Annetts key
Established Member
In my view, this topic is not the correct place to debate brexit. The U.K. has left the E.U. but is still very much a part of Europe.
As a country that has traded internationally for centuries, we do however have to recognise that we need good relations with the E.U. and that includes reasonable trade arrangements. Isolation and isolationist policies will damage the U.K. and our economy over time. There are a number of countries around the world to look to as examples.
The E.U. is currently made up of twenty seven member countries. Seven countries wish to join and are in the process of trying to join. In addition three other countries have submitted membership applications in the past, but have not progressed these further. And there are a further three countries that are interested in becoming member states. Four countries have very close trading arrangements with the E.U.
That’s a huge trading block that combined has more of everything than the whole of the U.K., be it money, power, influence, resources, people, land, you name it. And being part of a large trading block may well be important in the future as China and India (for example) become more and more powerful.
So at some point, the U.K. will think again about rejoining. The only question is how long before (1) we seriously consider it and (2) actually do rejoin.
Having said that, I don’t expect the U.K. to change direction by any significant amount in the next five to ten years.
People do forget that the U.K. was very heavily involved with the single market for very good reasons, because it is (in my view) good for our country.
So the phrase “clear mandate” is extremely dubious and always has been. In a general election, voters are voting for their member of parliament, and their individual reasons will vary. There could well be a number of issues/reasons why one particular MP gets elected in one constituency. And some completely different reasons in other constituencies.
This is the reason that a general election has the word ‘general’ in it.
And sorry to disappoint Boris, but outside his own constituency, his name was not on the ballot paper. Just like brexit was not on the ballot paper.
It is however generally accepted that the Conservatives under Boris did intend to leave the E.U. even if not all voters understood what type of brexit we would likely get.
The main reason that politicians don’t like referendums, is that they don’t want to be tied down to specific stated policies. And generally speaking, on complex issues like brexit where there are countless details and options to consider, a simple binary choice in a referendum causes many problems, as indeed we have seen.
But this is all going way off topic…
Back to the topic, assuming Boris is a good boy and doesn’t do anything stupid, it will be interesting to see how a new leader of the Conservative party affects the opinion polls.
Will the Tories be able to gain enough support over the next couple of years during a time when we as a country could be in recession and win the next general election?
Will they unwind some of Boris’s ideas and policies?
How much of the legislation currently going through Parliament will be dropped/abandoned?
As a country that has traded internationally for centuries, we do however have to recognise that we need good relations with the E.U. and that includes reasonable trade arrangements. Isolation and isolationist policies will damage the U.K. and our economy over time. There are a number of countries around the world to look to as examples.
Oh, I fully expect the U.K. (whatever is left of it at any rate) to rejoin the E.U. at some point.
The E.U. is currently made up of twenty seven member countries. Seven countries wish to join and are in the process of trying to join. In addition three other countries have submitted membership applications in the past, but have not progressed these further. And there are a further three countries that are interested in becoming member states. Four countries have very close trading arrangements with the E.U.
That’s a huge trading block that combined has more of everything than the whole of the U.K., be it money, power, influence, resources, people, land, you name it. And being part of a large trading block may well be important in the future as China and India (for example) become more and more powerful.
So at some point, the U.K. will think again about rejoining. The only question is how long before (1) we seriously consider it and (2) actually do rejoin.
Having said that, I don’t expect the U.K. to change direction by any significant amount in the next five to ten years.
Yes, I agree with the quoted sections above.
People do forget that the U.K. was very heavily involved with the single market for very good reasons, because it is (in my view) good for our country.
There is no legal requirement for an elected government in this country to do anything in an election manifesto or indeed take any notice of the points/issues that they campaigned on. And it’s not unknown for a change in leader to also mean a change in government direction while still in power, without having a general election.
So the phrase “clear mandate” is extremely dubious and always has been. In a general election, voters are voting for their member of parliament, and their individual reasons will vary. There could well be a number of issues/reasons why one particular MP gets elected in one constituency. And some completely different reasons in other constituencies.
This is the reason that a general election has the word ‘general’ in it.
And sorry to disappoint Boris, but outside his own constituency, his name was not on the ballot paper. Just like brexit was not on the ballot paper.
It is however generally accepted that the Conservatives under Boris did intend to leave the E.U. even if not all voters understood what type of brexit we would likely get.
The main reason that politicians don’t like referendums, is that they don’t want to be tied down to specific stated policies. And generally speaking, on complex issues like brexit where there are countless details and options to consider, a simple binary choice in a referendum causes many problems, as indeed we have seen.
And a significant under supply of labour also has consequences for businesses and the finances of the country as a whole. The treasury needs the tax from the wages of the younger generation to pay for the increasing costs of supporting the older generation. And in this country, the ratio of older people is increasing as people live longer.
But this is all going way off topic…
Back to the topic, assuming Boris is a good boy and doesn’t do anything stupid, it will be interesting to see how a new leader of the Conservative party affects the opinion polls.
Will the Tories be able to gain enough support over the next couple of years during a time when we as a country could be in recession and win the next general election?
Will they unwind some of Boris’s ideas and policies?
How much of the legislation currently going through Parliament will be dropped/abandoned?
