Media are running with the story that Jeremy Corbyn now is supporting a 2nd Referendum which they say is a position consistent with the motion supported in the Labour Party conference in 2018 and here is the text of that motion;
Should parliament vote down a Tory Brexit deal or the talks end in no deal, conference believes this would constitute a loss of confidence in the government. In these circumstances, the best outcome for the country is an immediate general election that can sweep the Tories from power.
If we cannot get a general election, Labour must support all options remaining on the table, including campaigning for a public vote. If the government is confident in negotiating a deal that working people, our economy and communities will benefit from they should not be afraid to put that deal to the public vote. If the government is confident in negotiating a deal that working people, our economy and communities will benefit from they should not be afraid to put that deal to the public.
So when you try to untangle this text you realise that for this proposition to materialise a few things to happen;
- Parliament voting down the BREXIT deal
- Talks with the EU end with no deal
- Call for General Election is defeated
- Call for a People’s Vote
And here is why this proposition is unlikely particularly considering recent developments as well;
- Hardline BREXITEERs are in a sense being cornered by Theresa May running down the clock and now fuelled by this Corbyn position – singling that they should accept the current deal or variation there of as the best of some bad choices.
- The extension of Article 50 is yet another option to help prevent at any cost the potential for a disastrous outcome – where BREXITEER’s are concerned – of a People’s Vote albeit still quite damaging for the country.
- Talks with the EU already produced a deal so that’s no longer relevant.
- A call for a General Election could pass again as a last ditch effort to avoid a People’s Vote on the deal and get us into another cycle of endless debates to develop another version of BREXIT to help save the day on exiting the EU. This avoids the threat of the current deal being defeated in a public vote which consequentially leads to revoking Article 50.
In my mind we need to get out of this political limbo soon either with a Public Vote or an exit with/without a deal; our sad/incompetent politicians are playing old politics at a time where the country is paying the ultimate price – so they are in a sense equally culprit in running down the clock but their incompetence prevents them from noticing it. It is only at the point when we’re out of this limbo that we will be able to build on solid foundation with some clarity and plenty of accountability. A point where I hope we begin to see the political establishment being remapped/reshaped and with a new stream of young politicians taking leadership roles in all parties and hopefully many of them stand as Independents. As for the General Election this should logically come after the People’s Vote which sets some direction for politics in this country moving forward and with a new vision for our future relationship with the EU.
If I had to bet it would be for a People’s Vote and continued membership within the EU because that is the only viable option as people are beginning to realise. It’s just a shame we’ve taken a big hit as a country on so many levels and for so long that it will take plenty of time/effort to re-establish our partnership with the EU and our reputation on the world stage; just have a look at the bold section of the Labour motion above which makes you wonder why this enormous “Labour Table” they like to use for keeping their options open. On the other hand if BREXIT is the choice of the people I am good with that too. The important thing is that we learn lessons and hold people accountable for this mess if we are to cleanse our politics from these political charlatans.