Should submitting to EU rule be a treasonable offence?

PLACING “any Force or Constraint upon or in order to intimidate or overawe both Houses or either House of Parliament” is an offence under the Treason Felony Act of 1848, demanding a sentence of “hard Labour” or exile “beyond the Seas” for those convicted. 

Which is why the unfortunately named Christian Holliday has decided to launch a petition calling for an amendment in the Victorian legislation, which would make agitating for Britain’s continued membership of the EU a treasonable offence. 

The Conservative councillor from Surrey advocates the following changes on the petition submitted to the parliamentary website:

“The Treason Felony Act be amended to include the following offences:

‘To imagine, devise, promote, work, or encourage others, to support UK becoming a member of the European Union;

To conspire with foreign powers to make the UK, or part of the UK, become a member of the EU.”

The government has pledged to respond to all official petitions on the website which garner 10,000 signatures, while those achieving 100,000 are entitled to a parliamentary debate. 

No MP’s are actually required to attend such debates and the pledge is more a publicity stunt than a show of serious democratic intent. 

“It is becoming clear that many politicians and others are unwilling to accept the democratic decision of the British people to leave the EU.” continues the petition. 

“Brexit must not be put at risk in the years and decades ahead. For this reason we the undersigned request that the Treason Felony Act be amended”

At the time of writing there have been just shy of 500 signatures but, once the word gets around via social media, support will surely number in the tens or hundreds of thousands.