Thread by @petermbenglish

I am extremely nervous about the idea of holding a general election (GE) before revoking Article 50 and stopping Brexit.
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It is clear that Brexit is not "the will of the people".

Even at the time of the referendum we know that many people voted Leave "to give the government a kicking", and/or to complain about issues which happened despite, not because of our EU membership.
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Brexit will cause immense harm. Read @uk_domain_names' book for details. amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07… Nobody honestly wants the consequences of Brexit. Those who say they are worthwhile are fooling themselves; and why should they be allowed to harm the rest of us?
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However, there are a lot of people who still think they want Brexit, even if they can't explain why, and even if it will cause a lot of harm. I suspect many simply do not understand the harm it will do.
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Our first past the post system has always been unfair, creating "safe seats" in which most people's votes don't count, and forcing us to vote tactically, obscuring what people really want.
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And a GE is about many things. Austerity. Taxation. Public services. Brexit - by making us much poorer - will affect all of these things; but the nature of an election campaign is that unexpected or distracting issues can take peoples' minds off what's most important.
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Indeed, political parties will play on whatever they think will appeal to potential voters...

Brexit will be part of a complex pattern of issues that people decide to vote on.
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I have no confidence that pro-Remain parties and politicians will manage our FPTP system. The @LibDems and @UKLabour both seem to be very concerned about their future prospects for government.
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The Labour leadership pay lip service to at least a second referendum; but they seem to want Brexit - despite all the harm it will cause to workers' rights and to poor people (invariably those who suffer most from austerity).
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And the LibDem leadership has also suggested it will not make pacts with Labour.
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With FPTP it is essential that Remain parties/candidates do not split the vote.
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Wherever there is a constituency with a strong remain candidate (whichever party they represent), we cannot afford to split the vote by fielding a second Remain candidate and gifting the seat to a Leaver.
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Which means - in England - Labour standing aside in seats where a LibDem candidate is standing; and LibDems standing aside where there is a strong Remain Labour candidate.

It is probably even more complicated in the other UK nations.
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I am very anxious that, if we go into an election without first having stopped Brexit with a referendum, FPTP and vote splitting by Remain candidates will leave us with a majority of the population wanting to stop Brexit; but a majority of MPs supporting it.
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So all talk of a GE leaves me extremely nervous. It feels like a huge gamble.

But perhaps, given the profoundly undemocratic nature of our system and especially of the current government, not having an election is just as risky. I don't know enough to know what's best.
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I just know enough to feel terrified that we will end up Brexiting - & then living with the disastrous consequences, and a downward spiral as our health service is sold to the US, the economy is hit, we drop standards and citizen protections, & tricked Remainers get angry.
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