As the official deadline for leaving the E.U. approaches, Parliament seems determined to override the will of the people and sound the death knell of freedom. Each week, Liberty Nation shines a light on the dark rumblings in the British Isles that portend the betrayal of Brexit.
The United Kingdom is now firmly committed to remaining in the European Union until October 31, Halloween. In what can only be described as an abject capitulation by British Prime Minister Theresa May, agreements were made in the European Parliament to extend Brexit until such time as a deal favorable to EU lobbyists/representatives can be struck.
Where does this leave the people of the U.K.? And what machinations are taking place to ensure that the democratic earthquake unleashed in the 2016 referendum be denied?
The Gory Details
Despite a majority of Britons now favoring a “No Deal Brexit,” the PM has changed track since being elevated to power and now insists that the U.K. must not leave the EU without a deal being in place (much to the crowing pleasure of the EU Commission). The flexible extension package, or “flextension,” consists of several key factors:
An extension of Brexit “only as long as necessary" and "no longer than 31 October."
The U.K. "must hold the elections to the European Parliament" if it fails to leave before June 1st.
May’s ill-fated Withdrawal Agreement (thrice-defeated by British Parliament) cannot be renegotiated with the EU Commission.
The above details may have an air of studied reasonableness to them, yet each in their own way is a carefully crafted piece of theater that will result in the original Brexit vote being ignored and a second “less binary” referendum being held further down the line.
The Witching Hour
When the EU insists that negotiations continue “only as long as necessary,” it is a sop to the Europhile factions in Parliament that Brexit need never take place. Sky News reported soon after the announcement that the government has put a halt on all preparations for leaving the union without a deal:
Theresa May, despite having a parliamentary majority, has begun negotiations not with the anti-EU factions of her own party but with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The out-and-proud socialist who openly calls Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRA “friends,” has long insisted that he would support the Prime Minister if she offers a second referendum. It seems this is a bone the PM is willing to take.
EU Elections?
Should the U.K. fail to leave the EU by June 1, the nation is now legally obliged to take part in the European Parliamentary elections. The glaring issue being that the elections will be held between May 23 to 26. Today, April 12, is officially the deadline to announce the U.K.’s participation in the elections, but as of yet, the government has not informed the electorate.
In 2014, the British establishment faced a political earthquake as Nigel Farage led the United Kingdom Independence Party to victory in the EU elections; the first time in over one hundred years that a national election was lost by both the leading parties. And he plans to do it all again:
By not announcing that Britain will be fighting the elections in due time, Mrs. May’s government will hamstring the smaller parties in their ability to register candidates, begin campaigns, and ultimately, to be an effective fighting force.
May’s Withdrawal Agreement
When Theresa May first brought her Withdrawal Agreement (WA) to Parliament, it was rejected in the largest ever defeat for a sitting prime minister. She did not fare much better the second or third time she presented it.
The problem with the WA is that it was written by the EU, for the EU; it was handed to Mrs. May as a completed package on which there can be no negotiation. Nigel Farage describes it as a “surrender document” more worthy of a nation defeated in war.
The EU’s insistence that it cannot be renegotiated to make it more palatable to parliamentarians and the British public is widely thought to be the final nail in the coffin of Brexit. If Parliament won’t agree, and no other offer is forthcoming, the PM will refuse to allow Britain to leave.
Facing Facts
It is perhaps time for the British public to realize that the Prime Minister has no intention of ever letting Britain leave the EU. The European Union also has no intention of releasing one of its net contributors.
The electorate has witnessed one of the grandest theatrical displays ever performed to make them think their original vote to leave the European Union actually meant something. They were mistaken. It is a dangerous game being played by elected (and unelected) politicians. When they deny change through the ballot box, they take away the voters’ ability to legally express themselves … and this could lead to something much more terrifying than plastic masks and candy bowls when Halloween comes to town.
