Petition – Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU
Considering this was the UK’s biggest ever petition (06/04/2019), the Governments response is exceptionally poor…
- It is very clear who won the EU referendum, no one will deny that. The Governments response just doesn’t provide any good informative arguments to quash the petition.
- It appears belligerent and un-conciliatory, towards anyone who voted to stay in the EU.
- It doesn’t take into account that at the time of the EU referendum, 48.1% of people voted to stay.
As nearly half of the electorate voted to stay, and just over half voted to leave. Let’s not carry on believing there is a clear mandate to leave the EU. A positive compromise should be found.
The response appears to have been written by someone who was in a hurry and had better things to do? I think the 6 million plus people who signed the petition deserve a reply that’s a little more thought through.
The Governments response of the 26/03/2019 is below (my comments follow in the different coloured text).
Government responded
This response was given on 26 March 2019
This Government will not revoke Article 50. We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union.
It remains the Government’s firm policy not to revoke Article 50. We will honour the outcome of the 2016 referendum and work to deliver an exit which benefits everyone, whether they voted to Leave or to Remain.
Revoking Article 50, and thereby remaining in the European Union, would undermine both our democracy and the trust that millions of voters have placed in Government.
The three paragraphs above waffle on and should have been combined into one.
The Government acknowledges the considerable number of people who have signed this petition. However, close to three quarters of the electorate took part in the 2016 referendum, trusting that the result would be respected. This Government wrote to every household prior to the referendum, promising that the outcome of the referendum would be implemented. 17.4 million people then voted to leave the European Union, providing the biggest democratic mandate for any course of action ever directed at UK Government.
It is very easy to quote figures without providing any real clarity. 17.4 million people did vote to leave the EU. Let us not forget 16.1 million people voted to remain (48.1%).
British people cast their votes once again in the 2017 General Election where over 80% of those who voted, voted for parties, including the Opposition, who committed in their manifestos to upholding the result of the referendum.
This is such a poor statement. It’s a bit like saying you only ate your Christmas dinner because it had Brussel sprouts on it. Forget the turkey, duck, goose, beef, potatoes, parsnips, gravy, etc, or whatever else was on the menu, as I’m not interested in any of those!
- Political parties have manifesto’s that cover a large range of issues (the BBC website summarises the conservative manifesto into 117 different bullet points). So, 80% of those who voted, only voted because their manifesto’s committed to leaving the EU?
- Most people only vote for the main political parties. You can see a list of parties voted into parliament here and see how much choice is available (note that four of the parties are regional and the majority cannot vote for them).
- The electorate may have voted for a politician who wished to remain (although their parties manifesto said otherwise)?
This is a typical example of sticking your fingers in your ears and closing your eye’s whilst exclaiming “I’m not listening”. Please don’t forget, 16.1 million people voted to remain (48.1%)…
This Government stands by this commitment.
Revoking Article 50 would break the promises made by Government to the British people, disrespect the clear instruction from a democratic vote, and in turn, reduce confidence in our democracy. As the Prime Minister has said, failing to deliver Brexit would cause “potentially irreparable damage to public trust”, and it is imperative that people can trust their Government to respect their votes and deliver the best outcome for them.
Department for Exiting the European Union.
Let us not forget… Brexit is about the 51.9% leavers and
