I thought this was excellent. We who understand the damage done by Brexit have become understandably wary of citing it when diagnosing the country’s - or a particular party’s - ills. But the passage of time and the acceptance by Labour of the Johnson settlement with Europe does not undermine our analysis. Brexit is at the heart of the Tories’ problem just as it is at the heart of Labour’s. And of the UK’s.
And we should start referring to the Brexit status quo as the “Johnson settlement with Europe”. That buffoon has left a legacy on world history that needs to be acknowledged before it can be undone.
Brexit is not just Labour’s problem but it’s FAULT too. First Corbyn failed to oppose, then Starmer voted for Boris’s deal instead of abstaining. The proof is that Starmer is now actively endorsing it. Would I support a pro-EU Tory - yes, but I still wouldn’t vote for one.
I wonder if you’re imagining a centre-right state of mind/identity which doesn’t really exist any more and would need to start from scratch again, i.e. rather than get its act together.
I’m sure the left-centre-right continuum serves some kind of purpose but I find it so difficult to place people on it, including me.
This is a bit of a sidetrack, but whenever I want to know what I am politically, not that I can ever really answer, I always think about my waitressing days as a student when I really needed the money. Sorry to boast but I was an excellent waitress. I got fabulous tips. It was great when I worked in a cafe-bar in Berlin because I was the only waitress in the place and got to keep the lot but in England everywhere I worked operated a sharing system. Some days I really, really resented it and other days I didn’t, at all. It didn’t even always depend on the people. There were so many variables and it was all very delicately balanced.
Great article. Only thing is that I don't believe the centre right party you are talking about can possibly be the current, so-called Conservative party. They are obviously not interested, and even if someone in the parliamentary party was interested, they couldn't get elected by the membership. It *has* to be a completely new party. No other way.
I think you're probably correct. I think there needs to be a formal schism on the right with the centre-right going one way and the populist right going the other. And the membership of the Conservative party is a massive, massive problem for them and an impediment to the Tories turning themselves around.
Plus which the supposedly reasonable part of the current conservative parliamentary party is completely hopeless. The way Tugendhat panders to the right is past belief. It makes you wonder if there is a parasite eating his brain, or something. The only way it can work is if something completely new comes along.
Lets not forget the Lexits whose useful idiocy was certainly responsible for more than the 1.89% either way that got the lies over the line. That Corbyn, the king of Labour's useless and damaging brigade, refused to let any of his senior Labour circle to meet the Remain campaign for months, despite it being run by a recent ex Labour candidate, until it was too late. Or that Corbyn had himself filmed punching the air with a communist clenched fist, calling for the immediate signing of Article 50, the day after the stupid vote. That at a time when if carried out, Britain would have been floundering in the roughest seas without a paddle and with zero negotiating clout.
The centre right in Britain is dominated by the Tory Party, but they are a busted flush. There is little point to moderate one nation Tories, because they always side with their more aggressive and possibly more numerous hard right anti EU factions. The ones that didn't go along with the brexit bull got slung out or resigned, weakening the Tory Party possibly t the point where they can no longer win, at least not alongside the Farage menace.
The LIbDems have some hard thinking to do about how they solidify their numerous ex Tory seat gains to retain the seats. They will work tirelessly to champion the local areas and push public service interests, but ultimately they may need to coalesce around a more ideological underpinning. Or maybe not. Perhaps they can continue to be the party that wants an efficient state to just work, to support people, industry, the environment and services and not to obsess about constitutional issues or the sandal wearing liberal left playbook?
Ed Davey certainly beat the sceptics who poo pooed his water based media magnetism. 72 seats was not only a record for the LibDems, SDP or the Liberals since the 30's, but the biggest 3rd party representation anywhere in the world under FPTP voting for many decades. The methods can be applied to further Tory seats, which have now become winnable. The Tory party is being shredded from both political ends in a scissor movement
Nick, I agree with pretty much everything you say in this blog. However I could not help thinking that all of these arguments were ignored by those in political power at the time (which I think is part of your point) and the press/media will dismiss them as repeating the Brexit referendum, which they love to hate. I'm still looking for that charismatic leader who can make these arguments count by presenting them in an effective but "populist" way. Forza Europa.
Although I would never vote for one - I prefer a Scandinavian-style social democracy - I believe we need a decent right-of-centre political party to keep a check on the more Utopian aspirations of those on the left, to be economical with resources and believe in strong defence. However, the present Tory party has a long way to go. They not only have to abandon Brexit and austerity, it is also time to dismantle the legacy of Thatcher and cease to worship her. Privatisation, deregulation, worship of the market and competition above cooperation have all been tried and failed and put us in the hole we are in now. The current Tory party gives the impression that all it cares about is protecting and enhancing the wealth of those already wealthy, in spending as little as they can get away with on public services and welfare regardless of the consequences, and in buying off the public with populist gestures, about immigration and culture wars. It used to be about the EU and law and order but they can't use those now. They need to rethink what they stand for from the ground up, otherwise they are just a lobby.
Labour appear to be supporting Sunak’s Special Economic Zones that will carve the UK into corporate fiefdoms with reduced oversight from government. Because of state aid restrictions these do not comply with EU law. Is this how Starmer thinks that he can make Brexit work?
I thought this was excellent. We who understand the damage done by Brexit have become understandably wary of citing it when diagnosing the country’s - or a particular party’s - ills. But the passage of time and the acceptance by Labour of the Johnson settlement with Europe does not undermine our analysis. Brexit is at the heart of the Tories’ problem just as it is at the heart of Labour’s. And of the UK’s.
And we should start referring to the Brexit status quo as the “Johnson settlement with Europe”. That buffoon has left a legacy on world history that needs to be acknowledged before it can be undone.
Brexit is not just Labour’s problem but it’s FAULT too. First Corbyn failed to oppose, then Starmer voted for Boris’s deal instead of abstaining. The proof is that Starmer is now actively endorsing it. Would I support a pro-EU Tory - yes, but I still wouldn’t vote for one.
I wonder if you’re imagining a centre-right state of mind/identity which doesn’t really exist any more and would need to start from scratch again, i.e. rather than get its act together.
Others are saying this too and it's probably the case.
I’m sure the left-centre-right continuum serves some kind of purpose but I find it so difficult to place people on it, including me.
This is a bit of a sidetrack, but whenever I want to know what I am politically, not that I can ever really answer, I always think about my waitressing days as a student when I really needed the money. Sorry to boast but I was an excellent waitress. I got fabulous tips. It was great when I worked in a cafe-bar in Berlin because I was the only waitress in the place and got to keep the lot but in England everywhere I worked operated a sharing system. Some days I really, really resented it and other days I didn’t, at all. It didn’t even always depend on the people. There were so many variables and it was all very delicately balanced.
Great article. Only thing is that I don't believe the centre right party you are talking about can possibly be the current, so-called Conservative party. They are obviously not interested, and even if someone in the parliamentary party was interested, they couldn't get elected by the membership. It *has* to be a completely new party. No other way.
I think you're probably correct. I think there needs to be a formal schism on the right with the centre-right going one way and the populist right going the other. And the membership of the Conservative party is a massive, massive problem for them and an impediment to the Tories turning themselves around.
Plus which the supposedly reasonable part of the current conservative parliamentary party is completely hopeless. The way Tugendhat panders to the right is past belief. It makes you wonder if there is a parasite eating his brain, or something. The only way it can work is if something completely new comes along.
Lets not forget the Lexits whose useful idiocy was certainly responsible for more than the 1.89% either way that got the lies over the line. That Corbyn, the king of Labour's useless and damaging brigade, refused to let any of his senior Labour circle to meet the Remain campaign for months, despite it being run by a recent ex Labour candidate, until it was too late. Or that Corbyn had himself filmed punching the air with a communist clenched fist, calling for the immediate signing of Article 50, the day after the stupid vote. That at a time when if carried out, Britain would have been floundering in the roughest seas without a paddle and with zero negotiating clout.
The centre right in Britain is dominated by the Tory Party, but they are a busted flush. There is little point to moderate one nation Tories, because they always side with their more aggressive and possibly more numerous hard right anti EU factions. The ones that didn't go along with the brexit bull got slung out or resigned, weakening the Tory Party possibly t the point where they can no longer win, at least not alongside the Farage menace.
The LIbDems have some hard thinking to do about how they solidify their numerous ex Tory seat gains to retain the seats. They will work tirelessly to champion the local areas and push public service interests, but ultimately they may need to coalesce around a more ideological underpinning. Or maybe not. Perhaps they can continue to be the party that wants an efficient state to just work, to support people, industry, the environment and services and not to obsess about constitutional issues or the sandal wearing liberal left playbook?
Ed Davey certainly beat the sceptics who poo pooed his water based media magnetism. 72 seats was not only a record for the LibDems, SDP or the Liberals since the 30's, but the biggest 3rd party representation anywhere in the world under FPTP voting for many decades. The methods can be applied to further Tory seats, which have now become winnable. The Tory party is being shredded from both political ends in a scissor movement
Nick, I agree with pretty much everything you say in this blog. However I could not help thinking that all of these arguments were ignored by those in political power at the time (which I think is part of your point) and the press/media will dismiss them as repeating the Brexit referendum, which they love to hate. I'm still looking for that charismatic leader who can make these arguments count by presenting them in an effective but "populist" way. Forza Europa.
Although I would never vote for one - I prefer a Scandinavian-style social democracy - I believe we need a decent right-of-centre political party to keep a check on the more Utopian aspirations of those on the left, to be economical with resources and believe in strong defence. However, the present Tory party has a long way to go. They not only have to abandon Brexit and austerity, it is also time to dismantle the legacy of Thatcher and cease to worship her. Privatisation, deregulation, worship of the market and competition above cooperation have all been tried and failed and put us in the hole we are in now. The current Tory party gives the impression that all it cares about is protecting and enhancing the wealth of those already wealthy, in spending as little as they can get away with on public services and welfare regardless of the consequences, and in buying off the public with populist gestures, about immigration and culture wars. It used to be about the EU and law and order but they can't use those now. They need to rethink what they stand for from the ground up, otherwise they are just a lobby.
Labour appear to be supporting Sunak’s Special Economic Zones that will carve the UK into corporate fiefdoms with reduced oversight from government. Because of state aid restrictions these do not comply with EU law. Is this how Starmer thinks that he can make Brexit work?