The purpose of the E.U. Withdrawal Bill is in any event not to

“The purpose of the E.U. Withdrawal Bill is in any event not to decide the terms of Brexit but to ensure that it can take place smoothly and that legal continuity, which is essential for businesses, is maintained. There is not a single MP who does not agree that getting the bill on the statute book is essential for us all.” Thus spoke Dominic Grieve, a man of law and reason, whose voice rose amid the storm of one of Britain’s greatest constitutional upheavals. His words, measured and deliberate, were born not from passion, but from duty—from the solemn understanding that a nation’s strength lies not only in its courage to change, but in its wisdom to preserve order while doing so. In this statement, Grieve sought to remind a divided Parliament that before great reforms can be realized, the foundations of legality and stability must remain unbroken.

For in those days, the land was troubled. The people of the United Kingdom had chosen, through the referendum of 2016, to depart from the European Union—a decision that split families, parties, and generations. Yet even as the waves of rhetoric and emotion surged high, there stood voices like Grieve’s, calling for steadiness and prudence. He was no enemy of the people’s will; he was its guardian through law. His words revealed an eternal truth of governance: that freedom without structure is chaos, and that change without continuity endangers the very fabric of society. The E.U. Withdrawal Bill, therefore, was not a vessel of ideology, but of preservation—it was designed to transfer European law into British law, ensuring that the gears of commerce, justice, and daily life did not grind to a halt when the political tide turned.

Dominic Grieve, a barrister and former Attorney General, spoke with the clarity of one who understands the fragile beauty of the law. In his mind, statutes were not mere words on parchment, but the threads that bind civilization together. Without them, the market falters, contracts crumble, and trust evaporates. His quote reveals his belief that every revolution—whether of empire, government, or trade—must honor the principle of continuity of law, for only in continuity can citizens find confidence. It is not enough to break with the old; one must also build the new upon a stable foundation. His appeal to “every MP” was therefore not partisan, but patriotic—a plea that all lawmakers, regardless of their stance on Brexit, recognize that the law itself is the lifeblood of the nation.

In the ancient days, the philosopher Cicero spoke much the same truth when Rome teetered between republic and tyranny. “We are all servants of the law,” he said, “that we may be free.” Like Cicero, Grieve understood that liberty cannot endure in the absence of structure. To reject the European Union was one matter; to reject the rule of law that underpinned modern Britain was another. Without the Withdrawal Bill, the United Kingdom risked plunging into uncertainty—where thousands of laws governing trade, travel, medicine, and rights would suddenly vanish with the stroke of midnight. His warning was not merely political—it was civilizational.

Consider, too, the story of the American Revolution, where the colonies, in casting off the rule of Britain, faced the peril of lawlessness. In the first years of independence, chaos threatened the new republic until a constitution was drafted to preserve order amidst liberty. Freedom, they learned, is not sustained by passion alone—it requires the cool discipline of lawful continuity. Grieve’s words, centuries later, echo the same ancient principle: that in every age of transformation, nations must carry forward the structures that uphold their justice, lest they lose not only what they rejected, but what they once cherished.

The heart of Grieve’s message, then, is not about Brexit alone. It is about the delicate balance between progress and preservation, between the will of the people and the endurance of the institutions that serve them. The Withdrawal Bill was, in his eyes, a vessel of peace amidst turmoil, ensuring that even in parting, the kingdom would remain whole. He spoke to the timeless truth that civilization is a fragile pact—a covenant written not in sentiment, but in law. For when men and women of government honor that covenant, their nation endures; when they cast it aside for the sake of victory, the pillars of their own society begin to crumble.

The lesson, therefore, is both ancient and immediate: seek change through order, and order through law. Let no passion for reform destroy the framework of justice that makes reform possible. When the winds of division blow, anchor yourself to the principles of continuity and reason. Build bridges, not voids; ensure that every step forward is laid upon solid ground. For as Dominic Grieve taught in the tempest of his time, it is not the loudest voice that secures a nation’s future, but the most steadfast one—the voice that defends the rule of law, not for power’s sake, but for the peace and prosperity of all.

So remember, children of Britain and of every land that prizes liberty: true freedom is born not from chaos, but from law. Every generation must learn anew that progress and stability are partners, not rivals. When the world trembles with change, let your faith be not in fury, but in the enduring strength of justice and order. For it is through such wisdom that nations—like ships through stormy seas—find their way home again, safe and whole.