Grieve’s amendment, which has cross-party support including from a handful of fellow Conservative MPs, is to the Northern Ireland bill going through the Commons, and would require fortnightly reports on that country’s formation of an executive, which has been vacant since 2017... If passed, it would prevent the parliamentary session being prorogued, or abruptly ended, in the lead-up to the 31 October departure date.
Is any of this actually related to N Ireland? Is it openly admitted to be another Remain device? No, it's all piss and wind about Parliamentary democracy:
Grieve, a former attorney general, said “the idea that it is constitutionally proper to prorogue parliament as a device for bringing about a no-deal Brexit is outrageous …“If you decide that parliament is an inconvenience, when in fact it is the place where democratic legitimacy lies in our constitution, and therefore it’s acceptable to get rid of it for a period because it might otherwise [stop] you from doing something that parliament would prevent, then it’s the end of democracy.”...If MPs made a stand today to prevent prorogation, it would mean they could avoid having to do something more drastic later, Grieve said.
Opponents of the amendment can easily be dismissed:
Opponents of the amendment, such as the Tory MP Steve Baker, who is one of the leaders of the hardline European Research Group,[my emphasis -- no Remainers are ever 'hardline'] expressed outrage that Theresa May might give Tory MPs a free vote on the amendment...“Incredibly, I understand there is some doubt about the whipping on this matter.” Baker tweeted. “Surely Theresa May won’t allow her legacy to include failing to resist dragging the Queen into politics?” [weird and obscure point -- Her Maj formally decides if an election is necessary] ...He later drew attention to a newspaper story which suggested the chancellor, Philip Hammond, would support May’s legacy projects if she gave Tory rebels opportunities to vote for measures that ruled out a no-deal departure from the EU.
Meanwhile, the Owl of Minerva continues to stretch its wings over Ireland in this:
The Irish government has been caught in a bind, refusing to discuss plans for the border in the event of no deal because that would risk legitimising a disorderly exit. At the same time, it is aware of its EU obligations to protect the single market from third-country goods.
Specifically:
McHugh, [Irish Minister for education] who represents the Donegal constituency that borders northern Ireland, said he will tell the cabinet about the impact Brexit is having on sectors such as tourism, which is promoted on an all-island basis and is down by more than 20% in the north-west of the island.
It is understood that in the immediate aftermath of a no-deal Brexit, checks on customs declarations and VAT could be conducted away from the border. [denied as a solution earlier, of course] ...One option being considered by the EU agriculture department is to disrupt the all-Ireland economy. At present, this involves one third of milk from Northern Ireland being processed south of the border and more than 400,000 sheep being slaughtered annually in abattoirs hundreds of miles away in the republic....EU sources said that under the rules, milk from Northern Ireland will not be permitted into the republic from 1 November in the event of a no-deal Brexit because it will be deemed to have come from a third country.
Ah yes -- the rules. We must have a hard line on those even if they make no sense and actually harm people
No comments:
Post a Comment