The Brexit Article 50 trigger Bill : a greater betrayal

Dear all,

In a new Ephems blog post at http://www.barder.com/the-brexit-article-50-trigger-bill-a-greater-betrayal/, “The Brexit Article 50 trigger Bill : a greater betrayal”, I argue that MPs who know that Brexit will inflict great harm on our country, yet who voted for Mrs May to trigger Article 50 before the end of March, committed a double betrayal.  They betrayed their duty to parliament and the country to vote in accordance with their own judgement of the best interests of Britain; and perhaps even worse, they betrayed the central principle of parliamentary sovereignty: that MPs do not take instructions, even from their own constituents, nor have a duty to reflect popular views in their votes, even when expressed in an expressly advisory referendum.  They are representatives, not delegates.  They can’t be mandated to vote in any particular way, especially when to do so is contrary to their own consciences and convictions.  The defence of some MPs’ votes on Article 50, that despite their own contrary views they voted in accordance with the majority votes on Brexit in their own constituency in the referendum on 23 June, won’t wash.

To read the argument in full, please visit http://www.barder.com/the-brexit-article-50-trigger-bill-a-greater-betrayal/, and please write any comments there, not in reply to this summary email.

Best wishes to all from a wet, windy, mild south London
Brian
4 February 2017