The 2017 Labour manifesto accepted the result, but it also said Labour would put the national interest first.
First published in October 2019.
Whether Laura Smith votes for the new deal on Saturday ultimately depends on whether she thinks scrutiny matters. She has repeatedly promised to respect the referendum result, but is this new deal worthy of her respect?
Certainly, the original WA wasn’t.
We refer to this article a lot, but it is hard to imagine a more scathing assessment of a “car crash” deal, which she describes as a “threat to our jobs and living standards”.
This new deal (Johnson’s) is worse. That is not just our view, but the view across the Labour party, and across business sectors including automotive. Bentley, and other businesses here (large and small) will be threatened by a diminished trading environment.
It is bad for the environment too. Laura wants to make the climate emergency “our number 1 fight”, but this deal (per Caroline Lucas) “dumps the promise to maintain the ‘level playing field’ on environmental regulations”.
Much speculation centres around the votes of the Stephen Kinnock ‘MPs4aDeal’ Labour rebels group. But this sought a compromise based ONLY on things agreed in cross-party talks. This deal – we think we’re right in saying – doesn’t have any of these:
Laura Smith wants Lexit, which in some ways is a laudible aim. But it requires its own arguments and its own roadmap decades from now.
This Farage-inspired Tory-led project kills Lexit, because it is devoid of left wing values of altruism and empathy.
If Laura is going to vote for the deal because she thinks it is what voters here want, then those reasons to leave the EU are borne of hate not love. Along with the European Movement Macclesfield & East Cheshire we have met hundreds of Leaver voters – and not one was happy or excited.
Their reasons included immigration (as sad as it is predictable), population control, protecting Green Belt land, hating the French and, um, something to do with Africa...? 🤷♂️
— CAN Remain – Crewe & Nantwich (@CANRemain) June 22, 2019
We won't dignify particularly hateful comments by reporting them here.
4/5
Furthermore, just going ahead and voting for the deal fails to account for people here who have changed their minds (just as Laura has so often... !!!), like our supporter Dave who went viral with this #RemainerNow tweet:
As someone who voted leave in 2016, if I knew then what I know now, I would have voted to Remain. I just didn't know enough. It's ok to change you mind. #RemainerNow #StopTheCoup
— Dave Queen #FBPE #PVKeyboardWarrior 🔶 (@apdqueen) August 31, 2019
This would be a dangerous vote. This would be an uncaring vote. It would place trust in a PM who never apologised to Laura Smith for his vile “spaffed up the wall” comments, and who only weeks ago caused reprehensible scenes in the House of Commons.
Over 110 MPs agreed to sign this joint letter demanding answers from @BrandonLewis regarding the comments made by Boris Johnson last week in relation to historic sex abuse. His comments were unbelievably damaging to victims and survivors of child abuse and action must be taken pic.twitter.com/KEhKuPjGOl
— Laura Smith MP (@LauraSmithMP) March 19, 2019
The 2017 Labour manifesto accepted the result. But it also said Labour would put the national interest first and promises scrutiny.
By her own standards and values, we don’t think this deal passes her own scrutiny. By that measure, we implore Laura Smith not to vote for Boris Johnson’s deal tomorrow.🔷
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[This piece was first published as a Twitter thread and turned into the above article on 18 October 2019, with the author’s consent, with the purpose of reaching a larger audience. It has been minorly edited and corrected. | The author of the tweets writes in a personal capacity.]
