Indicative votes for indicatives votes

[Update 03/04/2019: the ground has shifted again following May’s ‘offer’ to Corbyn. The reasons for that need not detain us here, but it is already apparent that it has the desired effect: to throw the light back on Labour proposals and, predictably enough, point to a divide between those favouring a second referendum and those, including some in the Shadow Cabinet, who do not. What is proposed below offers a route forward which can be embraced by both while commanding majority support in the House.]

With the Withdrawal Agreement defeated for a third time, thoughts now move towards the next session of indicative votes.

One of the votes that came closest to gaining an indicative majority in Wednesday’s session was the one favouring a public vote, but of course it lost because too many MPs are scared of being called for Brexit betrayal in their constituencies (aka. respecting their constuents’ decision.

There is a way forward on this, which actually mirrors the indicative process itself in allowing for members to gauge where there might be a majority compromise but without having to commit to it.

This way forward is to get members to use their indicative votes to sanction indicative public votes run by councils wanting to participate, using powers for local referendums set out at Section 116 of the Local Govt Act 2003.

That would offer a key advantage of actually gaining a majority in parliament, as MPs wouldn’t be being asked to take a decision for themselves, while still allowing them to pretend that that they are being dutiful parliamentarians.

The indicative local referendums could be held in areas that choose to go for them (via extraordinary council meetings via the more arcane but feasible process of Schedule 12 part III of the Local Government act 1972, so not all areas would be covered, but polls held at the same time as the likely European elections on may 23rd could now be done at relatively little expense and a lead from one major local authority would see others follow.

This is an obvious way forward. It is astonishing that not a single MP so far seems to have bought into it, but perhaps Westminter bubble-think is more restricting than I thought.