And Another One.

Owen Smith, who has nothing but contempt for the demos.

In every political generation there are decisions that history later reveals to be defining of an era. They are watersheds for individuals and governments, for the fortunes of political parties and entire parliaments. And the choices you make as a politician at these critical junctures are those that you have to live with throughout the rest of a political career, however long or short its course.

That’s true enough. We had the opportunity last June to rid ourselves of the shackles of an undemocratic dictatorship. We chose to leave – albeit by a narrow margin – and since then, we have seen just how much the left really values democracy. It was a straight popular vote and they lost. Curiously, they seem to like the idea of a popular vote when applied to the US presidential election. If these people didn’t exhibit double standards, they would have none to exhibit at all.

So, that watershed moment is seeing these vile creatures seek to undermine a democratic vote by whatever dubious means are available to them.

I have reached the decision that whatever the impact on my career, however difficult it may be to swim against the Brexit tide, I cannot, in all conscience, stand by and wave through a course of action that I believe will make our people poorer and our politics meaner. I cannot vote to trigger article 50 on the wing and a prayer that Brexit will do as the prime minister says, and make Britain a fairer, more prosperous and equal society. Because I do not believe that is true.

I’m really not remotely interested in what Smith thinks is fair, nor am I remotely interested in whether he thinks we will be worse off (in fact, what he thinks is neither here nor there) – he doesn’t know and neither do I. My decision to leave was based on principle, not economics. What I do care about is that this individual was elected to serve his constituency and his constituency voted to leave. The country, by a small margin voted to leave. They passed legislation in order that the demos might have their say. We said what we wanted and now these people are unhappy with the outcome and seek to ignore it. Their duty is to process our wishes, not to confound them. He thinks he knows better than his employers; his betters. He is prepared to treat them and their decision with contempt – which, frankly, is why the vote went the way it did. Which is why Donald Trump is now sitting pretty in the White House. These people really are utter scum. Anti-democratic scum. And they still don’t get it. They are the problem. We want rid of them. By vote or hempen rope makes no difference to me – just be gone and don’t darken our doors again…

All we can do is hope that the good burghers of Pontypridd do the decent thing and hand this wretched little tin-pot dictator his cards at the next election.

Of course, I can’t know how Brexit is likely to play out, any more than Theresa May can. But my judgment tells me that the stirring and nostalgic vision she painted last week of a buccaneering Britain striking advantageous trade deals across the globe, while our longstanding competitiveness and productivity deficits are transformed at home, is a triumph of hope over experience, and party politics over the national interest.

Yes, really, he did say that.