There may have to be a People's Vote or general election to finally settle Brexit

The debate over Brexit never seems far from the headlines. It has seemingly been raging ever since the referendum vote back in 2016.

The present clamour revolves around whether there will be a deal between the EU and the UK that is acceptable. Then the question seems to be whether there should be a People’s Vote on whether to accept that deal or remain in the EU.

Another possible outcome seems to be that no deal is going to be acceptable to the House of Commons, and with the Conservative Party split, there is likely to be a general election in the not too distant future.

I cannot be the only one who really is getting tired of hearing about Brexit. The whole referendum was a misconceived idea dreamt up by former Conservative leader and Prime minister David Cameron to deal with divisions in his own party and his perceived threat of UKIP on the far right.

The Conservative Parties divisions on Europe are deep seated and long standing. John Major’s government of the 1990s was split on the issue, causing no end of problems.

Prior to that, despite disinformation to the contrary, Margaret Thatcher was very much a pro-European, she was in fact one of the leading proponents of the single market that the brexiteers so vehemently attack today.

The vote to leave came about due to a misunderstanding as to what was causing the suffering of so many people. It was not the EU and migrants but the aftermath of the financial crash and the disastrous austerity agenda pursued first by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition government and then the Conservatives on their own.

Had David Cameron not been returned as Prime Minister in 2015, there would have been no referendum and austerity could have begun to be unwound under a Labour Government.

However, that is all history now, the question is how the present impasse over the EU can be overcome? Leaving looks like an incredible act of self harm on the part of this country. International isolation, job losses, threats to food security and diminishing workers rights are just a few of the things that spring to mind.

The reality would seem to be that Cameron really should have done a bit of due diligence before he offered the referendum vote, such an exercise would have confirmed it is not possible to leave the EU now without incredible harm to the British economy.

Offering the vote was a reckless and negligent act from an individual who seems sure to go down as the worst prime minister in living memory.

On the Brexit side, I would have more sympathy if a vision could be created offering something positive coming out of leaving but there is nothing. There are mythical trade deals that won’t materialise and "taking back control." We have control as a main player at the EU top table.

Some of the rich proponents of leave do not live in this country – most notably, some of the owners of the major media groups. Others singing the Brexit song, who stand to profit if they do live here now will have the means to leave when all starts going wrong.

So all in all the country has been landed in a pretty sorry state.

Something needs to be done to resolve the problem. Either a genuinely acceptable deal to leave has to be hammered out with the EU or the whole idea should be shelved and the UK stay in the EU.

How the matter is resolves whether by a referenda style people’s vote on the options or a general election on the issues at stake remains to be seen, what is for sure is that there needs to be a solution found very soon.

published Wanstead and Woodford Guardian - 27/9/2018