‘Jeremy Corbyn’ page on ‘Vote Leave’ website bars us all from changing our minds
The ‘Leave’ campaign has hit a new low with a website claiming to represent Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s opinions on the European Union and calling on readers to support this misrepresentation of his view.
Here it is, and no – I won’t be publishing the web address:
There’s just one problem: This is not what Jeremy Corbyn thinks of the EU. It may have been, once, but it is very clear that if he ever held those views he has changed his mind now.
Here are his current views, as expressed on Channel 4’s The Last Leg, just two days ago (Friday, June 10): ” I back Remain because I think the economy is important and obviously links with Europe are important. I think human rights are important and I think the workers rights that we’ve got through workers campaigning to get them in Europe is important. And I want to be part of Europe to work to defeat the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and work with other people to stop the exploitation of migrant workers all across Europe, including in this country.”
Challenged with a claim that there were workers’ rights before joining the European Union (then the EEC) in 1975, he said:
“There weren’t, actually. We won the four weeks’ holiday because of work by unions all over Europe; it wasn’t a gift from the European Union. It was collective action by unions across Europe – likewise maternity and paternity leave, likewise agency workers and issues like that.
“But there’s also a big thing about the environment. Do you know something? If you pollute the water, it goes across national borders. If you put dirty, foul things up in the air, they cross national frontiers. You’re only going to deal with environmental pollution, bringing about a more sustainable planet, by people working together; the only way you’ll bring about a cleaner continent. We have rules on air quality – evaded by Boris Johnson, perhaps – but they are still there so I think we have to work with other people.
“I’m not a huge fan of the European Union. What I believe is it’s a practical decision that we take in order to try to get better conditions across the whole continent – for everybody.”
They’re fine words, and they won the support of thousands of people across the UK – if not millions, by now. Watch him speak them, here.
That hasn’t stopped certain people from taking to Twitter to champion the ‘Vote Leave’ falsehood. People like this, who told me: “Just shows as a Politician you should always be mindful of what U say, especially now with Social Media.”
I responded: “So nobody is allowed to change their mind any more? Ridiculous. ‘Leave’ are misrepresenting Jeremy Corbyn & know it.”
Here’s the comeback: “Sorry, if he said it he said it, that’s the way it is. Just like Farage gets pilloried for past comments.”
So now, according to Vote Leave, nobody is allowed to change their mind.
What, you think Jeremy Corbyn should be a special case? If it applies to him, it applies to the rest of us as well. That’s democracy for you – and democracy is what the EU referendum is all about.
I pointed out that Farage gets pilloried for his past comments because he still agrees with the things he said that caused offence. Because he does – right?
So then I received this: “Are you honestly telling me you don’t agree that what he “allegedly” said about EU is actually correct?”
No! That’s not what I was telling him at all. I stated that Jeremy Corbyn has changed his mind. Didn’t this guy read my tweet?
“Of course you’re entitled 2 your view, just like I think Jeremy actually still thinks what’s on poster,” he tweeted.
“I think it actually sums up the EU pretty accurately.” His opinion, not Jeremy Corbyn’s.
The quality of the debate really has sunk this low. It is now about saying Jeremy Corbyn is lying about supporting ‘Remain’, so he’s not worth your attention beyond voting against what he’s saying now. And if you argue that he has changed his mind, you’re denying that he ever made the original comments.
No, no, no.
Jeremy Corbyn should take action over this. Vote Leave is trying to undermine him by lying about him.
So if, in spite of all the encouragement from This Writer to consider the issues, you’d rather vote according to what somebody else says…
The real question we should be asking ourselves isn’t “Should I vote ‘Leave’ because Jeremy Corbyn can’t be trusted?”
It’s: Why should I vote ‘Leave’ when the ‘Leave’ campaign is full of liars?
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Well said Mike.
They are all liars, don’t listen to them just vote as you want.
“I’m not a huge fan of the European Union” is just the rallying cry Labour voters have been waiting for! The guy is such an embarrassment. There is talk, I believe, in the PLP of a 24-hour, whirlwind coup d’etat if Jez’s lacklustre performance leads to a Brexit. I reckon I could collect the required signatures in an hour and a half!
If anybody in the PLP decides against the will of the party to depose Corbyn, it will mean the end of Labour.
Most of the grassroots membership would quit in disgust, leaving the Labour right-wingers in charge of a nothing; the Tories are a minority interest party and right-wing Labour would be for a minority interest of a minority interest.
It would be electoral and career suicide.
I agree with you wholeheartedly Mike. We should be fighting the Tories, not the elected leader of the Labour Party.
The bogus website does indicate, however, that the right wingers are afraid of Jeremy Corbyn.
I’m sorry Mike, in advance for my rudeness, but Phil, that ‘rallying cry’ you refer to isn’t a rallying cry at all! Corbyn has never been quiet about his feelings towards the EU since the leadership battle in September last year (it’s never been a secret!). I don’t think you properly understand that peoples opinions can and often do change over time (depending on a variety of circumstances).
Having said that though, I actually think that a lot of your comments are quite ‘deliberate’, because I think you’ve got an ulterior motive anyway.
There was talk of a coup if Jeremy lost seats in the local elections; it didn’t happen. 95% of the party whole support him. Only half of the PLP want to oust him. There is no rallying cry when you’re crying into a vacuum, I’m afraid.
We can see how desperate they are to try and impose their will on the rest of us, that they’d deliberately lie in such a way.
By their “logic”, the fact that we can’t change our minds means the result of the last referendum still stands.
So there’s no point in this expensive self-destruction of the Tory party, although I admit, watching Tories bullying each other in the playground makes a refreshing change. even if the lamestream media aren’t making much of a job of reporting it.
Why are the Empty Suits still plotting a coup? They couldn’t organise a coherent platform in 2015 and ran a campaign that crashed and burned. Besides moaning about not being in power (which is not a policy) what ideas do they have? Principles? The leadership result shows that they are Yesterday’s Labour.
Excuse me…isn’t right wing Labour exactly who Corbyn has allied himself with? Don’t all the Blairites want us to Remain? Am I missing something here? Isn’t a Vote to Remain a vote for the continued dominance of the European Union by the big Banks who run the plutocracy? Isn’t Goldman Sachs a principle bankroller of the Remain campaign. The sorry truth is this: yes Corbyn has “changed his mind”: but he’s really failed to convince anyone as to why he has. And yes, Vote Leave has been a little cheeky not putting a date with the comment. But making a mediastorm out of it would be a terrible strategic mistake of drawing yet more attention to Corbyn’s prior views, so out of fairness, I don’t recommend it. Didn’t Corbyn attack the EU in his debate speeches prior to winning the support of the membership to be elected leader? Isn’t it possible that for at least some in the party his apparent anti-EU anti-Blairite stance was a reason to support him to the leadership? I am sorry: but Corbyn has led Labour to be on the wrong side of what is looking like the biggest democratic upheaval this country has seen in decades, and many WILL rebel. For Momentum to be against Austerity but support Remaining in the EU also looks like either the height of political ignorance: or political mendacity. IF Corbyn had been consistent with his repeatedly expressed views of the last 40 years, and brought the party out for LEAVE then he would have cemented his reputation for being a man of principle and led Labour to a fantastic success that would have given the party a real chance to get back the 2.5million voters it lost to UKIP in 2015 and a springboard to government in the next general election: which may come in the next few months! Instead, he has led the party into a disastrous mistake, led his loyal supporters into contorted intellectual loops, and appeased those very Blairites he was expected to be purging! History is not going to look back on this with any kindness. Labour needs to have a darn good look at its soul to rediscover who it is. If your looking for a new leader, (and if the nation comes out for Leave, you will be) you could do far worse than Gisela Stuart…
What a bizarre suggestion and misinterpretation of the arguments.
But then, I think we can all tell you’re not entirely serious, just by looking at your choice of new leader. Gisela Stuart proposed a “grand coalition” with the Conservatives before the last general election, so we can safely discount the opinions expressed in your comment.
I have commented on the Vote Leave poster, defending Jeremy Corbin and I suggest his supporters flood the comments section with the truth. At least people seeing the poster will get the chance to see the truth.
I also commented on Facebook over the weekend that the post was not currently Jeremy Corbyn’s belief and not what he has been campaigning, so was therefore, manipulatively misleading.
Mike, you may regret writing this in just 10 days time.
Why’s that?
Because the leave is getting ahead of the remain.
How does that affect Jeremy Corbyn’s opinion? He has made up his mind based on the information, not on who is voting one way or the other.
Jeremy Corbyn is a man of principle and is not afraid the make the best possible choice for us even if it means going back on his past comments…. It is not easy to change direction and takes guts when necessary so to do. We are now it 2016 and times change!
Disgraceful tactics. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.