It has been nearly two months since my last Brexitwatch installment (see here) and just as it was getting interesting with Boris’ deal not getting the necessary parliamentary approval before leaving the EU on 31^st October deadline, on which date the General Election that has just gone was announced, our attention was turned elsewhere.

My Electionwatch series (see here) to some extent takes up the story and now Boris is back to Number 10 with a sizable majority we can expect matters to resume with a vengeance. And so it seems, with the Bill to get Britain out of the EU introduced into the Commons on Friday. Today’s BBC headline is “Brexit bill to rule out extension to transition period” which will no doubt be music to the ears of hard leavers but will raise alarm bells in some that we could leave the EU without a trade deal. I see his not having to make concessions to get waverers on board neutrally as pure politics.

There seems little doubt that Boris “message of lets get Brexit done” (and move on) won the day but as one commentator pointed out in his “Making (theological) sense of the election result” article, it was as much about the unwelcome prospect of a Marxist, terrorist sympathizer who can promise much with little prospect of delivering, while fudging Brexit, becoming Prime Minister that swayed the argument. But now we know and most of the obstacles referred to in my last Brexitwatch post that necessitated the Election in the first place have been removed and the finishing line is in sight.

But I have qualms. It is not so much that the concessions Boris made to his detractors in the hope his earlier attempt to pass his Bill before the 31^st October deadline have been removed but rather that now he has a big majority he can push through stuff that is not beneficial. When the election was announced, I was not convinced about Boris’ deal, which Nigel Farage rightly called a treaty, which would still tie us in with the EU and was only marginally better than Theresa May Mark 3 and that included ditching the DUP in order to solve “the Irish problem”.  While Boris has subsequently made encouraging sounds (and I include this latest one of being out altogether by the end of 2020) there has been little debate on the subject and we are somehow expected to trust a proven liar.

But we are where we are and we are in the hands (literally) of the Almighty. While I advocate scrutiny (as opposed to the horrendous tactics by Brexit opposers to derail Brexit altogether we saw in the last Parliament and also as opposed to those who feel we can be railroaded into accepting the unacceptable without dissent) I am hopeful that soon we will soon be out of this evil institution and be once again a sovereign nation. But I will be watching and inviting concerned citizens to bend my ear when what is done is not right. While I don’t have the brain the size of a planet or the wisdom of Solomon, I will take this on board and if I see valid points made will blog without fear and favour, which mercifully we can still do.