If you could vote today, would you vote for or against?

Reflections ahead of today’s critical Brexit votes in Parliament

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org

Firstly, we are not talking about voting in a general election. That choice has been taken from you by the majority of anti-democratic MPs sitting in Parliament. No, your imaginary vote is on whether to approve or oppose the latest EU Treaty brought back from Brussels by the Prime Minister.

Which camp are you in?

Over the last couple of days there has been significant debate amongst pro-Brexit organisations over the decision to support the Prime Minister’s deal, or not. Some have come out firmly against the Treaty, some have come out for it, others have taken a more equivocal position, and some are certainly conflicted internally.

Here are some of the pro-Brexit organisations and parties against the Treaty:

Bow Group, Bruges Group, DUP, Fishing for Leave, Labour Leave, The Brexit Party

In essence the argument for Brexiteers comes down to a binary choice between politics and principles.

1. Politics

The core of the argument for voting for the Treaty revolves around politics at Westminster. Even ardently pro-Brexit MPs look set to support the Prime Minister today. They may not like his Treaty very much but they are deeply concerned that any further delay risks losing any form of Brexit altogether.

Readers will recall that this was the reason given by pro-Brexit MPs when Mrs May last trotted out her Surrender Treaty in March of this year. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg, and even the Prime Minister himself were all persuaded to vote for May’s Treaty at the third time of asking.

Since March there have of course been even worse developments for democracy in the United Kingdom. The latest took place with the Supreme Court intervening and effectively ordering the Prime Minister to let Parliament try to thwart Brexit still further. Even today, there will almost certainly be another attempt by anti-Brexit MPs to make the vote on the Treaty advisory rather than binding.

It is against this background that it seems probable that the majority of the ‘Spartans’ will vote for Mr Johnson’s Treaty today.

2. Principles

The argument for voting against the Treaty today comes down to principles. This position is best represented by one key question: “Have the majority of the wholly unacceptable aspects of Mrs May’s Treaty now been removed?”

On a purely factual level, the answer to this question is “No.”

Yesterday Brexit Facts4EU.Org published another in our series of Brexit ‘one-pagers’. This one summarised some of the areas in the new Treaty which remain unacceptable. Unfortunately these are not small issues. The vast bulk of the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement have not changed.

Skimming the festering flesh off the top of a rotting carcass does not make the rest of it any safer to eat.

So how would you vote today?

Unless you are one of our MP readers, you do not have to file through either the Aye or No lobby of the House of Commons today. One thing is certain. Some of the MPs filing through the Aye lobby will do so with very heavy hearts.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Sat 19 Oct 2019

Click here to go to our news headlines

And please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month