About Brexit - A Voter's Dilemma

I support 38 Degrees and through them I sent a letter to my MP saying I viewed a parliamentary vote against Theresa May's Brexit deal as the least worst option in the situation we find ourselves in. 

This is not because I am a Brexiter, but because I am in  favour of Britain remaining in the EU. The 2016 referendum is now viewed by many to have been inconclusive and based on poor information and misinformation. The reality is that it showed the electorate more or less split down the middle on whether we should leave the EU or remain in it.  In a very high turnout 48% voted to remain and 52% voted to leave. Claims that it was the People expressing their will to Parliament and that it should therefore be obeyed without question are disingenuous. It's too close to half-and-half to bring any kind of closure to the issue. 

In view of the hasty nature of the original referendum, which was basically a bad strategic lunge by David Cameron based on a flawed idea of how his electorate were thinking, 

and in view of the fact that the campaigning leading up to the vote was riddled with misinformation, 

I think we need a second vote. 

Many MP's are now taking the view that a vote against the May deal could be used to trigger another referendum. Reluctantly, I think this is the way we have to go. There are indications that the views of the electorate have changed in the more informed debate since. It's a high risk strategy. I did a lot of agonising. Here is how I came to my conclusion:

Vote For the May deal because:	Vote Against the May deal because: negatives-	Vote Against the May deal because: positives -
Retains environmental and food standards.	We have to obey EU rules but don't have a say in making them – no chance of changing the ones we don't like. And there are many.	Opens the way to a possible people's vote. And there is a good (?) chance that it will be in favour of remain this time.
Allows some autonomy re fish and agriculture.	'Man in the street' Brexiter would be pissed of with the deal and would continue to express dissatisfaction... ...there'd be a feeling of having been done over leading to a negative attitude... ...and right wing loonies would gain traction.	Either way, it brings closure of one sort or another whereas supporting the May deal will guarantee that the situation will just go grinding on. And, we're not helpless – if we left, we'd have to make our way in a different and more difficult sort of world. Just possibly the Labour Party might help with that by coming up with a plan?
Keeps us away from US vassalage.
Follows letter of the referendum result ---------	---> But not the spirit? Leavers will feel sold short.	While there could be a negative attitude among some people who feel the first vote was democracy in action and should be obeyed, a people's vote does after all give them a second chance to express their view...
Avoids 'No Deal Brexit'. If there were a people's vote and it failed we would have to face a No Deal Brexit.	Vast parliamentary opposition means that it will be voted down anyway.	...and the idea that the referendum result expressed the will of the people is disingenuous. It expressed the will of roughly half the people based on little information, mostly wrong and exploitative.
People are disillusioned and, far from rushing out to defend the Remain position in a people's vote, they might well not vote at all.

Other considerations -

If there were a people's vote, and if it came out as Leave, then we would have a big job on to keep our high standards, environmental and other, rebuild our economy in a new context and keep ourselves from having to kowtow to the US. If the PV went the other way, and we found ourselves remaining, there should be no triumphalism. We got here for a reason. There's much that needs putting right in the EU and a Remain vote should not be seen as a vote of confidence. Rather, the whole episode should be taken as a warning to the EU, which should embark on some serious self-examination if it wants to avoid repeat performances in other member countries.

Further to that, we should not feel good about ourselves either. In the past we have not taken the EU seriously, except to blame it for stuff. Low quality chancers have often got in as MEP's because of voter apathy and a lack of involvement by the party politicians.

This whole episode has illuminated serious failings in our politics. Getting support by any means – even if your objectives are worthy – is neither honest nor credible, and is in the end counter productive, a point effectively made by the bilge we were fed in the run up to the 2016 referendum. The politicians now have to work hard at engaging their electorate through open and plain speaking. 

So I feel sorry for the genuinely thoughtful electors who believe we should leave for what they see as good evidence based reasons. Their cause was taken over by gurning caricatures who thought it a good idea to wind up the racists and bigots instead of setting out a rational case.

A few years ago I wrote about this kind of operator, here.