If you think that, because Farage says things that are popular with some people, the government has to appeal to those people then I’d rather have Reform in power than a Farage tribute act who says that people like me gave him a mandate to act like that.
If you think that they are aping reform, you’re listening to the media, not Labour
Well if I, educated, intelligent, left of centre and a recent campaigner for Labour think that, even if you are right, and it is the media not Labour - what do you think everyone else thinks, and what is the government going to do about it? Shrug their shoulders?
I’m not sure what they can do about it. It might be worth considering if educated, intelligent, left of centre people might need to consider the information they absorb & spread a bit more critically? I’m not absolving Labour of responsibility or of making mistakes/having bad policy either.
If you are saying that I, and people like me, should shut up and trust the government, well no, we did that in order to get Labour elected. If they aren’t governing for me - and they aren’t - then I am going to let them know. I am this close to resigning my membership.
I don’t think you should shut up or trust the govt, just have a more realistic view of what they can realistically do and not complain about impossibilities. You said they should rejoin the SM & CU - how would you like them to achieve this magic trick?
Just like Brexiteers, ardent Remainers seem to think it’s all about us - we won’t have to go through any sort of process. Completely ignores EU being a rules-based organisation with detailed processes for everything.
Exactly, everyone apparently thinks we can apply and it will happen, exactly the same exceptionalism remainers showed during Brexit. It’ll take 5+ years to apply for membership & the EU would be mad to accept us whilst Farage is a thing. Not to mention that we’d have to accept adopting the €!
It’s not going to happen as long as Orban is in power in Hungary and his mate Fico is in power in Slovakia - their Russian bosses won’t allow it.
Nothing wrong with joining the euro. Had we done so in the first place we would never have left the EU.
Only 35% of the electorate agree though (I do), which represents a problem for getting it through. It would also give Farage & his media enablers the perfect opportunity for a ‘save the £’ campaign to sweep him into power
Yes, I agree. I was referring to 25 years ago, when Labour could have taken us into the euro, no questions asked, such was their popularity at the time.
Austerity created a fertile environment for those wishing to create imaginary grievances. And they did, very effectively. The Euro wouldn’t have made a difference to this.
It would have stopped a referendum being called, since the consequences of leaving the EU and the euro would have been too much for the government to have stomached.
I don’t think that at all, but I happen to believe that the process of trying to achieve SM membership and a CU with the EU would be good for the economy in itself. Every barrier to trade that can be removed would promote growth.
It would definitely be good for the economy - barriers to entry are, not surprisingly, bad for business. What we’ve seen in the last year are the first baby steps to rebuilding a toxic relationship after the horrors of the post referendum period. Crawl-stand up-edge forward. The best we can hope.
I'm a hardcore remainer. Of course I know you have to apply to join the EU and govthfough thd process. I focus on the end result. It's for the country, benefits to business with the EU, and people can fulfil their dream of retiring to Spain without hassle.
Don’t focus on us. Think about them - the member states, not the Commission. All member states have to approve a new member and that includes those who dance to Putin’s tune - Hungary and Slovakia.
OK. I still focus on the end result with the challenges en route. Never gonna be essy. Challenges are there to be overcome.
And don’t forget that applying would only bolster reform. They’ll be no rejoining if they get in!
Applying to do so would be a good start and would, in itself, encourage business. Expediting the sanitary agreement would also help. Any barrier that can be removed would encourage growth, apparently the government’s top priority.
They agreed that in May & are confirming it in the Autumn talks. We can only work to the EU’s timetable on this. Applying to rejoin would be disastrous. It would remove any impetus from the EU to change the current arrangements & still take into next parliament while allowing Farage to lie freely
In talking about rejoining the single market and a customs union, not the EU.
You can’t rejoin the SM & CU without being an EU member.
Yes, I should not have used shorthand. Countries can participate in the single market to a much larger extent than we do (Switzerland and Norway) and have a customs union with the EU (Turkey). You are right to correct me. Details matter. Thank you.