Originally Posted by
Muchthemillersson
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty was introduced by the EU to ensure that the European Union controlled any potential exit of a member state and gave it the power to put such obstacles in the way any of member wishing to leave that they might change their mind and would certainly put off anyone else who might think of leaving. It beggars belief that a UK government would be stupid enough to invoke Article 50 but that ignorance of EU matters and control over our sovereignty blighted this government and probably all of its predecessors.
The second major strategic error of the government was to give control of the withdrawal plans to the civil servants in Whitehall. The very organisations that for the last two generations have known nothing other than this method of lawmaking coming from Brussels. The government gave the impression that nothing was being done to prepare for withdrawal but right from the very beginning around 200 civil servants were involved in the negotiations with Brussels. Many of whom have worked their entire working lives implementing directives from Brussels into UK law. They are the very last people who should be employed to unscramble the mess they have created over the last 40 years or so.
What the government should have done was to ignore Article 50 and advise the EU that we would revoke the European Communities Act of 1972 which gives EU law precedence over UK law and the Houses of Parliament.
We should then have said to them:
1. We have our sovereignty back. We can make our own laws.
2. We have our Supreme Court back. The European Court of Justice can no longer override decisions taken by British Courts.
3. We are out of the Customs Union. We can make our own trade deals with the rest of the world in particular America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India and all the countries in the Commonwealth.
4. We are out of the single market. Only those multinational companies who wish to export to the EU will be bound by your rules. The other 90% or so of our economy will abide by rules made by our own parliament.
5. We are out of the Common Fisheries Policy. We get our fish back; we will set the rules about who can fish in our waters.
6. We are out of the Common Agricultural Policy. That absurd system of having the same farming policy covering the damp plains of Northern Europe and the arid ones of the South and everywhere in between. We will make our own farming policy.
7. We will control our own borders. We will decide who is allowed to settle in our country.
Then we should have said to them "That is what we have gained by leaving the EU. Now let us talk about things that might be mutually beneficial to us both when we leave.
"You mention a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There will be no border other than what already exists."
The sad fact is that any 'deal' arranged by our government will water down or even eliminate our gains from leaving the EU that I mentioned above.
Someone recently asked "Who would you prefer to negotiate our withdrawal from the EU Theresa May or Henry the VIII?"