Labour For a People’s Vote

Dear Kate

I am not going to rehearse our disagreements over Brexit here. We both know where we stand. However, I would like to know how you plan to vote on today’s motion before the House on No Deal.

It is not my practice to reduce political questions to my personal circumstances. But on this occasion I think they may illustrate a situation that faces thousands of people in this country including in Vauxhall.

I have just taken delivery of a biological drug for the treatment of Crohn’s Disease. It is the latest in a family of very expensive, innovative drugs which have enabled me to get back involved in political activity after over a decade of being virtually housebound. It is manufactured in Belgium. It requires continuous refrigeration.

I am awaiting a delivery of medical appliances and related equipment without which I cannot function. They are made in Denmark and other European countries. I was worried enough to contact the company who provide them. They told me that they had purchased additional warehouse space (at what cost to the NHS/taxpayer?). That didn’t really reassure me.

I haven’t dared look at the country of origin of the multiple pills I take every morning.

My needs are minor compared to others. But it is alarming that I should even have to worry about whether I will be able to function if the UK leaves the EU without arrangements in place to guarantee the seamless provision and delivery of vital medical supplies.

I have read that you think stories such as this are unnecessarily alarmist. That the disruption of No Deal is a price worth paying.

I do hope that is not your view.

The idea that you could support the dismantling of 40 years of integrated manufacturing, commerce and trade without coherent plans and agreements being in place is incomprehensible to me. Especially when it is in the hands of the most right-wing and inept Tory government of the post-war years. Especially when we lose more than we gain. I believe in a socialist transformation of society. That could well cause disruption. We used to joke in my youth about the necessity of guaranteeing beer supplies come the revolution. But socialism’s aim is to benefit us all; not enrich the few. It’s to extend our rights and liberties; not remove our right to travel, study, work, live, and love across our neighbouring continent. Brexit is the antithesis of socialism and internationalism.

I know you argue that the result of the referendum has to be implemented; that it was a democratic exercise and decision. But nobody ever suggested during the referendum campaign that there would be No Deal, no civilised arrangements for leaving the EU. Nobody even whispered that the smooth delivery of medical supplies could be affected – that wasn’t on the side of that bus.

Democracy is not a static concept. If it was we would only ever have one election and that would be that. Maybe another one a generation or two later? That sounds a bit like Spain, where there was a general election in 1936 and then not another until 1977. The Chartists argued for annual elections. It’s hardly revolutionary, let alone anti-democratic, to argue that the people might want to have another think, have another say, now they have more information on what that first binary decision means in practice.

I look forward to hearing from you confirming that you will be voting to rule out No Deal today, and that you will be supporting Labour’s policy, including supporting steps for a public vote to stop no deal or a damaging Tory Brexit.

Yours

Joan

Dear Jeremy

I was appalled to wake up to hear the Tory spin that you might accept the paltry concessions offered by the PM to push Brexit through Parliament.

Concessions on things which should be happening anyway. And even if the Tories are prepared to row back on a few workplace rights they have spent the last decades demolishing, and offer some more Sports Direct depots to the former coalfield communities, what about our environmental rights, what about our consumer rights, what about our rights as European citizens to travel, study, work, live, and love across our neighbouring continent, what about the rights of EU citizens in this country, what about all of our rights to free movement across the world – or is that just for the rich? Where are your demands on these rights? Where are the Tories’ concessions on these?

The fact that I could believe this possible is an indictment of the position you have taken on Brexit ever since the referendum – indeed during it when I was told by your staff that you felt you had done enough meetings on Europe after just doing a couple, and therefore could not do one in south London with me.

You are making it impossible for comrades like myself to defend your Leadership. Brexit is an anti-internationalist, anti-solidarity, anti-peace, anti-immigrant right-wing project – there is no fantasy Lexit which will overturn austerity; indeed, the reverse as the country is impoverished and the NHS crumbles for lack of staff, medicines and funding.

Good comrades are leaving the Party in Vauxhall because you have not only failed to provide clear and decisive leadership against Brexit but also because you have failed to take any action against our MP, who has been consistently allowed to break the whip and collude with the most rabidly right-wing of Brexiteers such as Nigel Farage and Arron Banks. Motions of no confidence in Kate Hoey have won unanimous support across the Party here, but nothing ever happens; but it is more than clear that nobody here will campaign for her if she is allowed to restand as our PPC. The trade union sponsorship the CLP has received for her for the last 30 years has recently been stopped. It is time the Party did the same.

Criticism of the institutions of the EU is fine. But you have to make them in the light of the objective circumstances of the time; and the objective circumstances now are that the right are advancing across the world and we – you – need to be leading the fightback against them. Rather than bunkering into a ‘socialism in one country’ world view, the fight needs to be taken into Europe, where we need to be working with socialists, not against them.

I hate referendums. But I believe that another is unavoidable if the anti-Europe vote in the first one is to be overturned. You need to not just support another vote, but make it very, very clear that you will campaign and fight to challenge the original decision and support Remain and Reform loudly and proudly.

I believe the advice you are receiving is wrong. You need to get out of the bunker and the Westminster bubble and talk to comrades who take a pro-European view. More than happy to get on the bus and come and chat any time.

Comradely greetings

Joan