In the past year the government’s Brexit plans have made no significant progress but have suffered two important and probably fatal defeats. The Supreme Court ruling on Article 50 and the
election result
The government had intended to use prerogative powers to carry out the leaving process and thereby largely excluding parliament. This was overturned by the Supreme Court which ruled that parliament must make the decision to trigger Article 50 but more importantly it must also have a vote on the final terms of leaving. Instead of having a minimal say parliament will now have a major role in overseeing the negotiations.
May recognised the enhanced role for parliament but was also aware that Brexit lacked majority support among MPs. She called the election to get a mandate for her Brexit proposals and not only did she fail to achieve this but she lost her parliamentary majority and seriously undermined the original mandate given by the referendum. The revenge of the remainers.
She now has no mandate for her Brexit policy and the parliamentary opposition to her proposals has been strengthened. The FT has even reported that a majority of the new Tory MPs elected were pro-EU in the referendum.
The government has now set aside two years of parliamentary time to debate Brexit-related legislation. The eight bills will now be debated and voted on clause by clause by MPs – a majority of whom are sceptical and do not believe that leaving the world’s largest market is in the best interests of the British people.
Legislation included in the Queen’s Speech transferring powers to Westminster is likely to require a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) from the Scottish Parliament and the other devolved administrations to proceed. SNP say they will not grant consent. Northern Ireland Executive is suspended and cannot do so and even when operating would require agreement between SF and DUP which would not be forthcoming.
In anticipation of the withdrawal of passporting rights many of the major financial institutions have already begun to move staff to other EU cities. The UK government has now opened negotiations in an effort to resolve these and many other issues. We have finally moved on from ‘Brexit means Brexit’, ‘Red white and blue Brexit’ but we are still far from clear what the government proposes. There is still much uncertainty on the government benches as to what Brexit actually means and at least 30 Conservative MPs have indicated to government whips that they will not accept leaving the EU without an agreed deal.
There will be many parliamentary battles fought over the next year or so. However, since the Supreme Court the decisions will now be made in parliament and not dictated by prerogative powers.
BRIAN WILSON
Bangor, Co Down
Sixth great extinction is underway at the moment
The geological record shows there have been five events where the species of plant and animal have undergone massive declines over a relatively short period. The most recent was about 50,000,000 years ago and terminated the dinosaurs. This allowed the few existing mammals to flourish, develop and eventually, and relatively very recently, become human.
The dinosaurs expired because they could not cope with the massive disruption following a strike from a huge asteroid. Earlier events may have been similar collisions; severe climate change; perhaps the consequence of major, prolonged volcanic activity.
The geological record is in billions of tons of fossil bearing sedimentary rock. (Sorry creationists).
The sixth great extinction is underway at the moment. It is produced by pollution, change of land use, invasive species, loss of habitat, change of climate. All the results of our impact on the planet. We are becoming rapidly more damaging with our unsustainable demand for more resources. There is a concept in ecology termed: ‘keystone species’ it refers to species in an ecosystem without which there is disruption and eventually species loss. Classic examples are sea otters, beavers and often the predators, at the top of the food chain. The originator of this concept, Robert T Paine, just before he died, modified his theory to include ‘hyperkeystone species’ that totally disrupt ecosystems – that is us.
This is not just happening in South America, or Australia, it is also here on our doorstep. We consume far more than the earth can provide in the long term. We make materials that will not rot down. An example close to home: we are even prepared to drive a road, on a huge embankment through a pristine wilderness, the Lough Beg flood plain – Seamus Heaney’s country. A vanishingly rare area of natural beauty which once vandalised in this dreadful way can never be restored.
PHIL ALLEN
Carrickfergus, Co Antrim
SF careerists have different lifestyle from selfless republicans
Elisha McCallion has been a Sinn Féin MP for five minutes but appears to be already afflicted with Trumpitis – the use of social media to commit political suicide. On her first visit to London as a British MP she lamented her poor hotel accommodation as indicating the lack of lavish lifestyles of Sinn Féin MPs.
Elisha also made it clear for the benefit of her constituents how she complained to the British PM of the continuing detention of Tony Taylor. Of course as a Sinn Féin MP, Elisha will not experience what it is like to have her bathroom torn up by the British army and RUC/PSNI. She won’t have her children traumatised by such events, nor witness them spread-eagled or searched. I wonder if Elisha would be as willing to be a Sinn Féin MP if she had to swap her hotel conditions with the conditions that Bobby Sands MP, or Kieran Doherty TD had to endure?
How different is the lifestyle of current Sinn Féin careerists to the lifestyle of selfless republicans who gave everything they had for what they believed in and how comments like that from Elisha McCallion show how indifferent and detached current Sinn Fein representatives are from that sacrifice.
SEAN O'FIACH
Belfast BT11
Living in the past mindset
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told the Democratic Unionist Party to stop using a controversial voting tactic to block same-sex marriage. He contends that they should discontinue their petition of concern and not use it to block marriage equality, thereby leaving the DUP to bask in their self-appointed moral guardianship as if they were a law unto themselves.
Northern Ireland is a part of the UK and for that reason alone the laws pertaining to same-sex marriage and abortion should apply here. The DUP must learn to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.
The Catholic Church has been very clear and emphatic in its stance and many UK Christians opposed to same sex-marriage and abortion feel under the hammer but are getting on with their lives.
As for liberal-minded people who accuse the DUP of having a backward, living-in-the-past mindset, I would remind them that out of 197 countries in the world, 170 have the same so-called living-in-the-past mindset and do not allow same-sex marriage. The facts suggest that they are very much in the present, with the exception of their intransigent stance in wanting to have their cake and eat it by refusing to comply with British law which we are often told they cherish avidly.
WILSON BURGESS
Derry City
Enlightening contribution
Another truly enlightening and impartial contribution from the wise and wonderful Cork man that is Maurice Fitzgerald – ‘Not everyone is happy with SF’s non-attendance protest vote’ (June 13).
Northern politics would surely fall into the abyss without his stewardship and guidance.
PJ McMAHON
Co Down
