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The Irish Left Over 50 Years

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& Workers’ Liberty SolFor siociadl ownershaip of the branks aind intdustry y No 485 7 November 2018 50p/£1 The DEMAND EVERY Irish left over 50 LABOUR MP years VOTES AGAINST See pages 6-8 The May government and its Brexit process are bracing themselves to take the coming weeks at a run, trying to hurtle us all over a rickety bridge. Yet it looks like they could be saved by some Labour MPs voting for the To - ries’ Brexit formula. More page 5 NUS set to gut BREXIT democracy Maisie Sanders reports on financial troubles at NUS and how the left should respond. See page 3 “Fake news” within the left Cathy Nugent calls for the left to defend democracy and oppose smears. See page 10 Join Labour! Why Labour is losing Jews See page 4 2 NEWS More online at www.workersliberty.org Push Labour to “remain and reform” May will say that is still the ulti - trade deals is now for the birds. mate objective, but for not for years Britain will not be legally able to in - to come. troduce any new deals until the fu - The second option, which is often ture long-term treaty relationship John Palmer talked to equated with “hard” Brexit, is no with the EU has been negotiated, at deal. That is a theoretical possibil - the end of a tunnel which looks Solidarity ity. But I don’t think in practice cap - longer and longer. ital in Britain or elsewhere in The job of the left, the supporters S: You’ve talked about a Europe has any interest in that, and of the Corbyn leadership of the “Schrödinger’s Brexit”... the Government knows that. While Labour Party, is to argue for rejec - P: The great Austrian physicist it plays at right-wing populist pol - tion of these terms. Labour has set Erwin Schrodinger, who worked itics, I think at the end of the day out six tests which speak to the with Einstein, discovered that there the interests of capital will be a original Tory promises of reproduc - are particles that have the strange major restraining factor. ing exactly the same benefits as we characteristic of being in two places So we get the third option, this currently have. Those May cannot at the same time, or two states at ambiguous relationship. The key reproduce, because she will be ex - the same time. He illustrated it by issue is that we will only have ne - cluded from all decision-making a thought-experiment of a cat in a gotiated the terms of eventually ex - arenas. box subject to such particles which iting the EU. The Government will May’s deal will be clearly inferior is simultaneously alive and dead. not have yet negotiated a deal de - to what exists now. The question is, I use this metaphor to illustrate scribing in detail the future long- can it be defeated? There is a rea - the character of the Brexit deal term relationship. sonable chance that it can, because to Britain, but a desperate shortage. Party policy, from the “workable which Mrs May’s government will That is going to take years — not of the confluence of different polit - There has been a massive reflux of plan for Brexit”, to “remain and — fairly soon now, I expect — come just the already-agreed transition ical forces. Many on the hard right workers deterred by the “hostile reform”. back with. It will have many of the period, which will last from the end won’t like the deal, and the Tory environment” which the Govern - Yes, I agree with you. The Labour full obligations of EU membership of March 2019 to the end of Decem - majority even with the DUP is quite ment has created for European leadership has not explicitly re - — EU law, Single-Market align - ber 2020, but now, almost certainly, small. The DUP itself may abandon workers, and that has created great jected “remain and reform”. Dur - ment, de facto Customs Union way beyond that. May herself talks the government if arrangement for shortages in the health service, in ing the 2016 referendum, Jeremy membership, payments into the EU about December 2021. Others say it the Irish border involve some new social care, and in some other sec - Corbyn explicitly argued for “Re - budget, being subject to ECJ [Euro - could take seven, eight, nine years controls on trade between the north tors. main and Reform”. Now it has pean Court of Justice] jurisdiction — that is typical of the time it takes of Ireland and the rest of Britain I suspect there is here, as in other fallen silent about what – in detail in a whole range of areas — but we to construct a comprehensive new (some already exist). areas, scope for a Labour govern - – it would do in power if elected will no longer be members of the relationship. The biggest risk of May’s deal ment to negotiate changes which a after the fall of the Tory govern - European Union. We will not have This in/out state is going to go not being defeated comes not so Tory government wouldn’t be in - ment over the Brexit outcome. a voice in decision-making, we will on, I suspect, to 2022. It might last much from old-style Lexiters who terested in, but which would allow The position of the left must still have no votes in the Council of even longer. A general election think that there can be some kind of Labour, if successful, to return with be “remain and reform”. Sooner or Ministers on in the European Par - could and should happen much socialism in one country outside a new “remain and reform” agree - later, if Labour finds itself in power liament or in the selection of Com - sooner, but at the latest it has to the EU. It comes from moderate, so- ment which could be put to the it will face the realities of how to missioners. happen by June 2022. called centrist, Labour MPs, who vote. That has happened before. manage an economy in isolation We will be in as far as obligations are flirting with the idea of voting When Labour rejected the Heath from the rest of the European are concerned, and at the same time So some Labour MPs could with the Government. They argue Tory government’s terms for entry Union if we are Out and not In. But out as regards democratic powers argue that if May proposes a that this would be better than a into the (then) EEC, the newly there are already left political forces of decision-making. deal like that, it leaves things Hard Brexit or No Deal. In this way elected Harold Wilson initiated an — socialist, social democratic, left open, and isn’t it better to vote they could preserve the Tory gov - admittedly rather staged process of Greens, left regionalists/national - A lot of people on the left say for that than to risk another out - ernment in power. renegotiation and a renegotiated ists — fighting for some of the same that the Tories are heading for a come which could close things treaty deal was successfully put to objectives, sustainable growth, eco - very “hard” Brexit, or a “no-deal” off more? The six tests, however, expressly a referendum in 1975. logical reform, far greater democra - Brexit. Do you think this is a The job of the left in this compli - reject the free movement of tisation of the EU itself, greater scare story with the political cated discussion is to hold on to workers across European bor - But shouldn’t the left stand up labour and social rights, greater so - function of rationalising, maybe, some key strategic objectives. The ders which exists at the moment. for the rights of free movement cial equality. some Labour MPs voting for first is that any deal outside full The position of the Labour lead - which already exist, and oppose Labour in office must be part of May’s deal on the grounds that membership of the EU will repre - ership is ambiguous on this. Keir attempts to restrict them? that movement across Europe to those are the alternatives? sent a worsening of conditions, and Starmer, who speaks for the front Yes, of course it should. Defence have any chance of sustaining their There are broadly three alterna - one particularly affecting working bench on this, says that he has of workers’ rights of free move - own reform promises and counter - tives spoken of. One is a “hard” people and the likely level of social raised a number of issues which a ment within the EU (movement of ing the real risk of a swing to the far deal in which we are treated by the standards. future Labour government might capital and trade are already free) right. EU as an external country like Nobody seriously argues that the wish to discuss with the European is essential. The next British Labour “Remain and Reform” in Canada, or, more favourably, Nor - position of working people would, if it were to win an early general government should openly support Britain and in Europe is indivisi - way. The Canadian option, which is from day one, be in any way im - election after the May deal had trade unions in Britain and across ble. a free-trade deal virtually outside proved by Brexit. Even the right been rejected by Parliament. the EU which fight to protect wages the special relationships of the EU wing fears that talk of massive new Among those issues, in my opin - and employment standards.
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