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Merkel to Boris: “We Have the Deal We Want & We’re Not Budging, but You’re Welcome to Beg!”
Every day we teach others how to treat us.
And the European Union has taught us that it’s fine with the UK breaking the rules of its own constitution in order to join the European Union; That it’s fine with the UK contributing hundreds of billions more to the EU budget than it got in return; That it’s fine that the UK has been allowed only a tiny say in the EU Parliament comparable to the influence that Sweden or Hungary have in the EU Parliament; And the EU has taught us that the UK can leave the bloc but that the EU will make all the rules about Brexit; And that Brexit must cost the UK taxpayer £40 billion for some unfathomable reason.
That’s it. That’s the entire point of my blog post today.
Suffice to say that the EU has had their way with the UK since 1998, and UK supplicants (oops, I meant to say UK Parliamentarians) have taught the EU that they were fine with that arrangement.
But since Britons showed some spine, voting to leave the EU in 2016, the UK supplication squad were forced to stand-up for UK interests, and EU heads don’t like that a bit.
And that’s why we’re where we are today in regards to the UK-EU relationship.
Angela Merkel, Germany’s formidable and long-serving Chancellor, said it all in today’s phone call to Boris Johnson, basically telling the UK Prime Minister that the EU already has the Withdrawal Agreement of their dreams (supplied by former UK PM Theresa May) and there’s no way that they’re willing to settle for anything less than that perfect (for the EU) deal.
And why would they?
Theresa May’s deal (with the Irish backstop) represents a complete and utter win for the EU side and the European Union heads would be stupid in the extreme to vote against her overly generous gift. I get that.
Imagine… Theresa May OFFERING to pay £39 billion TO LEAVE A BLOC (with basically zero chance of scoring a free trade deal) AND allowing THE BACKSTOP TO BE IMPOSED on some UK territory, AND allowing the UK constitution to continue to be contravened by virtue of continued EU control over various UK law, trade, and other governance.
I don’t blame the EU for wanting the best deal in history, nor do I blame them for wanting £40 billion for nothing (who wouldn’t want £40 billion for nothing?) and I don’t blame the EU for attempting to retain control of certain parts of UK sovereignty.
What I do blame the EU for, is that it refuses to accept anything other than a deal so biased in the European Union’s favour and so unrealistic that it failed to pass in the UK House of Commons, three times!
Instead of holding-on to an unrealistic deal that has absolutely no chance of passing the UK citizen ‘smell test’ nor of passing in the UK House of Supplication, EU heads should take their own advice and offer some compromise themselves — instead of continually telling the UK side that it’s the party that must make all the compromises.
Only then will the EU side be seen to be working in good faith towards an agreement. And until that happens, the EU will remain part of the problem instead of part of the solution in the UK-EU relationship.
The time for bluffing is over, dear Angela. Now is the time to work in good faith to get a deal that Europeans on both sides of the English Channel can feel good about!
Related Article:
- Brexit: Deal ‘essentially impossible’ after PM-Merkel call – No 10 (BBC)
Brexit: Boris Johnson Welcomes the EU to The Last Chance Saloon
In an article penned by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and posted at The Sun website on October 5th, the Prime Minister invited EU leaders to sign-on to his Brexit deal that would allow all parties to move past the economic uncertainty plaguing Europe for the past 3.5-years.
Obviously, the Prime Minister is compelled to try to reach a deal with the EU because it’s in the interests of the UK, it’s economy, it’s people, and those UK businesses that depend on the EU market.
Not that the EU is the only game in town, mind you. There are other countries and blocs that want to trade with the UK in a post-Brexit world, but continental Europe happens to be conveniently located for the UK business community, and there will always be longstanding links between the UK and the continent. (Deal or No Deal)
Signing even a minimal Brexit deal would signify success for both sides which could help redeem those UK and EU politicians needing redemption after dragging 514-million Europeans through the (economic) mud over the past 3.5-years.
Boris’ plan is as good as any that would ever be proposed, so the logical thing for both sides to do is to sign and ratify the deal in their respective Parliaments so that millions of Europeans can get on with their lives.
But no matter how reasonable the Boris Brexit Plan is, my guess is that it won’t be signed — and even if it is, all it would take to tank the deal is for one of the EU27 Parliaments or the UK Parliament to fail to ratify the deal.
Which leaves a successful Boris Brexit Plan signing and ratification at 1-in-28 (that’s a 3.57% chance of a signed and ratified Brexit deal). Yikes.
So don’t get your hopes up. After all, these are the people who’ve done everything to deny the democratic will of the UK people, dithering and delaying Brexit since 2016 and thereby costing the UK economy £69.5 billion alone due to the accompanying economic uncertainty during that time.
FYI: Today marks 1200-days since the June 23, 2016 EU referendum
Let’s hope that EU27 leaders and UK Parliamentarians decide to grab the ring of destiny and end the present economic uncertainty for the benefit of 514-million Europeans.
There Oughta Be a Law!
When a majority of Britons voted to leave the European Union on June 23, 2016, AND a majority of UK MP’s voted to leave the European Union on February 1, 2017 when they voted 498-114 to approve the European Union Bill allowing the UK to leave the EU, AND when a majority of Britons voted for political parties that supported Brexit in the June 8, 2017 General Election (that would be all UK political parties in that election) it follows that the UK Parliament is obligated to deliver Brexit for the British people.
It doesn’t mean that the UK government should allow themselves 10-years or more to deliver on the twice-expressed ‘Will of the People’. Because at the rate the UK Parliament is proceeding on Brexit that’s about how long it will take to get it done. If ever!
Which is why the UK needs a new law that requires Parliament to be responsive and legally accountable to voters, especially in cases where Britons have voted in a referendum, or where a major election promise has been made by the winning party. And that law should require Parliament to deliver within 2-years of the referendum date or General Election win, with severe legal penalties for non-compliance.
Failing to deliver Brexit within 2-years (we’re now at 3.5-years and counting!) has cost the UK economy approximately £69.5 billion so far due to the unceasing overpayments to the EU budget (the UK contributed £12.205 billion more to the EU budget than it got back in fiscal year 2019 alone) and additionally, the economic uncertainty costs caused by the overly-long House of Commons debates and overly-long UK government negotiating period with the EU during this Parliamentary session.
Perhaps being found in Contempt of Parliament with a fine of £10,000 per month, per MP, for each month beyond 2-years where the government hasn’t delivered within that 2-years what voters have ordered, might work to sharpen MP’s resolve.
Of course, there are MP’s working diligently to deliver on the 2016 referendum result who’ve been thwarted by their turncoat colleagues. Such diligent MP’s should obviously be rewarded — not punished.
However, the 2nd category of MP’s who were informed about the results of the June 2016 referendum, and who were members of a political party whose platform at the time included delivering Brexit, and whose party later voted to approve the European Union Bill to take the UK out of the EU, and whose party platform in the June 2017 General Election included a pro-Brexit policy and/or a pro-Brexit party manifesto, now seem to be trying to frustrate Brexit.
Which to my mind is almost a treasonable offence.
Unlike direct democracies like Switzerland, when Britons vote in a referendum it’s considered an advisory only for MP’s. I get that.
But shouldn’t UK MP’s be held accountable in any way whatsoever for their promises? Can they just promise any old thing without ever having to make good on their promises? Shouldn’t they be required to deliver the thing they’ve promised voters hundreds of times?
As an aside, it’s great fun to see certain MP’s who talked themselves and others into Brexit many months ago, now trying to talk themselves and others out of Brexit on the TV talkshow circuit… because they suddenly realize they might need to show some actual resolve and do some actual work to make Brexit happen.
Meanwhile, the average Briton does actual work for their pay every day.
If you bought a new car and you paid in full for the car, and the salesperson subsequently promised to deliver the car within a reasonable time… but then didn’t deliver the car; Would you seek legal redress or remedy from the salesperson/automotive dealership? Or would you just ‘let it go’?
How many of you would really ‘let it go’ and just move-on with your life?
Not many, I suspect.
Then why for the love of God would voters allow their MP’s to promise to deliver Brexit, and then ‘let it go’ with nary a comment, fine, nor Contempt of Parliament charge?
And the answer is; They won’t! ‘See you at the next election!’ say British voters.
It is unthinkable in a modern democracy that a Parliament would promise (hundreds of times) to honour the wishes of the people, and then after £69.5 billion has been squandered, that certain MP’s would then try to frustrate the government’s attempts to deliver on the promises made by UK Parliamentarians.
And to add insult to injury, that some MP’s would refuse to approve a General Election (the truest ‘People’s Vote’ of them all!) so that voters can decide for themselves which MP’s are true to the Will of The People.
I thought certain MP’s and their ‘rent-a-crowd’ followers wanted a ‘People’s Vote’!
It is quite without merit, it is dishonourable of individuals in the House of Commons, and it is a slap in the face of democracy that some MP’s who approved Brexit now won’t allow the government to deliver Brexit and also won’t allow the government to hold a General Election to determine the Will of The People on a pressing matter of national interest.
Parliament has Resumed Sitting… To What End?
For more chuntering-on about the Brexit they promised but won’t allow the government to deliver, for more banging-on about how the government isn’t doing its job but those same MP’s won’t allow an election to deliver on the ‘People’s Vote’ they’ve promoted in recent months?
Because, really, for £69.5 billion (and counting) Britons deserve better.
For shame, for shame, for shame, on this UK Parliament for not delivering on the Will of the People! And as for the so-called and overmuch ballyhooed ‘Will of Parliament’… it pales in importance when compared to the Will of the People!
Power to The People! And Parliament be Damned if it Won’t Do its Job!
Letter to Britain 