Brilliant as usual Paul!! Brexit should, and still could be very beneficial to us, it’s just a shame our politicians have been determined to undermine it at every opportunity!
Kate - tragically it's not just the politicians - who, in my experience, lack any real understanding of what Brexit means or could offer us ( ask any cabinet minister or MP the difference between the Single Market & a Customs Union, and you'll see what I mean) - we've also got the clerisey aka mandarin's of the civil service to deal with - they love the EU because it makes their lives easier - Starmer's reset is mainly aspirational tosh - the hard yards are still to come.
Great piece Paul - not only is the EU undemocratic it's fundamentally a proto government that wants to strip nation states of control of their own destiny.
It uses regulation to force political alignment inc integration with its objectives - for the UK, it was an an historic anomaly to join as 45 years of a joyless, loveless marriage proved.
We need a government that uses the political power we have regaind based on the repatriated sovereignty.
Am with you on the sentiment, I did find it odd that national governments (tory +lab +lib+snp) scream decentralisation on one hand while surrender power to eu .
I also think this is the reason of the decline of principaled politicians, they have no independent thought , they have to look at focus groups/ polling /advisors / committees (even the supreme court ) to come to a decision.
Even tho I opposed Jeremy Corbyn for 99% of his forgien policy, it's had always respected that on the eu he was consistent (Tony benn quote ) , then he said he voted to remain, which means everything he had said for previous decades was a lie or how he voted was a lie .
And to think no party tabled a motion to oppose the 2.8% payrise .....
I rest my case .
Great speech Paul and judging by the photo , you dont half scrub up alright 👍
Thanks Paul, for bringing clarity to the Brexit debate. It is a disgrace that our politicians have failed our nation by not taking advantage of the golden opportunity provided by leaving the EU.
I’m not or haven’t always been a great supporter of unions when there power is used to blackmail the majority by withdrawing services to the majority by a small minority however, I agree with every sentiment in Paul’s speech.
The big flaw with Brexit was not our departure from the failing neo-liberal EU economic zone. It was that we’d then have to hope that the venal, clueless and recalcitrant professional managerial class would be able to build upon the decision.
It hasn’t. Its predictably botched it.
Brexit provided (and still could) a historic opportunity to think about how we might go about re-building a national economy.
Only by developing a national economy designed for the 21st century could we begin to find our way out of our current doom loop of low growth, fear of the wrath of the bond markets and reliance on overseas capital and labour.
Once Labour was committed to building a national economy and managed the economy accordingly.
To see how the Party and its PLP has changed look at the angst around the Welfare Reform Bill and compare it to the absolute silence and shoulder shrug about its (pretty awful in ambition terms) industrial strategy.
As someone once said, politics is the language of priorities…
And that’s why Brexit has failed - not because of Brexit or because we’ve left the dying EU project now being overrun by the populist and far right - but because the last 4 Tory leaders and now Starmer and co are so saturated by globalisation and the logic of the market that they cannot see the opportunity staring them in the face….
That is a brilliant speech and article. Thanks Paul.
This article, and the policy points outlined in it, should be the Labour Party manifesto.
How do we get from here (i.e. the current floundering and directionless Labour Party) to there - a confident party with a robust social-democratic agenda like that one?
Brilliant as usual Paul!! Brexit should, and still could be very beneficial to us, it’s just a shame our politicians have been determined to undermine it at every opportunity!
Kate - tragically it's not just the politicians - who, in my experience, lack any real understanding of what Brexit means or could offer us ( ask any cabinet minister or MP the difference between the Single Market & a Customs Union, and you'll see what I mean) - we've also got the clerisey aka mandarin's of the civil service to deal with - they love the EU because it makes their lives easier - Starmer's reset is mainly aspirational tosh - the hard yards are still to come.
Great piece Paul - not only is the EU undemocratic it's fundamentally a proto government that wants to strip nation states of control of their own destiny.
It uses regulation to force political alignment inc integration with its objectives - for the UK, it was an an historic anomaly to join as 45 years of a joyless, loveless marriage proved.
We need a government that uses the political power we have regaind based on the repatriated sovereignty.
Excellent speech Paul, totally agree with you.
Thanks, Sarah.
Well said Paul wholeheartedly agree
👋 Paul.
Am with you on the sentiment, I did find it odd that national governments (tory +lab +lib+snp) scream decentralisation on one hand while surrender power to eu .
I also think this is the reason of the decline of principaled politicians, they have no independent thought , they have to look at focus groups/ polling /advisors / committees (even the supreme court ) to come to a decision.
Even tho I opposed Jeremy Corbyn for 99% of his forgien policy, it's had always respected that on the eu he was consistent (Tony benn quote ) , then he said he voted to remain, which means everything he had said for previous decades was a lie or how he voted was a lie .
And to think no party tabled a motion to oppose the 2.8% payrise .....
I rest my case .
Great speech Paul and judging by the photo , you dont half scrub up alright 👍
Great one, Paul. Political stubborness and unwillingness to compromise it a massive fault that directly affects us all.
Thanks Paul, for bringing clarity to the Brexit debate. It is a disgrace that our politicians have failed our nation by not taking advantage of the golden opportunity provided by leaving the EU.
Labour need to take advantage of it to renationalise water
But we need to stop the boats leave the ECHR HEA
I’m not or haven’t always been a great supporter of unions when there power is used to blackmail the majority by withdrawing services to the majority by a small minority however, I agree with every sentiment in Paul’s speech.
Thanks, Nicholas.
The big flaw with Brexit was not our departure from the failing neo-liberal EU economic zone. It was that we’d then have to hope that the venal, clueless and recalcitrant professional managerial class would be able to build upon the decision.
It hasn’t. Its predictably botched it.
Brexit provided (and still could) a historic opportunity to think about how we might go about re-building a national economy.
Only by developing a national economy designed for the 21st century could we begin to find our way out of our current doom loop of low growth, fear of the wrath of the bond markets and reliance on overseas capital and labour.
Once Labour was committed to building a national economy and managed the economy accordingly.
To see how the Party and its PLP has changed look at the angst around the Welfare Reform Bill and compare it to the absolute silence and shoulder shrug about its (pretty awful in ambition terms) industrial strategy.
As someone once said, politics is the language of priorities…
And that’s why Brexit has failed - not because of Brexit or because we’ve left the dying EU project now being overrun by the populist and far right - but because the last 4 Tory leaders and now Starmer and co are so saturated by globalisation and the logic of the market that they cannot see the opportunity staring them in the face….
I largely agree, Paul. Thanks for the thoughtful post.
That is a brilliant speech and article. Thanks Paul.
This article, and the policy points outlined in it, should be the Labour Party manifesto.
How do we get from here (i.e. the current floundering and directionless Labour Party) to there - a confident party with a robust social-democratic agenda like that one?
Thanks, Karl. To answer your question: not easily! But some of us inside the party are fighting hard.