‘Give people the opportunity to choose an Exit from Brexit’
Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, offers Prime Minister Theresa May a solution to the problems thrown up by Brexit negotiations
THIS October summit was supposed to be the moment the withdrawal agreement was settled between the UK and the EU so it could be ratified by Parliament and EU member states. This was supposed to be the moment when everything came together.
Yet perhaps unsurprisingly, the negotiations have been mired by delays and failure to produce meaningful solutions from the UK Government. Now an agreement appears to remain just as far away as it did a year ago. But what concerns me most is that these disagreements are on the fundamental issues, not just on the detail.
By far the most substantial issue still unresolved is the Irish border issue. This was supposed to be solved a year ago, in the first phase of negotiations. Disastrously, particularly for us here in Wales, we appear no closer to a resolution.
In Wales we’re rightly terrified of a ‘solution’ to the Irish border that creates a hard border down the Irish sea, a border that would have severe implications for Welsh ports and economy.
I don’t agree with Theresa May on much to do with Brexit, but she is right to say that no Prime Minister could accept a hard border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Where the Prime Minister is wrong however, is to plough on with any solution that will pacify her DUP allies. It’s now looking like we’ll crash out of the EU without a deal, locked in a backstop of a backstop, trapped in a transition period to nowhere.
Regrettably, we have chosen to leave the single market and customs union and end freedom of movement. The implication of this is that there must be a hard border at some point between the UK and the EU. No one wants it down the Irish Sea, but equally no one wants it at the Irish border either.
Despite the way Brexiteers have disgracefully played down the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and trivialised the prospect of sectarian violence, nothing can be permitted to threaten the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland.
We cannot allow war and violence to return to these islands, that is why we must prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic – to protect the peace process. Any proposed solution to the Irish border question that would threaten or weaken the Good Friday Agreement should be unpalatable to anyone that values peace.
Do not be fooled by any Brexiteer claiming that technology can magically remove the need for border checks, or the idea that moving customs checks a couple of miles either side of the border would solve the issue. Without freedom of movement, immigration checks will have to take place at the border, as will checks on goods if different customs arrangements exist in the UK and EU.
If the hard border cannot be down the Irish Sea or at the Irish border, it must be between Ireland and the rest of the EU. It is absurd and arrogant for the UK to expect Ireland and the EU to make all the sacrifices to fix this issue. A hard border between Ireland and the rest of the EU would violate the EU’s fundamental values and would rightly be rejected by Ireland and the EU.
That leaves only one workable solution for the Irish border issue, a solution myself and many others have known for a long time: no hard border at all. By choosing to stay in the single market and customs union, the UK Government can remove the need for a hard border at all and solve the Irish border issue in one fell swoop.
Staying in the single market and customs union would address many other major issues posed by Brexit, such as the risk to the economy, ensuring businesses in Wales continue to grow and supporting our farmers.
Last week Ford added their voice to the long list of vital businesses in Wales warning against the devastating effects of a no-deal or hard Brexit on the Welsh economy. This list already includes the likes of Airbus, Siemens and Jaguar Land Rover.
But despite the comparative advantages of a “soft-Brexit”, there is no Brexit deal that could be better than our current deal as part of the EU – something the Welsh Liberal Democrats have been saying since the start of the referendum campaign. It is for this reason we must have a People’s Vote to give the people the final say and the opportunity to choose an Exit From Brexit.
When Wales voted in 2016, we did not know what type of Brexit we’d be getting or what exactly it would entail. Even the most hardened Brexiteers of today claimed during the referendum campaign that a vote to leave would mean remaining in the single market and customs union.
Wales was promised the world from Brexit by those who never expected to have to deliver on their empty promises.
Now we know the full facts about Brexit and just how far the reality is from the land of milk and honey promised during the referendum, the people must be given the final say.
I’m well aware Wales voted to Leave in 2016, but a democracy that cannot change its mind is no democracy at all. Once we know what Brexit deal is on the table, the people should be given the opportunity to either accept the deal on offer or choose an Exit From Brexit and remain in the EU.
So there is a solution for Mrs May to all of the challenges that Brexit has thrown up.
There is a way out.
Give the people the final say on whether we stay in the EU, or whether we want to leave under the terms of whatever deal the Government (hopefully) manages to negotiate.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have always been committed to giving the people the final say and we are winning the argument.
More and more people are joining our cause every day and I look forward to working with others to secure a People’s Vote.
Only by working together can we secure the Exit From Brexit Wales needs.