It is in the media 24/7, with still no clear definition or end date. Brexit seems immortalized by the press as an event that will stain the UK’s history for decades to come. Neither optimistic or pessimistic, Britain will decide it’s own fate with the decision to commit to a People’s Vote, or not.
A People’s Vote is an ideology being passed around Westminster for one reason; uncertainty. However, while many people are still stuck on the question, what does Brexit really mean? The People’s Vote is gaining increasing traction in the public sphere.
What is a People’s Vote?
A People’s Vote is the decision by Government to give prerogative power to the UK citizens in the form of a vote, to decide on the final deal on Brexit. Theresa May is strongly against this idea, as it could undermine the UK’s position in negotiations with the European Union because there is no certainty that the deal the people put forward to the EU, will be accepted. Giving no room for Theresa May to negotiate on terms and force Brexit into a no deal outcome.
Can Theresa May play the long game?
Theresa May’s Chequers plan has already been put under fatal fire from her own government. Former Labour Leader Tony Blair has become vocal in the argument for the People’s Vote, he writes in the Observer, “Everyone is going to come under intense pressure to agree a ‘reasonable deal’, Labour MPs especially. They should resist. There is no ‘reasonable deal’”.
Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on Blair’s words. Tony Blair admits that there is “no reasonable deal”, even when put under intense political scrutiny, so how will the public decide what is best for Britain when the political experts cannot? Blair also addresses his statement to ‘everyone’, whom you will know, each has a different moral compass. Think of the People’s Vote as one massive group project and how difficult that is to organize to work effectively and still come out with a decent end product. Now think of the complexity of Brexit. Not only discussing on trade deals, border control, customs etc. It goes down to the finite details of how much tax will be added to imported products from the EU, costing us, the consumer, more for our everyday essentials. Such decisions cannot be made by one public vote.
A public vote will also be UK-centric. Self-interested in the prosperity of the UK, which is the same reason why the UK voted to leave the EU in the first place, believing the false promises made by the Leave campaign and not realizing the EU also had to agree on the way in which we will leave.
How will Theresa May recover from this?
