YP Comment: Theresa May '“ what does '˜Brexit' mean?

THOSE who voted for Britain to leave the European Union will be relieved to learn that Theresa May has ruled out '¨a second referendum, '¨even though the new PM campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU.
Theresa May addresses the Cabinet ahead of talks on Brexit.Theresa May addresses the Cabinet ahead of talks on Brexit.
Theresa May addresses the Cabinet ahead of talks on Brexit.

They will also be reassured by Mrs May’s insistence, at the start of yesterday’s special session of the Cabinet to discuss Brexit, that there will be no “back room deals” to stay in the EU – her stridency was at odds with the weak tone of a briefing document being carelessly carried by an aide when its contents were photographed.

However such reassurances will only go so far. Mrs May’s now familiar ‘Brexit means Brexit’ soundbite, first uttered at the start of the Tory leadership contest and repeated again at the start of the Cabinet meeting, still remains undefined – the new PM will be duty-bound, at some point in the near future, to explain her vision in greater detail, not least whether Britain will, from
a trading perspective
seek to stay in the single market.

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Given the level of mistrust in politicians, and how the likes of Labour leadership contender Owen Smith seem reluctant to express the will of the people from June 23, a case can be made for a Parliamentary vote which binds MPs and peers to the decision.

From there, Mrs May and her team – headed by Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis who has been uncharacteristically silent since being handed the Brexit brief – can start involving their political opponents, and experts from all walks to life, to identify the priorities and opportunities so that no sector of the economy, from manufacturing to hill farming, is compromised.

In many respects, these issues are too important to be left to party politics – it should be up to each and every MP to acknowledge the electorate’s exasperated verdict and work together to secure the best deal in these unique circumstances.

NHS prescription: Dialogue is still the best remedy

EVEN though Yorkshire’s hospitals went out of their way to minimise the inconvenience when junior doctors went on strike earlier this year, there was still one loser – patients.

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As this newspaper’s exclusive investigation reveals, 10,000 operations and appointments had to be cancelled in this region alone. That’s 10,000 people who had their care and treatment inconvenienced through no fault of their own.

It can only be hoped that such statistics focus the minds of both the Government, and the British Medical Association, so there is no repeat of such industrial action later in the year – Ministers need to accept the arguments of doctors, experienced professionals, when it comes to shift patterns, and imposition of new contracts, while health workers need to recognise that change will be inevitable as the NHS faces unprecedented demand for its services because of a burgeoning population.

Rather than persisting with a stand-off in which the issues at hand become superseded by a wider debate about the right to strike and whether it contradicts the Hippocratic Oath, both sides need to recognise that they’re charged with providing a public service and that such disruption increases, still further, the pressure on admin staff who already struggle to process appointments efficiently. Thankfully the only remedy that needs to be prescribed is freely available – dialogue.

Transfer own goal

THE CONTRAST could not be greater – the down-to-earth personalities of Team GB’s born winners who so enchanted the country with their sheer love of sport and those Premier League players who simply regard football as a business.

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There was something vulgar, as the latest transfer window closed late last night, about clubs spending more money than sense – funds largely derived from TV rights – on unproven players as the combined value of the deals passed the £1bn milestone for the first time.

Unfortunately clubs are not necessarily buying a player. They’re purchasing a product, as issues like image rights become as integral to new contracts as footballing ability.

This is not to besmirch the reputation of all players as football becomes increasingly remote from
its working class roots – many do go out of their way to support charities and good causes close to their heart – but it would be refreshing if they could, on occasion, show some of the humility demonstrated by Team GB who, let’s face it, did show the England football team how to win or, in the case of the victorious women’s hockey team, how to handle the pressure of a penalty shoot-out.