Politics

Brexit: True Labour people will only be able to vote one way


The clock rattles. It’s usually still on a Saturday but not this one. History will be made. For some, through parliament, sitting on a weekend for the first time since the Falklands War. For others, through marching. Travelling to the capital calling for a People’s Vote.

Regardless of reason all will have that moment when they look themselves in the mirror.

Pauline Hardman, a mother of four from a small village in County Durham, will see a person staring back who has never been to London before. She is travelling to the capital on her first and only child-free day of the year to march for their future.

Rachel Boulding a teacher from Liverpool, will see the person who voted Leave in 2016 but has since changed her mind. She wants the opportunity to express it because that’s her understanding of democracy.


 

Then there are those who will pass through the halls of Westminster.

Labour MPs. Who will they see when they look in the mirror?

The person who has spent their entire lives defending workers’ rights, protecting the vulnerable, fighting selflessly for equality. The person who remembers discovering Bevan and Morrison, how they knew from that moment they could never be anything other than Labour and a protector of our NHS. The person so proud to stand under the same red rose of Attlee and the welfare state and the belief that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. Who gets that we can only judge the performance of our society by how we treat the most vulnerable, that we can only sense its direction by how we treat the very youngest? Who wishes with every ounce of their being they could march alongside Pauline and Rachel because their cause is your cause is our country’s cause and always will be?

Or will they see someone willing to give Boris Johnson a helping hand.


 

To give him the opportunity to say in an election campaign – ‘I have proved I could get a deal. I have started it, so let me finish it.’ The British Donald Trump who would sell our NHS like he sold Brexit – by lying on the side of a big red bus. The man who would seek to deregulate are economy and get rid of workers’ rights, environmental rights, and see trade unions feeding off crumbs scattered by rich bosses.

Or maybe they see someone willing to give the Brexit Party a helping hand in their constituency. Because make no mistake, Johnson’s deal does not get rid of No Deal. It will not get rid of ‘clean break’ Brexit. For there would subsequently be years of negotiating a free trade agreement, which if not met within a certain time could see the UK leave with No Deal. The scenic route off the same cliff edge. The ERG knows this, Farage knows this: he is not leaving your constituency. He will have more to say than ever.

Or, maybe they will see the person willing to make people in their constituency poorer because it is what they voted for. To ignore the other side of the same coin that shows the rich get richer, trading off the misfortune of the most-needy. To ignore that this is a hard Brexit, second only to No Deal, that will see trade barriers being erected with our biggest trading partner making everybody £2000 worse off in the next decade. To ignore the ghosts of Bevan, of Attlee, and others from history who would ask – how could you? To ignore the questions of our youngest many years from now, who will look back and say – how could they?


Read More

Brexit news and Brexit explained

My message to all of those who are thinking of voting for Boris Johnson is to remember the person staring back at you this Saturday morning is the person who will stare back at you for the rest of your life.

This moment will never be forgotten.

But if you are in doubt about how to vote, do one thing.

Find a window in Westminster.

Listen to the sound of marching feet.

Listen for Pauline, for Rachel.
Listen for those who are marching to protect workers’ rights.

For continued peace on the island of Ireland.

To protect the vulnerable and give opportunity to our youngest.

Who are marching together for the final say.

Then listen to your heart.

Because if you are true Labour, regardless of any whip, you will only be able to vote one way.





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.