I think there are concerns over "Henry VIII powers" but to be honest these are a procedural way of returning powers to the UK that are currently in EU law. The government will probably give way but this is not about brexit but about transition. The government is naturally nervous that opponents of brexit want to derail it - I think wrongly and the Lords is there to ensure proper Parliamentary process. I think some people are slightly hysterical on this. Do you honestly believe the government is "stealing our democratic rights"?
Yes I do. Many people out here pay tax in the UK, yet are denied a vote. No tax without a vote is a long established maxim. Scotland and Wales have both been given powers to run parts of their countries as they think fit, yet the government finds themselves in a mess over this and wish to remove those powers without saying when or how they will be restored. Under EU law which the UK played a large part in forming, companies and people had the right to take their talents wherever they wished to earn a living within Europe. A democratic right? It is at the moment. What about the democratic right to change your mind? Friends of mine having voted to leave now wish to change their minds. Choosing a government allows you to cast a different vote every five years or so. How do they express their changed view over something that will have an effect on their grandchildren? No offer is being made to give them a chance to vote again. People from the EU have lived, worked and paid tax for years in the UK often providing essential services. I have no problem with asking them to register that they live in the country, I did here, but it was a simple free process, not a money raising exercise as proposed in the UK. They are having their rights to continue with their way of life changed, from welcome and useful member of society, to a one of immigrant who has to have a special status. Not democratic in my view. I could go on with scores of examples, but the real point to my way of thinking is that the present government was landed with a situation that could not be resolved. It is all about internal Tory party politics, and as several high profile ex-ministers from that party have said today, they decided to leave, but didn't know where they were going. We are in the driving seat said some of the hard line leavers, but as one ex-minister said are they driving a F1 car, or a hearse?
Agreed, Cameron promised a referendum on EU membership because he knew there was widespread dissatisfaction in the UK with the EU. He appealed to the other European leaders to help with some of the problems peculiar to the UK because of our superior growth compared to the rest of the EU. He received nothing from them but still had to carry out his promise of a referendum. Despite the project fear, including using the civil servants unfairly, he lost. Labour's position was all over the place so confused its traditional voters. Parliament overwhelmingly chose to let the people decide, which they did. Most leading speakers, for leave and remain, made it clear leaving the EU meant leaving the single market and the customs union, so no confusion there. The remoaners will try any trick possible to halt the will of the people, they have been confused by the EU's interpretation of democracy, keep voting until you reach the correct result for eurocrats.
Sorry SH. Cameron called the referendum because he got the jitters about losing votes, and MPs, to Ukip.
What a distorted view of history you have. Cameron offered the referendum in the hope that he could shut up the right wing of the Tory party. Don't forget that Major had the same problem, but chose a different method of dealing with them.
I have to laugh at the assertion that the yes campaign used the civil service to destroy the no campaign. It is utterly laughable because once Purdah kicked in the civil service was not allowed to publish anything so the no campaign waited till that point to say whatever they liked with no fear of being corrected by official sources. I don't really blame them (much...) but it sticks in the craw a bit. Oh well...
One thing I am very pleased about is that most of the new legislation going through parliament will contain a "keeping pace" power so that we can implement any EU regulations that are adopted after we have left. It probably won't make any discernible difference to my life but it will piss off Brexiteers enormously so that's nice.
The result of the referendum proved there was huge support in the UK for a vote on Europe. How can you criticise a Prime Minister on carrying out something that was in the winning party's manifesto and which he was re-elected on. There had been growing support for a referendum for many years. Of course the European way is to deny the people a chance to vote on something they dislike. Macron has already expressed the view that there was a good chance France would vote to leave if given a referendum.
I can point you to the fact that it was in the Tory manifesto that all UK passport holders would have a right to vote in any future election or referendum. That right was denied to them.
It was even in the Queen's speech as well as the Tory manifesto. Britons who have settled overseas permanently are to be given a “vote for life” in British general elections, the government has announced. 6/10/16
Perhaps you should look after it a bit better. In a written answer on the topic the constitution minister Chris Skidmore promised “this government will not deny them the opportunity to have their say in how the country is governed”. He also revealed that the government estimated “a further 3 million British citizens resident overseas will be enfranchised”.
It is actually page 49. This was an aim in 2015 for sometime in the five year parliament, same as reducing the size of parliament to 600 MP's. There was no promise to have it in place for the EU referendum.
There was no such aim in Labour's manifesto and the Lib Dem's also fell short of what the Tories proposed.
