not tonight josephi…er, jeremy
I don’t know why but I’ve always had a soft spot for the diminutively-sized five-foot-two French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, and I suspect so too have our current Labour opposition party. His wise words “Never interfere with your enemy when he is making a mistake” have undoubtedly been ringing in the ears of Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn during recent times and it’s completely understandable that, as the Brexit debacle continues to unravel before our disbelieving eyes, they could be forgiven for keeping schtum and feeding-out enough rope for May’s beleaguered government to continue to hang itself.
However, with such high stakes this no longer cuts the mustard. The current situation is not about leadership, power, point-scoring or electoral prospects, it’s about the country. It’s about our future and that of our future generations. Hollow talk will not suffice. Sadly, I’m not hearing much in the way of anything but.
JC’s current line remains steadfastly centred around an imaginary ‘alternative plan’ which grants us all the benefits of the single market, specifically frictionless trade, but without any of the costs. Absurd. The EU could be no more clear on this subject and it has been their constant, unbending, unified position since forever. Frictionless trade is granted by membership to the EU not by picking-up our ball and running home to mother. Labour’s position is as dishonest as anyone’s: ‘Hello, is that Sky? Ah, good, yes, I’m not happy about you pulling-the-plug on British Cycling so I’d like to cancel my subscription but is it OK if I keep the Premiership footie channel, oh, and of course the blockbusters and the cartoons for the kids?’
Labour’s promise to immediately demand a general election when May’s deal is eventually voted down by Parliament (which it will be, irrespective of today’s three week postponement) is both futile and not in the national interest and it offers no solution to the Brexit conundrum. To think that the EU will take a recently-installed Labour government any more seriously than a Tory one in disarray is delusional. Here’s another myth-buster: forget the minnow-club Norway-plus as it will be less well received than May’s current plan and less welcomed by the EU than even a hard/no-deal-Brexit. The only two alternatives are exactly that, a hard/no-deal-Brexit, or a no-Brexit, ie a second vote. The possibility of a second referendum, once solely the romantic, fanciful ambition of chuckle brothers Tony Blair and Nick Clegg, increases daily.
But how can it be made to be inclusive and avoid being a simple rerun of 2016’s binary vote? It needs to be regarded as legitimate by both staunch leavers and remainers, and it needs to be called by the current Prime Minister, not the opposition, a recently installed government or, most importantly, by the remainers. Put simply, leavers are more likely to accept this option when submitted by the Conservative PM who is actively seeking to secure Brexit on their behalf. Furthermore, to make it meaningful and fair, the options need to accept that unrestrained EU migration was, is and remains an issue for much of the country. Personally, free-movement is a civilised right but I get that millions of my fellow citizens don’t see it that way.
As mentioned earlier, free movement is one of the central tenets upon which the EU is built and, whilst IT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE, our home affairs select committee have recently unearthed a whole raft of certain migration control measures which are currently being enacted by several EU countries, but which have not even been discussed, let alone adopted, by either Mrs May, or her predecessor, the cavalier Cameron. Sadly, we now no longer have the time to enact or include these in effective discussions, so we have to rescind, or extend, article 50: we have to buy some time, and we have to allay the leavers’ fears.
As we stare into the abyss of a potentially catastrophic hard/no-deal Brexit, I fully appreciate that many of the EU27 are prepared to wash their hands of us but the irony is that there is an alternative, but it’s one they have to work with us to flesh-out. And this is my own personal ‘light-bulb’ moment, our Brexit decision was as much a surprise across La Manche as it was here and they’ve learned from it, the potentially devastating repercussions throughout the community have been noted. Additionally, Germany’s recent immigration experiences and those of Italy, together with the financial crises in Spain and Greece, are forcing the EU to amend and reconsider both their immigration and expansionary policies. And ours. The EU can help us stay and we can help them adapt and prosper. Together, we’re stronger. Well, zut alors, who’d a thunked it.
