What if Brexit had been a Business Project?

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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. The Article 50(1) notification would only have been delivered when a clear, achievable plan had been determined, and some initial preparations made and costed.  That didn’t happen (and note Jeremy Corbyn wanted to put in the notification the day after the referendum result, with no preparation at all, as part of a long history of anti-EU voting)
  5. A final vote would be required on the final deal before implementation.  That has not been arranged with voters.  Getting a meaningful vote in Parliament, with Remain as an option, is proving difficult
  6. Time would have been allowed for all the systems work.  A proper Brexit would be some 10 years from notification to finally leaving, not less than 4 years as arses from the ‘transition period’. That hasn’t happened.
  7. A deadline would be set and the project abandoned if no deal achieved.  The deadline was the EU summit in mid-October for the provisional deal, given the March 2019 leave date and there is still a multi-step approval process in the EU - see below. Plus of course further approval needed in the UK.  Yet Brexit hasn’t been stopped.

What a shambles!

What would happen to the Board of a public company had acted like this? 

Whatever the answer, #StopBrexitNow


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We’re Better Off With Europe

Image
It is easy to be negative about the draft Brexit deal.  So here’s some positive thoughts about the UK remaining in the EU, both financial and social, by being "Better Off With Europe": WE’RE #BetterOffWithEurope Than with the USA Than crashing out of the EU with no collaborations or trade deal defined Than the Brexit ‘deal’ that loses sovereignty and also leaves our future undefined THE ECONOMY We’re #BetterOffWithEurope For a stronger economy For more jobs - there is no ‘Jobs first’ Brexit available For more money for the NHS and public services from employee taxation and VAT FREEDOM FOR BRITS IN EU27 We’re #BetterOffWithEurope For the opportunity to travel, live, work and retire anywhere in EU27. That would be lost, by reciprocation, if UK stops European people from doing that in the UK For some 1.5 million Brits already in EU27 For us still in the UK, plus future generations COLLABORATIONS We’re #BetterOffWithEurope For all the collabora
Read more

What is Theresa May's Plan B?

Image
Theresa May has brought a 'deal' back from Brussels that she says is in the "national interest". Leaders of the 27 EU countries are expected to approve the deal tomorrow, Sunday (indeed now have approved it). But the deal is looking unlikely to get approval from Parliament. Over 80 Tory MPs have indicated they will vote against it, both Leavers and Remainers. Plus all the other parties including the DUP. If the deal is not approved, May has indicated that she will not resign, nor hold a People's Vote. So what is her Plan B? WHAT ABOUT THE DEAL? Firstly, though, why would the deal be rejected? There are objections to specific aspects of the legal Withdrawal Agreement, such as the Irish backstop and having to take EU rules with no say in them. The accompanying non-binding Political Declaration for the Future Relationship is just that. A vague wish-list that amounts to a 'blindfold Brexit'. That is all enough to reject the 'deal'. But in
Read more

What's Next for Brexit?

Image
Theresa May is winning plaudits for her dedication to seeing the Brexit project through. What's next? Brexit is fatally flawed. Firstly Theresa is being driven by an intent to honour the marginal 2016 referendum result, which everyone knows was won by lies, deceit and criminality. Dishonourable. Secondly the ‘deal’ has major flaws which means it satisfies very few.   In particular the Political Declaration (Framework for the Future Relationship) is only 7 pages. Substantially all the negotiation about the future will need to be done AFTER the UK leaves the EU, when it cannot easily go back.  A 'Blind Brexit'.  That is unacceptable to Leavers and Remainers alike. Thirdly the latest polls indicate that support for Remain is clearly over 50%, with her ‘deal’ lagging behind the horror of No Deal. The latest from YouGov about the deal is consistent with polls just before the deal showing Remain support well over 50%.  No majority support for Brexit of any kind. Logi
Read more