Wednesday 31 August 2016

Two months later - time to press Parliament to step up and oppose leaving the EU

Two months on, the news about the fallout from the ill-conceived referendum on leaving the European Union continues to be grim. The Government seems determined to press on with "Brexit". The opposition parties (outside of the SNP) are in disarray and, apart from a few honourable MPs like David Lammy, are peddling the line that we have to accept the referendum result. Our politicians seem to be in denial that a constitutional crisis is looming. No-one seems willing to step up for the "Remoaners"!

Although it can all feel rather hopeless, I am firmly of the view that be we must not give up and must not become dispirited. As Parliament reconvenes, here are a few suggestions for things we can still do:

1. Write to your MP to ensure s/he is taking part in the Parliamentary debate on 5 September and, if your constituency voted to Remain, will speak in favour of staying in the EU. This debate has been called following 4 million signatures requesting a second referendum. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215

2. Go to http://www.nobrexit.uk/roadmap/ for a great summary of suggested actions, including joining Britain for Europe and supporting the various legal challenges that are around.

3. Sign https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/133540 - this petition asks for Parliament to decide whether we remain in the EU, something the government is currently, shamefully, resisting.

4. You may also want to consider joining More United: http://www.moreunited.uk/join

Although the Remain Campaign has re-launched as Open Britain, supporting this group is not recommended as it has accepted the result of the referendum - See this article in the Independent. It is a shame that so many talented politicians have chosen this route and let down Remain Voters in this way.

And after all that, we just have to watch this space and pray for good outcomes despite the current situation.