Voters have told the politicians to deliver brexit. Why don’t they just get on with it? | thearticle

One salient fact emerges from the European elections: the British really are quite different from their Continental neighbours. For the rest of Europe, the issue is still migration, which is

often a proxy for race and religion. Here, the issue was democracy. Unlike the Brexit Party, which romped home in the UK, the nationalist parties that did well in France, Italy and

elsewhere don’t campaign to leave the European Union. The British are leaving the EU, not because they are too xenophobic, but because they are too democratic. Democracy, indeed, has been so

deeply ingrained in the British national psyche for so long that we instinctively punish those who disregard it. Three years ago, it was the EU that was rejected; last night it was the turn

of the two main political parties. For both the Conservatives and Labour, these were their worst ever results. In London and in Scotland, both regions that voted heavily for Remain in 2016,

the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Nationalists humiliated Labour. Everywhere else, the Brexit Party scored a runaway victory. If this result were replicated in a general election under

the first-past-the-post system, the Brexit Party would completely dominate Parliament. The Tories would hardly win a single seat; Labour very few. Of course, this was not a general

election. The British were not electing a government, but a European Parliament about which most people know little and care less than they do about the Eurovision Song Contest. They seized

the opportunity to be heard, loud and clear, on a question that they do care about. Voters wanted to send the strongest possible signal to their representatives in Parliament, reminding them

that they are the servants, not the masters, of the electorate. The country remains as divided as ever, but the failure to deliver Brexit has mobilised those who voted to leave more

effectively than those who voted to remain. The Brexit Party took off as soon as it became clear that Theresa May was no longer determined to stick to the deadline of March 31. First one

extension, then a second until October 31, sealed not only her fate, but that of her government and her party. They have all been given notice to quit. The Tories have one last chance. They

can choose a new leader who will neutralise the threat from Dr Frankenstein — sorry, Farage — and his monster, before they get completely out of control. But the creature can only be killed

with kindness. For the Conservatives to woo back more than five million voters who last week voted for the Brexit Party, they will have to take the message of this election to heart. This

time, Brexit really must mean Brexit — or else. If the UK is still in the EU after next Hallowe’en, those responsible will have passed the point of no return. And come the next general

election, the Tories will be toast. Who, then, is the candidate who can carry off the seemingly impossible task of persuading Parliament to exit the EU, in a manner that does not cripple the

economy, while simultaneously putting the Brexit Party out of business? We don’t yet know, because not all of those who are eligible have declared, but it is already clear that the Tories

don’t have the luxury of a leisurely leadership contest. Six weeks has been mooted: three for the parliamentary party to whittle down the choice to two, then another three weeks to ballot

160,000 members. That takes us to July, after which the House of Commons will rise for the summer recess and not return until September. No sooner will MPs return, however, than they depart

again for a three-week party conference season. By the time they return in October, there will be less than a month before the EU’s extension runs out. No wonder Brussels expects Mrs May’s

successor to come — like her, cap in hand — to beg for another stay of execution. So the parliamentary timetable apparently dictates the destiny of the country. That is not acceptable to the

voters who have just given the politicians a final warning. It might just be that Parliament will have to work harder this summer than for a good many years. MPs like to claim that they

need time in their constituencies. Well, why not ask their constituents how they feel about MPs giving themselves a vacation lasting more than two of the five months left until October 31.

The parliamentary timetable, after all, is entirely in their hands. In 1940, during the Battle of Britain, the Commons had a recess of just two weeks. It was beyond the power of Parliament

to bring the Second World War to an end — but it is not beyond its power to bring Brexit to an end. A new Prime Minister could be chosen in a lot less than six weeks, and Parliament should

show a proper sense of urgency. This is, after all, a national emergency. There is work to be done and the Government needs to get on with it. The message from the voters has now been

delivered. It consists of one word: “Brexit.” And it is marked: “Action this day.”