Brexit: Get on with it already? | 55 comments (55 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (4.00 / 2)

Guest post: The referendum now poses a serious threat to Parliamentary Sovereignty

The Scotland Act 1998 contains a provision that the Scottish Parliament cannot do any act inconsistent with EU law. Under what is still called the Sewel Convention (even though Sewel himself is only slowly recovering his reputation since he was photographed wearing an orange bra and snorting cocaine in the company of a prostitute) and is now S.28 (8) of the 1998 Act:
'it is recognised that the Parliament of the United Kingdom will not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.'
Withdrawing from the EU would affect 'devolved matters, thus any legislation to do so would (normally) require the Scottish Parliament's consent. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in very clear terms that she would encourage it not to give this consent, and indeed it seems inconceivable that Holyrood would do so if asked. Accordingly, runs the argument (if I have grasped it correctly), the UK Parliament could not lawfully pass the legislation that would be necessary for it to leave the EU.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Jun 28th, 2016 at 02:15:26 PM EST
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Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (none / 0)

The ultimate judgement of the linked article invokes Burke on the sovereignty of the conscience of the individual MP and his best judgement as to the risks or benefits to the polity as a whole, and that simply accepting the opinion, however expressed, of some or all of his constituents when his conscience tells him they are wrong would be to sacrifice the essence of the British constitution.

This might get the UK out of this particular dilemma, but is hardly likely to resolve the ongoing disaster that is governance in the UK. IMO, only a politician who can articulate a positive program that would benefit all, not just the top 10% of professionals, is the only way to move forward on a permanent basis. Just as in the US, demographic are in favor of such a development and leave voters are dying every day.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue Jun 28th, 2016 at 03:44:35 PM EST
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Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (4.00 / 4)

someone did a back of an envelope calculation with huge assumptions earlier that said if absolutely nobody changed their opinion, by the time the negotiations had ended over 1/2 a million out voters would have died off and at the bottom end of the spectrum an extra million remain voters would be added which would mean that leave would be a minority opinion by then

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Jun 28th, 2016 at 04:04:11 PM EST
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Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (none / 0)

And it is the future of the young that is being trashed by a bunch of drunk, bitter, misdirected racist bastards. But the conclusion about the demographics needs to get into the mainstream media, if only by LTE.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue Jun 28th, 2016 at 06:01:31 PM EST
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Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (none / 0)

Note: Not just by drunk, bitter, misdirected racist bastards. But very visibly so.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue Jun 28th, 2016 at 06:07:37 PM EST
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Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (none / 1)

looking at the vote distribution by education, you'd think that this was the high water mark too, every year seeing 50% of 18 year olds going to university

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Jun 28th, 2016 at 08:26:05 PM EST
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Re: Brexit: Get on with it already? (none / 0)

These considerations are the basis for a strong and coherent argument to remain. All that is left is to find the proper face to put on the decision. Probably the best is to maintain that legislation is required to trigger Article 50 and that successive attempts to pass that legislation has failed. After six months to a year of frustration have a general election.

If both the pro-business Tories and the anti-Blairite Labor can hold around 3/4 of the current membership of their parties the new government would likely also not be able to pass such a bit of legislation. This is not without risks, but it is preferable to preemptively capitulating to the UKIP and Boris. And if Labour can put forward a positive program to improve the lives of the 90% it might win the election outright.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Jun 29th, 2016 at 01:36:39 AM EST
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