Brexitwatch: Labour MPs are helping the far right Brexit coup: stop them

This week, 14 Labour MPs could have stopped the disaster of the UK leaving the EU with no deal. But they chose not to. Instead they decided to vote with Theresa May's disgraceful government, and run the risk of food and medicine shortages, crippling of UK industry and maybe martial law. They were

·         Ian Austin, Dudley North

·         Sir Kevin Barron, Rother Valley

·         Ronnie Campbell, Blyth Valley

·         Rosie Cooper, West Lancashire

·         Jim Fitzpatrick, Poplar and Limehouse

·         Caroline Flint, Don Valley

·         Roger Godsiff, Birmingham Hall Green

·         Stephen Hepburn, Jarrow

·         Kate Hoey, Vauxhall

·         John Mann, Bassetlaw

·         Dennis Skinner, Bolsover

·         Laura Smith, Crewe and Nantwich

·         Gareth Snell, Stoke-on-Trent Central

·         Graham Stringer, Blackley and Broughton

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/14-labour-mps-rebel-to-vote-against-cooperboles-amendment-a4052526.html

I am going to write to each one of them to try to point out the error of their ways. If you think they are wrong, it is important that you do too. 

Below is the email I am sending them (it is easy to find their email addresses via Google or the House of Commons website).

Dear    ,

You seem to have persuaded yourself that making your constituents and the country poorer and robbing young people of their opportunities is somehow your duty. It is not.

Any Brexit makes the country poorer, and will especially damage those Labour is supposed to care most about, and yet you appear to believe you have to 'implement' the result of the 2016 referendum.

Unfortunately, the result of the referendum cannot be 'implemented' because the Brexit that was promised is not being and cannot ever be delivered. The only Brexits on offer are Theresa May's blind Brexit and no deal. Neither of these was offered by the Leave campaign, and it is clear from the way that Brexiters slag each of them off, that if either had been offered, it would have been comprehensively defeated by Remain. 

In addition, the referendum was won by lies, cheating and law-breaking and by gerrymandering the electorate so that millions of people who might be expected to vote Remain were systematically excluded. It is a terrible blot on parliament's reputation that most MPs have deliberately ignored this. If the referendum had been a council by-election, the result would have been declared null and void months ago.

And finally, parliament decided explicitly that the referendum should be advisory and non-binding on MPs. As you know, it is the first duty of all MPs to act in the national interest. The referendum gave bad advice and it is your job to reject it.

I find myself astonished that a Labour MP could somehow believe it's a good idea to rob our young people of their future. Even if you don't care about your country, what about your party? Why make enemies of tomorrow's voters? There is no credible alternative for the UK to membership of the EU. Those of us who can see that, and judging by most opinion polls, that now means the majority of the population, will never forgive the political party or parties that drag us out. 

Brexit is a far right wing coup and no Labour MP has any business helping Theresa May's disgraceful government help to mount it.

If MPs don't have the guts to call off Brexit, the obvious thing is to ask the 'people' in a referendum whether they will accept such Brexit terms that parliament may be able to agree to or whether they want to remain in the EU. Some MPs have been arguing this would be 'divisive'. I disagree, but if you are one of this group, in the spirit of compromise that has been sadly lacking in our politics, I propose the following:

The government should immediately revoke Article 50 because nothing sensible can be achieved by the self-imposed deadline of March 29 that MPs foolishly voted for. Parliament should then set up a grand committee of all MPs who support Brexit. (This might simply be self-selected or it might be limited to those MPs who have spoken in the Commons in favour of it.)

That committee would then be given the task of deciding what Brexiters want, and devising a plan to be put to parliament. Once MPs had agreed the plan was credible, would not damage our country, and had a good chance of being accepted by the EU, it would then be put to the government, which would then report to parliament on how it proposed to proceed.

Of course, if you use your vote in the national interest, some Leave supporters in your constituency will be cross, but that is your job. If you are unable to discharge this duty, you should resign at once, and make way for someone who will.

Don't make Labour the enemy of tomorrow's voters. We're not going away.