Brexit

Letters

We should advocate the revoking of Article 50 by Parliament. A second referendum was a tactic that has outlived its usefulness. The point of a second referendum was that it was thought a more acceptable, less divisive way of stopping Brexit than revoking Article 50; and that since both parties are officially for Brexit, it took it out of Parliament’s hands. But now the second referendum is less popular in many polls then stopping Brexit. People are tired of the division and focus on this issue. A referendum will sharpen the divisions and suck up all politics and news. Anecdotally, plenty of...

A “Remain and Transform” voice in Euro-election

Hundreds of Labour and trade union activists have signed a statement put out by Labour for a Socialist Europe demanding a radical, left-wing, anti-Brexit platform for Labour in the Euro-elections due on 23 May. The signatories include Julie Ward, Labour MEP for the North West, and Jude Kirton-Darling, Labour MEP for the North East. With the excuse of rush, the selection of Labour candidates for the Euro-elections has been done with minimal democracy. The whole process is scheduled to terminate on Wednesday 17 April, the day after Solidarity goes to press, and the best information we can get...

Labour: stop seeking deal with Tories: No Brexit! New public vote!

More and more Labour activists are demanding that Labour’s leaders break off the talks with the Tories on a Brexit deal. If the last few months of political turmoil have shown anything, it is that no good or acceptable (left alone left-wing) Brexit deal is remotely on the table. In accord with the wishes of the big majority of Labour members and supporters, the electorate should have a chance to end this mess by a new public vote with an option to Remain. But the talks are going on in secret, with no report-back other than brief comments to the media by Labour figures. They have been going on...

Paddington Aslef says: love socialism, hate Brexit

Paddington Aslef branch, organising Great Western Railway drivers, has passed the following motion on Brexit:

Paddington Branch notes that since the UK voted to leave the European Union, none of the promises made by the Leave Campaign have been delivered. Rather than having £350 million a week to...

Brexit: new public vote should decide

No deal Brexit? Theresa May’s Brexit formula, three times rejected by Parliament but somehow squeezed through on a fourth attempt? May’s Brexit formula, tweaked to promise a permanent customs union with the EU, and — to Labour’s shame! - pushed through with Labour front-bench support? A long Brexit delay — ending with pretty much the same options? Any of those options, but conditional on a new referendum to accept the favoured option or go for Remain? The Tory back benches rebelling, forcing May out of office, precipitating an early general election? As Solidarity goes to press on 9 April, all...

Behind Labour’s Brexit and antisemitism problems

Jeremy Corbyn’s victory as Labour leader in 2015 promised the possibility of a left Labour Party which would in government renationalise rail, gas and electricity, restore union rights and tax the rich. In the aftermath of the 2008 crisis and years of Tory austerity, that looked attractive to many tens of thousands of people who had never been active on the left before. Labour’s membership surged and the membership was optimistic. The Party’s right wing was on the back foot. Now all that is in jeopardy. The opportunity to re-shape Labour politically and open-up its structures democratically is...

A bridge to the far right

This is a reply to a Full Brexit article. The “Full Brexit” project describes itself as a network of “activists, academics, journalists and policy experts, all on the broad political left” dedicated to “seizing the historic opportunity Brexit offers for restoring popular sovereignty, repairing democracy, and renewing our economy”. Its list of founding signatures includes Paul Embery (of the Arron Banks-funded Trade Unionists Against the EU group who recently spoke at Nigel Farage’s Brexit rally) and Maurice Glasman (of Blue Labour, slogan “Faith, Family and Flag”). On 25 March, these policy...

Stalinists for WTO rules?

On Saturday 6 April, I sat in a room full of activists from the giant union Unite, and heard the union’s assistant general secretary Steve Turner talking about Brexit. He was clear on one thing: a no deal Brexit on WTO terms would be a disaster for jobs in manufacturing. Turner emphasised the chaos that no-deal would cause to the automotive sector, which is dependent upon frictionless trade across Europe. No one in the room seemed to disagree. Surprising. Quite a few of them were supporters of the Morning Star, which that same day carried a centre-page article by Alex Gordon arguing that a...

Migrants: here to stay, here to vote

As we go to press on 9 April, Labour is continuing talks with the government on a Brexit formula. As the customs union which Labour is asking for will not fly with many Tories, the talks may break down. But they are proceeding on the basis of Tory-Labour agreement on ending free movement between the EU and the UK. This is a disastrous move on Labour′s part. Despite Jeremy Corbyn's support as a backbencher for campaigns defending refugees and migrants, since November 2016 Labour has accepted the end of EU freedom of movement. As on other aspects of the Brexit process Labour has failed to be...

Don’t seek a deal with the Tories

As we go to press on 2 April, the Tory government has just finished a special Cabinet meeting. Theresa May outlined a plan B: To approach Jeremy Corbyn to seek a joint Brexit proposal to put to Parliament. This would include the existing Withdrawal Agreement. It might (she implied) also involve changes to the document on future relations after the end in December 2020 of the “transition period” during which Britain remains in EU rules though outside the EU. And a plan C: To get agreement with Jeremy Corbyn on a list of Brexit options to put to MPs, with a joint commitment from both Tory and...

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