The Prime Minister has shockingly called for a snap General Election on the 8th June, aptly described as a “bolt from the blue” by the Telegraph. Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, this requires a two thirds majority vote by MPs, suspending the previous prerogative power to dissolve Parliament at any time. The motion was passed this afternoon by a huge margin of 522 to 13, forcing me to confront a dilemma I have been avoiding for some time.
I want a Conservative government, but I would also prefer to remain an EU member state. It was essentially a non-issue up until now, as a majority voted to leave in the referendum and we were following through with that democratic verdict. However, there is now a chance to legitimately change that decision. I don’t think it is at all likely, though; “it would surely be a mere exercise in futility” with very little having changed politically in the short period of time since the vote.
That being the case, I feel the best course of action is to provide the government with the strongest possible negotiating position by renewing its democratic mandate and increasing its majority. I still hope that the views of the apparent minority will be taken into account toward the final deal, given the significance and permanence of the constitutional decisions being taken, and that a new mandate won’t be treated as carte blanche for an extreme Brexit.
To ensure the highest odds of this happening, I would certainly welcome more Liberal Democrats in place of Jeremy Corbyn’s chaotic Labour Party to offer better scrutiny and more effective opposition in Parliament. When a government is without opposition, it is allowed to make mistakes, it grows complacent, and party unity begins to slip. In my opinion, Corbyn’s lacklustre leadership was a key contributing factor of the Leave result, beginning with the unchallenged resignation of Iain Duncan Smith.
We do need to remember this isn’t a re-run of the referendum, or simply a validation of the government’s plan for Brexit, it is a General Election with many other issues of vital importance. While Brexit has the potential to severely damage our economy, Labour’s plans can be shown to do so much more easily. On health, there are so many false accusations of cuts and privatisation, but the last seven years have shown the NHS to be in safer hands with the Conservatives, a mantra which can be applied across the remit of government.
Andrew Bulman 