I know plenty of people across Atherton and Leigh will be bitterly disappointed by the news last week that the High Court has ruled that our government cannot begin the process of leaving the European Union.
The local vote in the EU Referendum was overwhelmingly for the Leave side of the argument – in the Wigan Borough, it was 64 percent, the highest anywhere in Greater Manchester and one of the highest in the country – but people can see how some of the Remain campaigners, having lost, are now trying to delay and subvert the referendum decision.
Alongside many people from across the local area, I campaigned to leave the EU because I believe that Britain would be a stronger and happier place outside of the failing political construct. We have seen in the past how countries, such as Ireland, get the “wrong” result and get instructed, by the EU, to try again. This time the EU cannot give that instruction so Remain campaigners are doing the EU’s work for it.
Neverendum is what the Scottish people fear with the SNP keeping the threat of an eternal debate on the status of Scotland within the UK. Now we have the news that London-based hairdresser Deir Dos Santos and investment manager Gina Miller have made the whole process of Britain leaving the EU far more drawn out with the decision of the British people being dragged through the courts.
What’s more, MPs have already had a vote in Parliament and they voted by a margin of six to one in favour of holding a referendum and giving that decision to the British people. That decision has already been taken – back on 23rd June – and triggering Article 50, what this High Court ruling was superficially about, is the legal process of leaving the European Union but the reality is completely different!
Remain campaigners thought that the result was in the bag and were shocked to find how out of touch they were and they are still trying to avoid reality. We have heard time and again that those voting to leave the EU are ignorant, ill-informed or racist and so their vote should not count. We also hear how some politicians, who passionately campaigned to Remain, are now claiming that they “accept the decision of the British people” but in reality want to undermine the Brexit negotiations.
They want the Prime Minister, Theresa May, to openly explain in detail exactly what she wants to achieve in the negotiations. Don’t they know that the French, Germans and the rest of the EU will be listening to every word and will try to give us the worst deal possible? Of course they know this but they still want to do Britain down.
It is reassuring that Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is determined to respect the result of the referendum. The government will be appealing against this decision in the Supreme Court and we must hope that the correct decision will be made there.
I was concerned to hear that there has been another incident on Tyldesley Road, with a girl being hit by a car after getting off a bus last week.
While we don’t yet know the circumstances of this latest incident, residents have been saying for years that this road is dangerous and they feared that nothing would be done until someone was hurt.
My thoughts are very much with the young girl involved and her family and I hope she makes a quick recovery.
A few weeks ago, I met with Wigan Council after being inundated with calls from residents to sort out the problems with dangerous driving on Tyldesley Road after a spate of incidents that saw parked cars and even people being hit by speeding drivers. Council officers promised to go away and look at the issue in more detail and commissioned a study of the road. Those results are due very soon and I am hoping we will get a positive response about what action can be taken in the coming days.
Local people shouldn’t have to put up with their cars and even themselves being hit by dangerous drivers. I hope that we can all work together to find a solution that makes this a safe road for everyone who lives there.