Rory Stewart at the Spectator Debate
Rory Stewart, Cumbria MP and Prisons minister, recently took part in a Spectator debate with Dominic Raab about the May Deal.
By all accounts, even most of those who disagreed with Rory - who I'm told were the vast majority of the 600 people there - were impressed by his brave and effective defence of the proposed Withdrawal agreement.
Andrew Willshire, who describes himself as feeling like a member of an endangered species as a Brexit supporter who also backs the deal, has written an interesting piece about his conclusions from the debate which you can read in full here.
Andrew argues that, quote
"I want to ask Conservative MPs to think carefully before discarding Theresa May’s deal. There are those who, like Raab, will argue that the disruption will be only minor and can be mitigated; those who argue, above all, that the gains will be worth the uncertainty.
But put yourself in the shoes of the mother who goes to the pharmacy and discovers there’s no insulin for her diabetic child. That may well only be the case for a week while alternatives are sourced, but imagine that week for that mother.
"Consider the workers at a car plant that closes for even just three months while components are sourced elsewhere. The uncertainty, the insufficient savings to pay unexpected bills, the lack of prospective alternative employment in their town utilising their skills and their experience."
"You can be sure that every single catastrophe that befalls an individual in the post-Brexit period will be blamed on the Tory government that let it happen – or indeed argued in its favour. The gains will be small and will accrue gradually across a dispersed group of people, the losses will be immediate, personal and deeply felt."
"Now imagine looking a close friend in the eye when they have lost their job. Maybe they voted to remain, wanting only to get on with their lives. Will you tell them that it’s worth it?"
"Mrs May’s deal deserves to be backed because it achieves the aim of leaving the EU while minimising the risk of sudden economic shocks."
By all accounts, even most of those who disagreed with Rory - who I'm told were the vast majority of the 600 people there - were impressed by his brave and effective defence of the proposed Withdrawal agreement.
Andrew Willshire, who describes himself as feeling like a member of an endangered species as a Brexit supporter who also backs the deal, has written an interesting piece about his conclusions from the debate which you can read in full here.
Andrew argues that, quote
"I want to ask Conservative MPs to think carefully before discarding Theresa May’s deal. There are those who, like Raab, will argue that the disruption will be only minor and can be mitigated; those who argue, above all, that the gains will be worth the uncertainty.
But put yourself in the shoes of the mother who goes to the pharmacy and discovers there’s no insulin for her diabetic child. That may well only be the case for a week while alternatives are sourced, but imagine that week for that mother.
"Consider the workers at a car plant that closes for even just three months while components are sourced elsewhere. The uncertainty, the insufficient savings to pay unexpected bills, the lack of prospective alternative employment in their town utilising their skills and their experience."
"You can be sure that every single catastrophe that befalls an individual in the post-Brexit period will be blamed on the Tory government that let it happen – or indeed argued in its favour. The gains will be small and will accrue gradually across a dispersed group of people, the losses will be immediate, personal and deeply felt."
"Now imagine looking a close friend in the eye when they have lost their job. Maybe they voted to remain, wanting only to get on with their lives. Will you tell them that it’s worth it?"
"Mrs May’s deal deserves to be backed because it achieves the aim of leaving the EU while minimising the risk of sudden economic shocks."
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