Today’s letters are Brexit Letters. We would like too raw your attention to the first one, by Septum’s Octavius, who makes clear what can and should be done to achieve the WTO Brexit. You might like to use his arguments when you write to your MP:
Sir,
The PM can return to the Commons with a revised plan for exiting the EU which ticks all the boxes. First, it already has the express support of Parliament. Second, it is 100% in accordance with UK law, and third, it is likewise 100% in accordance with EU law. She needs to enter the chamber armed with two documents: a copy of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017, and a copy of Article 50 as referred to in that statute.
She will then need to explain how the two documents work together. The first expressly authorises her to give Notification under the second, which expressly stipulates that the UK will be released from the Treaties of the EU from the date of entry into force of a withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the Notification. Accordingly, having ensured on Tuesday by an overwhelming majority that there will be no withdrawal agreement, the UK Parliament has expressly, and indeed statutorily, authorised the so called “no deal Brexit”. QED, as it were.
Next, she will have to explain the significance of all this. The statutory authority satisfies the requirements of UK law, but Article 50 is EU law, which trumps UK law until the UK is so released from the Treaties, which means that unless the UK Government revokes the Notification, which it has no intention whatsoever of doing, there is NOTHING the UK Government can do to stop this process. Moreover, EVEN IF the Notification were revoked, the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 effectively removes the UK from the EU anyway in much the same way.
Finally, she should point out the advantages of leaving the EU in this fashion. It means there will be no “divorce bill”, so the UK immediately saves £39 billion. The ECA 1972 will be repealed at the same instant that the UK is released from the Treaties, which neatly avoids a trap inserted into the said 2018 statute. The UK will leave on WTO terms, which only need a few technical tweaks to implement. There will never be a hard border in Ireland as nobody is going to build one. And, once released from the Treaties, the UK will be entirely free to negotiate whatever it wants with whomever it wants, and it can start to do that on a provisional basis straight away!
This last factor is immensely important. The UK can open talks with the EU without delay, seeking their views on how they would like things to be as from 11.00 p.m. (UK time) on 29 March in relation to the newly independent UK. We don’t mind; it would be entirely up to them. We could simply continue the extant free trade and cooperation arrangements indefinitely, or provisionally for a while under Article XXIV of GATT.
No deal is therefore a perfect way forward, with no downsides.
Respectfully, Septimus Octavius
~~~ OOO ~~~
Sir
The EU seems increasingly rattled at the prospect of a Brexit on WTO rules (see this).
But how should the UK take best advantage of that? Clearly NOT by excluding the possibility of no-deal, which is what the likes of Hammond and Boles seem to be trying to do.
One wouldn’t go into a car showroom assuring the salesman that you will not leave without buying a car. So we must wonder where Hammond got his negotiation experience from.
Is he really incompetent, or is he deliberately working against the express will of the the 408 (63%) constituencies which voted to leave the EU?
Respectfully, Mr King
~~~ OOO ~~~
Sir,
Something must be seriously wrong when the Labour leader wants the same thing as big business – and Hammond. (Reference).
Instead of stating the fact that no deal is part of existing legislation, and pointing out that the Bills referred to are against Government policy, Hammond commends them.
The proposal that Parliament should “take charge” will likely cause chaos, paralysing government and frustrating Brexit.
No deal is the only viable way to deliver Brexit, but they want to take it off the table. That tells you all you need to know.
What a bunch of devious traitors we have!
But No Deal is the legal guarantee of Brexit if all else fails. It is Brexit’s backstop. Which is why such desperate efforts are being made to kill it.
The flak will become even more intense as we approach the no-deal default. So don’t worry about them – let them worry about us – but never be complacent.
Respectfully, Roger Arthur
~~~ OOO ~~~
Sir,
Chloe Westley has written an excellent pro-BREXIT article under the title “Brexit presents an opportunity to reinvigorate relations with the Anglosphere and the Commonwealth”. It can be read at BrexitCentral here.
If that source is not available to duplicate, note it is in fact an extract from a much longer article, being part of a 26 page document by the Freedom Association’s Better Off Out campaign here. I have yet to find a 26-page slot in my day to read it, but I expect the effort will be worth while.
I particularly liked Westley’s article because it promotes the Commonwealth, being something I have long been in favour of as a “World view” counter-balance to the EU. Also it makes a positive argument in favour of something instead of the prevailing “anti” viewpoints dominating Parliament and the MSM.
Respectfully, Alan Wheatley
Theresa May is playing this perfectly. OK, she may be a remainer at heart, but the referendum was lost 52% to 48%. Not a big margin, but the figure she is looking at is the 67% of CONSTITUENCIES that voted leave. To ignore that would be ELECTORAL SUICIDE, just what Labour are doing.
She is basically performing a sting operation on the EU, and they fell for it. She needed to convince them that she a was a remainer that could be turned over, and dealt a crap deal. Duly she was, and as she planned, it was rejected by Parliament.
The end game is that we leave without a deal, save £39billion, and the Tories rule for as long as they want to. Labour will be finished, and the EU will realize that they have been stitched up like the Bayeux tapestry.
johnaspray Let us truly hope so. But in the meantime we must not take our eye of the ball for one second.
Legally, the only way that no-deal Brexit (in other words, the “WTO arrangement”) can be “taken off the table”, is for Parliament to vote on cancelling/rescinding Article 50 and staying in the EU. Delaying or requesting an extension is not enough either, unless conditions are imposed, like “Article 50 extended indefinitely until an agreement is reached” (which is basically the same as Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement).
Theresa May has already insisted that there will be no request to extend the Article 50 deadline, nor will there be any second referendum or general election. Which means that one of these will happen, because the woman is not to be trusted, don’t forget in 2017 she insisted there would not be a snap general election, but then called one anyway.
Talk of “breaking the impasse” in Parliament is a misnomer. The end goal is clear: stop Brexit and stay in the EU. But they have to do it in a way that makes it look like its the “peoples’ decision”, otherwise any pretence of democracy simply dissolves away, and the brutal dictatorship becomes horribly exposed.
I still believe to this day that Theresa May called that 2017 election fully expecting to lose it, that can be the only reason for her party’s lacklustre campaign (“strong and stable” shouldn’t have been an election-winning policy), and I believe if she does call another election, she will hope to lose that one too, just so they can wash their hands of this whole Brexit ‘nightmare’ and leave Corbyn’s Labour to take the flak instead.
.”….that Theresa May called that 2017 election fully expecting to lose it……….” Stuart, why would she take on the role of Prime Minister in order to lose her first election knowing she would never have the chance again? These people are egoists, hooked on the trappings of power to the last fibre of their body.
That is indeed true, power is all that matters to these people.
But you also need to understand that the appearance of different ‘parties’ is a pretence; Labour, Conservatives, LibDems etc are all different factions of the same party, they all have the same goals and agenda and ideology, despite appearing ‘on the surface’ to be different entities.
As well as gaining power, the other thing that matters most to these people is their ‘image’, and a refusal to take responsibility and to be able to pass ‘blame’ onto the other ‘parties’. Just look at the number of times in political discussions where the present government keeps blaming the previous government for their own failures.
The Tories are going to fail to deliver on Brexit, so what better way to pass the blame for this onto the Labour party. Labour will also fail to deliver Brexit, if they were to win a general election, so while they may hold the reins of power for a while, the Tories will be able to gloat the whole time about how it “wasn’t their fault” that Brexit failed to happen.
Power and political point-scoring are all the Establishment cares about, they have no interest in what the people actually want or feel.
Nice idea Septimus ,but as May is a leaver there is no chance it will happen
Make not mistake, Nick Boles, Philip Hammond, Nikki Morgan, Soubry, etc, etc., we all know who they are, are not trying to facilitate Brexit. They are trying to destroy it. They wrap their antics up in flummery to attempt to convince us it is in our best interests but in reality everything they are doing is designed to thwart Brexit, which is why they are trying to take ‘No Deal’ off the table. Taking ‘No Deal’ off the table makes no sense it you are trying to get a good deal from the EU. But a good deal is not what this scum want, they want Brexit destroyed and us to remain at the mercy of the German bureaucrats who run the EU.
Can you imagine the newspapers on 2.04 .2019. April fool will figure prominantly. whatever may or may not happen.
My suggestion is start 27 new charities and lower taxes for 6 months plus one for ex polititions and unneccessary civil serpents.