, the things us leavers disagree with, like an EU army commanded by unelected beaurocrats, EU-wide taxation set by unelected beaurocrats, immigration levels set by unelected beaurocrats and all the other things have started to be mentioned by the EU. They were not unsubstantiated scare stories after all.

Brexit: May Capitulates.

It seems that we are getting Brexit lite: out of the EU, paying the EU, subject to EU rules (regulatory convergence) but not actually in the EU to make those laws.

It's the worst of all worlds.

Not yet negotiated, but I suspect this will be the sticking point of the next phase:

If we have regulatory convergence, then we must abide by EU trade deals surely? i.e. we won't be able to go out and negotiate our own trade deals as was the plan to bring prosperity and cheap imports after Brexit.

For instance, if we keep the same regulatory framework, we can't import non CE-approved equipment from China. Because our border is effectively the EU border. We have to keep up the same standards. It would be impossible to have an open border on one side and be importing goods that comply to a different standard than in the rest of the EU on the other side. Because those non EU standard goods will be able to slip over the border into Europe unopposed.

So as far as I can see it, the version of Brexit we're getting has all the red tape and expense and non of the benefits of free trade.

I look forward to Jacob Rees-Mogg demolishing this agreement.

I'd email my MP to insist on a firm Brexit with no deal, but he's Alan Mak, a remainer. A remainer in a majority Leave constituency. A remainer who I'm sure will be happy to be effectively staying in the EU.