Labour set for EU re-entry
With Labour rejecting its existing electoral base, pursing instead the once apathetic youth vote, the party will be forced to advance on a vehemently pro-European footing, and in doing so lay the foundations for Britain's re-entry into the European Union, says Peter Divey.
The Labour Party have made the decision to turn away from their voter base. The working-class communities that have been the backbone of their support for generations. Their heads have been turned by the newly energised younger voter who turned out in the general election regretful of their apathy over the Brexit referendum. In the short-term they are going to exploit the cult of Corbyn. They are promising these voters everything they could wish for even when they know it is impractical or unaffordable. If they achieve power they will backtrack furiously, just as we have already seen over the now 'aspirational' student debt debacle. They do not want the collapse in the Pound to be too grievous. The magical money tree is fast transforming into an even more fanciful illusion. Perhaps a magical money forest?
The traditional Labour voter has issues. Brexit. A difficult topic for Labour who seem to be steering back towards a steadfast Remain situation at full speed. Labour are doing a remarkably good job of not illuminating a firm Brexit position and tend to avoid the topic beyond criticising the Government. They assume die hard supporters will follow them no matter what if it removes the Tories. Sensible for now, opportunistic and cynical, like every political party. But eventually they will have to present an official Brexit strategy and that will be as divisive as it has always been. Relying on the whims of younger voters may turn out to be a foundation built from sand. Giving the impression of being anti-Brexit is useful for now. David Miliband is bemoaning the "humiliation" of Brexit, but then he is a charity case.
The Liberals under Cable are a mess. A single issue Party. Everything is pro-Europe and anti-Brexit. They are literally the polar opposite of UKIP despite vehement denials of such. If you wish to sabotage Brexit Cable is not the one to show the way, you will be wasting your vote. For now, this is the Labour offer who are readily hoovering up anti-Brexit centrists. Clegg may no longer be a parliamentarian but he continues to pull very hard on that single Liberal lever. Cable wishes to wait for older voters to die which will not produce rapid results, never mind that it is offensive and self-defeating. If you are over 50 please go elsewhere, your lack of education and nostalgic cravings mean that your vote is ill judged. The Common Market morphing into a full-blown federalist project is irrelevant. It is better for you don't you know?
In Scotland, the SNP continue to put the issue of governing into the back seat, while their lust for a second referendum remains in the driving seat. Perhaps this is one of the virtues of devolution: it provides the electorate with an amuse-bouche of independence realities. But, still, at least they don't pretend to be other than they are. Just do not expect competence. so bad has been the performance that even the Tory corpse has shown signs of life. Ruth Davidson is ambiguous on Brexit, her position is unclear to me, softest of soft perhaps. But she is hard in Scotland's parliament and enjoys calling out Sturgeon on her myopic vision. Not sure what running through a wheat field to mock the Prime Minister signifies other than to say I am a very different type of option. A big chunk of the Scottish Tory vote was built upon Brexit supporting coastal fishing communities lest she forget. Wales voted for Brexit, again you must blame the rural uneducated. If everybody went to university sufficient brainwashing could have been achieved, learning is secondary. The DUP have done brilliantly well garnering lots of lolly from a weakened May. In the truest sense, they are the only real Conservatives left standing. They were the only politicians who felt able to withstand Cameron's politically correct gay marriage push. They recognised and then acknowledged their electorate's wishes. How unusual these days. Northern Irish power sharing is difficult because in Ulster both sides do not so easily sell their voters out. If only Cameron could have brought such energy to other political causes. Virtue signalling made him feel virtuous, negotiating with the EU clearly did not. His heart wasn't in it, why bother, the referendum result was nailed on, he had the IMF and Obama to wheel out. Easy.
Is it surprising that the Tories are not exploiting this cauldron? Perhaps like the DUP they might choose to enact the Brexit vote of 17.4 million Leave voters. Do not pay a Brexit bill, do not cower to EU extortion, do not choose an indefinite and expensive transition. Brexit will always be divisive even if you water it down, so don't. Just do what it says on the tin. Stand up to Carney, Hammond and Project Fear. Eventually they must be right, just as a broken clock is twice a day, doesn't make them fearsome or prescient. A massive Brexit bill will probably be paid and that money will have been wasted, no more use than cavity wall insulation because within ten years or so we will be back in the EU, when Labour get in. They will make certain of it, that will be the defining manifesto war cry. As good a reason as any not to hand over that £53 billion. We will go back in on worse terms than even now and won't see that money ever again. May needs to be "bloody difficult". A free Britain would be a profound legacy. Juncker has laid out the vision for the EU going forward. Much more Europe, a United States of Europe. What has 40 years of EU membership meant to Britain economically? By their own measure the EU has said that at best it has increased UK GDP by one per cent. Project fear won't tell you that. No need to pay a bribe or offer gifts because EU membership has barely had any effect economically. Then, now or ever.
