House of Cards
Today the House of Commons voted against the amendments to the Bill for Exiting the EU that had been recommended by the House of Lords. The first suggested amendment was to guarantee the rights of EU Nationals living in the UK, and the second was to give MP's a meaningful vote on the final deal.
Why in all holy hell did they reject them? What on earth are these people playing at?
Why in all holy hell did they reject them? What on earth are these people playing at?
Image Source: standard.co.uk
Firstly, the argument was that the EU needs to guarantee the same rights for UK Nationals living abroad in Europe, but that so far they haven't.
The thing is, the thing that bears repeating ad nauseam, is that we have not yet triggered Article 50, let alone let the European Union yet.
The thing is, the thing that bears repeating ad nauseam, is that we have not yet triggered Article 50, let alone let the European Union yet.
Under the terms of Article 50, negotiations cannot begin until it is put into action, so of course the EU cannot offer any guarantees of anything until that happens. But surely we're in a better position to negotiate strong terms for ex-pats if our MP's can point to their own human empathy in guaranteeing rights for citizens of other countries. I would assume that this would be a stronger, more grown-up position to take, rather than a childish back-and-forth of "well I'm not until you are." But, as I have frequently observed in the past, our politicians and our politics seem to have barely moved beyond the playground.
Image Source: dailymail.com
Secondly, one of the rallying cries for the Leave campaign was the call to make our own Parliament sovereign. So I must confess to being absolutely baffled that MP's would vote to reduce their own power and influence in this matter.
The excuse, sorry, reason that was given was that apparently the foreknowledge of a parliamentary vote on the final deal would weaken our negotiating position, making the EU more likely to offer us a terrible deal if they knew that MP's were likely to vote against it, therefore keeping us within the union. BUT, the MP's have actually chosen to waive their power, rights and responsibilities, and so now, whatever deal we are offered, it will have to go through. In the event that the EU still offers a terrible deal, or no deal, it will go through either way because no one in Parliament can vote to stop it.
Maybe it's so that, in years to come as the Districts battle it out for food, as the chaos is streamed into the privileged parlours of Whitehall, those in power can deny all responsibility for the apocalyptic wasteland by saying "well it's not our fault; in the end there was nothing we could do."
The excuse, sorry, reason that was given was that apparently the foreknowledge of a parliamentary vote on the final deal would weaken our negotiating position, making the EU more likely to offer us a terrible deal if they knew that MP's were likely to vote against it, therefore keeping us within the union. BUT, the MP's have actually chosen to waive their power, rights and responsibilities, and so now, whatever deal we are offered, it will have to go through. In the event that the EU still offers a terrible deal, or no deal, it will go through either way because no one in Parliament can vote to stop it.
Maybe it's so that, in years to come as the Districts battle it out for food, as the chaos is streamed into the privileged parlours of Whitehall, those in power can deny all responsibility for the apocalyptic wasteland by saying "well it's not our fault; in the end there was nothing we could do."
Image Source: strangedaysinloss2.blogspot.com
It's a very strange world we're living in. Interesting times, for certain. It's all so Orwellian as 'the proles' are anaesthetised with sports, gambling and mind-numbingly bad television, and people are so sick of the sheer amount of news that they're turning away in droves, reluctant to engage with the next crisis, the next headline. And so the government can get away with murder; riding roughshod over rights, using the same media to convince everyone that it's going to be okay, that 'everyone else' is wrong, and stoking the energies of the populace when it suits them, like during Hate Week... Oh wait, that last bit isn't real... Yet.
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