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The EU Refuses to Negotiate Further, so Why Would MP’s Vote for a Brexit Extension?
The European Union Brexit negotiating team said many times in recent months that there’s nothing to negotiate in regards to Brexit and consider the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by former UK Prime Minister Theresa May to be the ultimate Brexit agreement — although it didn’t pass in the UK Parliament and therefore isn’t a valid agreement.
In fact, saying Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement didn’t pass in the UK Parliament is a bit of an understatement as it failed badly each time she presented the bill in the House of Commons.
Here’s what The Guardian wrote about the former PM’s first attempt to get the bill through Parliament: “Theresa May has sustained the heaviest parliamentary defeat of any British prime minister in the democratic era after MPs rejected her Brexit deal by a resounding majority of 230.” — Heather Stewart, writing in The Guardian
In the 2nd attempt to get the bill passed in the House of Commons, the BBC posted this summary on its website: “Theresa May’s EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs by an overwhelming majority for a second time, with just 17 days to go to Brexit. MPs voted down the prime minister’s deal by a margin of 149.” — BBC
And in the 3rd try, which was also defeated, the (by-then) hated withdrawal deal went down in flames with the EU’s vox.com writing, “The British Parliament has rejected the Brexit deal for a third time, intensifying the UK’s political chaos just two weeks before the country breaks up with the European Union. Members of Parliament (MPs) defeated the deal, 286 to 344 — a much closer margin than the previous two votes in March and January, but still short of a majority. It has dealt another deep blow to the already flailing authority of Prime Minister Theresa May.” — Jen Kirby at vox.com
And that 58-vote loss was obtained only after Theresa May offered to resign if the bill passed Parliament.
So, the Withdrawal Bill is dead, dead, dead, and won’t be returning no matter how much the EU miss it. And it’s no wonder they miss it, for it was practically written by them, for them.
In short; A completely one-sided deal that never had a chance to pass.
It’s Clear That UK MP’s Wanted Brexit and Wanted a Deal. But What Deal?
UK House of Commons MP’s voted enthusiastically to follow the instructions of UK voters way back in February of 2017 though, voting 498 to 114 to pass the European Union Bill by a healthy margin of 384 votes to get Brexit negotiations underway.
But Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement just didn’t cut it.
Since then, there’s been a lot of chatter in the UK about gaining a new deal, one that might actually work for the UK instead of the European Union alone.
But as EU leaders have said many times, there’s nothing to negotiate. The now-defunct Withdrawal Agreement is the only deal they would’ve considered and they continue to maintain that position.
One wonders if they’re 100% serious about that position as the EU (and especially German car manufacturers) might see falling sales should trade between the UK and the EU revert to WTO terms, and I think that’s what Prime Minister Boris Johnson is banking-on to get them back to the negotiating table to obtain a workable and fair Brexit agreement — one that works for both sides.
Yet, if you know continental Europeans like I know continental Europeans you’d know they always bluff to the last second.
And the EU does have a track record of last-minute deals that were preceded by years of excruciating trade negotiations.
In the case of the Canada-EU trade agreement (CETA) it took the two countries 8-years of on-again, off-again negotiations to reach a deal — which the Canadian Parliament ratified within weeks, while not one EU27 country has ratified it. Indeed, the EU has chosen to ignore the parts of the CETA deal they don’t like which makes them guilty of ‘cherry-picking’ the (signed and ratified by Canada-only) CETA deal.
Is that the kind of compliance we can expect if the EU were to sign a political agreement with the UK? And is that the kind of compliance the UK can expect if the EU sign a free trade agreement with the UK?
If so, why waste a minute on it?
Boris Johnson Wants a Brexit Deal – But the EU Doesn’t
Who will win that round?
Easy; The EU.
But UK Parliamentarians can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact that the EU… doesn’t want a deal.
And of course they’re right because the EU does want a deal — it wants the one-sided Withdrawal Agreement that was ‘negotiated’ during Theresa May’s time in office — and if that doesn’t work it wants the UK to give-up and stay in the EU. Which from their point of view is an even better deal.
If the EU can’t have either of those two choices, it doesn’t want any deal.
But within weeks of a No Deal Brexit, EU27 car manufacturers will have unsold cars piling-up outside their factories and will begin to pressure their governments for a trade deal (by that time a Brexit agreement won’t be needed as Brexit will have already occurred) and such a trade agreement could be in place by January 1, 2020 (about 115-days from now) and a cavalcade of sector-by-sector (or even segment-by-segment) trade deals would be signed and ratified by both countries in short order.
And, in the face of the thrice-failed Withdrawal Agreement, that might be the option the EU27 prefer. I know I prefer it!
So, Knowing All That: What‘s the Point of a Brexit Extension?
The EU said many times that they’re not interested in negotiating any more. They wanted the original Withdrawal Agreement and they didn’t get it, so now they want to bluff until the very last minute in a game of brinkmanship hoping against hope that the UK Parliament or the British people will lose the plot and just give up on Brexit.
There is therefore, nothing to negotiate.
So why are some British MP’s trying to get an extension of the Brexit date?
- Because they think the EU is lying and will negotiate a new Brexit agreement?
- Because they hope to overthrow Brexit altogether by using endless delay tactics?
- Because they were at first, brave and wanted to fulfil the democratic will of Britons, but have since gotten ‘cold feet’?
If they think #1 is correct, I have to say they’re incredibly naive.
If they think #2 is correct, I have to say they’re wrong. More and more Britons (even former Remainers) just want Brexit done, allowing the economic uncertainty to go away.
If they think #3 is correct, I would have to agree. And that means the UK needs a strong and dynamic Prime Minister to help them stay on-course and facilitate a resurgence of confidence in Britain’s future to get them past the present moment.
And guess what? That’s exactly the kind of Prime Minister Boris Johnson is. Thankfully.
What Kind of Brexit Deal do I Favour?
I prefer a No Deal Brexit — but only because I’ve seen close-up how the EU doesn’t keep its end of the bargain in Canada (at least in the CETA context) and I see that only two of the EU27 countries have ever met their NATO spending commitments.
That’s why ‘deals’ with the EU don’t excite me too much as they seem to consider trade ‘deals’ as mere ‘guidance’ more than they consider them ‘regulations’ or ‘laws’ that must be ‘followed’ to the letter.
Calling the EU’s bluff by Brexiting on October 31, 2019 as Britons were promised by this government, followed by a flurry of international trade deals signed between Britain and her other trading partners should put the EU in its place and make it realize that it isn’t the centre of the universe (not even in the UK’s myopic worldview universe) and help to repair the mindset of those Britons for whom the EU seems to have an outsized importance — far beyond what is healthy and good for the United Kingdom.
Not that I wish one bad thing for the EU. I wish every single member country of the EU27 well. In fact, I wish them very well.
Eventually the UK will get around to signing a free trade deal with the EU. After America. After China. After the CPTPP countries. After The Commonwealth of Nations. You know, all the nations that don’t ‘cherry-pick’ their deals.
It’s just that this part of our relationship is over EU, and now, I just want to be ‘friends’.
Hey! We’ll do lunch!
♥Love you♥
Bye!
Boris is the Captain everyone. Get over it!
There can be only one Captain of a ship.
Every sailor knows this. It’s a fact of life that all sailors know to be indisputable. No sailor challenges this view. It’s simply not up for discussion within professional navies.
For example, no professional crew member would ever feel so self-entitled as to waltz onto the bridge of a Navy or merchant marine ship and begin steering the ship and issuing commands — because aboard ship every member of the crew has specific duties for which they are well-trained, and in the absence of them performing their duties to near-perfection, the ship is likely to sink, run aground, miss it’s intended port by many miles, or get blown to smithereens by a foreign navy.
All sane people observe the hierarchical structure because they’re smart enough to know that only the Captain has the authority and necessary training to be in overall control of the ship.
Of course, every seaman/seawoman dreams of someday becoming the Captain, that goes without saying. And yearning for the top job is an admirable thing for crew members.
If they have the right aptitude and attitude, someone in the chain of command will recognize their diligent efforts and ensure they receive the appropriate training to allow them to become Captain, and they will be a Captain once they’re ready for the whole job. (And it’s a big job)
It must be repeated: There can be only one Captain of a ship, and this thinking is just as true in the corporate world, as it is in the world’s major organized religions, and in government.
And ‘the Captain’ of the UK House of Commons is the Prime Minister
Now, MP’s aren’t required to ‘like’ the Captain, they aren’t required to feel ‘afraid’ of the Captain, nor should they be compelled to do something ‘illegal’ by the Captain of the House of Commons.
But, there can only be one Captain of a ship — and Boris Johnson is it — whether individual MP’s like it or not!
So, get over it snowflakes.
How the Prime Minister Chooses to Deliver Brexit is Up To Him!
It’s not up to individual MP’s to decide how to negotiate Brexit with the European Union, nor is it up to backbench MP’s to decide whether the EU was dealing in good faith during Brexit negotiations that took place in the past, nor in talks with the EU that may take place in the near-present or future.
Those MP’s aren’t ‘in the know’, they likely haven’t a minute’s worth of Foreign Secretary experience, and almost for certain they’ve never been a political or trade negotiator for the government of the United Kingdom.
Nor (likely) have they served as the CEO of a major company with a corporate GDP of any significance (Ford, GM, BP, Toshiba, Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc.) so why is it they think they know better than the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom how best to run the country and deal with the European Union?
How is it they think they know better than a majority of British voters who voted to leave the EU on June 23, 2016? (In a democracy, the voters are always right, and even if they’re wrong, it’s their call!) And even now, public opinion polls are running 60% for Leave and 40% for Remain with very few Undecided voters.
Why is it they think they know better than the Prime Minister and then seek to impose their will on him — and when they don’t get their way! — they embarrass the PM by crossing the floor to join the opposition bench, or ride off into the sunset, or send disparaging resignation letters to the newspaper, or in other ways seek to punish the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for not doing what they wanted?
Who do these people think they are?
When such MP’s try to embarrass the legal Head of Government and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, such actions serve only to further the interests of foreign powers, and as such, those MP’s aren’t worthy of the honour of being called ‘British citizen’ let alone being granted the title of ‘Member of Parliament’.
MP’s work for ‘The People’ and are to fulfil the wishes of ‘The People’ in a timely manner and in a responsible fashion.
The term, ‘timely manner’ does not provide remit enough to drag Brexit out over +3-years with an all-in cost to the government and the economy of £69.5 billion (so far) nor does the term ‘responsible fashion’ authorize MP’s to cancel Brexit when ‘The People’ have clearly chosen to leave the European Union.
MP’s work for ‘The People’ and must do as ‘The People’ instruct them to do. And only the Prime Minister gets to decide (after consulting with his Cabinet) which policy vehicle will be utilized to carry out voter instructions. MP’s shouldn’t be shooting their government in the foot because they’re not getting their way on Brexit! Boo Hoo!
Pity the Poor Prime Minister!
…For here’s what he’s been told:
- ‘The People’ instructed the government to leave the EU. There was nothing on the ballot about ‘Deal’ or ‘No Deal’. Further, in the 2017 UK General Election where every party ran on a pro-Brexit platform, the Conservatives won. Therefore, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who is also the official Head of Government for the United Kingdom — is obligated to follow voter instructions — no matter what certain backbenchers or Cabinet members think about Brexit. Obviously!
- The European Union told the UK Head of Government, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, that they’ll only accept Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement (which failed miserably 3-times in the UK House of Commons) and told Boris Johnson that further Brexit negotiations won’t be tolerated. In short; It’s the failed WA, or nothing. It’s the ultimate brinkmanship game designed to bring the UK to its knees and have it trapped in a bad relationship with Brussels forever! Insanity!
- The UK House of Commons voted strongly in favour of the European Union Bill to leave the EU (498 votes to 114) but now with cold feet on Brexit, they won’t let the UK Head of Government, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, employ a ‘No Deal’ threat as a way to gain a better exit agreement than the thrice-failed Withdrawal Agreement. Thanks to the UK House of Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson now has both hands tied behind his back and he’s supposed to get a better Brexit deal than the thrice-failed WA deal! You couldn’t make it up, folks. More insanity!
- The UK House of Commons voted to prevent the UK Head of Government and Prime Minister of the country from calling an election to settle matters by putting it to ‘The People’ for a vote. Why are British MP’s so afraid of ‘The People’ who employ them? Even more insanity!
- Some individual MP’s (seemingly) do everything possible to embarrass Prime Minister Boris Johnson, (seemingly) to weaken the UK’s bargaining position vis-à-vis getting a better exit deal from the EU than the oft-failed Withdrawal Agreement and, (seemingly) take every opportunity to make the UK appear weak, uncertain, and ready for takeover by a larger power, namely, the EU. Even more insanity!
So, why oh why and for the love of God… don’t certain UK Parliamentarians understand that they’ve greatly weakened the UK’s bargaining power and effectively tied the hands of the UK Prime Minister, thereby preventing the better deal they say they want?
Or, is it as I fear, that they fully understand what they’ve done and are working (at first secretly, but now overtly) for the interests of a foreign power called the European Union, instead of the interests of their own country, the United Kingdom?
It seems Remoaner sleeper agents embedded within UK institutions and government were once among the loudest to chant, “Brexit!” “Brexit!” “Brexit!” — but every time it appeared that an actual Brexit day was approaching — they’d pull the rug out from under whichever UK Prime Minister was in power and work intensely to ‘delay, delay, delay’ Brexit until the British people would finally give up on Brexit and surrender to the European Union.
My only question is; Who are the Remoaners and why do they hate their country?
In the Year 3535 Theresa May FINALLY Delivered Brexit – But Nobody Cared!
UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s amended Withdrawal Agreement + the non binding Political Declaration + the Joint Instrument may be for all we know, the best possible arrangement for the United Kingdom to Leave the European Union; But if it takes until the year-3535 before it gets approved and signed into law, by definition, it’s not the best deal is it?
You might laugh at the year-3535 connotation. But really folks, the ‘talking shop’ that is the UK House of Commons (at least under Theresa May’s premiership) is on track to deliver Brexit months or even years after it has been repeatedly promised by the Prime Minister — which means the Brexit that Theresa May is on course to deliver might as well happen in the year-3535.
All of which means that Theresa May’s version of Brexit is irrelevant.
If you can’t get it done on-time and on-budget (£39 billion) Theresa May, it renders your vision of Brexit 100% insufficient and irrelevant.
I will remind you yet again, Prime Minister, The People voted to Brexit; They didn’t vote for a Withdrawal Agreement/Political Declaration/Joint Instrument/plus delays — they voted for the UK to Leave the EU in a reasonable amount of time.
And either the year-3535 or any date beyond June 23, 2018 (yes, 2018) is just not acceptable.
Even the newest backbench MP should recognize that once a referendum is held, and once the result becomes clear, and once the government promises to honour the result of that referendum — that promise to The People must be kept — and it’s not unreasonable to expect that it should be kept within 2-years of the date of the referendum.
This business of Brexit-extension-after-Brexit-extension (which is what I fully expect will happen over the coming months and years) is sub par, gauche, Low Ambition politics and it represents the very worst of parliamentary democracy on planet Earth — a talking shop that can’t get anything done, and keeps kicking the can down the road hoping it will all go away — and then blames its own MP’s for the failure.
Theresa May: Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!
There comes a point in every Prime Minister’s political life when they become a detriment to their party and to the country. It’s unseemly to hang on to power one minute beyond the moment that occurs, and that time is coming perilously close for Theresa May.
Theresa May has had almost three leisurely years to deliver Brexit — that’s 985-days if you’re counting the days — and her Number One platform item and promise to The People remains unfulfilled.
(It’s been 1005-days since the referendum to Leave the EU)
I’ll remind you at this point that it took only 2044-days for the UK and its allies to defeat Nazi Germany in the biggest war this world has ever known (September 3, 1939 – April 8, 1945) and if Theresa May and her government can’t even deliver a Brexit working with a European ally in less than 1000-days, that government’s failure will stand as one of the epic failures in political history.
Every MP should hang their heads in shame, resign their seat forthwith, and refer to themselves as ‘The Snowflake Generation’ forevermore unless they can now and suddenly act on the will of The People and arrange a Brexit (any kind of Brexit!) including a so-called and very unfairly portrayed No Deal Brexit, and get it handled within days — and be on with the other important (and piling-up) business of running the country.
The shame should be palpable; Millions died in World Wars fighting in brutal conditions for freedom and democracy, and with it, good government — and they didn’t fight for those noble ideals so that MP’s and in particular the Prime Minister could run away from their responsibilities, from their oft-stated promises, and from their party platform — because they’re too afraid to govern, or for some other reason of which we know not.
It’s time for the Theresa May government to stop running away from actually having to make a decision and to give The People what they voted for in the June 2016 referendum and if they can’t do that, then they need to resign, for they are not the quality of people the country needs in the UK House of Commons.
The good and long-suffering British people deserve better than this path of least resistance government.
Letter to Britain 