Laurence Dollimore
WHILE the Liberal Democrats are campaigning on a promise of an EU referendum re-run, their former leader’s wife has said we need to get on with Brexit, and fast.
Spanish EU trade lawyer and wife to Nick Clegg, Miriam Gonzalez, said while she is very upset by the result – which she described as a slow motion car crash – she has no time for those who think there can be another vote.
“What I see in business is half of the people are in denial mode, they are hoping something can reverse this,” she said, “I think it would be much better if everybody accepts this is going to happen, so let’s be practical.”
The Spanish citizen, who has negotiated top trade deals between the EU and World Trade Organisation, argued Britain must move quickly to build bilateral trade deals.
“We need to be ruthless and focus on top priorities,” she said, “they (the government) need to get their act together and wake up and smell the coffee, stop focusing on internal leadership elections and get on with calming the people.”
Nothing needs to be reversed as such, a proper democratic decision just needs to be made. Many other referenda in Europe have led to different outcomes, and indeed even to second referendums. The UK entered the EU by means of the European Communities Act 1972, and the repeal of an Act of Parliament may only be done by a subsequent Act of Parliament to that effect. Let us hope that the recent legal action by Mishcon de Reya bears some fruit and there is at least a vote by MPs on this (massively) important issue. At this stage I trust the MPs more than a public who have been scared to death by an xenophobic Leave campaign.
I’ve got a better idea, how about ditching Brexit altogether before the UK economy goes into complete meltdown are even more lives are ruined. It’s a dead duck before it’s even started.
We are where we are and a majority voted to leave the EU. The real difficulty is that we know what we have as members of the EU but until exit negotiations are complete we have little idea whether we will be better off in or out. For example to achieve a free trade deal a fundamental for the UK without freedom of movement, which is enshrined in he EU project, is going to be very difficult particularly as we are negotiating in essence with 20 odd different countries. We now need to get our act together and plan for negotiations and start the long process of moving to world wide trade deals.
It is possible that parliament will need to debate and vote on invoking article 50 but but it is very un-likely that the motion will be defeated unless there is a significant change in puplic opinion and there was a basis for a second referendum.
Just get on with it and stop the procrastination!
The people have spoken…. Parliaments job is to carry out their wishes!
Sue, the referendum is not legally binding. If the current parliament has more MPs who wish to remain, in the EU then the UK needs to have a general election to replace them with a majority of MPs who will vote to leave. MPs take into account a whole range of issues when they vote and they do not always follow their constituents on 100% of matters, you will appreciate. If article 50 is unilaterally invoked by the next PM, then a vote does not matter of course, which is why Miscon are taking legal action to ensure that a vote does take place to invoke article 50. This is the correct procedure in my opinion.
OMG , a spaniard and the wife of a Liberal giving some sound advice . Perhaps she might offer her skills and services to the UK for the forth coming the trade negotiations with the EU and the rest of the world .
Fred, you obviously don’t believe in democracy. The stench of self interest is overpowering. If this democratic decision is overturned, it maybe the tipping point for white working class people who have been abused by both right and left for too long – be very careful what you wish for. The ordinary Brits have brought this on themselves by being far too passive, never healthy for democracy – vamos a ver.