Referendum status is just advisory
Sir, Peter Milne (Banner 02.07.16) urges us to accept the EU referendum result and ‘face the challenges ahead as a unified country’. Those who don’t share his view are, apparently, ‘deluded... arrogant... pompous... complacent... self-righteous... smug... inane... politically inept... spent... conceited... puerile.. and vacuous’. Not the best way to ensure unity, perhaps.
Those who agree with him are ‘rational and fair-minded’, whereas the others are ‘unconstitutional’. In that case, let me ask him to think again about the constitutional aspect in a rational and fair-minded way.
The legal status of a referendum in the UK is strictly advisory. Our laws are made solely by parliament, so a referendum cannot be constitutionally binding. In countries where they are, there is almost always a requirement for more than a simple majority. Here, rights cannot be taken away without parliamentary deliberation first.
There is considerable evidence that many people regret voting for Leave. That may not be so surprising when there is clearly no proper Brexit plan and the ‘promises’ the Leave side made (of £350 million for the NHS and an end to immigration, for example) have been recast as ‘mistakes’, which will not be honoured. Those who cast
a protest vote have clearly made their point, and it is being taken seriously, but it is likely that leaving the EU will actually make their problems worse.
The ‘democratic will of the people’ may be different, therefore, now that they have had a chance to reflect on reality – just as Michael Gove reflected and changed his mind about Boris. This chance to think again should not be a luxury reserved for the political elite, who got us into this mess in the first place, and who then deprive ‘the people’ of the same right. That would truly be ‘unconstitutional.
Surely any ‘rational and fair-minded person’ would not want to ride roughshod over his fellow citizens, and would want Parliament to be absolutely certain that an action which will affect the lives, rights and prospects of generations to come, genuinely did have the considered support of a proper majority. Only then will it be remotely possible to ‘face the challenges ahead as a unified country’.
Geoffrey Botterill, Brodick.