If somebody is going to campaign on rejoining EU it needs to be asap, the longer we wait to flip flop the less point there is.
Should’ve never left in the first place but now it’s our bed to lie in. Crawling back will be bad enough, but doing that after 10 years when we’re starting to get used to being out, will be even more stupid.
Transitioning and instability is the killer, not necessarily being in or out, either could work with the right policies and funding.
There’s no way the UK will ever return to EU with out a supermajority vote, rightfully so
Why does a Labour government need to be “brave” and what does that mean in terms of policy?
Surely a left centre platform with a sensible grown up executive is a good thing in itself and will lead to positive change.
Of parliament or another referendum?
UK has bigger problems than the EU right now. On a fundamental level the country doesn’t function well.
Another referendum.
I doubt another 50+1 referendum will be suitable for either UK electorate or the EU within 20 years of the first vote.
EU member states in particular will want the issue finally settled for good and a supermajority referendum does that.
Suitable in what regard, that there won’t be division over it? I don’t think that can be avoided honestly with any referendum.
I dont think a supermajority referendum is appropriate at all really. Lets say its 64/36 and what essentially amounts to two thirds of what people voted for then gets ignored? How would that play after a decade or two of being told a 4% swing was enough to take the country out.
I think what would be most appropriate would be if a party ran on the idea of going back in and was able to form a government then just did it.
In the sense a large portion of the electorate simply will not accept another referendum within 20 years on those terms. There’s no way Parliament will even get to the point where a referendum on EU membership is back on the table within the next 10 years, imo
@shamrockgooner - I honestly believe the supermajority point will be a requirement of the EU more than anything, certainly they will see it as a precaution to reentry to ensure full commitment and that the question never arises politically in the UK again. They don’t “need” the UK so they’d be doing us a favour.
I get the point 64/36 but the purpose of a supermajority is to eliminate any doubt and give an ironclad mandate to re-enter.
A simple majority for exiting doesn’t really have any relevance, given the lack of electorate consent to the Maastricht or Lisbon treaties. Another referendum to reenter should be viewed along the same lines as the 1975 vote
Supermajority wouldn’t be any more binding in a legal sense though so i can’t see why they’d insist on that. In fact id say they’re more likely to insist on no referendum than one with that stipulation.
Left of centre would be massively brave in this environment, currently they will be centre right at best.
Rejoining the EU will be better for our economy for the majority so we should do it.
But the donor’s and fat cats might have to pay a little extra tax and be pulled up for e.g. pouring poo in the rivers so the politicians they buy may not go for it
I think they should rejoin without any referendum.
Put it in the manifesto and if you get reelected take that as a mandate and just do it.
The majority of the population now realise it is a disaster and the initial vote was based on lies and bad faith arguments.
The first referendum was so damaging in terms of the division it caused, and it hasn’t even healed 8 years later. Going back to that issue again would be awful, and I don’t think the country is ready for it.
The same sensible, grown up politicians who couldn’t see the writing on the wall in 2018/2019 and still weren’t accepting the reality that opposing Brexit was electoral poison?
I get where you are coming from and I think this iteration of Labour is clearly going to prove to be much more appealling to more of the electorate that the 2019 version, but I think we can overstate the case slightly with this rhetoric about them being sensible. Though maybe they’ve learned their lesson after the role they played in the last GE. Corbyn himself and the muddled Brexit position were clearly the two things that led to the historic defeat.
Our country is in the toilet after 14 years of Tory rule, I’d say the bravery needed is for them to enact meaningful and somewhat radical changes (not Corbyn style “radical change”, just a radical change relative to what the Tories have done for 14 years) in the face of what will be a hostile right wing press. Or if the press is initially onside or at least somewhat neutral, the press will be prepared to get incredibly hostile at the slightest hint of any meaningful left wing economic policies. Kowtowing to the right wing press and letting that water down potential policy is going to prevent any meaningful improvement.
For me this means investing in public services, taxing the wealthy more than we currently do, improving the welfare state and ditching the rhetoric and accompanying policies of the “maxxed out credit card” stuff the Tories peddle whenever they want to justify not investing and continuing with austerity politics. Unfortunately, at the moment we’re seeing that same sort of rhetoric from Labour, when in reality it’s quite economically illiterate to compare the finances of a national to that of a household.
“Make Brexit Work”
Genuine question, what evidence do we have to suggest that a Labour government would be worse (or the same) than what we have now?
They don’t show any leadership on any issue and refuse to commit to any policy. Behind the scenes people who work in sectors in crisis have already seen the indications that Labour will not seek substantial change. In public we have seen no commitment to improve any public service and most especially to repair the NHS, because under them, the trend of most Tory policies would continue.
Considering how long they’ve been in opposition, against one of the worst governments the country has had, they don’t have any perceivable policies.
Their main election strategy has been to say nothing other than to criticise the Tories.
If Labour said, we’re going to increase public spending, nationalise the utility companies, as well as getting us a better deal with the EU and tax big business and tax the rich more to pay for it, they might find more people voting for them.
The two main parties are like Man U and Chelsea.
They crave power but are drifting along because neither have any plan or direction or proper leadership.
I wish we had a party that would outflank them on the right and the left on certain issues.
Because it is easy to do as they are both so shit.
I’d take a dictator over this ‘democracy’. Tbh
There won’t be a referendum on membership of the EU.
Working more closely and being closely aligned with the EU doesn’t necessarily mean rejoining. It will be done subtly, it’s started already with agreements already in place over patrolling the Channel, rejoining the Europe-wide intelligence group, making Northern Ireland a defacto member of the EU to comply with the Good Friday agreement and the great EU law bonfire that never happened.
You’d be expecting all the usual Brexit rabble to be moaning about it but even Farage has admitted Brexit has ruined the country.
It’ll be walked back gradually, piece by piece.
Hurry up and call the election you Tory cunt Sunak
Had enough of these pricks bleeding the country.