Time for an election

I did not want an election this year. I would much rather that the government were spending their energies negotiating with the EU for the best Brexit deal they can get.

But in the light of this evening's vote to discuss legislation which would force the government to delay leaving the EU yet again, I think there is no alternative to a fresh election.

The present House of Commons is clearly now utterly deadlocked. I don't believe there is anyone who can command a working majority in it.

In a display of the most astonishing hypocrisy, Labour MPs who have spent the last couple of years calling for a fresh election at every opportunity and the last week accusing the Prime Minister of shutting down democracy and proposing a "fascist coup" are now suddenly saying they don't want an election.

Labour's shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry was asked this evening how Labour would vote if there was a proposal for an election and replied

"I'm not sure. We might vote against, we might abstain. It doesn't matter."

 This is not just hypocritical but irresponsible.

If you vote for something which effectively makes it almost impossible for the government to govern,
   (which is what I believe tonight's vote has done,)
and if there is no credible alternative government which is realistically likely to be able to command a majority in the House of Commons
   (and if the rebels and the opposition thought there was, they would have moved a motion of no confidence instead)

then the logical consequence of your vote is that you should also vote for a fresh election to let the people of Britain decide who will run the country and give them a chance to resolve the issue.

I  hope that a short bill suspending the Fixed Term Parliament act to provide for an October election, before the EU summit, will be passed by parliament so we can let the people decide.

Comments

Gary Bullivant said…
I agree and if someone stands for Copeland, irrespective of their agent's resource pool, who expressly wants the UK out of that ever closer federal state whose capital is the corridor between Brussels and Strasbourg they stand a good chance of getting my vote.
10:50 am
Jim said…
Absolutely right we can not go on like this. I think an election is the most likely option, though at this point it's far from a certainty. What is certain is there will not be a new deal before the end of October, and there won't be one for the proposed extension date of January.

I really cant see any point in another extension, its going to achieve nothing but make the public even more annoyed about the endless games. Im not sure an election will cure things either, lets say there is an outcome whereby there is a small but *normally* workable tory majority (say 10 or so) then ok, but when you are being shot down by 21 rebels then whats it solved?

I do see though that a group of Labour MPs want to amend the rebel bill for a newer version of May's Withdrawal Act another vote. It's like they went to the local nursery school over lunch time and the nice teacher taught them that the best way to avoid "No deal" is to vote for and pass the one deal that is on offer.


11:18 am
Chris Whiteside said…
I agree - I don't think an extension will achieve anything except to do more damage to British business by prolonging uncertainty and unite all the different parts of the electorate in one way - they will all be even more frustrated and hacked off.

Of course, the MPs who have realised that the only way to take "No Deal" off the table is to agree a deal are right, but I suspect it's too late to have any chance of getting that through now views on all sides appear to be just too entrenched.
12:42 pm
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