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Brexit

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

LEAVERS - update on the 'invoke A50 now' petition. I have the reply.

999 replies

Surferjet · 12/08/2016 08:29

You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition: “Invoke Article 50 of The Lisbon Treaty immediately.”.

To unsubscribe from this petition: petition.parliament.uk/signatures/23408528/unsubscribe?token=N5XWEqj08juvvjUWe76

Dear xxxxxx

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Invoke Article 50 of The Lisbon Treaty immediately.”.

Government responded:

The British people have voted to leave the EU and their will must be respected and delivered. We should not trigger Article 50 until we have a UK approach and objectives.

The British people have voted to leave the EU and their will must be respected and delivered. The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship will be a complex one, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Britain and the future UK-EU relationship. As part of this, the government will of course work closely with the devolved administrations to ensure we get the best deal for the UK as a whole. We should not trigger Article 50 until we have a UK approach and objectives, so Article 50 should not be invoked before the end of this year.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Click this link to view the response online:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/133618?reveal_response=yes

This petition has over 100,000 signatures. The Petitions Committee will consider it for a debate. They can also gather further evidence and press the government for action.

The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition: “Invoke Article 50 of The Lisbon Treaty immediately.”.

To unsubscribe from this petition: petition.parliament.uk/signatures/23408528/unsubscribe?token=N5XWEqj08juvvjUWe76

OP posts:
surferjet · 17/08/2016 13:36

If you feel like you are being treated as stupid that says more about a deep insecurity rather than something about people trying to help inform you. Suggesting it is bullying, is I'm afraid a silencing tactic, which can be deemed a bullying tactic in its own right

On your first point. No, not really. Some of us just aren't used to in depth questioning over what was a simple in/out vote. The majority of people voted leave because they had concerns over uncontrolled immigration. Leaving the EU will gave us more control. That is a fact, or at least that's what we voted for. What more is there to say? I've said I want more control over immigration. One sentence is all I need.
In reply to your second point. I haven't accused anyone of bullying me. I haven't run off to Facebook groups to discuss this in an echo chamber.

OP posts:
smallfox2002 · 17/08/2016 13:47

But why do you want more control over immigration? If you start mentioning the national services issue etc the problem is that position is easy to refute.

Austerity is far more responsible for poor and under resourced services and a hard exit based on this will undermine our service further due to falling tax revenue. As pointed out by the LSE and ucl.

That's the issue here you state something and are challenged on it and you don't like it.

SapphireStrange · 17/08/2016 13:53

Some of us just aren't used to in depth questioning over what was a simple in/out vote.

It may have been a simple vote, but it is NOT a simple issue; as the post-vote shenanigans in politics are surely showing you? Which is a good argument, is it not, for getting used to thinking about things in depth? Things that are likely to have such far-reaching and dramatic consequences?

Leaving the EU will gave us more control. That is a fact, or at least that's what we voted for. These are two very different things, aren't they? A fact is not the same as what someone voted for.

I've said I want more control over immigration. One sentence is all I need.

It isn't, or it isn't if you wish to be involved in a debate. All anyone ever asks is for you to back up your stated position. This comes back, really, to the issues of being engaged and informing yourself.

You really can't blame people or say they're bullying you if you make statements like the above but work at this level of debate.

Your comment about running off to Facebook groups to discuss this in an echo chamber is quite unpleasant.

53rdAndBird · 17/08/2016 13:54

Leaving the EU will gave us more control. That is a fact, or at least that's what we voted for.

See, this is why "Brexit means Brexit" sounds so meaningless to so many of us.

What if we end up leaving the EU, and agreeing on single-market membership where the deal is that we keep freedom of movement? That isn't what you personally voted for, but it's still Brexit, right?

Kaija · 17/08/2016 14:22

"Some of us just aren't used to in depth questioning over what was a simple in/out vote."

That's a pretty neat summary of the problem with referendums.

RedToothBrush · 17/08/2016 14:37

On your first point. No, not really. Some of us just aren't used to in depth questioning over what was a simple in/out vote.

This is where I disagree straight away. It was made into a simple in/out vote when the reality was it was never a simple in/out question OR solution. It was simplified to the point that it was dumbed down and no longer reflective of the reality.

If you believe it ever was a simple in/out vote, then you were misguided. Why?

Because you had to have a simple solution already on the table about what out actually would be in practice and how it would work. Not have to go through negotiations post vote.

Both Remain in Cameron and the government and the Leave campaign failed and mislead you on this. Deliberately.

You should be angry about this. You should not defend them by saying it was. Saying you are not used to in depth questioning, isn't a defence here. If you have an opinion, that's great. It should be encouraged more and more. People should be encouraged to develop their thinking beyond black and white. That involves debate and people saying challenging things you don't agree with. It involves having your mind either made up by strengthening your argument with substance or an admission that someone has come up with something valid you hadn't previously considered.

The majority of people voted leave because they had concerns over uncontrolled immigration.

Actually we had a 'simple in / out vote'. We did not have a vote which measured the nation's concerns over uncontrolled immigration. The reasons for the Leave vote were many and varied and were not shared universally.

The Leave campaign deliberately used a propaganda technique known as 'glittering generalities'. This is a technique which effectively promises the earth and lets people pick and choose their own meaning and understanding of what Leave meant. This is best shown by the fact that no two leading Brexiteers had a shared vision of what Leave meant and couldn't agree on what Brexit would look like before the vote. There was 'no plan'. This is a massively important issue for the future. Its not just a criticism of the Leave campaign.

The net result is almost every Leave vote has a unique vision of what Brexit is and many think that everyone else shares that vision, because they were encouraged to take ownership of Brexit in their own minds.

The trouble that this now means that politicians themselves don't actually properly know what Brexit is and are scrabbling around to find a 'best fit'. The problem with allowing everyone to take such ownership of Brexit, is that it can never be delivered in the way that people had formed that idea in their head. At some point the majority of Brexiteers will have some element of Brexit they felt integral to the whole vote discarded and will be very unhappy about that outcome.

Its 'The Big Lie'.

This is why, the sooner that the government is honest about this, the better as far as I am concerned. The longer that people are strung along, the more they will feel betrayed by this government rather than it being able to be blamed the campaign strategy of Leave. (This is despite many of the Brexiteers being part of government - if Johnson, Fox and Davies made an early admission of this, they might stop themselves and government being damaged further in the long run, and they could consign the issue to the past, rather than merely kicking the pebble a little further down the road, still to be dealt with as an obstacle).

Leaving the EU will gave us more control.
How?

Honestly. Simple question? How? And over what?

I am genuinely interested in what we have taken back control of and how this control manifests itself as I don't understand the mentality and want to expand this gap in my knowledge.

The way I see it, we are really at the mercy of what deal the EU will allow us to have far more than we were as part of the EU. We have no real part of this in great measure. There are discussions going on later this month between the other 27 countries without us which will decide our future. Any trade we have with the EU will be on the EU's terms. Norway have pointed this out to us, when we have pointed to their set up as something to aspire too.

We have bargaining power, but only to a point. We are not in control of the situation and to frame it as such, is just wrong.

We are going to be tied up in legal and constitutional issues on a national and EU level for years. We will have no say in this.

We will be going into years of trade deals which we have little and no experience in.

That is a fact, or at least that's what we voted for.
No people did NOT vote FOR something. There was no 'something' to vote for. The Leave vote was a vote AGAINST staying in the EU. That's the problem. There was No Plan.

What more is there to say? I've said I want more control over immigration. One sentence is all I need.

The trouble is, this is what YOU voted for. The question asked was:
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?

It was NOT -
Do you want more control over immigration?

There's the problem right there. Your interpretation of what the question was, is different to what the actual question was.

And other people will have different interpretations too.

It CAN NOT be summed up in one sentence then. Hence the need for debate. Hence the need for not invoking a50 anytime soon.

As I say, politicians need to get a grip on the situation and start managing expectations and making admissions that the promises made are ridiculous can not be delivered because they made promises that had no understanding and bore no relationship to the bureaucratic and archaic nature of THE UK GOVERNMENT, the complex nature of our union and how devolution was done without ever considering the implications of such a constitutional crisis and how 27 other countries might feel and might be affected by our decisions and how they also need to protect their own national interests and the interests of their people.

You need to start realising that there is a vast difference between the political will to leave the EU and the capacity to shape and deliver a post referendum Britain.

It is not simple. It was never simple. And if you think it is, you need to readjust that thinking quickly as its categorically and simply wrong.

We all have shared interests in our future, regardless of whether we were leave or remain. We need to focus on that, and the reality of the situation NOW rather than what people think or believe. That's a massive shift of thinking for all parties, but we all need to do it.

We need to cut the crap of 'taking back control' and say 'what control do we actually have and what can we get out of this situation that we are actually facing'.

Corcory · 17/08/2016 15:09

Small - calling people 'Turkeys waiting for Christmas' or saying 'suck it up buttercup' are hardly conducive to reasoned debate. Can't think I've ever heard many of your turns of phrase on Question Time.
And yes I do want to see some of your 'evidence' about Brexit Lite.

Peregrina · 17/08/2016 15:19

A lot of the 'suck it up' comments were prefixed by 'Leave won so..'

Dapplegrey2 · 17/08/2016 15:21

Smallfox have you ever heard the phrase 'sarcasm is the lowest form of wit'?

surferjet · 17/08/2016 15:52

Red
The question on June 23rd was a simple in/out one, but people arrived at their decision by listening to what politicians and campaigners were saying. I just happened to agree more with the leave campaign.
I have never known life out of the EU, but I've lived through recessions, political turmoil, racial tension, violent demonstrations, & interest rates at 15% ( to name but a few )
Live in the EU is not wonderful.
Immigration, funnily enough, hasn't affected me, I live in London, nice house, child in private education, dh works in London & earns ££££, but I looked at the bigger picture & saw what uncontrolled immigration was doing to communities around the country, the pressure on housing, schools, jobs. I voted for the greater good, not for my own personal gain.

OP posts:
Kaija · 17/08/2016 15:56

To be fair the phrase "suck it up" has been notoriously widely used by leavers (right from the top down - Arron Banks was one of them), and smallfox's comments were very obviously a reference to this.

Peregrina · 17/08/2016 15:59

I have known life before the EEC/EU, and Great Britain was not doing well beforehand.

I personally think that a lot of Leave voters in the North and West were voting against Westminster. Neither of these areas are ones of heavy immigration, so I do think a lot of voters must have swallowed Farage's lies. Both the North East and Cornwall have done particularly well out of the EU, so they may well get a rude awaking. Unless by some miracle, money is found to replace the EU funding.

RedToothBrush · 17/08/2016 16:02

Surf, do you think Remainers think that the EU is perfect then?

Bearbehind · 17/08/2016 16:02

red your mammoth post above is superb and very eloquently sums up the situation.

SapphireStrange · 17/08/2016 16:06

Agree with what, though, surfer? I genuinely would like to understand WHAT Leavers thought they were voting for. Especially now that it seems that every day, another Leave politician comes out with a different suggestion/statement about what Brexit is going to mean.

Immigration doesn't cause pressure on housing, schools and jobs. This is a massive fallacy and one that the Leave camp obviously harped on and exploited. Having said that, f you can present evidence for what you claim, I'd very much like to see it.

I also voted for the greater good. One very realistic possibility at the moment is that, if we go for a hard Brexit, we will lose much industry regulation and workers' rights. I will probably not be hugely affected by this as the nature of my work means I have quite a lot of control over my hours and conditions etc. I'm not at the mercy of low pay or zero hours. I could also afford, if needed, to employ a lawyer in the event of an employer trying to shaft me.

Many workers in this country are not as lucky as I. I want them – well, all of us –to have as many protections and as many opportunities to have a pleasant and unexploitative working life as possible.

I also want the welfare state to be well funded and resourced. Again, as I work and am (currently) fit and healthy, it doesn't affect me massively. But, with an eye to the greater good, I decided that there would likely be a downturn in the economy from Brexit, which means lower tax receipts, which means less money for those out of work/ill/otherwise in need of support.

Bearbehind · 17/08/2016 16:08

I voted for the greater good, not for my own personal gain.

Have you read redtoothbrushs post above?

How was voting Leave voting for the 'greater good'?

What did Leave even offer, let alone assure you of, that you felt was the 'greater good'?

surferjet · 17/08/2016 16:13

No not really Rad, I think remainers were a mixture of a few things, London elite, people who are terrified of change, people who find it hard identifying as British, & people who like being controlled.

OP posts:
surferjet · 17/08/2016 16:16

red ( sorry Blush )

OP posts:
SapphireStrange · 17/08/2016 16:16

London elite
My borough voted nearly 80% to remain and I can assure you that, in general, it is not stuffed full of an 'elite'.

people who are terrified of change There is change and then there is huge fiscal uncertainty and the very real threat of political upheaval (NI and Scotland).

people who find it hard identifying as British please can you clarify what you mean here?

people who like being controlled again, please can you clarify?

smallfox2002 · 17/08/2016 16:18

The suck it up comment was referring to previous posts by brexiteers.

Turkeys voting for Christmas? If that's the worst thing I've said I hardly think it amounts being a bully. In fact it was used to describe the disaffected part of the leave vote, and there is no denying that this was part of the vote, who voted because they aren't listened to or for the promises made by he leave campaign when in fact a leave vote is likely to be tohe detriment of their own economic welfare.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit? But with is the highest form of humour.

Bearbehind · 17/08/2016 16:18

I was just about to post virtually the same response sapphire

Can't wait for the reply.

smallfox2002 · 17/08/2016 16:18

Red btw, that post is brilliant.

twofingerstoGideon · 17/08/2016 16:21

I think remainers were a mixture of a few things, London elite, people who are terrified of change, people who find it hard identifying as British, & people who like being controlled.

As a remainer, I find this ridiculously insulting. I'm none of the above, but work in a university and see first-hand the enormous benefits of being part of the EU. I also remember life before the UK joined the EU (or EEC as it was) and feel our lives have been considerably enriched.

Seriously, surferjet, you constantly bang on about remainers accusing leavers of stupidity, yet your assertion that remainers are terrified of change, like being controlled, etc, smacks of sneering superiority.

RedToothBrush · 17/08/2016 16:21

Yes I think its one thing to say you were voting against immigration.

But its a fundamentally different question when you ask what shape you would like that immigration policy to take.

During the referendum there were people who wanted to reduce EU immigration, there were people who want to reduce ALL immigration, there are people who want an Australian type points system, some that would be happy with an 'emergency brake', some would want immigration controlled on the basis of culture and religion and ability to 'integrate' and then there are people who actively want to 'send people back to where they came from'.

This idea of immigration alone therefore covers a massive base.

They also will have contained cavets. People want less immigration but we must ensure that X industry is protected. Or that this can not be done at the expense of the single market.

You can say you voted against immigration, but you can't say you voted FOR a particular system of immigration control and the difference whilst it might seem petty and subtle is absolutely crucial to what our future will look like.

That's why asking what you thought you were actually voting FOR is an important question to ask.

RedToothBrush · 17/08/2016 16:25

I'm not afraid of change.

I am afraid of the unknown.

There is a difference here. This is what Leave offered me. They offered me nothing to vote FOR except a big black hole in policy and planning.

I think the EU needed and needs to change as it goes.

If I was offered an alternative to the EU I might have been inclined to vote for that change.

Please do not presume that I don't like change, as that is a massively incorrect assumption and assessment of what the EU referendum vote ultimately offered to many of us.