Parliament has to vote to trigger Article 50, now what?

The Supreme Court has ruled against the Government, but what does it mean for Brexit?

Parliament has to vote to trigger Article 50, now what?

You may heard this week that there was a ruling made by the Supreme Court that stated, despite the Government's objections, that Parliament have to vote to trigger Article 50.

On the surface, this seems like a very sensible and reasonable request. That's because it is, regardless of what anybody says.

What the courts have voted on is the preservation of the rule of law, and bolstered the sovereignty of Parliament. Is that not what those who voted in favour of Brexit wanted? British laws passed by British Parliament. All this ruling has done is ensured that the there is no precedent set for the Government (i.e. the PM and her cabinet) having sole authority to remove significant swathes of legislation, and in the process potentially throw out our rights along with the bath water.

Already there are those who are saying, somewhat paradoxically, that this is an affront to democracy. That, somehow, British judge's ruling that British parliament has to have a say on enacting an advisory referendum is counter-intuitive to the principles we apparently wish to recapture.

Particular scorn and contempt is reserved for those who attack Gina Miller, and outright disdain is willed upon those who wish her dead. Regardless of her political leanings and regardless of her income of class, she had the legal right as a British citizen to challenge the Government in our courts. That is how free countries work. The government is not above the law. She took them to court not to overrule the referendum vote - those are, as we're so often told, set in stone. She went to court to ensure it was carried out legally with proper oversight from all our representatives, not just Theresa May and her gaggle of fumblebucks.

I'm not quite sure at what point we, as a country, are meant to be healing our divisions, considering that some cancerous corners of the journalism world have taken to petty name-calling in their headlines.

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There are now rumblings from the politically irrelevant Lib Dem party that they will vote to bog down or disrupt Brexit, alongside Labour dissenters.

Although I believe it would probably be a good thing to push the brakes on this act of self-destruction, I think the 'will of the people', however misinformed we were during the referendum, should be respected. Thankfully though, as we live in a democracy, this means the will of all people. At least having Parliamentary oversight means there will be some representation for the 48%.

Disclosure here: I personally still am of the opinion that leaving the EU is a bad decision. Every day I hear new evidence that suggests we will be left floating up the creek without a paddle, a canoe, a life-jacket, a snorkel or hepatitis vaccines - we couldn't afford them after the NHS got privatised.

Believing Trump will provide us with favourable trade deals is like trusting Jeremy Hunt with the NHS, or Boris Johnson to represent Britain abroad. A terrible idea; a joke worthy of the cheapest christmas cracker! Oh wait...

Regardless, this is another level of fantasy. It's actual economic suicide. He has a deep seated mistrust of China, so any attempts to negotiate deals with them will only aggravate him. Believe that's irrational? This is the same man that threw a tantrum over Twitter, and got his Press Secretary to outright lie during a press conference, before refusing to engage with journalists. The same man who wrote (yes, apparently he can write) that he will always make deals that are in his favour. In other words, he will screw over others at the table.

Deals with India are at risk before they're even negotiated due to the Government's stance on visas and immigration. And since we've already told the EU we'll walk away from anything that doesn't meet our every demand, they are going to be more than happy to see us leave and be subjected to World Trade Organisation tariffs. With the financial sector saying they'll look to move to the continent, this is a divorce where the other side keeps all the money.

Either way, we, as a country, continue to wander aimlessly towards triggering Article 50, with no real plan, no real cohesion, and currently, no reliable leadership.

This court ruling hasn't stopped Brexit, but it's given opportunity for more careful consideration, scrutiny and representation. If nothing else was apparent in 2016, the fact that it's all too easy to get caught up in party politics was.

Given how tumultuous the tempest is that currently represents global politics, do we really want to lay our hope in a rubber dinghy, or indeed, a paddle-less canoe, and go it alone?

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

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24 Comments

  • Luke Taylor

    On 27 January 2017, 13:52 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    The Guardian would be proud.

  • Kheira Bey

    On 29 January 2017, 18:32 Kheira Bey Contributor commented:

    Very informative, however, how does this affect the arts?

  • Blak Jack

    On 30 January 2017, 10:05 Blak Jack commented:

    'will of the people', however misinformed .. .how dare you !,

  • Luke Taylor

    On 30 January 2017, 10:07 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    Well, it's true - a lot of people weren't well informed of what would happen if they left/remained in the EU. How is that insulting?

  • Blak Jack

    On 30 January 2017, 10:27 Blak Jack commented:

    says you, have you done a survey ? . . .no. . .have you listened to the bleating leftist media, YES . . .most people ive talked to want out because of the rules thrust upon us by the UNELECTED EU .. .

  • Luke Taylor

    On 30 January 2017, 10:31 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    You didn't answer my question.

  • Blak Jack

    On 30 January 2017, 10:52 Blak Jack commented:

    i have answered your question, maybe you see what you want to see, i say people were WELL INFORMED as they had made their decisions based on experience, . . .NO ONE CAN INFORM YOU of what will happen when we leave ? . .its impossible .. .but the EU's crumbling now anyway so great news . .

  • Tom Inniss

    On 30 January 2017, 23:05 Tom Inniss Voice Team commented:

    I covered it all last year, and I have a degree in Politics, so I'd be inclined to argue that I have enough brains to talk about it, and do so without hurling insults...

    https://www.artsawardvoice.com/magazine/articles/the-european-union

  • Blak Jack

    On 31 January 2017, 08:19 Blak Jack commented:

    John Smith. . .totally agree with you mate, trouble is the boy with the degree in politics is the very reason he SHOULDNT be giving his opinion, i'll tell him how it works,. . .TED HEATH tricked us into the EU. . .the EU then spent OUR money for the last 40 years BRAINWASHING our kids at school ,college and the odious treasonousBBC that the EU is the only way to go . . .THIS IS THE RESULT, a degree, wow . . .COMMON SENSE is FAR more important for life . . .

  • Luke Taylor

    On 31 January 2017, 10:02 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    Everyone has the right to give their opinion. Even Tom. All you're doing is throwing ageist insults and being disrespectful to others. If you do come up with a sensible, calm, and well-researched argument, please let me know ;)

  • Blak Jack

    On 31 January 2017, 10:08 Blak Jack commented:

    Everyone has the right to give their opinion . . . .SHUT IT THEN, HAHA ageist ANOTHER LEFTIE LUVVIE WORD, , why do i care what you think, say or do ? . . . ..bye now

  • Tom Inniss

    On 31 January 2017, 12:20 Tom Inniss Voice Team commented:

    Wow, damn, you're absolutely right. Studying political institutions and getting a balanced and educated viewpoint is completely pointless when I could have instead sat, embittered and struggling with grammar, viewing every life failing as some kind of 'leftist' "trick".
    The EU isn't perfect, I have never purported to say that, and you'll never get me to. There are things that could be changed.

    However, as I wrote, we are leaving an institution that had benefits to something where, as it currently stands, there are no benefits. We are getting into bed with a man who wants to be able to cancel any trade deal (if he offers one) in 30 days, and given his tantrums and narcissistic flipflopping - the slightest perceived wrong will leave this country without its 'special relationship'.

    As an aside you obviously do care because you keep coming back to argue with us leftie luvvies, it must infuriate you to see an alternate opinion online.

  • Blak Jack

    On 31 January 2017, 12:38 Blak Jack commented:

    you dont get it even yet do you, you havent had a balanced and educated view, you have been indoctrinated by your tutors , teachers etc, this is the problem with the EU funding. ..OH AND YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE UNELECTED, UNAUDITED EU . . .no one can . . .its a trade deal with Trump, we arent joining the united states ? for gods sake . . .i see NO benefits by being in the EU and never have . . .and its you lefties who cant see the wood for the trees, its like trying to educate pork it really is . . .the EU holds ALL the cards and we need to get out, its collapsing anyway . . .

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:00 john smith commented:

    Tom keeps deleting my comments due to his degree in politico, he thinks this is a reasoned method of debate....tut tut Tom, truly deluded ye be olde boy

  • Tom Inniss

    On 3 February 2017, 19:11 Tom Inniss Voice Team commented:

    I personally haven't deleted a single comment. Your comments were previously removed because you posted 85 of them, most of which said exactly the same thing, which wasn't 'reasoned method' of debate, but actually more along the lines of:

    "ah brexit....saving the uneducated snowflake youth from the paedos in brussels and the rothschilds new world order......'self destruction'....grow up Tom, stop crying and grow a pair"

    I see no debate, discussion, or rational thought in there. There is an assumption that young people are uneducated because we haven't gone through 'the university of life', accusations of peadophilia in Brussels with no specifics, and complete disregard to the many scandals that have taken place in Westminster, the BBC, and even football. Then suggesting I 'grow a pair' - which is frankly pathetic as both an argument and an insult.

    The size of your testicles have nothing to do with typing an opinion piece on the internet, John. Unless maybe you personally struggle due to them covering your eyes...?

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:11 john smith commented:

    bet you leave that one up though Tom with one of your 'astute' thought out responses....you know, to make it look like you aren't deleting my comments, to make you look oh sooooo worthy of your political degree and oh sooooo up for reasoned debate......we'll see eh.....BTW my good man, I have a degree in Engineering Science AND Computing and Software development......I also used to run a haulage company of my own and always have, and always will, sell 2nd hand cars.....been around the block chum.....and am an aeronautics engineer currently.....have been for many years now......you know, rational thought process, reverse engineering.....etc etc....you'd be surprised at how one can view things with an engineering thought process....this is how I tested your site for it's flaws....only thing stopping me from bringing it to it's knees (this site that is) is common decency, but I thought your mate Luke Taylor, the network admin guy above in the comments would sort that out, but I doubt it very much......it even works with breaking down of social engineering, or even the weak mind games of psychology.....you can see these folk coming a mile off.....and the politico and MSM have taken you for a mug with their propaganda.....enjoy living in Orwell's proverbial 1984 Corporate owned World Govt that you and your kin are all so subservient to....even though you don't know it's coming....after all, you have a degree in politics

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:13 john smith commented:

    tut tut....you bring testicles into your 'reasoned' thought process....how childish of you

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:16 john smith commented:

    the repeated posts, if you bothered to have read it, was to point out how if I keep clicking the POST button repeatedly, that the post, without me retyping it, would be posted many times.....any website designer worth their salt would have coded the site not to allow this,

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:18 john smith commented:

    I rest my case

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:19 john smith commented:

    ooooo, I see the 'flaw' has been fixed....well done, but then again, it shouldn't have slipped through the developers net when in design mode......us engineers always say....test, test, test and test again, ....then redo the tests

  • Tom Inniss

    On 3 February 2017, 19:25 Tom Inniss Voice Team commented:

    Because we do read the emails. Thank-you for your decency in not bringing down the site, and I am glad that you've conveyed your opinion articulately and eruditely enough to rest it.

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:27 john smith commented:

    you do realise, as a point of interest, it is a Neo Nazi coup in the Ukraine....funded by Soros.....or do you follow the rhetoric that 'Russia' did it??....we in the MIC all know the game plan......we just can't talk out about it out loud....we have to follow 'orders'.....and the politico orders are to diss Putin as much as possible, to create East European fear so we can be funded even more and get them to 'want' Western Europe, or the EU to be specific, to protect them from the Russian threat, at a cost to them, you know, for more weapons sales, more machines, more profits.....just ask Victoria Nuland......same with Syria, ask Clinton......or better still, ask her husband why NATO invaded Yugoslavia.....those were the days, that's when business really picked up, then Tony and Bush made up WMD in Iraq'istan......was hard when we discovered none were there....but hey, they could have been eh??

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:37 john smith commented:

    politics is a wonderful game , just don't be hoodwinked into it being so black and white, it is corrupt from top to bottom, all backhanders and lies for an agenda.....if you move into politics one day my friend, you won't notice it at first, your leaders will give you modern missions like LGBT funding groups or other modern day mantras.....and if you stay in politics for a while, and move into heavier issues.....you may look back at my words and go 'f*** me, John Smith was right'.....but by then you'll already have been bribed or blackmailed by those above you to keep you in line......it's a murky world out there.....we all start with the best intentions but those around us aren't motivated that way.....just look at Corbyn....trying his best to create something better, but Blair's minions won't have it....so much so he gets caught out reversing or back tracking on his beliefs to fit the majority of the party, but it's NOT the majority in the party he changes to, it's the loudest and more powerful ones deceiving him.....after all.....Corbyn was the original EU sceptic was he not many moons ago???....you know he was....but it looked like everyone wanted to remain.....and we all know what happened there don't we??.....and BTW, the EU has NOT managed to balance it's off ledger accounts EVER.....and under British Law, it is illegal for Britain to fund or give funds to what, under British law, is a corrupt business.....look it up mate.....have fun digging dirt on the murky world of the EU....and BTW, Ted Heath was best mates with Jimmy Saville.....and with that I bid you Adieu mon ami

  • john smith

    On 3 February 2017, 19:59 john smith commented:

    BTW Tom, even though my generation 'slags' your generation off for being so snowflake like etc etc......when I discuss these issues with even more hardened folk of my ilk and generation......I do point out to them that MY generation led you guys down the garden path into the wonderful rosy world where if anyone questions current beliefs they must be racist or homophobe or Alt right or whatever.....it was the liars and deceivers (they exist in ALL generations) of MY generation that deceived you into the current ways of thinking......making issues out of non issues etc etc.....telling you gender is not biological, it is indoctrined into children by homophobic adults and is wrong, all those sort of things (just as an example, I have no issues with LGBT before anyone starts on me)......where the universal law always supersedes everything....for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.....this is universal law....remember it.....for the far right to come about as so many are saying is on the rise these days.....that is because the far left has been rising for the past 2 decades....this is why the phrase "for every action......" comes into play.....there would be no far right if there was no far left and vice versa.....remember this when someone is 'preaching' to you.....yes I know, preaching like I currently am....hehe....but at least I can laff about it....but most importantly recognise and acknowledge it like I have just done.....MY generation has failed the youth of today by letting my generation of liars and deceivers (Tony Blair, George Bush etc and many others) get away with their agenda and propaganda......WE created the apparent 'snowflakes' .....or should I say, we allowed it to happen.....and now we try to alert you to it.....whilst blaming you for it....but it's our fault, we allowed it to happen

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