Brexit Welter - Climate Emergency
Welter is an old word which Almona Choudhury (hoping to be the next MP for Newbury) introduced me to - its meaning has transmogrified over the centuries into a confused mess, tossed around in mud and blood in the bilges of language, becoming in 2004 "A dumpy who enjoys non-sports and likes to argue and can't let the argument go and is an idiot."
Theresa May has negotiated a temporary Brexit deal, its not as good as staying in Europe but not as bad as crashing out. She seems to be an honourable woman, not for her the casual banana bending lies of Boris and Farage or the economic ignorance of Rees Mogg. Yesterday he rubbished Carney's views - but Carney has better economic academic qualifications.
Corbyn, his heart may be in the right place but his head is John Mcdonnell's. They seem to be playing Brexit as a means to taking power at Westminster. They won't support Progressive pacts, PR and coalitions (which work well in the European Parliament) because they think the unfair first past the post system may give them a Westminster majority with a minority of the votes - as with the Conservatives, who are now sadly at the mercy of right wing crazies.
48% voted to remain in the European Union much as we are now, 52% voted against for many reasons - some believed the promises that we'd be richer and have more money for the NHS, some as a protest against austerity and Cameron and Clegg, some against immigrants, some against a political union but for a common market, some to return to the 1950s (but without the poverty: they still want to import cars for all and smart phones and cheap clothes paid for by exports of British cars, steel, oil and coal...)
What to do in a democracy when the majority vote wrong? Luckily we have elections every five years. Oh...
Some who had never voted before but felt so strongly about what they read in Murdoch's press that Britain is the greatest and foreigners beneath us - what will they think of democracy if their voice is disregarded? Their protests won't be as peaceful as our anti brexit march was.
Hence the need for a third referendum - but how to frame 3 choices - remain, leave or the deal?
Maybe we should vote for Theresa's deal as the least bad option.
I think maybe Britian has to suffer and break up as an example to others of what happens if a country votes on ill-informed opinions and emotions.
I can't see MPs voting to dissolve parliament as half of them could lose their jobs and they're happy where they are being 'important' and feeling they're contributing good ideas whilst slagging off everyone from every other party: petty tribalism.
One 'good' thing could come out of this Brexit Tragedy - the economic recession caused by firms going bankrupt because of trade restrictions will cut consumption and save some pollution. But the poor will suffer most.
Some say Brexit is the most important issue for Britain the decade - NO, environmental damage is far worse: that is what future generations will curse us for.
Not just climate change but all the thousands of chemicals we've been spraying on our fields, dumping in our rivers, the plastic slowly percolating to the sea, discarded fishing nets, over fishing in 'international waters', habitat destruction and species deaths causing unforseen consequences, not just to the photogenic big mammals but to the insects near the bottom of the food chains - where are the insects which used to splatter my dad's car windscreen gone?
President Fart is blind eyeing it, saying he doesn't believe in science: he believes in a free market run for the benefit of inheriting millionaires like himself, where the rain forests, the planet's lungs, have no value unless they're logged.
But liberals and greens and others believe in international co-operation, we share one planet, one sky, with everyone else, we can only take control by working together at all levels, local, regional, national, continental and global.
Ed Davey told the Green Lib Dem Nottingham conference how, as Minister for the Environment, he got Europeans to unite and suppport CO2 reduction at the U.N. Paris Climate summit. http://grn.lib.dm/a7175l
All people and parties should support the need to fight environmental destruction, and not blame green taxes on Europe.
But in the privacy of the ballot box will people vote for future generations, for the pain of environmental taxes, or out of self interest for cheaper petrol ?
Its a climate emergency - (a great phrase whoever thought it up.)
George Miles (dicegeorge@hotmail.com)