This is a draft leaflet sponsored (so far) by the Nottingham and Sheffield Left Against Brexit groups, for the 20 October 2018 "March for a People's Vote" (click here for details of the march, and click here for the bloc being organised for the march by Another Europe is Possible, 11am outside the Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly.
Remain and Rebel
An appeal to organise in the Labour movement against Brexit
Across the country, Left Against Brexit groups have formed in recent months, for example in Nottingham... They are getting out on the streets with stalls and with door-to-door canvassing, organising debates, meetings, and more. We would like to encourage you to form similar groups and work together in conjunction with Another Europe is Possible to support Labour against the Tories and oppose Brexit.
"Left" is the operative word here. We want to stop Brexit – not because we think the EU is fine as it is, with its hard face towards asylum-seekers and its neoliberalism. Rather, because a united left and labour movement across Europe - without borders and with freedom of movement – would make the EU a better arena than a walled-off Britain for social progress. It would combat the power of capitalism and fight racism and nationalism.
We want Another Europe. We start now by linking to the "other Europe" which already exists in struggles against cuts, for migrant rights, for democracy in every country and for democratic control Europe-wide over budgets and the European Central Bank.
Only opposing Brexit from the left can offer an answer to some of the disillusioned millions who voted for Brexit in 2016. The only case they heard against it was that Brexit would disrupt the normal working of big business, nothing about how it would affect their rights and protections. Now that we know what Brexit might mean, the people of Britain (including the EU citizens settled here, including the 16 and 17 year olds) do not want it.
Labour Party conference showed a huge push from the Labour grassroots against Brexit. But we have not yet won the Party clearly to a referendum with the option of remaining – and changing – the EU.
Labour's "six tests" for a Brexit deal accepts the scrapping of freedom of movement ("fair and managed" is the codeword). Really this does no more than claim "we can negotiate to scrap freedom of movement with less economic damage than the Tories".
Corbyn, McDonnell, as well as top union leaders still insist that Labour's policy is to oust the Tories and negotiate a new deal with the EU, or some deal if the Tories had crashed into no deal. Thus they ruled out Labour rescinding Article 50.
We do not want a more deftly-negotiated Brexit. We want to stop Brexit. We want a people’s vote to retain the existing freedom of movement and go further. We have to organise within the Party and unions to change Labour’s stance on Brexit.
Set up a group in your area, share campaigning materials and ideas. Contact us at: aeipnottingham@gmail.com.
Support Another Europe is Possible, www.anothereurope.org.
Together we can make a difference.
