Why are people complaining about no #Brexit debate at #Lab17? It happened this morning
Are the Labour moderates trying to whip up a storm in a teacup over Brexit?
Someone is certainly making a huge fuss over the fact that the subject was not selected for inclusion among the eight topics for debate and a vote at this year’s party conference. But they clearly didn’t look at their schedule – in which Brexit is the subject of debate at 9.30am today (September 25).
This Writer thinks they’re trying to lead us all on a wild goose chase, for one very good reason:
All the subjects for debate were democratically chosen by conference delegates.
This was not a stitch-up by the leadership; it was a choice by Labour Party members, not to debate a matter that would get plenty of airing anyway and to give the time to another deserving subject.
Here’s Rosena Allin-Khan mentioning it in her speech:
The Government's handling of Brexit is damaging the UK's reputation – they don't represent the country we all love. My speech to #Lab17. pic.twitter.com/bvIn93mGeG
— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) September 25, 2017
Ivana Bartoletti’s wish has already come true:
Powerful speech by Ivana Bartoletti demanding Labour issue the message that European citizens are welcome in Britain.
— Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) September 25, 2017
We will guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in this country. Vital for our economy and the right thing to do. @HackneyAbbott #Lab17
— Labour Press (@labourpress) September 24, 2017
Caroline Flint (I know what she is; don’t make a fuss about it) argued on television for an end to freedom of movement between the UK and EU:
.@CarolineFlintMP argues that freedom of movement must end after Brexit. "People voted to leave to control immigration" #bbcsp pic.twitter.com/ScZewaufw4
— BBC Daily Politics and Sunday Politics (@daily_politics) September 24, 2017
Others include usual suspects Chris Leslie and Heidi Alexander.
In the light of this information, I would urge everybody to make a careful note of the names of those MPs and luminaries who are kicking up a stink about it.
Here‘s Mary Creagh, improbably accusing party members of “ducking the biggest issue of the day” when it has been all over the TV, the papers, and the floor of her party’s conference.
Then there’s this:
You cannot muzzle debate of the most important issue in a generation – Single Mkt goes to the heart of delivering social justice in the UK https://t.co/fiqsqOMGeQ
— ChukaUmunna (@ChukaUmunna) September 25, 2017
No, Mr Umunna, you can’t muzzle debate of it – that’s why so many people have been discussing it.
But which of the subjects, which will get a debate and vote, would you have preferred to see muzzled? Growth and investment? Public sector pay? Workers’ rights? Grenfell? Housing? NHS? Social care? Rail?
And we should also pay attention to newspaper/media reporters who are playing up about this as well. What’s their agenda in trying to put down democracy?
https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/912240082886758400
The message is clear:
Beware of false messages about Labour and Brexit.
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Ok so Flint was incoherent in what she was saying. But she was right that the majority of people whom I canvassed during the referendum who said they were voting leave cited immigration as the main reason. The fact that they often couched it in absolute racist terms “keep (kick) the scum out” “all them Muslims” “Britain should be white” “they come over here and take our jobs” “our services can’t cope” “there’s not enough room, we’re overpopulated already” “some places you don’t see a white face” not only highlighted a profound lack of understanding of issues around immigration but also defined the racist nature of the leave campaign which conflated free movement of eu citizens (nearly entirely white) with asylum seekers, refugees and commonwealth migration. I am absolutely convinced that this was a cynical tactic of the leave campaign leaders and I am disgusted that the remain campaign and the main stream media allowed this wholly (and factually wrong) racist agenda to become the heart of the leave campaign.
Flint et al should now be challenging this continuing lie as should the rest of us instead of pandering to the bigoted and loathsome far right xenophobes.
Well pro eu Starmer made his point that we should ignore democracy, and MacDonald has said we are going o renationalise water railways gas and electric which means we have to leave the eu because under a 1990 legislation edict from the eu commission we had to put them out to tender form private companies. So the Labour party whose electorate overwhelming voted out are being confused by directly conflicting statements from the hierarchy.
Who’s MacDonald?
I mention that we don’t have to leave the EU to renationalise anything in a reply to another comment of yours elsewhere.
And Labour’s electorate overwhelmingly voted IN – two-thirds of the party and its supporters did so. You keep pushing this lie. Shame on you.
I just wish that the debate focused on the actual E.U., what it is, how it works, what it’s supposed to do etc. That way, we might have a reasoned debate about whether, or not we really want to stay in it. Most of the issues of the referendum campaign had nothing to do with the question on the ballot paper and people are still arguing the t**s about them and not the E.U. As for the tone of the campaign and the remit of the Campaign groups, I have said, before, this was for Parliament to decide when they voted on the Referendum Bill. I am bitterly disappointed that this opportunity was missed and that we were allowed to drift into this cesspit of a situation in which we now find ourselves. A pox on both Houses!
*The debate at large, not Conference.*