Opinion
People shouldn’t be blamed for believing the lies sold to them during the referendum
Jacob Rees-Mogg dodged a bullet yesterday after Brits needlessly took aim at a man who spoke out after his decision to vote Leave cost him his marriage. Appearing on Channel 4 News a consultant gynaecologist said he voted Leave because he believed it would provide more money to the NHS. But the decision had destroyed his marriage to his wife, who is a German doctor and had struggled to come to terms with his decision. Rees-Mogg was able to offer little consolation, and based...
This week’s revelations show just how broken our democracy is, and it’s not over yet
In an historic ruling on Tuesday, the government was deemed to be in contempt of Parliament for the first time in history for refusing to publish the full content of the Attorney General’s legal advice on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. At every stage of Brexit, May has kicked and screamed against offering any sort of transparency or accountability in the negotiation proceedings, even seeking unilateral powers as part of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the so-called Henry 8th powers to effectively...
Giving ERG a crack of the whip could deliver the dose of realism Brexiteers so desperately need
"Perhaps Jacob Rees-Mogg has no clothes", Sky News political correspondent Lewis Goodall proffered in a piece published last month. The emperor of the European Research Group (ERG) - the faction of hard-line pro-Brexit Tory MPs - seems to be once again stuck between populist fantasy and cold reality as he rallies his troops against a deal that promises to deliver on the independence they so passionately fought for two years ago. After failing to cobble together the "menace of mustering letters"...
Contempt of parliament? This government is in contempt of its people
Prime Minister Theresa May is no longer in charge. She will lose the 11 December vote on her Brexit agreement. Her party is in open revolt against her and she’s been forced to pluck unknown MPs from the backbenches to fill her cabinet. Just this week, opposition parties at Westminster joined in an unprecedented accusation against the government. The charge of contempt of parliament has a sound foundation, which the Speaker, John Bercow, has essentially conceded. At every turn, this...
SMEs have been ignored during the Brexit process and they are the heartbeat of UK economy
Brexit has dominated the political, economic and news landscapes ever since the 23rd of June two years ago. Coverage and speculation has been almost constant regarding the effect that it could have on every aspect of the public’s daily lives, our political leaders and the future. One particular light has, understandably, been shone on what will happen to the biggest global corporations who have their European bases in the UK who may look abroad for their expansion plans or current...
Government analysis proves Britain is on a self-inflicted path to destruction
Government analysis showing the UK will be poorer economically under any form of Brexit proves that we are on a self-inflicted path to destruction. Official figures revealed today say the UK economy could be up to 3.9 per cent smaller after 15 years under Theresa May's Brexit plan, compared with staying in the EU. But a no-deal Brexit could deliver a 9.3 per cent hit. Independent experts have said that 3.9 per cent of GDP would equate to about £100 billion...
Triggering Article 50 without a plan was like “putting a gun in our mouth and kaboom”
The perils of triggering Article 50 without a plan were laid bare this week after Theresa May returned from Brussels with a deal that is all-pain-no-gain for Britain and showcases the "Brexit at all costs" mentality of the PM. With future trade agreements and the economic prosperity of the country at stake there is now a once unthinkable consensus on both sides of the Brexit divide that exiting the EU will be bad for the country. May's deal has united...
This brilliant response to Theresa May’s Brexit letter is going viral
There’s no denying that Theresa May’s letter appealing for the nation to unite around her Brexit deal has not had the response she had hoped for. But perhaps the best reply we have seen so far has come from comic, presenter and veteran folk singer Mike Harding. The Prime Minister’s letter on Saturday called for Brits to “come together as one people,” “getting behind this deal." Mike Harding’s near perfect response to the PM has been shared 33,516 times so far...
If Labour really wants to help the poorest in our society they need to stop Brexit
UN Rapporteur Philip Aston’s damning report into poverty in the UK was no surprise to those who had been keeping up with events. Anyone who hadn’t developed serious social myopia over the years last eight years of grinding austerity couldn’t fail to see the results of a deliberate government policy to impoverish those at the bottom and push those already below the poverty line even further into the abyss. Partly in an attempt to end minor abuse of the welfare...