It is now clear that the Prime Minister of Britain can’t be trusted. To cynics that is nothing new. Unfortunately the degree to which he lies and the importance of the issues on which he does goes beyond anything we have experienced in living memory. He is ignoring a law that he doesn’t like. He clearly intends to instruct his lawyers to find him some way that he can make Britain leave the EU on 31st October regardless of whether we have a deal or not. That directly contradicts an act of Parliament. He clearly thinks that decisions of the UK Parliament aren’t for important people like him to worry about. He believes himself to be above such petty considerations. He has convinced himself that he can cheat his way to a great victory and the British public will cheer him on. That is extraordinarily dangerous. If he can cheat an act of Parliament what else can he do?
What is now emerging is that he might be planning to shaft the DUP, come up with some form of additional wording about May’s previous agreement that the EU can sign up to, and then bring back May’s deal for a 4th vote in Parliament. In other words, he thinks that he can scare Parliament into voting for a slightly altered version of a soft Brexit. Then he would go into an election with all guns blazing claiming that he had finally sorted out all the mess and so we should give him a huge majority.
If we could all trust Labour on Brexit then such an outcome would not remotely be a worry. We’d be able to be confident that Parliament would once again vote down May’s deal. Unfortunately, we can’t remotely trust Labour on Brexit. Their leader still keeps talking about a sensible Brexit or a jobs first Brexit and contrasting it with a bankers’ Brexit. Official Labour policy now finally allows a remain option to appear on a 2nd referendum paper alongside a "credible leave option". That means Corbyn still thinks there is a credible leave option available that he can recommend.
That isn’t the worst of it. There are several Labour MPs like John Mann who have openly said that if enough money is promised for his constituents then he’ll vote for Brexit. Then we have people like Hilary Benn telling us that we mustn’t have no deal but we also mustn’t call off Brexit because of the referendum. He is telling us that we can have a 2nd referendum but the only options on the ballot paper will be a deal or no deal. Remain won’t appear on the ballot paper. The leading Labour figure who has called for a 2nd Referendum that would allow a remain choice is Tom Watson. It is only necessary to glance at the nasty attacks he has been subjected to for saying this in to realise that the bulk of Labour is still very ambivalent about Brexit. Dither. Wobble. Change. These things we can trust Labour to supply. Consistent coherent open opposition to Brexit they are still refusing to supply. They simply can’t be trusted to campaign to Remain in a General Election or a referendum. If Labour gets an overall majority it is entirely possible that they would then proceed to immediately take us out of the EU. They therefore can’t be trusted with anyone’s vote who wants to remain.
Which brings us to the Lib Dems. Who are solidly against any form of Brexit. As a result they are busily telling everyone that will listen that they are the only consistently Remain party. Sometimes they add “in England”. Then they go on to tell us that all Remain voters must back them and every other Remain party needs to gracefully stand aside everywhere. There are one or two flaws with this argument
- The Liberal Democrats aren’t the only remain party. The Scottish Nationalists, Plaid Cymru, the Greens and the SDLP have all consistently campaigned for remain and for a 2nd referendum on facts instead of promises
- The Liberal Democrats have yet to offer any of these other parties anything in return for their help in recent by-elections and there has been an ominous silence on the efforts to select a number of key seats where they want support and others where they will stand down. Until they stand aside in some seats they have no right to accuse others of splitting the vote in others.
- The Liberal Democrats can’t entirely be trusted. In 2010 I voted for them to keep the Tories out. They helped the Tories to get in. They promised to remove tuition fees. They agreed to put them up to £9,000. Vince Cable told us before that election that gambling bankers had created the 2008 crash. Afterwards he helped impose austerity on teachers, nurses, doctors, and the poor who were suddenly discovered to have been the ones to blame for recklessness in the city of London. Ordinary working people and took the brunt of austerity. Would the neglected communities in Stoke and Sunderland have voted for Brexit if the LibDems had kept their pre-election promises in 2010?
- The Liberal Democrats have just hoovered up a lot of Conservative MPs. Can you trust them in power?
- The next election should not be a single issue election. If that happens the far right have already won. There is a rather more important issue around. The dangers of a climate crisis that is running out of control much more quickly than any of us predicted. This isn’t a little side issue to be paid lip service to. It is the main issue. Every vote for the Greens will be seen by other parties as a very good reason to act on environmental issues like plastic pollution or fracking. Every low score for a Green candidate will send a message that environmental issues can safely be ignored.