It is time to put to bed the fallacy that Labour should be campaigning/agitating for A People’s Vote prior to a General Election.
Politically it should be a non-starter for ANYONE committed to a socialist Labour government.
Why? Because a People’s Vote first policy can only lead in two possibilities both of which end in the same result.
1. The electorate changes their minds and votes to Remain in the EU. Superficially a fantastic result, but what it really means is Tory Party entrenched in power until 2022. Causing three more years of misery for the many of us without wealth or good health. Now able to drive forward the largest redistribution of wealth this country has ever seen, without the baggage of dealing with Brexit. The Tories would enable and aid even more attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour movement from a fearful MSM. (see our article on the MSM and the unelectability of Corbyn here…
2. The electorate enforces their decision of 2016 and insists on Brexit. Emboldened by this and with hard-right wingers led by Rees-Mogg and Johnson driving forward the rheotoric, May will force us, like the donkey Generals of WW1, over the top, to a No-Deal Brexit. As with the possibility laid out above, the Tories are entrenched in power for 3 more years with the exact same result for those of us, not in the 1%.
The rabble rousers in chief for this fallacy are Anna Soubry, a Tory with a slender majority of only 829, who is naturally fearful of a General Election removing her from a job, and Chukka Umunna, not exactly a staunch supporter of the Labour movement towards socialist principles. One has to question their reasoning for supporting this fallacy, especially Mr. Umunna who clearly knows that it is against Labour policy as decided by conference only a few months ago.
The reasonable question is why does Mr. Umunna want to drive forward this fallacy as the only way to go? is it best for Britain? Clearly not if you are committed to a Britain #ForTheMany as it just entrenches a Tory Party committed to gerrymandering the economy for the few. Is it best for the Labour Party and wider movement for change? Clearly not as laid out above, but it does allow the still bitter hard right to claim that somehow Corbyn and the Labour leadership are failing to stop Brexit despite never being in power (partly due to the right’s maneuvering).
What are the benefits of a General Election first policy?
Simply, it gives Labour a chance to gain power. Labour’s policy on Brexit is, and has been for some time if only the MSM would care to share it, clear. When in power labour would attempt to negotiate a deal that delivers for Britain, protecting jobs, worker’s rights and the environment.
That is then the opportunity for a People’s Vote, and what Mr. Umunna SHOULD be campaigning for. A vote on the deal as negotiated, a deal explained with the benefits and problems laid before the electorate, and WITH an option for us to say, given what we now know about Brexit, about this deal, about No-Deal Brexit, about the actual benefits of EU membership, we have changed our minds and want to Remain.
We end up with a People’s Vote with an option to Remain, with an option to vote for a real deal, that protects our jobs, our people, our rights, but with the very real benefit of the Tories out of power and ready to tear themselves apart.
Why would anyone committed to a socialist Labour governing #ForTheMany be campaigning for anything else?
So remember when you see Mr. Umunna et al on your TV’s and in your newsfeeds ask yourself, what is their end-game? Why does a Labour MP not want a Labour government? This fallacy is not about stopping Brexit but stopping Corbyn and stopping the changes this country needs to re-orient our economic policy for the people, not the elitist bankers and the corporatist establishment.
Don’t fall for this fallacy, this conspiracy of right-of-centre politicians fighting to re-light the fading fire of neo-liberalism. Campaign not for a People’s Vote but for a #GeneralElectionNow and be the change we ALL want and desperately need.
“The electorate changes their minds and votes to Remain in the EU. Superficially a fantastic result, but what it really means is Tory Party entrenched in power until 2022.”
SUPERFICIALLY?????
Look, I’m a diehard Socialist and labour Party supporter. I hate austerity and long for rational wealth redistribution in our country and elsewhere. But I am prepared to wait an extra three years if it involves reversing an otherwise irreversible decision that will relegate our country to a century or more of declining political and economic fortunes and irrelevance, and a retreat to atavistic, village-green, squire-and-peasant politics. Which is what you’ll get. If you want to remove the threat of a much worse dose of austerity compared with anything we’ve seen before – support Remain.
Besides which, you seem to think that a Corbyn win is pre-ordained. The polls tell us otherwise: the only way to ensure a Corbyn giovernment right now is for him to come out for Remain.
This whole analysis is narrow-minded, selfish and of a historical vision so short-sighted it beggars description. Instead of voting for one term of Socialism in One Country, how about voting for our continued membership and participation in one of the only three powers – Europe, the US and China – that can actually mobilise the policies, such as climate change legislation – that will result in the human race surviving into the next century. Vote for international co-operation and tiered democracy – not for isolationist populism. Fuck you and your easy solutions. I want to remain engaged with the rest of the world.
Trite Rubbish! We can’t tackle any of our social problems without defeating Brexit first. Corbyn is the wrong man at this time and if he really wanted to help the Labour Party he should resign. It won’t be necessary for the media to make him un-electable, he is un-electable, his manifesto was tempered nicely for the centrists but he ruined it all by letting his Brexit show. Even the majority of the PLP is against him. As is the majority of Labour voters like me. On Brexit he stands with the Tories. If you don’t believe me look at the opinion poles. The worst and most unpopular Tory Government in history but still ahead of Labour. GET REAL – CORBYN BLEW IT WITH HIS DISHONEST BREXIT STANCE – GET RID OF HIM FOR ALL OUR SAKES.
To right!
Whilst people are dividing still over Brexit people are dying.
People refusing to vote Labour have sadly fallen into the Tory trap.
As a Remain voter I give 100% backing and trust in a Jeremy Corbyn led Labour government.
He is the answer and the change we need.
I am not always agree with him but 99% of the time I do and the 1% I dont is my own naive thoughts.
I will always think and question.
Another 3 years is social Suicide literally! We need the Tories out asap.
Mansfield Labour is ready. Get behind your candidate and help Now! Be the change not the Echo
Brexit is just as much social suicide, and this supposed “strategy” is complete and utter nonsense that depends on the EU seeing its purpose solely and exclusively in pandering to UK navel-gazing.
Corbyn had his chance at an election. He blew it. At this point, wasting yet more time on yet another election is a surefire way to have the clock tick down and go into hard, no deal Brexit.
A paucity of rational thought, reality and insight. A Corbyn Lexit is different only in letters of the Alphabet. A broken Britain will NEVER mend in a state of poverty, ruin and isolationism. The LIKELIEST outcome will be a massive Brain-Drain, flight of Capital and inventiveness and the lack of wherewithal to restructure the country.
What will be left will be an English Rump version of Venezuela or Cuba, with Forced Labour Brigades to harvest crops, sweep roads orf wash Hospital floors. I am all for sending the Tories into Purgatory or Limbo for the next 500 years. As long as Corbyn and his acolytes are with them.
Whilst not being committed to any of the current political parties, Labour in general, and Jeremy Corbin in particular represents the nearest views to my own, particularly on the narrow issue of the EU. The reason why we should not leave is because this could lead to the break-up of the EU. Such a break-up would be led by the extreme right-wing parties of the European Union member states.
The UK, under the premiership of the then plain Mr. Churchill, was the premier state of 12 member states, which founded the Council of Europe. Indeed, it was Mr. Churchill who ensured that British international lawyers drew up the early draft for the proposed European Convention on Human Rights. Mr. Churchill’s intention was that this should lead to a United States of Europe, thus prevent a 3rd World war. This was against a background belief by Mr. Churchill that the two World Wars were, in reality, European Civil Wars.
The British public was totally misled into believing Civil Rights legislation is EU legislation-it is not, and insofar that the U.K. will remain a member of the Council of Europe, we will still be bound legally by the European Convention on Human Rights and all of its Protocols-see the website or the Council of Europe, which has more European member states than does the EU. Having said this, it is a condition for admission to the EU that the applicant state must first be accepted as a member of the Council of Europe. Thus the British public were wholly misled into believing that we will no longer be bound by Human Rights law when we leave the EU.
I firmly believe that if the British public had been told the truth by the then Cameron led Government they would never have returned what proved to be a marginal “Leave” vote.
There is, of course, no political party currently, in any democratic state which has perfect solutions which will satisfy the wishes of every citizen of that state; the hope is that a democratic society will strive to achieve this. However, it is still the fairest system so far been devised. The rise of the extreme right is, in my view, the inevitable result in a breach of solidarity within a democratically based EU leading hopefully to a United States of Europe. In this connection, a judge of the European Court of Human Rights who observed that the United States of America faced many problems in its foundation, and that the difficulties in forming a United States of Europe are far greater in that many of the potential member states of a United States of Europe mostly spoke different languages, on from another.
There are, of course, many other complications surrounding potential member states of a United States of Europe, and it is for those states to resolve these problems.
Great Britain was so named when we had a vast empire. We no longer have such an empire, but we do still have a Commonwealth of Nations all of whom swear allegiance to the Queen. Thus, should we become a member state of a United States of Europe, the role of the Commonwealth will become enhanced, and will have the status to enhance the role of the UK within Europe.
The EU is not a perfect organisation of European states, but it has great potential of being a democratic force for good should the UK remain a member, whereby the influence of the Commonwealth could become manifest. One essential reform is that the power of “Commissioners” should be reduced, and handed to the democratically European Parliament. However, from the outside of a potential United States of Europe we will have no influence whatsoever.
Edwin Keen
This article is completely out of cloud cuckoo land. It completely refuses to acknowledge the timeframe available and the position of the EU, pretending instead that putting Corbyn into Downing Street will immediately make the 27 subservient to him.
Sorry to break your illusions, but just because you fawn all over Corbyn doesn’t mean the 27 do. The UK had 2 years to put its act together. It already wasted several months of those on holding one snap election. Wasting the rest of the time holding another will not engender any will to stop the clock. And the clock is ticking. Going election first is going the line of hard, no deal Brexit.
That also means something else – namely, that even IF Corbyn gets into Downing Street, he will not be able to enact all these changes he promises. The NHS will crumble as the loss of many net payers coupled with a large part of the staff will make it unworkable. Many jobs will be transferred to the continent. And austerity will continue quite simply because there will be a lack of funds. Even if he’d decide to convince the Bank of England to start the printing presses, that will only exacerbate the problem, as a nation that imports almost twice as much as it exports will be unable to get the supplies necessary for its economy. Prices for food will go through the roof, cars will be unaffordable (hint: the sale of cars has tanked already now…)
You want to make any of the promised changes, you first and foremost stop Brexit. Everything else is just a demonstration of being completely oblivious to the political and economic realities.