Brexit: should there be a second vote?
She said that Brexit meant Brexit – and it seems she meant it, said The Daily Telegraph. Theresa May has let it be known that she will be triggering Article 50, probably early next year – without putting it to a parliamentary vote. Some Remainers are outraged: they have this idea that Britain is plunging into a Brexit-induced recession, that the “ignorant masses” are regretting their folly – and that it falls to our MPS to save us from disaster. But this is nonsense. The economy seems robust; and the indications are that if there were a second referendum tomorrow, the result would be the same. Admittedly, “instinct” resists the thought of Parliament not having the final say on a decision of such importance. On the other hand, MPS voted for the referendum, on the basis that Parliament would be bound by the result. That was always understood.
The likes of Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith – who says he will fight to block Article 50 unless the PM promises a second referendum – should think about the implications of trying to thwart the will of their constituents, said Dominic Lawson in the Daily Mail. But it’s not just “bumptious” MPS who think they know better than the electorate. Arrogant mandarins are, it seems, also hoping to frustrate Brexit by delaying Article 50. Former top civil servant Gus O’donnell reflected this mindset when he told The Times last week that Brexit was “not inevitable”, because if the EU changed, public opinion might too. O’donnell has been pilloried for his impertinence, said Hugo Rifkind in The Times. But wouldn’t it make sense to negotiate a deal, and then ask the British to vote again? After all, a majority may have voted for Brexit, but no one specified what Brexit meant.
That is a “seductive argument”, said William Hague in The Daily Telegraph – but it would be a terrible mistake to promise a second vote. To do so would undermine Britain’s negotiating position in the exit talks; and could leave Britain in “a state of pure limbo”, if – as seems likely – the vote to reject came after the time frame for negotiating new terms had expired. I voted to remain in June, because I felt it was in the UK’S best interests. The second-best course is to leave the EU with “clarity, certainty and purpose”.