Please note that the following text represents the original full text of the petition. However the text had to be condensed/summarised due to the character limits on the petitions website.
This is a petition urging the government to help unite the country by ensuring a transparent/fair and inclusive process in implementing the referendum mandate. A mandate in of itself is NOT a blank cheque for the government to choose the implementation process it pleases nor amend terms of the mandate with regards to defining what BREXIT means based on what people voted for and the expectations they had. As such it is crucial that we maintain a sufficient level of clarity to ensure all sides of the argument feel they are on board with the process and NOT alienated by it. To achieve this level of unity & clarity of process I propose the following measures;
- Release/make public all documents related to BREXIT impact assessment papers while indicating the date at which these documents have been completed. These are important documents that directly affect our future as a nation and are directly linked to the referendum mandate and as such cannot be kept under wraps; remember as the referendum demonstrates in a Democracy it is the public that is your source of power.
- A clear commitment by the government to walk away from the negotiations and seek to engage the public if BREXIT is deemed detrimental to the interest of the nation at any level; whether economic, social, security or the sheer financial cost of this endeavour; because with Responsibility and not far behind comes Accountability for choices made and making assumptions about what the referendum mandate implies can sometime lead to taking such authorisation further than it was originally designed to achieve; in other words you cannot willingly put the country at risk and blame it on the mandate.
- We also urge the government in an effort to unite the nation and demonstrate they have the best interest of the country at heart irrespective of any ideological prejudices that the BREXIT Impact Assessment documents are reviewed by an independent/unbiased panel of experts to validate assumptions made by the government in these documents and make their findings public. This has to be within the context of a commitment by the government that if these findings conclude there are major discrepancies between referendum mandate and/or assumptions made by the government with an objective assessment by the panel of the situation as it stands this would in effect render the BREXIT process flawed which could trigger a new referendum – one based on a realistic vision and regulated sufficiently to avoid any form of disinformation or potential foreign interference.
I urge the government and all political parties to back this petition and help unite the nation and ensure a proper process is defined one that prevents further damage to our country and its reputation; let’s drop our political badges and focus on the country for a change particularly when we are debating an issue that has a profound impact on our future for generations to come. This is NOT about arguing to be in/out of the EU but rather an inclusive process to get where we want to be while maintaining & protecting both our unity and our pride as a nation – that’s the real context of this petition.
Covering all basis
Also a final note just to cover all basis; having already had a referendum does not preclude having a 2nd, a 3rd a 4th referendum etc. particularly where circumstances do change as in the following scenarios
- People change their mind due to information that has been conceal deliberately or otherwise.
- Not sticking to the letter of the mandate & expectations set forth during the referendum.
- New realities that affect people perceptions of the benefits and/or disadvantages of BREXIT.
It is crystal clear from the manner the 1st Referendum was conducted that terms of the mandate have been quite loose simply because the visions/expectations have NOT been clearly defined – with different people having different expectations as we clearly see playing out now with Hard/Soft BREXIT saga not even clearly defining what each means and whether these are realistic visions going into the negotiations. This means delays which ultimately translates into a cost the country has to pay at many levels for each delay in the negotiations.
Finally just to say that Democracy is NOT about rigid terms without applying common sense my friends; it is the exact opposite as a system that allows/embraces change because it is more about human nature NOT strictly laws/regulations. So pinning it on Democracy is a convenient fallacy. Having said that I repeat that this petition is about process and NOT about supporting one view or another and I truly mean that.
I can only urge all who believe the above petition does represent their view to sign it; no tweet “likes” are necessary or practical. We really need to demonstrate to the government & politicians on all sides of the argument that we are frustrated for their inability to put the interest of the country at heart and focus on uniting the nation rather than playing party politics.