Brexit Article by Robert Courts (Debate)
| Mike Williams |
👍
Tue 23 Apr 2019, 17:00 (last edited on Tue 23 Apr 2019, 17:06) Article published in Telegraph last Friday. I'll avoid the temptation to add my own comments here. ***************************** I hope you had a restful Easter break and that you were able to enjoy the beautiful West Oxfordshire weather with your loved ones.I wanted to take this opportunity to write to make you aware of my article which featured in the Telegraph over the weekend, and which you can read in full on my website here https://www.robertcourts.co.uk/news/daily-telegraph-we-have-long-needed-new-relationship-eu-my-fellow-mps-must-deliver-it I apologise in advance for its length but would really encourage you to read it in full, as I have sought to set out in detail why I firmly believe that both sides of the Brexit debate are not as far apart as they often think and that, if everyone is willing to put emotion to one side, there is a clear route through to a sensible Brexit settlement that can unite our country. It was roughly two and a half years ago that I became your Member of Parliament and in doing so inherited the democratic decision of the British people to leave the European Union. I was honoured to be re-elected as your MP back in 2017 on a manifesto commitment to respect the result of the referendum and implement the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. This manifesto commitment is of course my contract with the people of West Oxfordshire and I have a duty to honour it, together with the solemn promises I made when seeking re-election. Within this context I have always been clear that my preference is for a compromise Brexit solution that brings both sides together. We need to, some three years on from the referendum, move past the labels of ‘Remainers’ and ‘Leavers’ and look forward as a united nation. This was never going to be a simple endeavour, not least because of the intense emotion this issue evokes and how entrenched the positions of both sides have become. But I firmly believe, from the countless conversations I have had with constituents on this issue, that both sides have far more in common than they think. Furthermore, that if we are all able to set our emotions to one side we will see that in Brexit we are in fact dealing with the entirely logical consequences of decisions taken many years ago and that, whatever our views on Brexit, a fundamental restructuring of our relationship with the EU has long been inevitable. If we can find it within ourselves to face up to these facts, we will see that the route forward is far clearer and less controversial than we like to make out. We all want to maintain a close, friendly relationship with our European allies. We all want to preserve our strong trading links with the EU. We all want to continue to co-operate in areas of mutual interest, such as defence, security and research. We all want to continue to participate in European-wide projects such as Erasmus and the EHIC system. So rather than refighting old battles, let us all now come together to forge that new settlement with the EU that is sensitive to the concerns of both sides, and which will ultimately heal our nation. Do please take a moment to read my article in full and I will of course welcome any feedback you may have. With very best wishes, RobertRobert Courts MP Member of Parliament for Witney & West OxfordshireTel: 01993 22 50 20Email: robert@robertcourts.co.uk Website: www.robertcourts.co.uk |
Charlbury Website © 2012-2024. Contributions are the opinion of and property of their authors.
Heading photo by David R Murphy. Code/design by Richard Fairhurst.
Contact us. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.