1) Negative responses more or less broke down into three categories: a) Ad hominem attacks (folks - what do you think you achieve with that? Nothing) b) Those who wanted answers to things the thread already answered c) Questions on things it didn't fully answer. Fair enough.
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2) These questions revolved around both Brexit and Corbyn himself. So that's what this thread will focus on. To begin with, Brexit.
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3) I honestly think Jeremy Corbyn is the first political leader in history to be denounced as a 'liar' for... implementing the manifesto he stood on. A manifesto which supported Brexit; just a softer one than the Tory version. A manifesto which respected the referendum result.
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4) Since then, Labour have continued to respect the result - but at Party Conference, their position evolved into a) Vote down the deal if it didn't meet Labour's tests b) Seek a general election c) If this fails, all options are on the table. That remains the case now.
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5) Theresa May's failure to allow a vote on her deal is what's led to the current impasse - which happily, won't last much longer. Once the meaningful vote happens, if it's lost, Labour will call a confidence vote. If that's lost, all options are on the table. ALL options.
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6) The motion at Party Conference was passed by the membership. Who, sorry folks, are NOT being ignored - and if all options do become open, won't be ignored then either.
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7) Given all this, the argument of the most vociferous Remainers (I don't want to label them as FBPEers: I erred there yesterday. None of these labels are helpful) seems to be: 1) Ignore the referendum result 2) Ignore Labour's manifesto 3) Ignore the LPC motion. Extraordinary.
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8) I've heard of In Place of Strife - but this is In Place of Democracy. Not once, not twice, but THREE times over - and people attack Corbyn for respecting it?! Are you having a laugh?
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9) Then there's the question of Labour's apparent imminent 'collapse' or 'split' and 'doom' at the next election if Brexit happens. People - there's a pro-PV party in the UK. It's called the Liberal Democrats. Why are the Lib Dems not so much waving as drowning in the polls?
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10) Hovering around 6, 7, 8, 9% if they're lucky: well below where they were for the first half of 2017. And MILES below where they were for a good 30 years or so. This is a party which spent much of my life at around 15-20%: peaking, of course, during the 2010 GE campaign.
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11) Whereupon it committed political suicide. Put a gun to its own head and pulled the trigger, betraying millions. It has never been forgiven since: including by the young people so many insist will abandon tuition fee-scrapping Corbyn if Brexit happens.
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12) So often, the claim is "these people only lent Labour their vote temporarily". I don't think so. And why? Because on values, they're fully aligned with Labour, and with Corbyn. And in British politics in 2018, values count as maybe never before.
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13) Which leads me to a broader point. Apparently, all those of us who support Labour are a 'cult'. That's a 'cult' - with 13 million voters. A 'cult' - with the largest party membership in Western Europe. A 'cult', which has transformed the prospects of the left. Some 'cult'.
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14) Though on the subject of 'cults' - and while I'd never suggest for a moment that this is representative of all or most Remainers - so many stones are being thrown from glasshouses, we'll all be subject to a great clattering from the sky at any moment.https://twitter.com/MikeH_PR/status/1076494505438777344 …
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15) Remainers do, though, have a question to answer. As well as "why are the Lib Dems doing so badly?", it's "why did some of you vote for Cameron in 2015?" Because some/many of you undoubtedly did. And you complain that Labour is a different party nowadays?! What do you expect?
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16) Ed Miliband's defeat was what led Labour to look deep inside itself and Corbyn to emerge. Those of you who helped defeat him (not me: I loved Labour's 2015 manifesto and campaign) only have yourselves to blame. So own it. Take responsibility. Ditto for Remain's defeat.
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17) Remain's defeat - which had been decades in the making. Not just because of the right wing media - but because so many of you ignored what was happening to working class people across the UK. Millions upon millions of whom were abandoned. How many of you cared?
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18) Well, the shoe's on the other foot now. "We are politically homeless!", cry many of those who voted for actual homelessness in 2010 and 2015. "We have no-one representing us!", wail those happy to leave so many millions totally unrepresented for almost 40 years.
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19) And with regard to them: if they're betrayed YET AGAIN, what will they make of British 'democracy'? That's not something which can just be shrugged off - least of all with an attitude of "we know better than you what's good for you". Not a good look, folks.
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20) Incidentally, I'm perfectly well aware that all sorts of people voted for Brexit: including rich right wing Tories. But the vote broke down more than anything on educational lines - with Britain having so many have-nots that they gave the establishment a well-deserved kicking
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21) When a country has so many poor people, so many it's just left to rot, its system has failed. When there are no prospects for those who don't enjoy the quality education others (including me) had, its system has failed. Stop sneering at Brexit voters and start empathising.
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22) Which, of course, brings us to the crux. The point I made which incurred most criticism was where I suggested a Labour Brexit is infinitely preferable to a Tory one. "He's deluded! He's swallowed the kool aid! Magic Grandpa has melted his brain!" Er, no.
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23) If there's a Tory Brexit, Tory austerity will continue apace. The entire project is about shrinking the state and rewarding their super-rich friends. It's about destroying the welfare state too. But hang on - how was that welfare state built in the first place?
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24) After the war, unlike the disgraceful nonsense spouted about us "turning into Greece" in 2010, Britain really WAS bankrupt. Or at least, as close to bankrupt as it's possible for a sovereign state controlling its own money supply to be. So what did we do?
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25) We only went and built the entire welfare state - above all, the NHS. We only went and built homes, homes and more homes too. Despite being almost bankrupt. Remarkable. Thank God for that government; heroes who built a nation fit for their fellow heroes.
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26) So what's the plan now? It's for some latter day equivalent to that - because by God, does Britain need to be rebuilt from the bottom up. And it CAN be. Even after Brexit.
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27) For 40 years, Britain has laboured under a myth. "Running a country is like running a household budget". Well, it's not. It couldn't be less so. For businesses to grow, they borrow to invest. For a family to buy a home, they borrow too. Well: investment is what we must do too
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28) We are a rich sovereign state who control our own money supply. For over 300 years, like every other major nation on the planet, our debt has grown. What happened to all those nations? They developed, they progressed, they innovated, they prospered. So can we.
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29) "But inflation!", cry naysayers. Where was that inflation when we printed money like it was going out of fashion for Qualitative Easing? So we can print money for banks - who caused the crash in the first place - but not the people, who've been punished ever since? Baloney.
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30) For those of you who've not heard about Modern Monetary Theory, read up on it. It'll shock you, I promise. Better still: get thee to
@graceblakeley's Twitter page and buy her book when it comes out. She knows what she's talking about; she knows what a scam Tory economics areShow this thread - 35 more replies
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