In my latest blog I question whether the UK really is a different type of country to the likes of France and Germany. I conclude that Britain is indeed different because the UK is run for the benefit of our political masters and not for the general populace.
Is there really something so exceptional and special about Britain that makes the requirements of our country so different to all the other countries of Europe?
British newspapers have today (10 December) referred to the gap between the UK and the EU, mostly relating to the issue of sovereignty. But really, this is not about a gap between us and them. Thatâs an illusion.
What is âSovereigntyâ?
If sovereignty is the real issue, why doesnât Germany, France or Belgium bellyache about their sovereignty? Are those countries so different to ours that something that seems so important to us is not important to them?
No. The issue isnât really about our sovereignty. Itâs about the power of the people who now govern the United Kingdom. Remember the mantra â the slogan â of the Brexit campaign? It was: âTake back controlâ.
But do you really think that was about the likes of you or me taking any control? Will Brexit give you or I control over our countryâs borders, laws or money? Of course not. This is not about US but about THEM having control; those people who are now our political masters.
If Boris Johnson et al had real respect for the notion of sovereignty, donât you think theyâd behave differently towards the sovereignty of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
If sovereignty meant something to the hard-line Brexiteers now in charge of our country, donât you think theyâd recognise and acknowledge the sovereignty of the European Union? If they really wanted to give us, âthe peopleâ, more control, donât you think they would have allowed Parliament a proper say from the start?
Since the referendum result, the Tories in charge have played every trick they can muster to bypass Parliament, whether through Royal Prerogatives, Henry VIII clauses, denial of debates or even to close Parliament itself.
This is not about our sovereignty. This is not about our control. This is about their sovereignty and their control. For us mere citizens, Brexit means we have lost control.
Trade needs agreement between sovereign entities
Of course, if Britain wants to trade freely and fairly with our European neighbours, we have to abide by the rules of trade we agree with the EU. These rules are democratically decided by the remaining member countries of the EU (all of them, that is, except us).
Brexit means weâve lost all control of those rules. We used to have a say in them. But now, weâve been stripped of our sovereignty over our continent. Brexiteers in government donât want to obey the rules of Europe that, through their doing, we no longer help to decide. Of course not.
Instead, they want to control our countryâs laws, borders and money.
Not you. Not me. Them.
Donât believe me? Just look at how the government is handing out multi-million-pound contracts to their mates, without the usual public scrutiny and accountability.
Our money, under their control. Our country, under their control. Yes, there is a gap. A huge gap in understanding of what is really going on here. Brexit means we â the people â have lost control. It means we have lost sovereignty. It means we have lost our continent.
We didnât get our country back. We gave it away to the most right-wing reactionary government in recent history. Only when we truly âtake back controlâ might we get our country back, and our rightful place as a full and engaging member of our continent.
So we, the people, have LOST control over the running of our country. OK we voted for a Conservative government but we did not vote for them to TAKE control for their own gain rather than ours.
Ed: You can follow Jon on his blogs here and here on Facebook.
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