Reply to post: Re: Bomb out? Don't think so ...

Re: Bomb out? Don't think so ...

Erm, haven't the MPs already voted so that we leave with no deal on March 29th at 11pm? Isn't that the problem, after all? There's a majority in Parliament who'd like to stay in the EU, but having contracted it out to a referendum there's not a majority to overturn that result. In fact from analysis I've seen, there's not even a majority to hold a referendum to cancel Brexit. The numbers look to only be just shy of 300 - and that's assuming Corbyn can be persuaded to whip Labour to vote for one. Which I don't think he wants to do.

The problem as I see it is that MPs views aren't even close to representing the voters' ones - which makes it really hard for them to act because they risk doing massive damage to democracy or pursuing policies they don't believe in. Hence it's hard to come to any decision.

The other problem is that all sense of compromise seems to have gone out the window. Too many "remainers" now seem to be playing for the big win, rather than going for an acceptable second-best. So rather than settling on trying to get a Norway-style EEA deal 2 years ago and sticking to it, they're now hoping to totally cancel Brexit. Obviously they've got a chance of winning - but that also massively raises the risk of a no deal. Which they tell anyone who'll listen will be a catastrophe.

On t'tother hand a lot of the moderate leavers seem to have set their minds on no freedom of movent, when there's almost certainly a majority in the country to leave the political bits while staying in the single market - and at least that gives everyone some of what they want.

I also think you're being massively unfair to May when you say:

ssentially trying to coerce MPs to vote for her disastrous deal becuase No-Deal would be even worse, but it seems unlikely to succeed when there are better, common-sense options on the table

There aren't any better deals on the table, as you put it. There's May's deal or nothing. The EU aren't offering anything else. To get to any deal that involves leaving requires signing some version of May's deal, or leaving with no deal and starting from scratch. There's a chance that the more awful parts of the backstop can be sorted - because as things stand the alternative is going to be no deal, and the EU say they'll then insist on a hard border in Ireland. The road to the EEA / "Norway option" also leads via May's deal - though with that as the agreed future direction the backstop could be re-written - but might not be because Norway aren't in the Customs Union.

Your other alternative is to remain. MPs can do that themselves, without a referendum - now the ECJ have ruled. But they don't dare - and rightly so. But there's not even a majority amongst them for holding a referendum. And that's not necessarily because they're all deceitful, it's because quite a few of them are pretty worried about the results of doing that. It may be what they settle on in the end - but it won't be easy. And may not give them (or you) the result they want...