Charley Bravo's Stop Brexit Blog

Let’s draw a parallel between Brexit and a major business project.  This will be applying general principles, as a company with millions of shareholders leaving a large partnership is not a realistic scenario: Predictions in the prospectus from the two sides would have had specific warnings about future predictions, and personal liability in the event of mistruths.  Lord Sugar tells us more about public company prospectuses.   We had none of that, and participants had free rein to peddle lies and deceit. A super-majority would have been required, probably 75% of votes.  The Brexit Referendum only required a simple majority of one over 50% of votes.  It could have been 50% of eligible voters. A vote found to have been won by alleged criminal activity would have been investigated straight away, and if proven the result declared void.  The Met police have only just started criminal investigations , some months after being asked to do so. The Article 50(...

Many Brexiters do not want to see a second Brexit referendum.  They say it would not be democratic.  But really they just want to avoid the risk of Brexit being overturned and stopped. So here is why a second referendum would be democratic: A further referendum would be on the Final Deal (or No Deal) not the vague fictional picture painted in 2016.  Brexit can win if the final arrangement stands up to scrutiny.  But if it doesn’t why should it happen?  People need their say. The 2016 referendum was won by lies, deceit and alleged criminality.  The result should have been declared void.  But what should replace it? Some 700,000 peope marched through London on 20 October demanding another vote.  Many more wanted to be there but couldn't.  Millions wanting a Peoples Vote. All the 18 and 19 years olds and some 20s who had not turned 18 in June 2016.  Some 2 million young adults. They deserve a say, especially as Brexit will affect ...

You’ll be forgiven for saying IR35 hasn’t got anything to do with Brexit.  But it has. In yesterday’s Budget, Philip Hammond said of IR35: “ …so that individuals working side by side in a similar role for the same employer… …pay the same employment taxes .” But whilst they might work similarly technically, they are not similar commercially, are they? Firstly contractors, to which IR35 can apply, have to carry Professional Indemnity and Employers Liability insurance, because the client/employer could sue them in the event of an insured problem, Not the case with employees.  There’s a hefty excess the contractor has to bear in the event of a successful claim. Typically contractors are on a week’s notice, not a month or three. If they become ‘redundant’ they are still officers of their companies (or partners in partnerships), and so are not unemployed and eligible for unemployment benefits like employees who pay Class 1 NICs. These are not appropriate to be paid, at ...

The key points about Brexit today, 24 October 2018, are: DEADLINE The UK is due to leave the EU late on 29 March 2019, unless something happens to stop or postpone it. Last week’s EU summit was supposed to be the deadline for a provisional deal on “the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union“ per Article 50(2)t.   There are various other approvals needed within both the EU and UK. With all the tricky aspects remaining to be agreed, and the potential November summit cancelled, we are out of time for the March deadline. The UK must either:   Stop Brexit Now, or Ask for an extension of the March leaving date, which according to Article 50(3) would only be if “ the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period ” TIMESCALE Ordinarily it takes 3-5 years to design and build siginifcant systems and premises, recruit ...

Let’s look at the facts about Brexit, as of today 23 October 2018, and the way forward for Brexit: THE FACTS The UK will leave the EU at 2300 hrs on 29 March 2019 unless something happens to stop or delay departure .  That's not much more than 5 months away. This is two years after the Withdrawal Notification was made under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty This notification was made 9 months after the Referendum, but still without a clear Brexit plan, and certainly not one that had widespread agreement Jeremy Corbyn wanted to make that notification the day after the referendum took place, with absolutely no planning.   Brexit is still official Labour Party policy.   When the Withdrawal Notification was made, e deadline for a deal was set for last week’s EU Summit   This is because this is only the first step in a multi-step approval process within the EU27, which all takes time and where approval of a draft deal is not guaranteed.  As the BBC ...