I like and respect Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative Attorney General and now back bench MP. He is leading the rebels against the powers the government wants to give itself in the Withdrawal Bill. He is reported in The Independent (HERE) describing the government trying to amend its own bill by inserting the date and time of withdrawal, and so making it law, as "thoroughly stupid". This is because it seriously limits the government's flexibility. Imagine if we were within a week of striking a good deal - would we leave and trade on WTO terms for a few days? It's not rational.
But I was interested more in what he says (last paragraphs) about Brexit itself:
More generally Mr Grieve suggested that Brexit was only inevitable “unless the electorate changes its mind”. He went on: “My view has always been that unless or until one can see that that’s happened the Government is really duty bound to try to implement it.
“But…the reality is that this is an immensely high risk, complex operation. I don’t think anybody in Government even with a majority of 150 would be able to carry this out very easily.”
I confess this is my own philosophy. If public opinion changes then any government is duty bound to re-examine the whole thing and no doubt Brexiteers would complain loudly but if polls show consistently that a majority do not want Brexit it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to carry it through the House.
And he pointedly refers to the monumental problems that are going tax the most competent of governments even with a huge majority. And as we know, we have incompetents in senior positions and no majority at all. Brexit ain't going to happen.
