Well, it looks like a sizeable chunk of England (well, the political chatterati bit) has, as we like to say in Belfast, went nuts. It’s a shame Brian’s sage advice was not heeded by the editors of the Mail and, my own old manor, the Daily Telegraph. So here’s hree brief thoughts.
Firstly, on the 50%+1 rule the Remain side lost. Nothing that happens in Parliament can ‘fix’ the result in favour of the 48%.
Secondly, having been so soundly beaten in English and Welsh constituencies, how anyone imagines Labour has a choice other than supporting or abstaining from any substantive motion that comes before Parliament, is beyond me.
Thirdly, as under the British system the Westminster (as opposed to the devolved institutions) Parliament is sovereign, it really can do what it bloody well likes on the matter.
If some Remainers really were able (as they seem to believe) to use the law to subvert the outcome of the referendum, there would be hell to pay (in England at least). As Chuka Umunna noted on the night itself, Labour needs the country to unify.
To do that it needs to be on the right side of its own support.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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