Steve Baker of the ERG was on Radio 4 this morning. His interview was an indicator of how farcical things have become. He told Justin Webb the position of the ERG, abstaining from the vote yesterday, was a reasonable one. When it came to talking about the lack of any majority in the House for leaving without a deal, he used what might in future be called the 'Bone' defence. I'll explain a bit more about that in a second.
Baker's answer was that parliament voted by a large majority to invoke Article 50 and they needed to 'wake up' to the decision they took in February 2017 - when they voted to approve the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. In other words his stance is that MPs voted 494 -122 to leave with or without a deal!
He seems to forget the government had spent the eight months (eight months!) prior to February 2017 apparently planning their Brexit Policy. We were told they couldn't reveal what that policy actually was for fear of weakening our negotiating hand. Most MPs accepted this (naively in my opinion) - but let's be honest, nobody thought any sane group of people, let alone the UK cabinet, would set the two year clock ticking without a plan.
We now know this is exactly what they did do! Yet Baker still thinks the vote counts as meaning we must leave on March 29th.
I think had the bill explained that WHATEVER HAPPENED AND IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES we would leave the EU at exactly 11:00 pm on 29th March 2019, it would never have passed.
This is the Bone defence. What do I mean? Listen to this from Peter Bone speaking in the House yesterday:
Peter Bone
"The truth of the matter is that the British people had the Cameron-Osborne “Project Fear” thrown at them. They were told that it would be the end of the world if they voted leave. They would be poorer, house prices would go up or down, interest rates would go through the roof and there would be mass unemployment—even bubonic plague—and they still voted for it, so I am afraid that people in this remain Parliament are ignoring the wishes of the British people".
This was his answer to the charge that no one voted to make themselves poorer. In the strange place known as Bone World this is precisely what they did do. The British people wanted, nay demanded, not only impoverishment but mass unemployment and bubonic plague as well - bring it on, good and hard and as much as you've got. We voted for it and there will be street riots unless we get it!
He is of course, correct in his basic assertion. The government did issue warnings, lots and lots of them, but what Bone ignores is that the Brexiteers and Vote Leave (a) told the public loudly and repeatedly that they were scaremongering and (b) Brexit would mean sunlit uplands and £350 million a week extra.
Bone seems now to be admitting it wasn't all scaremongering and takes from this the public were properly forewarned about whatever hardship Brexit will bring.
What Baker and Bone are doing is classic bait and switch. Changing the terms of trade after the vote. The advertised good or service being switched or substituted for something inferior or much more expensive after the contract was made with the claim that the victim knew precisely what they were opting for.
Brexiteers are really confidence tricksters, fairground hucksters and snake oil salesman. One day they will be found out and will have to face the voters. Bring that on.
