On 12 May, Theresa May made a bold pledge to the UK public.
She tweeted:
The path I set out here is the path to deliver the Brexit people voted for. I will need your help and support to get there. And in return my pledge to you is simple: I will not let you down. https://t.co/zG5SBTqKWQ
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) May 13, 2018
The 48%
However, people on Twitter were quick to point out that on an issue as divisive as Brexit, May’s promise is impossible to keep:
It’s hard to find two people who voted for the same Brexit, let alone 17 million. This is beyond bonkers. https://t.co/YtHFUHTOoV
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) May 13, 2018
This is what SOME British people voted for, not what OTHER British people voted for. This not what YOU wanted but what SOME in your party wanted. If YOU can’t hear it means YOU can’t listen. Those who shout the loudest have deafened you to common sense.
— Ben Dear (@BenOsmosis) May 13, 2018
Others pointed out that remainers did not vote for any type of Brexit deal:
I’m a Remainer and I knew exactly what I was voting for. My views haven’t changed and because it is , as you say, a democracy, I don’t have to get behind anything I fundamentally disagree with.
— Kim Haddrell (@Khaddrell1) May 13, 2018
I, along with the other 48%, did not vote for #Brexit – so my pledge to you is simple. I will do everything to destroy your plans for your Brexit.
Btw – that 48% is now 60%. And that 60% will ensure you and the #Tories are never in government for a generation.
— DAVE FAIRWEATHER #FBPE (@DLFairweather) May 13, 2018
Round 2
People also pointed out the false promises made during the Brexit referendum campaign:
Which Brexit did people vote for? Most people voted for the Brexit that involves 350 million for the NHS but that seems to be being privatised quietly whilst no one is looking.
— I am angry about… (@AngryAbout) May 13, 2018
The Brexit you are pushing for bears no resemblance to anything that people who voted leave were told before the advisory vote.
You are not the voice of the people.The EU Ref was deeply flawed and you have no mandate.
You are not acting in the nations interest.#StopBrexit— OnceInABlueMoon (@LaughingSmurf) May 13, 2018
This opinion is particularly pertinent at the moment. There are allegations that Vote Leave exceeded spending limits and that Cambridge Analytica misused people’s data as part of the campaign. As a result, the voices calling for a second referendum are getting louder:
Due to the Cambridge Analytica fiasco and the massive amount if false information foisted on the voting public, I suggest that you consider this non-binding vote as such, and have another vote now that more true facts are known.
— Nicholas Miller (@nicholasrmiller) May 13, 2018
A hostile response
Additionally, in an article released on Facebook, May wrote:
we will put the values that make us so great as a nation at the forefront: openness, tolerance, diversity and innovation.
However, people were quick to point out that May’s role in the Windrush scandal means she represents the opposite of these values:
One of many
May’s government has developed a worrying habit of making promises they can’t/won’t keep. These include:
- Calling a snap election in April 2017 despite May previously stating she wouldn’t.
- Performing a dramatic U-turn on their controversial “dementia tax” policy.
- Performinga dramatic U-turn on the policy to increase national insurance contributions for self-employed workers.
- Going back on the Dubs amendment to take child refugees, despite supporting the USA in missile strikes on Syria.
We should not, therefore, be shocked that she is making a bold pledge that she clearly cannot fulfill.
Brexit is arguably the most divisive issue in Britain at the moment, meaning May’s promise of “I will not let you down” is a load of hot air.
Thankfully people are not buying it.
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Featured image via EU2017EEEstonianPresidency/Flickr.
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