I back what he is doing, as someone who voted for and campaigned for Remain, as did Corbyn himself. The EU referendum result would be honoured. All sides said this. No one said “Well, it’s technically advisory, so if you don’t vote as we like, we’ll overrule it.” It is that attitude that has been consistently evident from all those who have tried/are trying to overthrow Corbyn. He even had a second ‘referendum’ where he increased his majority. Yet still….
The EU referendum was a binary choice: Leave or Remain. The UK voted to leave. So, quite rightly, Labour’s official position should be to respect that decision. Yes, there are very good arguments about lies (on both sides), some people not understanding the consequences of their vote, people believing scallywags and a biased media: welcome to being on the left, welcome to Corbyn’s world for 30+ years. Welcome to anyone opposing the Tories and UKIP. It’s how the Tories win EVERY election. It’s a major part of why UKIP had nearly 4million votes at the 2015 GE.
BUT the referendum was ‘ONLY’ a binary choice. Corbyn has ensured Labour’s official position is to respect that; we all know the lack of faith in politics, so imagine if Labour officially ignored the result?! So, as a majority of Labour voters opted for Remain, the next stage is where those people will be represented by Corbyn’s Labour. The terms of our leaving are absolutely the ground on which we should, and I am sure will, be fighting. Agreeing with democracy is not the same as agreeing with the Tories. Labour will fight for and insist on all of our core values: health, education, the economy, jobs, housing, workers rights and representing all those oppressed and exploited in any form.
As I know Corbyn does, I personally completely appreciate the dilemma for some MPs if their constituents voted a different way, or they themselves did and feel so strongly about it. However, those MPs should also appreciate and respect the official party line as a general point if not specific to their own circumstances; there is no easy answer. That Corbyn knows all this from experience, but feels democracy should be respected, shows incredibly strong leadership. Literally the opposite of how this is being spun by the media. Corbyn’s response to the coup last summer also showed strength beyond that of any political leader I have seen in my time following politics in the UK.
We know history has proven Corbyn correct on all the issues he was derided about and laughed at at the time: Arpartheid (he got arrested for being ANTI racist FFS!), not arming Saddam in the 80’s when we did, Iraq x 2, Syria x 2, Afghanistan, Libya, the financial crash in 07/08 when he called it in advance down to the specifics of the American sub-prime mortgage market issues!, but was ignored, the Birmingham 6, the Guildford 4 etc etc. He is not a pacifist-merely force as the last, not first resort. So, he has excellent judgement and is a very strong leader. He’s also inspired the Labour party to now be the biggest political party in Europe, from approx 180,000 members to nearly 700,000. Is he a ‘traditional’ media-trained to the nth degree leader? No. Does he say what the media like to hear? No. Does he care about how they see him? No. Is the general criticism almost all nothing to do with policy? Yes. That tells us what we need to know…he is a threat to the status quo because he cannot be bought and the media folk have no ‘special relationship’ with him. Good!!! This a very good thing!!! Is her perfect? No. Has he made mistakes? Yes. Is he the Messiah? No. But neither is he a very naughty boy….
If we do not back Corbyn, and allow the self-fulfilling prophecy of “he’s useless, he can never win, blah blah blah” to continue, then i’ll personally be calling on all those guilty to explain to future generations why we allowed the Tories to fully privatise the NHS, normalise the 2000% increase in food banks under them, normalise poverty and mass inequality, normalise hate towards anyone poor, vulnerable, abused, disabled, unemployed, not British born, seemingly not white, normalise poor or non existent housing, normalise race attacks, normalise appalling attitudes to refugees etc etc.
So many people, people I would call informed and educated, are buying into this anti-Corbyn rhetoric. Often these people do not campaign, do not have an alternative (it makes you look REALLY stupid saying “anyone else” as leader as you fundamentally don’t understand why and how he won or the issues that need addressing), just moan but have no solutions, then cynically snigger and be sarcastic. If this attitude continues, WE lose. Future generations lose. Your kids lose. Your elderly relatives lose. Your friends lose. Your family loses.
Instead of feeding the hate machine, let us oppose it. Let us unite and make our own ‘wall of noise’ instead of becoming puppets in a game you can never win. We must oppose what is destroying us. Not help it. As in the case of all those examples re Corbyn being right historically, it’s too late looking back in hindsight. Take responsibility NOW. Unite. Campaign. Stop being the cynical, sneering ‘leftie’ or the lied-to right winger. Let us at least try to make a difference, eh?!, rather than being complicit in our own downfall. Let us not waste this chance while we at least have an alternative!!!
https://www.theguardian.com/…/research-results-corbyn…
Adam Samuels
