Shropshire Star

Evidence we are not leaving the empire is overwhelming

Firstly, my apologies to Brexit fans, but we are not leaving the empire, and the evidence is overwhelming.

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1. Article 50 was delayed for nine months after the vote – why? It certainly wasn’t because our MPs needed a holiday after such intensive campaigning.

2. The Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, remember, her deal, not the government’s or the country’s, was not a cobbled together, hashed up deal, but one that very carefully included the “Irish Backstop”. The same Irish Backstop that the EU insists is not negotiable under any circumstances whatsoever!

3. Why the insistence on this? From the EU’s point of view, they do not want the UK to leave, and neither does the Prime Minister. Both parties know that this sticking point means that the UK parliament will never vote for it. It is designed to fail. Remember the quote: “I will resign once my deal is voted through?” Well that is never going to happen, which means the Prime Minister’s position is both impregnable, and unassailable. The incentive to negotiate leaving the EU doesn’t exist!

4. The government is now engaged in talks with the Labour Party regarding Brexit. The government’s stance effectively means that Northern Ireland remains part of the EU, and the Labour Party now appears to have decided that part of these negotiations must include remaining in the customs union, and is now, perhaps, seeking another referendum (or is it?). Clearly, neither option is serious with regard to completely leaving the EU.

There is only one flaw in this plan, planet Westminster – it presupposes electoral stupidity! Rab Butler will be turning in his grave. Cynicism – almost certainly, realism – almost certainly also. One final thought. “Vote for my deal and I will resign” (a euphemism for do as you’re told, if ever there was one!) can at best be described as an unusual way to operate a parliamentary demo... sorry, I drifted off into history there for a minute. My apologies.

Now to set the alarm clock for 31 October 2019. I suspect I will have a surfeit of opportunities to exercise the snooze button.

Mr D N Grant, Ludlow

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