St Crispin's Day

Subject: St Crispin's Day.

It has been for many reasons one of the strangest political phenomena, this exit process of Britain from the EU. 

Last night the House of Commons voted my a large majority to continue the process to leave the EU regardless of the fact that many politicians disagree with the People's Referendum and its vote to leave. It's not an academic question, for many of them they see an economic  disaster looming ahead as we lose the right to trade without tariffs barriers for the goods we produce in this country and sell to Europe. Our trade with Europe is by far the largest and so it is from an economic point of view like punching yourself in the face, something you can still decide to do but will hurt and under normal circumstances is unnecessary. 

So why are the so called custodians of our decision making so gung ho to commit us to this questionable 'self harming' situation. 

Well "The People have spoken" is the answer and in the Referendum they voted to come out. It has been argued that the People didn't know the facts or understand the consequences of their vote and no doubt with the claim and counter claim swirling around it was exceptionally hard to make head nor tail of what these consequences were. There was a large rump of people who feel discarded by politics who's economic position is dire anyway and have felt discarded by politicians of both the main parties and who therefore took a kick at the government of the day, who's  professed wish voiced through the Prime Minister was to remain. To these people they felt their lives couldn't get any worse.

Trade is pivotal for economic well being, less trade and ones well being is sure to be effected and whilst everything is in the air at the moment and depends on the concessions wrung from the Europeans there is no doubt our well being will be effected negatively. Why then did the parliamentarians not vote against our referendum decision they being the guardians of our best interests.

It has often been said the if "hanging" was left to the popular vote that it would be reintroduced for specific acts of murder. In this case the parliamentarians see themselves as guardians of or morality and consistently vote against the reintroduction of hanging. In the field of "assisted dying" we are often amazed that the sight of people so broken by an illness who wish to end their life under very carefully contrived conditions are rejected this humanitarian wish by the politicians who fly against the wishes of the people. There are hundreds of laws enacted which fly against the popular vote so why not this one if the politician sees leaving the EU a disaster ?

Why in this case are they so craven not to vote against the three-line whip which is an order from their leadership to follow the leaderships decision. 

You would have thought that the guardianship we entrust to them on all matters would make them follow their conscience or economic gut and say no irrespective of what it might do to their political career.

Of course I have placed the worst case scenario of our Brexit leave and it is to be hoped the agreement will not be all bad. There is also the gradual build up of trade in other parts of the world but make no mistake this "European Free Trade Area" as it was originally conceived to be, was a tremendous idea and the concept to which we originally wished to enter. It has been the political progression that has begun to trouble people in this country as the Union tried to approach a closer federation with legal and monetary union. 

In Britain, with our island mentality we were never wholeheartedly within the mindset of Europe, refusing to join the Euro for instance and so I think it was more being the reluctant relative that drove the vote in the direction it did. For many political and economic reasons the thrust of European decision making has come from predominantly Germany and historically it sticks in the gut to think that after two world wars, when Germany represented an alien ideology, something we were so opposed to that we were prepared to send our lads to die to oppose, that we would calmly accept, 50 years on, their unquestioned leadership.

The economic instability of a two tier Union of States, strong North, weaker South without the recycling of surpluses as is seen in the USA, a proper federation of states, then the economic disharmony within Europe would only flourish with the disaster of systemic unemployment the only outcome. This almost, built in, unequal structural aspect of the EU was to my mind something to be avoided and since the hegemony within the union had already been established it would not easily be relinquished.

It was for this reason that I wished to leave but I have to be frank, the full implications of for instance, 'financial pass porting' was never explained, nor its implicit ramifications on the strongest element in our economic structure, the Banks.

Henry Vs St Crispin's Day speech before the battle of Agincourt 

This day is called the feast of St Crispin

He that outlives this day and comes safe home

Will stand a tip toe when the day is named

And rouse him at the name of Crispin

He that shall live this day and see old age

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours 

And say 'Tomorrow is Saint Crispin'

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars

And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day'