BREAKING NEWS: THE HOUSE OF COMMONS HAS REJECTED THERESA MAY’S BREXIT DEAL FOR A THIRD TIME, LOSING BY 58 VOTES.
Watching live at 1.20am AEST, one couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for Prime Minister Theresa May. Although not absolving her of any errors she has made since taking office, you could clearly see her appeal for votes was from someone who knew their political career and leadership was coming towards an end. You must think about Brexit this way – any leader would have been placed between a rock and a hard place. Negotiations weren’t simply between May and Parliament. If they were, consensus on a deal would have been achieved long ago. They involve every single EU member and the EU as a supranational body. Then internal Conservative Party issues must be considered, as well as the positions of the devolved parliaments of Scotland, Wales and the status of Northern Ireland. Passing a deal was always a monumental task and now the UK has till April 12th to reach one or risk leaving with no deal at all.
If we look at the indicative votes in parliament on the Wednesday, not one option garnered a majority. Out of eight solutions, not one. Two came close, those being the second referendum and the UK remaining in the customs union, but they all failed. This exemplifies the myriad of discussions and the complexities that Brexit poses. No one will walk away satisfied. Every politician, including the remainer May, have their issues with the UK’s departure. Nevertheless, let us take away one lesson from the recent vote – politicians need to compromise.
This article does not support or oppose May’s deal, nor does it condemn the vote in Westminster. Yet, there must be realisations that there are limits to what can be negotiated by the UK. The UK won’t get everything it wants. The EU won’t get everything it wants. The political parties won’t get everything they want. No one gets everything they want. Let us break this down a few alternatives touted in Parliament after May’s deal was rejected.
- Labour want Brexit and a General Election. That is not possible by the April 12th departure date.
- The Scottish National Party wants to stop the process of Brexit and call an election. That opposes the will of Parliament to complete Brexit.
- The Liberal Democrats and other politicians across all parties want a second referendum. That is not possible by April 12th and does not have a majority in the House of Commons.
- Remainers want to retain the EU Customs Union. That also does not have a current majority in the House of Commons.
Two phrases keep on appearing repeatedly. Firstly, there is no majority in the House of Commons for any of the alternatives. Secondly, most of the alternatives are not possible by the negotiated departure in two weeks.
Many of the politicians think that they can miraculously get a majority for an alternative, negotiate it rapidly with the EU and the 27 other member-states, and get another extension so to implement Brexit in a timely and careful manner. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? No.
What comes next is both known and unknown. On Monday, the House of Commons will do a second round of indicative votes which MAY further clarify the position of the Parliament. However, no vote in the Commons has yet espoused a majority for any deal or alternative.
For the sake of common sense, the next two weeks needs to involve compromise and majority building so to respect the will of the British people and satisfy a cross-section of society. If on Monday a new plan can be formed that the Government can take to the negotiation table and can be accepted by the EU, then maybe by April 12th there will be a deal that attains a majority in the Commons.
There will be major developments in the coming hours and days. However, during this rigmarole, politicians need to remember the people affected by this deal – both UK citizens and EU citizens. Their living standards, their security, their rights, and their way of life is currently up in the air. Jobs are not secure, food supplies are uncertain, patients worry about getting medicine, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. So now it is time to give assurances to the people of the UK and the EU because they need certainty.
