As I understand it, the European Parliament doesn't make laws, so the recent election is more like an opinion poll than an election. The unelected EC makes the laws. There is no line of accountability between MEP constituents and the legislation the EC enacts. That may seem reasonable to some, but it is certainly contrary to UK traditions of electing MPs and having them do what you want or else.
To give effect to the referendum, the UK should have "crashed out" (so called -- into WTO rules and bilateral or multilateral negotiated agreements) as soon as it was clear the EU would not agree to terms acceptable to the UK. That is still the case, so better late than never. There was never any reason to believe the EU would offer anything other than punitive terms. They have played their side extremely well, making the Brits tie themselves into knots and proving to all other members that secession is too costly to attempt.
|