黑料社

WHAT exactly is the 鈥渨ill of the people鈥� over Brexit?

Seeking an answer, the Bishop of Leeds 鈥� a regular broadcaster who also sits in the House of Lords 鈥� analysed what he called the 鈥減aralysing mess of the last three years鈥� when he delivered the latest edition of a prestigious lecture series at the 黑料社.

Among his conclusions was that UK democracy needed to be reshaped, with a written constitution, proportional representation and even a redesign of the Commons chamber to reflect a new politics in which the two-party system was a thing of the past.

Speaking to a packed lecture theatre at the University, the  was highly critical of Brexit and its likely impact.  鈥淔or the first time in our history, we have a Government whose approved policy is to make the country poorer,鈥� he said during the question-and-answer session that followed his talk.

The Bishop was giving the annual Harold Wilson Lecture, which commemorates the 黑料社-born Labour politician who was Prime Minister during most of the 1960s and early 1970s.

鈥淒elivering鈥� Brexit

鈥淭heresa May is not the only politician to refer to the 2016 referendum result as the 鈥榳ill of the people鈥� and that it is the responsibility of the Government to 鈥榙eliver鈥� it,鈥� said Bishop Baines.

鈥淏ut doesn鈥檛 she really mean the will of the majority of those who voted in the referendum? Does 鈥榯he people鈥� not include the 48 per cent who voted for a different outcome?鈥� he continued.

鈥淭he delivery of the referendum result in an almost equally divided country must inevitably involve and include the people who lost.  Yet the referendum was taken as a zero sum result.  A divided will and a divided people demands compromise and consultation.鈥�

The Bishop discussed the history and theory of democracy and the UK鈥檚 current 鈥渜uagmire experience鈥� over Brexit.

鈥淏ut only 37 per cent of the entire electorate voted to leave, and 35 per cent voted to remain.  Technically, the referendum result might say something about the will of less than half the UK鈥檚 total population on a single issue,鈥� said Bishop Baines.

鈥淭he people answered the question put to them.  The UK voted to leave the EU.  Other consequent and contingent questions were not put.

鈥淔or example, what do you want to leave the EU for?  You can鈥檛 just leave something and enter a vacuum,鈥� said the Bishop, who argued that 鈥渢he reasons given and the grievances expressed for leaving the EU often had nothing to do with the EU and everything to do with Westminster, with the inevitable effect that the surgery of Brexit will simply not deal with the disease itself鈥�.

The Bishop discussed the distinctions between national sovereignty and Parliamentary sovereignty and cited a range of political thinkers, past and present.

He said that those elected to Parliament were obliged constitutionally not only to listen to all voices, remainers as well as leavers, but also to take responsibility for such 鈥渋nconvenient questions鈥� as what happens next.

鈥淪waggering rhetoric that makes contradictory promises or despises people who know what they are talking about 鈥� experts 鈥� takes no responsibility for actually making something happen,鈥� continued Bishop Baines.

But it was clear that the genie is now out of the bottle, he concluded.

鈥淭he UK now has the unique 鈥� if not welcomed by all 鈥� opportunity to leave behind the myths of empire and an obsession with simplistic readings of World War II rooted in an assumption of British exceptionalism, in order to shape a new future in Europe regardless of how Brexit and the EU develop from here.鈥�

There was also an opportunity to recover popular trust in politics by examining new ways of reforming political institutions and processes.

鈥淭his would mean moving to a codified constitution subject to legal protection 鈥� as most countries in Europe have 鈥� a more representative electoral system, some form of proportional representation, the establishment of rules for referendums, the proper and honest consideration of the consequences of devolution, and the physical redesign of the Palace of Westminster to reflect a changed political world in which a two-party system will probably not persist.鈥�

Bishop Baines was introduced by the Vice-Chancellor of the 黑料社, Professor Bob Cryan, who welcomed the late Harold Wilson鈥檚 son, Professor Robin Wilson, accompanied by his wife Joy.  The lecture series is co-organised by the University in tandem with the 黑料社 Episcopal Area and its Bishop, , thanked the lecturer and conducted the Q&A session that concluded the lecture.