Friday, November 16, 2018
As May clings on, where is Corbyn?
Coming back from a meeting in mid-Wales yesterday, whilst trying to digest the ever-changing news, resignations and Prime Ministerial statements, it felt very much like the country is going to hell in a handcart. To be frank it does not feel much better today.
The deal that Theresa May has negotiated is massively disadvantageous for the UK, and yet it is the best she can possibly get under the circumstances. It was always going to be this way. No matter what Brexiteers like Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg, David Davis and their pals think, there is no better deal on the table. Either they misled us or they were deluded themselves.
This has nothing to do with the intransigence of the EU, and everything to do with the unrealistic expectations of those advocating leaving. You cannot leave a club and then expect to retain the benefits you enjoyed prior to your departure. I am pleased that Theresa May hinted yesterday that not leaving the EU was an option but we have a long way to go before we reach that point.
The big question though, in the midst of all those Ministers and MPs throwing their toys out of the pram, is where was Labour in all this? Their six conditions for supporting a deal are as unachievable as any fantasy that Rees-Mogg can dream up. They are in fact six reasons for staying in. And yet Corbyn not only refuses to acknowledge this but actively promotes the idea of a General Election as their priority, so that Labour can negotiate a better deal.
That position is as self-serving and as irresponsible as anything that Boris Johnson has come up with. It maintains the fantasy that there is such a thing as a good Brexit and in doing so effectively emasculates Labour as an opposition. He is shoring up Theresa May when he should be leading the calls for a complete rethink on Brexit, even a referendum on the final deal.
In the midst of all this chaos it is time for Corbyn to get off the fence, finally acknowledge that Brexit is dead in the water and support calls for people to be given another vote on the issue.
The deal that Theresa May has negotiated is massively disadvantageous for the UK, and yet it is the best she can possibly get under the circumstances. It was always going to be this way. No matter what Brexiteers like Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Jacob Rees-Mogg, David Davis and their pals think, there is no better deal on the table. Either they misled us or they were deluded themselves.
This has nothing to do with the intransigence of the EU, and everything to do with the unrealistic expectations of those advocating leaving. You cannot leave a club and then expect to retain the benefits you enjoyed prior to your departure. I am pleased that Theresa May hinted yesterday that not leaving the EU was an option but we have a long way to go before we reach that point.
The big question though, in the midst of all those Ministers and MPs throwing their toys out of the pram, is where was Labour in all this? Their six conditions for supporting a deal are as unachievable as any fantasy that Rees-Mogg can dream up. They are in fact six reasons for staying in. And yet Corbyn not only refuses to acknowledge this but actively promotes the idea of a General Election as their priority, so that Labour can negotiate a better deal.
That position is as self-serving and as irresponsible as anything that Boris Johnson has come up with. It maintains the fantasy that there is such a thing as a good Brexit and in doing so effectively emasculates Labour as an opposition. He is shoring up Theresa May when he should be leading the calls for a complete rethink on Brexit, even a referendum on the final deal.
In the midst of all this chaos it is time for Corbyn to get off the fence, finally acknowledge that Brexit is dead in the water and support calls for people to be given another vote on the issue.
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If Corbyn gets his way we would have a revolution, that would be a disaster. A peoples vote? May is against it. Would a government of national unity made up from ALL parties help this mess out?
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