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Scott Thompson: Referendums are a slippery slope

Click to play video: 'UK speaker of the house making his voice heard during Brexit crisis'
UK speaker of the house making his voice heard during Brexit crisis
U.K. speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow is known to many by his familiar refrain of "ORDER" as he tries to keep things civil in the British parliament. Bercow is even more front and centre as he presides over the house amid the Brexit crisis – Jan 15, 2019

After two years of chaos, British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit proposal was dead in the water Wednesday, throwing the British Parliament into a no-confidence vote.

May’s deal to leave the European Union was defeated, but the PM herself survived a vote of no-confidence and continues to lead.

It is further proof that no one likes what is going on but no one seems to have a better idea that will keep everybody happy.

That doesn’t seem to quell the non-stop grandstanding among the politicians who got the country into this situation.

A deal was finally hammered out with the European Union, but then the United Kingdom cannot agree.

A trip back to the EU with cap in hand isn’t likely to gain any more ground for the U.K. on what has already been an extremely difficult negotiation.

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Unless the U.K. is willing to go without a deal, crippling the economy, there doesn’t seem to be any other options.

Do you keep having referendums until you get the result you want?

In the end, the politicians will have to pick the best of a bad situation that may leave the U.K. further behind then when it started this debate.

What have we learned from this experience?

Referendums are a slippery slope.

Politicians should think twice before they ask the voting public to do what they were elected to do, govern.

Scott Thompson is the host of The Scott Thompson Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.​

 

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