In January, Nigel Adams, our local MP and Welsh Office minion, gave us his New Year Westminster update (HERE) in case we were all wondering what he was getting up to after the festivities. The Brexiteer told us we will be leaving the EU on 29th March - you can depend on it absolutely, out we go - come hell or high water, no ifs, no buts and even if we have to suck pieces of coal for months when the food supplies run out. It was chest beating at it's best and no doubt did him a power of good with his dwindling band of swivel-eyed, not mention bleary-eyed, supporters.
These are his words in January:
"This year will also be a momentous one for our country, with Britain set to leave the EU on 29th March. Following the Prime Minister's triggering of Article 50 on March 29th 2017, EU treaties are currently that the UK will be leaving the Union at the end of the 2 year period, whether a withdrawal deal is agreed with the EU or not".
Unfortunately, the bravado only lasted until February.
This week he voted along with 502 other MPs to pave the way for parliament to block us leaving without a deal and to delay Brexit if we can't get an agreement (HERE amendment 347, note his name near the top). The amendment reads:
"A majority of MPs voted to note in particular the commitment of the Prime Minister made in this House to hold a second meaningful vote by 12 March and if the House, having rejected leaving with the deal negotiated with the EU, then rejects leaving on 29 March without a withdrawal agreement and future framework, the Government will, on 14 March, bring forward a motion on whether Parliament wants to seek a short limited extension to Article 50, and if the House votes for an extension, seek to agree that extension approved by the House with the EU, and bring forward the necessary legislation to change the exit date commensurate with that extension".
You can see on the link those hard Brexiteers who voted to deny themselves the right to approve or reject blocking no deal or delaying Brexit - or should I say they voted to deny every other MP that right. This is in addition to inflicting on their constituents an economic disaster. Needless to say all fruitcakes and all Conservative. Here they are:
Lucy Allan, John Baron, Bob Blackman, Bill Cash, Rehman Chishti, Philip Davies, David Davies, Richard Drax, Philip Hollobone, Gareth Johnson, Esther McVey, Nigel Mills, Anne Marie Morris, Tom Pursglove, Henry Smith, Bob Stewart, Desmond Swayne, Robert Syms, Michael Tomlinson, Martin Vickers.
The 87 Tories, according to the Daily Mirror (HERE) who abstained (either deliberately or because they were sick or absent for unavoidable reasons) is here.
Adam Afriyie, David Amess, Richard Bacon, Steve Baker, Henry Bellingham, Paul Beresford, Crispin Blunt, Ben Bradley, Graham Brady, Suella Braverman, Andrew Bridgen, Fiona Bruce, Conor Burns, Maria Caulfield, Simon Clarke, James Cleverly, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Robert Courts, Geoffrey Cox, Tracey Crouch, Chris Davies, Nadine Dorries, Steve Double, Jackie Doyle-Price, James Duddridge, Iain Duncan Smith, Charlie Elphicke, Mark Francois, Marcus Fysh, Cheryl Gillan, Zac Goldsmith, James Gray, Chris Green, Andrew Griffiths, Greg Hands, Simon Hart, John Hayes, Oliver Heald, Gordon Henderson, Adam Holloway, Ranil Jayawardena, Bernard Jenkin, Andrea Jenkyns, Boris Johnson, Joseph Johnson, David Jones, Stephen Kerr, Greg Knight, Kwasi Kwarteng, Pauline Latham, Edward Leigh, Andrew Lewer, Julian Lewis, Julia Lopez, Jonathan Lord, Tim Loughton, Craig Mackinlay, Anne Main, Scott Mann, Stephen McPartland, Huw Merriman, Stephen Metcalfe, Sheryll Murray, Andrew Murrison, Neil Parish, , Priti Patel, Owen Paterson, Andrew Percy, Will Quince, Dominic Raab, John Redwood, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Laurence Robertson, Andrew Rosindell, Lee Rowley, Grant Shapps, Royston Smith, Hugo Swire, Ross Thomson, Craig Tracey, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Tom Tugendhat, Shailesh Vara, Theresa Villiers, Charles Walker, John Whittingdale, William Wragg
Incidentally, one cannot help but be buoyed by Nigel Adams' final acknowledgement of reality and his apparent U turn from his position after Christmas because in his January peroration he also said this:
"For the avoidance of doubt, the Government has been clear that Article 50 will not be withdrawn, and the instruction of the people who voted to leave in 2016 will be followed. A further referendum is not needed as the public have already spoken".
So look out for Article 50 being withdrawn and a further referendum.
