I listened to Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC, explaining that, when Trade Unions are invited to negotiate on behalf of their members, they first seek to negotiate the best possible deal with employers and then always put this deal back to their members, either for consent or rejection.
I also listened to doctors Philip Lee MP and Sarah Wollaston MP explaining that, as doctors, they always have to secure ‘informed consent’ from patients for every treatment they recommend.
The same applies to Brexit. It requires ‘informed consent’, as it will profoundly affect our rights and future prosperity for generations to come. It’s not like a General Election, when you can vote for a party in one year and then kick them out in five years time. Like a puppy, Brexit is not just for Christmas; it’s for life.
Today, the reality is that:
(a) None of the seductive promises made by Leave campaigners in 2016 have come true (think: sunlit uplands of prosperity; the easiest trade deal in human history; the exact same benefits; they need us more than we need them; we hold all the cards, etc); and
(b) When Theresa May’s negotiated deal was put to Parliament on January 15, 2019, MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject it, the largest ever defeat in Parliamentary history.
Whatever happens between now and 29 March, Theresa May’s deal MUST be put to a public vote for ‘informed consent’, either to accept or reject it.
Alan Meekings
by email
