If another person on the left tells me that they can't work with the Lib Dems because they sold out to the Tories and "anyway, what about tuition fees?" I think I will scream, very noisily. I'll do the same with those who can't work with nationalists because it's essential we keep the union alive. And to those who can't work with Labour MPs who they claim took part in a coup. Or those who say they can never work with a Tory even when the Tory talks common sense, as some do. In fact I'd say the same to all those who raise myriad other reasons why they can't work with others with whom they broadly share some political sympathy because of some other perceived slight or past wrong doing. My comment to all who are now of that opinion is simple. It's that it's time to stop such petty self-indulgent nonsense and realise that there are bigger issues to deal with in life, like the existential crisis facing this country.
Let's not beat about the bush. This week the government will start the process of getting parliamentary authority for a course of action they quite specifically said in their manifesto that they would not pursue and for which they will only publish a whiter paper when the Act is passed. What's worse, the Bill in question permits the collective leave taking of sanity. I have still not heard the government suggest a single law they want to repeal that the EU required us to enact. Nor have I so far heard of a single group of migrants they want to stop coming to the country. Neither have I heard how they might achieve that goal given that they have collectively completely failed to control non-EU migration since being in office. And there is no one who has yet presented a cogent argument for why our democracy will be improved by leaving the EU: indeed, the process of leaving provides the clearest evidence that it will not, whilst the decision of the Supreme Court makes clear we do already have control of our own law making in this country, even if the government does not like the fact.
And let's face the reality that Brexit will tear the UK apart.
Brexit will also harm us economically: it is simply not possible for it to do otherwise.
And Brexit will leave us isolated and diminished internationally, dependent on tyrants and bigots for political alliances.
Brexit will also devastate the whole of Ireland.
And Brexit leads us down the path Trump is already taking towards a politics of intolerance, greater inequality and fear.
And if you really think a past mistake on tuition fees, a desire for federalism or even mutual nation status, or any other issue are as important as those then I despair. As I also despair of those party tribalists who insist they must give electors the sole choice of being represented by a far-right wing MP.
We are as a country in existential crisis. The first wall we're going to hit is close. The cliff we'll fall off is just beyond the point where we smash through it. And still small-mindedness and narrow party divisions seem to be more important than any aspect of working together amongst those of sense shared in common in UK politics.
Is it too late to beg all those of all parties who want to prevent this nightmare, and who want to explore the possibilities of leaving the EU whilst at least staying in the single market to work together, and to do so despite their existing party ties in order to do so?
Tory, Lib Dem, Labour, SNP, Plaid, Green, SDLP and more: surely now is the time to say that in the face of this crisis there is common ground and to reject the pettiness of party allegiance until this crisis has passed?
Is that too much to ask?
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I can name 9 territories or countries within 1100 miles of Aintree racecourse that are not in the EU. I’d like a bet that you cannot name one that is living the appalling, nay devastating, nightmare of being worse off than its nearest EU neighbours on most league tables of freedom, happiness and prosperity.
Iceland is an interesting case
Most of the rest will no doubt be tax havens
If you think the aircraft carriers of the assault on democracy and our western way of life are happy places to live you are seriously mistaken
So what is the best bet, support libdems or new party
I am waiting to see
I am expecting change in 2018
Hear hear. And when you say “the Left” you really mean “the Centre”, because everyone has been dragged so far over to the Right. (As an illustration: Ken Clarke is clearly on the left of the current Conservative Party, yet he was the government minister who introduced the ideologically inspired and disastrous internal market into the NHS in the late 1980s/early 1990s.)
If it is not already clear, perhaps the Americans will wake up to the sort of intolerant bigoted idiot they have elected as President. They have four years to repent at leisure. Let’s just hope he doesn’t break too many things irretrievably in the meantime.
Thank you Richard – my frustration exactly. Never has the parody of the Judean People’s Front been so apt. (Mont Pythons Life of Brian for those who missed it). This is no time for endless squabbling over what are trivial issues in the context of the major threat facing this country. The Right are doing a good job of presenting a coherent front, though there are more than a few Tories who are patently unhappy. Corbyns left are the worst of all – its right back to the bad old days of the Marxists/Trots/Stalinists/PFLJ all fighting with each other. Lots of Pythonesque ‘Regs’.
It needs a few courageous politicians backed up by wider groups and who knows, maybe even some business leaders to get the ball rolling. Maybe some major demonstrations would provide the encouragement they need? This does not need a detailed manifesto. A common front against hard Brexit would do as a start point
Oh so, so, accurate, Richard, not that you’re alone in pointing out the disaster that awaits us, as both William Keegan and Will Hutton both have excellent pieces on this in The Observer. As Keegan notes in particular, the recent May/Tory belief in an industrial stategy is completely undermined by Brexit. After all, you cannot have a strategy on anything if you are no longer in control of your own destiny – as many of my fellow citizens are about to realise once Brexit negotiations start in earnest.
Agreed – excellent articles by both Keegan and Hutton. Industrial strategy is so alien and counter cultural to this generation of Tories that I really do not think they would no where to start. They’d have to bring back Heseltine and Clarke…
I was asked today to think of some seriously intelligent members of parliament
I struggled
I could for almost any era in the past
Thats frighteningly true, Richard – although I doubt you’d be welcoming Enoch Powell, Tony Benn, or Bryan Gould’s opinions on EU membership!
But, more pressingly, what do you think lies behind this paucity of intelligent MPs?
And what can be done to remedy it, if anything?
Given that Brexit is likely to be so damaging, why has it attracted so much moneyed support for so many years? Why has it appealed to the newspaper owners? Is leaving the EU an objective, or a strategy for something else? Anyone trying to build a political coalition to minimise the damage needs to know the answer?
The position is dogmatic, not logical, and the consequences appear to be widely misunderstood
Richard
Your reply to Robin Stafford above effectively answers your own question. It really does.
Hi. I’ve nothing more constructive to add to the excellent comments above. Just an amusing brief anecdote from a recent chat I had with a casual ‘coffee house’ friend who is a Ukipper and pathelogically anti-EU on every topic you can think of (yes, I mix with all sorts).
I asked him to name one piece of legislation imposed on us by the EU that he didn’t like. After a few seconds of head scratching he came up with dredging – “they won’t let us dredge our rivers to prevent flooding”. Not being an expert on the topic I said “OK, I’ll give you that one – now what others?” No response.
Back home I thought I’d check out the dredging issue only to find that in fact the EU doesn’t prohibit dredging – https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/ECintheUK/suggesting-that-the-eu-is-to-blame-for-floods-is-completely-without-foundation. Moreover, dredging doesn’t even prevent flooding. The Dutch should know – https://www.realskeptic.com/2014/02/19/dredging-doesnt-prevent-floods.
It’s really important to have instant access to the Internet when having any political discussion these days!
Very good
And consistent with my experience
Only too true. My knowledge of the EU is not great but over the years I’ve armed myself with a few facts and figures. Budget, headcount, basics of how they are elected, a bit on regulation. All areas about which Brexiteers are highly critical but a few basic questions invariably show that they have not a clue. They merely parrot what they read in the Telegraph or Mail. Undoubtedly there are deep prejudices (xenophobias?) that mean they only look for data that supports their prejudices. However, a serious re-education on the EU probably need to be part of a push back, though I don’t underestimate the challenge of undermining the right wing media.
Though what if the 350-400(?) MPs who actually believe in staying, stood up and really made the case? How might their spines be stiffened?
And let’s not forget that one of the greatest purveyors of EU falsehoods was/is Boris Johnson through his various journalistic endevours, though when challenged I noted that he generally laughed off being caught out, much in the manner of the court jester that he really is.
“they have collectively completely failed to control non-EU migration since being in office”
come on Richard – you can be a bit more specific – May, in charge of the Home Office for 6 years failed completely to address this issue. In a civilised country, she would have been jailed for incompetence. May is demostrably unfit to run a fish n chip shop and is now in charge of Brexit.
We need politicians that care for the country & its inhabitants, not self serving careerists. Sadly we only seem to have the latter. I do hope the other parties – small as a group they are, are able to act collectively.
The issue of immigration from the EU is a non-issue.
Every study to date shows they are net contributors to the economy.
Ireland has four times the proportion of the population from other EU countries and no UKIP-tyoe oartiea
Richard
Couldn’t agree more. These people who can’t get on with others because of imagined slights or petty differences when the enemy of the left is clearly the Tories invariably end up whining and bleating ineffectively from the sidelines.
No wonder the Tories are getting such an easy ride.
Stevie G
The law they will repeal is the one on banker’s bonuses which they took legal action against and lost.
I leave it to the reader to guess why they aren’t shouting about it.
Richard,
Thank you for your cogent words. It seems to me that one of the problems which have caused our current sorry state is simple inertia. Apparently sentient adults have been trotting out the argument that they live far too busy a life to ever get involved/interested in the world around them. People gobble up sound-bites and headlines, tweets and posts in the dangerous mind-set which takes these “sources” as true. Big lies are given prominence by – apparently – ‘big’ people. And those same ‘big’ people act like spoiled children and dodgy used car salesmen when caught out in a lie. Or, as now appears policy over the water, ‘alternative facts’ are delivered straight-faced to a shocked press corps. I am very slightly heartened by the ground-swell of protest which has arisen here over Brexit (and in the USA, led by women). Blinkered self-interest is the order of the day for the press barons; and mindless political expediency is what I read from Westminster. (I wonder what Her Majesty really thinks of her “opposition”?)
I work in the NHS as a mental health chaplain. At the level I operate all I am seeing are cuts, shrinkage and oh! so empty promises. Where are all the statesmen now? What happened to that precious commodity called commonsense? Ages ago, before I took holy orders, I was a Naval officer. On board HMS Ark Royal (the big one that was) the Royal Marine band used to open their entertainment at official functions with Copeland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’. Right now we need the ‘common man and woman’ to stand up and be counted because the crisis we face is not one that can succumb to the excuse of being ‘too busy’.
Thank you
Many of our problems are down to a failure of education.
Basic civics are not taught in schools, they certainly weren’t in mine. How parliament works, local government and yes, our relationship with Europe. History was all Nineteenth century stuff like the scramble for africa and great reform, not put into modern context. As a result the right wing press has had free rein at moulding people’s views.
I too despair when people won’t work together even on things they agree with.
Our culture of politics is so divisive. Our first past the post voting system encourages that oppositional atmosphere; a proportional system would mean parties would have to look for allians – and learn how to work together.
Unfortunately, in the Con-Lib Dem coalition, the striking examples of where it didnot work well (tuition fees) overshadowed where it did – when Cameron used the Lib Dem opposition to counter his right wing
My big worry after the Brexit result (which I anticipated) was effectively a right wing coup with the swivel eyed lunatic wing of the Tory party in the ascendant and a demoralised centre and left.
The way Brexit is unfolding is an economic disaster in the making. It seems that Northern Ireland (and to some extent the South) is collateral damage. The same is true of Scotland.
At a time when we need our European Allies most, May is pandering to Trump. Fr from Trump being good for the UK as some of the right wing press have us believe; he will do us no favours whatsoever.
As others have said William Keegan and Will Hutton have written excellent articles in the Observer. Keegan may well be a regular reader of this blog given the themes used.
I am very much in favour of a broad coalition. Given the cliff edge Brexit which is increasingly likely to happen alarm bells should be ringing. Indeed if there was a control console for the country rather than having dozens of green lights, not only would many lights be flashing red but alarm signals would be going off left right and centre.
In my brief conversation with Caroline Lucas last month I was impressed by her championing of a broad coalition and when I mentioned Richard Murphy when we spoke recently about Economics she sat “Richard is great!”.
I am fully supportive of a broad coalition even with some of the more sensible Tories, Ken Clarke and Anna Soubry for example.
The country is sleepwalking to disaster. The Trump presidency is in my opinion going to vastly strengthen EU solidarity and increase the likelihood of a very poor Brexit deal for the UK. The decision to leave Euratom is a prime example of the ascent of Little Englandism.
The quality of the current crop of politicians is abysmal and the BBC is not much better. I listen to debates and it is like squabbling children. If they were my students most would get an F grade.
I have never met Bill Keegan
I am assured by a mutual friend that it is high time we got round to remedying that
I feel a bit impatient with people who will forgive the Yellow Tories voting with Osborne to impose cuts and austerity, yet are then rancorously and unconstructively critical of McDonnell and Corbyn.
Actually I would not be opposed to gifting the LibDems a number of their West Country targets in return for very little, say a free Labour run for Exeter and Plymouth, just to reduce the chances of a Tory majority.
I think it is the right in the PLP who are most likely to veto such a deal because they want Corbyn to fail.
We now know the LibDems did tone the Tories down
And I am never unconstructively critical of Corbyn. He’s even failed to use my ideas that helped bring him to power
Richard and all,
Can I earnestly ask you all to read this piece that came my way, via one of my American friends:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/big-data-cambridge-analytica-brexit-trump
It sheds a whole new light on the BREXIT vote, as well, of course, on how Trump won. It also points the way to the future, in suggesting how the most deceitful, dishonest, cruel and corrupt Government in 200 years – to which I now add the new epithets of dreary and incompetent – will seek, and probably succeed, in staying in power for ever, unless “all people of good will” unite into a Progressive Front that will COMPLETELY refashion our politics and Constitution.
Onwhich, let us have a written Constitution, please, with elections on REAL PR (including to a proper Senate) and not the farce of AV (which I nearly voted against, despite a lifelong support of PR, because AV is not in any sense a PR system), along with proper public vetting to ensure those who stand for Parliament are fit to be MP’s – maybe Citizen’s Juries, to grill would-be candidates, rather as a US President has to submit his/her Cabinet appointees to Congressional approval: the quality6 of our MP’s really MUST improve. As Richard said in another post – it’s hard to identify the Nye Bevan’s Hugh Gaitskill’s, Tam Dalyell’s, not to speak of the Harold Wilson’s and Jim Callaghan’s on one side, and the Iain McLeod’s, Rab Butler’s, Iain Gilmour’s, not to speak of the Harold Macmillan’s and Edward Heath’s on the other side. And how about Jo Grimond, David Steele and Charles Kennedy for the Lib-Dems? YOU make up your own lists, but there are no, or only very few, giants staking the corridors of power these days.
A fascinating read Andrew
Thanks
Sorry it took me a whole to get to it, but it was worth it
Thanks for posting the link, Andrew. I’d heard something of this before but not the detail so this is an eye-opener. It also shows that fake news on Facebook is not the only issue and that the unintended consequences of the Facebook platform are more significant than has ever been assumed or indeed recognised.
Incidentally, I know you and Richard are not secular but ignore that bit of the title and read this about a talk Steve Bannon gave at a conference at the Vatican in 2014. This man is now the ideological brains behind Trump. But in the spirit of ‘know your enemy’ this article ought to be required reading for anyone who considers themselves a progressive/on the left (interesting that it went down well with those at the conference).
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/07/why-steve-bannon-wants-to-destroy-secularism
Thanks Ivan
Reading in a massive queue to get into the UK
Are we doing extreme vetting now?
Richard and Ivan,
Glad you both liked that article I posted a link to, but I feel I should spell out just what it prefigures, which I would argue is nothing less than the complete destruction of all the givens of our democratic system and way of doing politics.
Everyone mocked Trump’s apparent fickleness and policy flip-flops, not realising that this was all entirely planned. What Trump was doing was introducing a politics of the doctor’s Waiting Room: you sit there, and wait for your name to be called, blocking out all other names as “white noise”.
This is what Trump was doing, knowing that each target audience would ignore ALL the other messages, except the ones they wanted to hear, and THAT was the trigger for voting Trump.
Three things follow, all destructive of politics as we know them:
1) This means that voting becomes a “Pavlovian response”, and not a matter of real choice.
2) Of also means that the concept of a manifesto is rendered null and void, and with it any sense of accountability.
3) That, of course, releases a Party and its Leader from any, and all, obligations to deliver on a Manifesto, releasing them to govern by caprice and prejudice and deceit – EXACTLY what we are now sewing with Trump and his gang.
And it IS a gang, every bit as much as was Al Capone’s, with the difference that Capone’s was more honest about its criminality.
“Vae victis” – “Woe to the conquered”, which currently encompasses the whole of the USA, and everyone reliant on the world order of which America was so significant a part.
That’s a lot to muse on Andrew
I think you may be right
“This week the government will start the process of getting parliamentary authority for a course of action they quite specifically said in their manifesto that they would not pursue…”
I have just checked that, and I’m afraid you are wrong. The Conservative Manifesto for 2015 states on page 73, “We will honour the result of the referendum, whatever the outcome”.
They said we would not leave the single market
TRhe referndum was not about the single market
Stop distorting what I said
Sorry, Richard, nowhere in the Conservative manifesto of 2015 does it say that they would not leave the Single Market.
The manifesto states: “We say: yes to the Single Market”. This, however, is in a section saying how they would like to see the EU change, and promising a renegotiation and then a referendum. It is not a promise to remain in the Single Market regardless of the outcome of the referendum.
But the vote was not on the single market
So it was entirely reasonable to think the outcome was the single market whatever the vote
In fact, impossible to think otherwise
Richard
1. They didn’t say that the UK would leave the Single Market
Is not equivalent to
2. They said that the UK wouldn’t leave the Single Market.
1. may well be true; but 2. is false.
They said we would be in the single market
That does make your claim false
“They said we would be in the single market.”
Richard, they didn’t. Show me phrase from the Conservative’s manifesto for 2015 that pledges the UK would be in the Single Market. I fail to see why you persist in a fruitless equivocation that only diminishes you. Relax…
It was widely said
I no more have to prove it than the fact the sun comes up
But more than that I do not need to put up with patronising condescenders and you’ve been here for too long ion that basis spreading steady supplies of alternative facts
You won’t be again
Just to back Richard up here, the Quitter arguments were all about a) stopping immigration and b) regaining control from the ‘EU superstate’ and ECJ. They repeatedly assured people that we would still be able to trade goods and services within the single market, though it was repeatedly pointed out that doing that would be unacceptable without accepting the 4 freedoms and the jurisdiction of the ECJ. The arrogant assumption was that the EU would back down and that it would be alright on the night
As we’ve now found, the hardline Quitters who are now driving policy are at the extreme neo-liberal, de-regulated, free trade end of the spectrum and for them a hard Brexit was just what they wanted all along. Its also all that is on offer from the EU, the more so as this governments continues to patronise and abuse those that they are to be negotiating with. Extraordinarily stupid tactics from people who have clearly never had to engage in serious negotiations in their lives.
The British public and many Tory MPs have been had for suckers
Thanks Robin
A brilliant post, Richard…..not that I should be reading it on 30 January and three tax returns outstanding!
Keep going…..
100% agree.
I write this as a Lib Dem councillor who has lost interest in defending the coalition years. As far as I am concerned it’s all now irrelevant compared to what we are facing now. Also as someone who originally comes from Belfast I remember how the Irish border poisoned everything in politics. I cannot over emphasise how important joint UK/Irish membership of the EU had been in reducing the importance of the border in Irish politics. The Good Friday Agreement is built around this joint membership. All of this is now at risk yet how many times was this mentioned during the campaign?
There is a total lack of courage amongst MPs to stand up to the mob. History will not look on them kindly.
Agreed
Declan,
I’m originally from Dublin. I want the North to be happy, peaceful and prosperous. I couldn’t give a fig as to whether the North stays part of the UK or joins the Republic. I’ve had what seems many lifetimes worth of petty nationalism. Jingoistic nationalist arguments such as the Brexiteers used are complete turn off and nearly always end in tears.
What I found a bit strange that whereas the English will put a major effort in getting Scotland a part of the UK, my experience is that they would be very happy to see NI leave. Ir was also sad to see the DUP align themselves with the shadier side of the Brexit campaign resembling UKIP more than the Conservative party.
On the positive side there is considerable warmth and ownership on the part of the EU regards NI and a desire to cut whatever generous deal they can. The same sadly can not be said for England and Westminster. Even within the past few days relationships have deteriorated further as the EU is deeply suspicious of Trump and May’s warmth towards Trump is not going down well.
The sympathy for Scotland and NI from Austrians was quite notable yesterday
I would not be so sure about the English being keen to keep Scotland in the union, speaking as a Scottish/English mongrel. Listening to the kind of politicians driving the Tories and Brexit, and to those I know who vote for them, they seem to be very dismissive, seeing Scotland as scroungers living off wealth generated in England. I wonder if there have been opinion polls on the subject. For what they are worth!
I’m starting to dream of a federation of Celtic states to whom I can apply for a passport
I have a head start….
Richard started this post by saying that it was time to stop being squeamish, a sentiment with which I entirely agree. In another post he put it a bit more bluntly. I agree with that too
There are a bunch of wise heads here, with some great insights. I’m just wondering what people are actually doing? Moving from debate to action, which for me is part of stopping being squeamish. Perhaps there are some good ideas on what we might do as well as insights on the problems we face?
As a starter for 10, and I have no idea which of these might really have an impact – I have:
– Been on last nights demo in London – very encouraging and met a wide range of people. Intend to go on more
– Dumped Labour and joined the LibDems
– Signed up to support Open Britain
– Started to support Compass because of their role on cross-party alliances
– Harassed my children and their friends to get active
– Started to link Trump and Brexit explicitly in debates/arguments on the topic
I’d like like to find a way to influence MPs to stand up and be counted, even if that means defying the whips and the media. My MP is Jeremy Hunt so not much hope there. It feels like the Right/Brexiteers are making most of the noise.
I’m very open to suggestions.
And apologies Richard, if this is inappropriate use of your blog, but you did say we have to stop being squeamish!
It’s a totally appropriate use
Maybe I should do some publicity for the suggestions
Thanks Richard. It’s a bit shotgun at the moment and I suspect there is no one magic bullet as it were, but I figured that some of the smart thinkers here might have some better ideas. And if more of us aligned behind the most promising ones, it might help in a small way with tackling the fragmentation that is often discussed here.
Any more bright or better ideas out there team? Or are we all just grumpy ranters?!! Albeit thoughtful ones
Well being pure-blood Irish for 10 generations; Philip Danaher arrived in the ancestral home with a book in one hand an a Spanish wife in another 11 generations ago, so I do have some diluted Spanish blood, I can be accused of with greater potential than Richard for putting Ireland before Britain.
I however graduated zero sum game politics in my teens after heated discussions when a BHS store opened in O’Connell St Dublin. What’s bad for England is not good for Ireland. In fact the opposite is true and a prosperous and happy England/UK is good for all.
I have been thinking about Cambridge Analytica; the dark web and Westmonster. Richard does a great job here but the impact is not what it should be. Somehow we need to be smarter. I’ve worked with computers all my working career and indeed my first job in the UK in 1981 involved looking after node 42 of SERCNET and I’ve been on email since ’78 so have more experience than most. (The rest of my time was working on a CERN experiment WA69 and am used to large datasets – TB).
We have a rabid right wing press; indeed it seemed to surprise Cameron when the Mail was on the other side and efforts to remove Paul Dacre were naive and unsuccessful. It seems however clear from the US election that advertising (a particular US thing) and the MSM can be ineffective in the face of modern Big Data techniques.
I’m used to Academic Collaborations and know that a few smart people can make a big impact. If the dots are joined up possibly we could achieve something?
You hit a key theme of scaling the new narrative
I have no answer
Maybe we should continue to discuss
It is clear that there are a number of people interested in this issue. Is a physical meeting required?
Suggestions?