An Open Letter From My Father... #Brexit

Addressed to Greg Clarke MP, Tunbridge Wells...

Dear Mr Clarke

As my constituency MP I would like to ask for your support in rejecting the alleged obligation which it is claimed the outcome of the referendum places on the United Kingdom to withdraw from the EU.

Parliament is the sovereign body which must take the final decision on our constitutional identity. It is not the place of a referendum to make this decision. To quote the UK Constitutional Law Association in their blog today, “as a matter of domestic constitutional law, the Prime Minister is unable to issue a declaration under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – triggering our withdrawal from the European Union – without having been first authorised to do so by an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament. Were he to attempt to do so before such a statute was passed, the declaration would be legally ineffective as a matter of domestic law and it would also fail to comply with the requirements of Article 50 itself.” (https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2016/06/27/)

The referendum does NOT give a mandate for this to happen. 51.9% of those voting in the referendum supported Brexit. But only 72% of the electorate actually voted. So 51.9% of 72% is 37.4%. Only THIRTY SEVEN POINT FOUR PER CENT of those eligible to vote made a positive choice to vote to leave the EU.

The government’s view on strike action is not to consider valid a vote of the eligible electorate of less than 40%. This referendum is far more important than any strike and a figure of only 37% advocating Leave cannot be considered to have any political legitimacy.

On the established basis that not voting means by default accepting the status quo, the right of British subjects to remain European Union citizens has been taken away from us by just over a third of the electorate. Not of the UK population, but of those eligible to vote. A change as fundamental as the destruction of our constitutional identity should be made only on the basis of a clear majority (50%+) of the entire electorate, not by a minority of thirty-odd percent. Parliament must respect the will of the electorate of the United Kingdom and declare INVALID the conclusion that the referendum has provided a mandate to leave the European Union.

In addition to this, the Tunbridge Wells vote was in favour of remaining in the EU. Will you please therefore follow the steer of your constituents as well as your conscience and NOT acquiesce to pressure to support the invocation of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.


Yours sincerely
John Wallace

Well said Father...