Saturday, December 30, 2017
Fence-sitting Labour under pressure over Brexit
Asking a Labour spokesperson for their party's official line on Brexit is a frustrating experience. Not only should one not expect clarity but consistency is in short supply as well.
From what I can gather the Labour Party's position boils down to respecting the will of the people, leaving the EU whilst retaining access to the single market and wanting the best deal for the UK. Essentially, their position is identical to that of the Tories.
There are alternatives, including the Liberal Democrats, who are the only UK-wide Party to oppose leaving the EU and who want to see the public given the chance to cast their verdict on any deal that is reached, with the alternative of exiting Brexit if they are not satisfied.
That is different to a second referendum. It is the only democratic way out of the mess that Theresa May has got us into with the tacit support of Corbyn's Labour. It is also a logical way of resolving the conundrum that the British people voted to leave, without any detail in front of them as to what that meant.
Far from giving us more money for the NHS, Brexit is now costing us £350m a week. Instead of giving us back control it is putting our laws in the hands of a few ministers and civil servants through the exercise of Henry VIII powers.
And rather than enhancing our place in the world, it is putting us at the mercy of people like Donald Trump, who, sure as night follows day, will extract his pound of flesh for any trade deal. We will also end up having to implement European regulations so as to continue trading with the EU, without any say in their content.
It is little wonder that some Labour MPs believe enough is enough, and that free-thinkers like Newport's Paul Flynn are now calling for another referendum as well. As the Western Mail reports, he thinks that public opinion is moving in the right direction to justify a second plebiscite.
Paul Flynn refers to polls that show that the majority want another referendum and to his credit was one of 3 Welsh Labour MPs who supported the Liberal Democrat amendment to the Brexit Bill to make this happen.
Of course this should not be a matter of following public opinion. A referendum on the final deal should be about giving any deal legitimacy (or not). Polls can change with the wind. The consequences of us leaving the EU will be felt for decades to come, and they will not be good.
In the circumstances it is astonished that Jeremy Corbyn remains unmoved and that he and his party continue to give succour to the Tory line on Brexit.
From what I can gather the Labour Party's position boils down to respecting the will of the people, leaving the EU whilst retaining access to the single market and wanting the best deal for the UK. Essentially, their position is identical to that of the Tories.
There are alternatives, including the Liberal Democrats, who are the only UK-wide Party to oppose leaving the EU and who want to see the public given the chance to cast their verdict on any deal that is reached, with the alternative of exiting Brexit if they are not satisfied.
That is different to a second referendum. It is the only democratic way out of the mess that Theresa May has got us into with the tacit support of Corbyn's Labour. It is also a logical way of resolving the conundrum that the British people voted to leave, without any detail in front of them as to what that meant.
Far from giving us more money for the NHS, Brexit is now costing us £350m a week. Instead of giving us back control it is putting our laws in the hands of a few ministers and civil servants through the exercise of Henry VIII powers.
And rather than enhancing our place in the world, it is putting us at the mercy of people like Donald Trump, who, sure as night follows day, will extract his pound of flesh for any trade deal. We will also end up having to implement European regulations so as to continue trading with the EU, without any say in their content.
It is little wonder that some Labour MPs believe enough is enough, and that free-thinkers like Newport's Paul Flynn are now calling for another referendum as well. As the Western Mail reports, he thinks that public opinion is moving in the right direction to justify a second plebiscite.
Paul Flynn refers to polls that show that the majority want another referendum and to his credit was one of 3 Welsh Labour MPs who supported the Liberal Democrat amendment to the Brexit Bill to make this happen.
Of course this should not be a matter of following public opinion. A referendum on the final deal should be about giving any deal legitimacy (or not). Polls can change with the wind. The consequences of us leaving the EU will be felt for decades to come, and they will not be good.
In the circumstances it is astonished that Jeremy Corbyn remains unmoved and that he and his party continue to give succour to the Tory line on Brexit.
