Labour’s Brexit Stance Now Makes Even Less Sense
Labour’s position on Brexit, following last year’s referendum, never made any sense. Following the General Election, it now makes even less sense.
The position of accepting the referendum result was based on a form of democratic primitivism. But, the idea that because a majority of the electorate voted for what was a reactionary policy, is no reason why a social-democratic party should lie down, play dead and simply adopt that reactionary policy themselves. The biggest factor of those voting for Brexit, by far, was a xenophobic dislike — and in some cases more than just dislike — for foreigners, and in particular immigrants. That was shown by the rise in racist attacks that occurred following the referendum result. Why on Earth would any kind of progressive party, let alone a social-democratic party want to kow-tow to such reactionary sentiments?
Even if we set aside the reactionary xenophobic sentiments of those who were the core support for the Leave vote, the idea that Britain outside the EU, is somehow a better alternative is itself, a reactionary concept that lines up British workers with British capital, as in some way having more in common than do British workers with their EU comrades. The idea that just because a majority of public opinion, in a one-off vote, at a point in time, voted for Brexit, Labour should adopt that same reactionary policy is nonsensical. It is the same kind of triangulation, and constant chasing after public opinion that we expect from the Blair-rights, not from Corbyn’s Labour. We should be shaping that public opinion, by a principled advocacy of progressive politics, not tailing it.
And, after all, the referendum result was narrow. Had 16 and 17 year olds been given the vote, the result would probably have gone the other way. Moreover, since last year’s referendum, 2.5 million young people have registered to vote. It is largely on the back of their votes that Labour did so well in this election, and deprived the Tories of their majority. Surveys show that around 75% of these young voters oppose Brexit, indeed one major factor in them registering to vote, and mobilising to oppose the Tories, is the fact that, by failing to do so last year, it allowed the Brexit vote to win. As I wrote the other day, for Labour now to continue to provide a pale version of the Tories Brexit policy, to present what amounts to little more than a UKIP-lite policy in respect of the free movement of workers, is to betray all of those young workers, and to risk them deserting Labour when the next election comes.
After all, had those 2,5 million young workers been registered and voted last year, the result would have been a significant majority for Remain. In what way then does it make any sense to persist on the basis of an old vote that no longer represents the current situation? In 2015, the electorate voted in a majority Tory government. It wasn’t the last word on the matter. Just two years later, the electorate, largely with the help of these young voters, took the Tories majority away. So, why is it not reasonable to demand another vote on Brexit? After all, although Jeremy Corbyn did a large number of meetings during the referendum campaign, the media showed little of it, as they concentrated on the Tory infighting. But, had Labour organised the kind of campaign just seen, in the election, but putting forward a programme of hope, of campaigning for a workers Europe, then its quite likely that the referendum result would have been quite different.
In the election, it is quite clear that Labour did best not just where there were large numbers of new young voters, but also where there was a strong support for Remain. The two things in fact go together. Despite trying to chase after the reactionary Leave voters, Labour won over only about a quarter of former UKIP voters, whereas the Tories won over more than half of them. The remainder either stuck with UKIP, or went back to being passive as they had been before UKIP gave them a hobby horse to ride.
Just from a practical and tactical point of view it makes no sense for Labour to stick with its UKIP-lite stance to try to win over those UKIP voters, because in doing so it not only commits itself to a reactionary policy, but it also risks losing all of those progressive young voters it has just won, as well as cutting itself off from all those voters who support the SNP, Plaid, the Greens and Liberals, all of whom support Remain.
In fact, the idea of a Progressive Alliance has been suggested by some. The election showed why it was a nonsensical idea. Most voters realised what those who put forward the idea of a Progressive Alliance failed to understand. That is that it was only Labour that had any chance of forming a government. A vote for the Liberals, or the Greens, or for the nationalist parties, was more than just a wasted vote, it was a vote that split the anti-Tory vote, that denied Labour votes that could have enabled it to win more seats, and potentially to have formed the government.
Labour needs to crush these diversionary parties, by sucking the oxygen from their ideological basis. It has to be Labour that offers the workers of Scotland and Wales a solution to their problems, a solution that requires their unity with English workers not their separation from them. It has to be Labour that provides the policies required to protect and enhance the environment, not the Greens. It has to be Labour that shows that it is the defender and proponent of individual rights and freedoms alongside collective rights and freedoms, not the Liberals.
In the last election, these parties went nowhere. Even the SNP has clearly passed its best before date. But, the idea that any kind of Progressive Alliance could be formed with them is ludicrous given their pro-Remain stance, if Labour continues to oppose free movement of workers — as Dianne Abbot says, one of the most fundamental of workers’ individual and collective rights and freedoms — and continues to support Brexit. The voters who came behind Labour at this election and left these other parties to do so, did so, tactically to oppose a hard Tory Brexit, but that does not mean as the Tories are now claiming that this signifies that 80% of voters supported Brexit!
The contradictions of Brexit, which were never addressed during the appalling referendum campaign are now manifesting themselves, as the Tories have to rely on the votes of the DUP. Northern Ireland requires a open border with the Irish Republic. But, the only way of having such an open border is if Britain remains in the Customs Union. For a country like Britain, with the size of its economy, its dependence on trade into the EU, and so on, it makes no sense at all to be in the Customs Union, and not in the Single Market. But, to be in both the Customs Union and Single Market, means to be bound by their rules, to have to pay to be a member, and to be bound by the ECJ. It then makes no sense, not to be inside the EU itself!
The only reason being given for not being in the single market is the requirement for the free movement of workers. But, Labour as a progressive social-democratic party, indeed even as any kind of progressive democratic party, should be in favour of the free movement of workers whether we are in or out of the single market. The idea that workers should not be free to move around the globe, to sell their labour-power wherever they can obtain the best price for it is an idea that belongs in the Middle Ages along with all of the other feudal monopolies and restrictions of workers liberty.
Yesterday, Barry Gardiner, on TV argued that Labour is in favour of having all of the same benefits as being inside the Customs Union and Single Market, but without actually being a member! Yes, I would like to have all the benefits of being in a sports club without having to be a member, or paying any membership fees. Not surprisingly, there are not many organisations that seek to destroy themselves by offering such advantages to non-members over members! What Barry was suggesting was nothing different than the policy of “Have cake and eat it” that Bojo was criticised for putting forward only a few months ago.
Its one thing to have as a strategy to embarrass the Tories a policy of holding them to their own stated commitment to negotiate for Britain such unachievable aims, but to then adopt those same unachievable aims yourself, as your policy stance is the height of lunacy.
Labour members should begin to put motions for annual conference to set Labour’s policy to be to oppose Brexit with all our might. The starting point should be to defend the basic right of workers to free movement, to be able to sell their Labour-power where they can obtain the best price for it. The consequences of Brexit have already been seen in the 96% drop in EU nurses registering to work in the NHS, at a time when the NHS already faces severe shortages, and when a large number of existing EU nurses, have left both the NHS and Britain.
Labour now has the potential for forming a government in the next few months, but its clear already that even the prospect of Brexit is seriously damaging the UK economy. The Pound is set to sink further, whilst already the decline in the Pound has pushed inflation up to over 3% on RPI, and is set to rise much further. Whatever the Bank of England does with official interest rates, the cost of borrowing for Britain in capital markets is set to rise. A Labour government seeking to adopt the kind of programme put forward by Corbyn and his supporters will face an attack by international financiers. In fact, that is one reason why it would be beneficial for Britain to be in the Eurozone let alone the EU, because whilst the international financiers can attack the Pound, it is much more difficult for them to do that against the Euro.
Either way, any kind of radical Labour programme can only be pushed forward with the support of workers across Europe. So, this is the worst time that Labour could be considering cutting itself off from those workers via Brexit. Labour should commit itself to opposing Brexit vigorously, and providing a programme of hope based upon working with workers and socialists across Europe, to forge a Workers Europe.
Originally published at boffyblog.blogspot.com on June 13, 2017.
