Residents have been emailing to ask what is happening so here goes.
A few weeks ago I posted a clip of me speaking in the House of Commons in which I stated that residents could see there was a stitch up in Parliament taking place to deny the people what they voted for.
The intervention yesterday of our Remain-supporting Speaker was a further example of this. The Speaker, who has prided himself on being a modernising Speaker prepared to dispense with precedent regularly, decided to rely on a ruling from 1604 to prevent the Government getting us out of the EU via the PM's deal at the very point it looked like it was about to gain the required support.
Why is this important and why now?
In short, the reason this was done is because last week the Commons voted to compel the Prime Minister to seek an extension to Brexit. That motion required only a short extension if the PM had secured backing for her deal before next week, and a much longer one if not. By attempting to take her deal off the table altogether, the Speaker has ensured that a very long extension may need to be negotiated, something the Remainers are clamoring for because they feel the longer the delay, the less likely we are to ever get Brexit.
As for the Speaker, he has twice allowed MPs who are opposed to Brexit to move an amendment known as Cooper-Boles, which is a Brexit wrecking amendment. Apparently, the ruling that you can't bring the same issue twice in one parliamentary session is a selective one. The House of Commons voted down a second referendum last week, but I suspect the Speaker will allow that to be brought back too! Indeed, when he selected the amendment on a second referendum last week, he overlooked one signed by members of 3 parties and over 120 MPs, mainly Brexit supporters seeking to rule out a second referendum, in favour of one moved by a narrow group of Remainer MPs - I wonder why?
I say this with no joy. I supported Speaker Bercow when I was elected, I liked his modernising ways, his commitment to defending the rights of backbenchers and I personally found him a supportive Speaker. In recent years he has overstepped the mark in his dealings with members, he is openly offensive to MPs he personally doesn't like or who dare to question him. He clearly dislikes the Government front bench and seems to have committed himself to making life as difficult as possible for the Government - no bad thing sometimes, but not to the point that the Speaker is no longer an independent arbiter of affairs. Moreover, by declaring himself as anti-Brexit, he has broken the centuries old convention that the Chair remains independent. An irony that a man who has broken so many precedents relied on one from 1604 yesterday to try to 'do a job' on Brexit.
Why are we here?
Well, that is partly on the shoulders of Brexiteers. For months I have been warning that the Commons will never allow a no deal Brexit, as confirmed in the huge vote last week against no deal, and that the only way out was via the PM's deal. That deal, remember, only covers an 18 month period and would have gotten us out legally. In heated discussions with fellow Brexiteers in recent months, I have explained to them my view that the Speaker would make leaving as tricky as possible, Parliament would never allow a no deal Brexit and that the Government would not be able to agree on a no deal Brexit either.
The Government may find a way around this ruling, time will tell, but it is evidence of what I warned about.
If it wasn't so sad and depressing, I'd be doing the told you so dance right now. I am not though, as I am disgusted at the stitch-up taking place to deny you, me and nearly 70% of local people the thing it is they voted for in a democratic process! I am genuinely appalled!
Moreover, this action is actually very dangerous for our democracy. The failure of Parliament to deliver on the result of the referendum is creating the perfect space for more dangerous extremist elements. It is providing a rallying cry. I hate extremism in all its forms. Compromise was always going to be needed in this process. I feel the deal negotiated by the PM offered that compromise whilst also delivering on the referendum, ensuring an orderly exit. Parliament has failed in its duty here and the only beneficiary of that in my view is going to be deeply unpleasant more extreme elements at the political fringes.
Andrew