May's 'Transition Period' Is A Betrayal of Brexit

The single greatest democratic vote in Britain’s history has been betrayed by the nation’s ruling class, and there seems to be no way to redress the matter. When the British people voted for Brexit, the choice was clear and binary: to stay part of the European Union (EU) or to leave. There was no third or qualified option available…it was an “in” or “out” question.

Last week, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, addressed representatives from the other EU member states at a long-awaited speech in Florence. At this momentous occasion, the PM was supposed to set out the clear path for exit and terms of any deal that might be reached with regards to trade and security cooperation. Instead, what she delivered was pure capitulation and the prospect of never actually leaving the shackles of the bureaucratic machine.

During Mrs. May’s speech, she signified that her plan for Brexit involved a number of key issues; each of which was a direct volte-face against why 17.4 million people voted leave.

The driving factors behind the Brexit vote were the reclaiming of Britain’s borders, National Sovereignty, and the supremacy of British courts. Each of these have been taken under the banner of the EU.

The Prime Minister has announced that instead of leaving the EU under Article 50 (the article of the Lisbon treaty that deals with a member state’s withdrawal) at the set time of March 2019, she will seek an implementation period (or transition period) that extends for a further two years. This would take her up to the next General Election, at which point, Brexit will be on the table again. With all main parties campaigning to stay in under the “transitional arrangements” they will ignore the will of the British people.

Under EU law, Britain has an effective open-door immigration policy to almost half a billion EU nationals with no say over who is, or is not allowed into the country. This includes criminals, pedophiles, and potential terrorists. Each person who has an EU passport has the automatic right to live, work, and claim benefits in the UK. During the transition period, free movement of people will continue.

The reality of this, however, is not just keeping the status quo. Since the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel decided to redefine what makes a refugee, the situation has changed drastically. Under her new definition, anyone fleeing economic poverty can be classed as a refugee, thus allowing more than 1.5 million new migrants to flood into Europe and immediately become wards of the state. Each of these (mostly early 20s males) will become eligible for an EU passport before the transition period comes to an end.  Many are suggesting that the whole purpose of this transition was a deal done behind closed doors to help take hundreds of thousands of economic migrants off the EU’s hands.

This is exactly what drove the Brexit vote to victory, the inability to control the national borders and decide who can live in Britain. And she has betrayed it.

The second largest issue with the EU was the rights of sovereignty. Under EU regulation, sovereignty is ceded to the European Union in many areas, such as employment law, courts, rights, and freedoms. The big argument was that Britain, as a nation, should be able and allowed to choose its own destiny, and not be controlled by unelected bureaucrats in the European Commission who cannot be removed by vote. Under Mrs. May’s offer, the UK will remain under EU legislation, and they can continue to make laws for the country without any input from Britain’s elected politicians.

One of the defining factors in deciding to leave the EU was the fact that Britain’s law courts are no longer supreme. All decisions are answerable to, and can be overturned by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). This will now continue under the transitional arrangement. What many people do not realize is that the ECJ is not, in fact, made up of judges. Rather it is comprised of bureaucrats who are appointed by the European Commission, presumably to further the Commission’s aims. And yet they hold power over even the highest judge in the UK.

Not a single Brexiteer is happy with Mrs. May’s proposal, yet very few are surprised. Theresa May was a campaigner for the Remain side of the referendum. She didn’t want to leave the EU in the first place, and it seems she has found a method to keep the UK bound.

Britain’s opposition party, the Labour Party, are presently in their Autumn Conference, and so far it seems as though they are continuing to be as pro-EU as possible. Suggestions have been raised by senior Labour politicians that perhaps we need a second referendum (with the option to return to the EU).

In fact, almost the entire British political establishment is determined to keep the UK in the EU. It is only a handful of MPs and the majority of the British public that want a full Brexit.

The man most responsible for getting the British people the right to vote on their continued EU membership is Nigel Farage. Many Brexiteers are calling on him to return to frontline politics to finish the job that all thought was complete.

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