Brexit vote opens door to bitter conflicts with EU and protectionist Trump regime

The fact that only one Scottish MP voted for Brexit against the clear majority of the Scottish people shows that Scotland is a colony of Westminster whose views are treated with contempt.

What is also clear is that the Tories have singled Scotland out. There will be special deals for Gibraltar, Northern Ireland, the City and Nissan. But the Tories want to “punish” Scotland for not being as servile and showing enough deference to Anglo-saxon imperialism.

It cannot be excluded that the UK strikes some new deal with the European Union.

But even May, unlike the probrexit forces to which she is now beholden, calculates that this would involve a humiliating and costly retreat.

Hence she must now cling ever more firmly to the possibility of an alliance with Donald Trump in the hope that this will force concessions from the European Union while compensating for the loss of European trade.

Trump’s team will see the weak position of Theresa May and will squeeze every last concession out of her.

It is impossible to predict how deep the schism within Britain’s ruling class will become in the next period.

What is certain is that the UK is entering a period of intense political crisis.

Bitter conflicts lie ahead over whether Trump will give Britain anything worth having, given his protectionist “America First” agenda, or whether the UK must seek a place in a European block against the US. Amidst the current constitutional wrangling over Brexit, it should be noted that all this could have been avoided if we did what other countries do, ie, have rules governing such events, for example major constitutional change. A clear majority of the electorate must be in favour – say 60 per cent of those who vote.

It cannot be right that for fundamental change, 50 per cent plus one can trigger it (particularly if there is a low turn-out). Also, do bear in mind that some use a referendum to vote on other issues as happened last June.

Last June, 52 per cent in favour should not have been enough to set Brexit off.

Lest I be accused of sabotage, let it be said that my vote was for leave (not regretted for one second).

Which leads us to a second independence referendum; there should be a clear majority in place for independence to happen (rules were in place for the Devolution referendum in the late 70s – perfectly correct and proper). I am absolutely delighted that at last common sense has prevailed, with the House Of Commons vote on triggering Article 50.

Democracy at last has been listened to; after all, its very basis is following the will of the people.

Why was gina miller allowed to force this vote? It was simply an unnecessary delay to the inevitable. There should not have had to be this vote in the first place – that happened on 23 June and was a resounding vote to Leave.

Well done to the 498 MPS for having the decency to listen to the majority of British voters but to the 119 who tried to derail this, they have showed a complete lack of respect and they have no right to be in politics if they are prepared to block a democratic vote.

Now please, Theresa May, let us get on with it and do what we voted for and Leave and let us put the great back into Great Britain. Research by the University of East Anglia has estimated that out of 330 seats taken by the Conservatives in the 2015 general election campaign, the voters in 247 of these seats chose to Leave the European Union in the recent referendum, the other 83 voted to Remain.

Of 232 Labour seats, 149 were to Leave, 83 to Remain. Clearly Labour have taken a responsible line in the Article 50 vote, reflecting the overall will of the people and decisions in individual constituencies.

The Conservatives, on the other hand, have shown that with only one MP voting against; they do not care what individual constituencies want, and just like the votes to support action in Iraq in 2003, they are quite happy to vote like sheep, or headless chickens. Theresa May deserves fulsome praise from her right wing Brexiteers, who campaigned with the slogan “Take our Country Back!”.

She is succeeding beyond their great expectations in taking our country back to the Dickensian era – a task made so much easier as we’re already half-way there with her attacks on society’s poorest and most vulnerable.

Hard Brexit means Hard Times.