Brexiters used to like the idea a referendum on the terms of Brexit
Brexiters such as Jacob Rees-Mogg used to argue that there was plenty of merit to be had in a referendum on the exact terms of any Brexit deal.
This, for example, is what he said in 2011: “It might make more sense to have the second referendum after the renegotiation is completed”.
Then in 2012 David Davis also talked up the merits of a referendum on the exact terms of Brexit, with a ‘mandate referendum’ (on the principle of Brexit) to be followed by a ‘decision referendum’ once the details are sorted: “The purpose of this strategy is to maximise both the democratic legitimacy and the negotiating leverage to achieve our policy aims”.
John Redwood added his support to this approach: “This seems to me to be the best way forward”.
So I’m sure they’ll be lining up to sign one of those petitions for a referendum on the terms of Brexit any day now…
Mind you, when it looked Remain would win and Farage mentioned a second Referendum we said it was a bad idea. As we do about a 2nd Ref in Scotland.
In Scotland, a detailed blueprint for independence was published by the SNP ahead of the vote – that makes for a very substantive difference from the EU referendum where nothing like that level of detail was set out in advance.
But we did dismiss the idea of a second Referendum shortly before polling day when Farage suggested one would be needed if Leave narrowly lost.
Thank you though for your response ref our stance on a second Scottish Referendum it is the first time I have seen an attempt to rationalise our conflicting stance on supporting another Referendum in one case but not in another.
What though would be ‘our’ detailed blueprint for Remain (which you are quite right was not put forward last time) in the highly unlikely event of a Second Referendum being held? Assuming for example there was a question on the lines of:
‘Do you want to accept the British Government’s Deal [or No Deal as appropriate at the time]?
Or
Remain in the EU?’
What detailed blueprint would have been put forward as regards what Remaining in the EU would mean? Would it be:
a) Remain ‘pretty much as now’ -the hopeless answer Nick Clegg gave in the 2014 debate with Farage?
b) Remain as long as XXXXX reforms could be negotiated?
c) Remain and actively seek ‘ever closer union’ starting with joining Schengen and the Euro?
If we want the conflicting versions of Leave to put forward a detailed blueprint then we would have to do the same.