The Conservatives are responsible
THERESA May is about to pull the trigger to start negotiations to leave the EU. Will it be a new dawn, or a slide into chaos and decline? Amidst all the uncertainty, there is one thing which is beyond doubt: it is the Conservatives who have led us to this place.
Never forget: the referendum was a failed Conservative gamble to fend off Ukip. To solve a problem in their party, they gambled with the future of the country - and lost.
They denied a vote in the referendum to those most affected: 16-17 year olds, most EU citizens living here, and many UK citizens living in the EU. They failed to specify a minimum turnout or winning margin, as in other referendums, so now the biggest decision in decades is based solely on a 37% vote, which would not be enough to hold a bus strike.
Never forget the years before the referendum. Conservative austerity policies created anger and disenchantment, penalising the poorest and hollowing out public services, to pay for the damage caused by reckless bankers. They diverted that anger away from themselves and towards immigrants and the EU. It backfired on David Cameron on 23 June. It was reprehensible.
Never forget what has happened since the referendum. Theresa May’s Conservative government denied Parliament any say, until forced to do so in court. They refuse to let Parliament vote on any deal they negotiate with the EU. They plan to take the UK out of the single market, not just the EU, even though this was not on the ballot paper. They refuse to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK, many of whom have been here for decades. They are putting the very existence of the UK at risk, showing indifferent contempt for Scotland and Northern Ireland, where majorities voted to remain in the EU.
Where were Conservative MPs in all this? Most of them oppose Brexit. Many of them are appalled at how parliament and the rule of law have been weakened. But they have not had the guts to stand up and vote against any of it.
Others have played a role in this sorry saga, especially the impostor Farage and the clueless Corbyn. But be in no doubt where the prime responsibility lies. From start to finish, it is the Conservatives who have brought our country to this. On their heads be it. Kevin Sullivan Swansea