The Great Repeal Bill

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  • So, the people who have spent 40 years whining about how the EU is an undemocratic bureaucracy, which has strangled British business and culture with it's unnecessary red tape, now reckon the whole ting can be overturned by a single law, with minimal Parliamentary debate, and all the details to be sorted out by the old boy network in Westminster and Whitehall.

    Do they not see the blindingly obvious contradiction?

    It's clearly a practical step to stop the chaos that would otherwise ensue. Once complete voters can decide where to go in future. Seems sensible to me...in fact it seems the obvious route.

  • So, the people who have spent 40 years whining about how the EU is an undemocratic bureaucracy, which has strangled British business and culture with it's unnecessary red tape, now reckon the whole ting can be overturned by a single law, with minimal Parliamentary debate, and all the details to be sorted out by the old boy network in Westminster and Whitehall.

    Do they not see the blindingly obvious contradiction?

    It's a good point.

    There will be more Brexit related laws to come, this is just the general one to repeal the '72 European Act and incorporate all existing law into ours. But there's lots, lots more to come.

  • It may be a single Act, but it is an all embracing one, which will enable the UK , post Brexit, to remove those EU laws which the UK Executive/Parliament deem unnecessary or wasteful, piece by piece.

    It is a very sensible approach, and makes the legislative transition process far more efficient.

    And its needed too, so essential as well as efficient. We have to repeal the '72 Act and state in law, that all existing EU law up to now will be incorporated into out law. Much of it already is, but when we come out of Europe, this has to be explicitly stated.

  • OK, right in the middle of watching this debate, but three main themes appear to the main talking points in the debate so far:

    • Many Labour MPs want to squash Brexit. They're blatant about, ie like Hilary Benn, but others are more pragmatic like Yyette Cooper and other ex Blairites. Obviously, Kate Hoey is very pro the bill and warned her colleagues not to derail the bill. LIb Dem spokesmen Tom Brake wants a clause in the bill to state that if MPs don't like the deal, then the UK should have the option to stay in the EU. That will be the bun fight in 2019 along with any court action that Gina MIller might start, to derail Brexit under the auspices that the deal isn't good enough. Watch out for that nonsense starting by summer 2018, if not earlier.
    • Concern over the divorce bill and negotiation tatics by the EU. Lots of debate over that.
    • The main issue though and the one that May needs to be careful with, is concern from many MPs, (including many of her own backbenchers, like Cameron's people who she sacked like Nicki Morgan and Dominic Grieve) in that May is using so called Henry VIII powers to grab power for the government and not allow proper scrutiny of legislation. MPs are concerned that the legislation, as it currently, will not allow them to "take back control." Warning shots have been fired by several Tory MPs including leavers on this matter. Overall unity thought among Tory MPS that if the legislation gets amened in committee stage, it will pass.

    Another theme arising is one of agriculture and environment. Basically much "our" legislation on this comes from Brussels and the government will have separate primary legislation for these areas. Some Tory MPs say this will be one of the biggest benefits of Brexit to have this law on these subjects made in the UK post Brexit.

    Concern over parity of UK legislation with EU legislation post Brexit. MPs are concerned on how this will work. For our business' to do business with the EU, they need to work within EU rules, but will UK legislation remain on parity with EU law post Brexit, ie will we will keep updating our own laws once Brexit happens to remain in line with EU law?

    Labour going heavily at employment rights and Human rights law etc, say this is at risk post Brexit.

  • Labour MP Margaret Beckett and one of the many Foreign Secretaries in Blair's government, just made a rather acute observation. She said the Bill had clearly been drafted before the election when May thought she was going to get a majority to do what she wanted. Beckett went on to say that as May hasn't gone that mandate, the legislation is therefore out of date.

    May with the DUP support, should get this Bill through parliament tonight, but it could be close. I doubt, with the exception of Ken Clarke, any of the Conservative MP's will vote against their own government.

    If it it fails, all bets are off.

  • Official BBC article on this:

    The government's bid to extract the UK from EU law in time for Brexit has passed its first Parliamentary test.

    MPs backed the EU Withdrawal Bill by 326 to 290 in a late-night vote despite critics saying it represented a "power-grab" by the government.

    The bill, which will end the supremacy of EU law in the UK, now moves onto its next Parliamentary stage.

    BBC article

    =====

    The Brexit battle has barely started and yes I did see Blair's comments on Sunday too. Why can't he just sod off?

  • It's the Bill everyone has been waiting for and its coming today, but will not be debated until September, but hey ho, it's not as if its a complicated task to repeal thousands of EU and UK laws and incorporate them into one new law, is it...?

    The essential contradiction of Brexit, especially as represented by this Bill. The anti EU arguments are that decades of law have made 'our' lives so much more complicated over the period of our membership, and have been implemented so undemocratically, that "Something Must Be Done".

    The Tory / Brexiteer solution? That a Minority Government deal with the whole thing in one Act, with minimal debate, and the 'mere detail' of incorporating EU legislation into UK law should be left to Ministers and civil servants in the darkened corridors of Whitehall.

  • The essential contradiction of Brexit, especially as represented by this Bill. The anti EU arguments are that decades of law have made 'our' lives so much more complicated over the period of our membership, and have been implemented so undemocratically, that "Something Must Be Done".

    The Tory / Brexiteer solution? That a Minority Government deal with the whole thing in one Act, with minimal debate, and the 'mere detail' of incorporating EU legislation into UK law should be left to Ministers and civil servants in the darkened corridors of Whitehall.

    They'll be more than one act, PM , lot more. This is like the foundation slab which is needed to do all the other laws and repeal the original 1972 European Act which took us into the then EEC to begin with.

    This current Bill will be scrutinised line by line in committee stage and when it returns to the Commons, I think I heard it would get eight day's of debate. I agree, though, that is not enough to go through this very important bill. In effect, it will become part of our constitution once enacted.

    I take it you're a remainer, PM.:)

  • Labour will back Conservative rebels over Brexit unless the prime minister accepts changes to its repeal bill, the party's shadow Brexit secretary says.

    Sir Keir Starmer wants six changes to the bill, which aims to transfer EU legislation into British law.

    If these are not accepted Labour will back Tory rebels in an attempt to force a vote on the final EU deal, he said.

    Because of all the amendments to the bill, it's already delayed and this is only the first piece of Brexit legislation, albeit the most important one.

    Looks like the government may need to be flexible if it wants this legislation passed by the house otherwise Labour will cause problems.

  • but you do wonder if all these amendments and changes are just a way of delaying everything.

    I don't wonder, as it's obvious that is what its for, some people just cant except the result so will do everything they can to delay or stop it happening.

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