Resetting Labour Party strategy; Scottish Labour's general election hopes are tied to the UK party, the UK party needs to change policy on Brexit to create a level playing field with the Conservatives; UK Labour must publicly back Brexit if Jeremy Corbyn wants to be in a position to be considered for Prime Minister, the majority in the UK voted to leave the EU

Dear All

In politics, you can expect the opposition to attack you politically, as they will point out what they believe is your flaws, so will you with them, particularly if they have failed to deliver on promises. What you don’t expect is a former Labour MP calling for people to vote Boris Johnson in order to Stop Corbyn from Becoming Prime Minister.

Former Labour MP Ian Austin has told “decent, patriotic” Labour supporters to vote for Boris Johnson because he believes that Jeremy Corbyn is unfit to become our next prime minister. Ian Austin resigned from Labour in February after 34 years of membership but continuing to represent his Dudley North seat as an independent. His reason for leaving was that allegedly Mr Corbyn allowing a “culture” of anti-semitism to flourish in the party.

One thing about the Labour Party like any large un-wielding organisation is that when complaints are received, it takes time to act, coupled with what some people would consider wrong decisions taken in cases and re-admission. It would be entirely wrong for anyone to just think that the blame for others being anti-semitic can just be laid at Corbyn’s door. I remember when Tasmina Ahmed-Shiekh done a bunk from the Conservative Party, she accused them of being racist, something which I don’t believe at all. In any organization, you will have members who are bigoted, but that is life in politics, not everyone is a puritan of virtue.   

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ian Austin said: 

“The country faces a big choice. There are only two people who can be prime minister on December 13th: Jeremy Corbyn or Boris Johnson. I think Jeremy Corbyn is completely unfit to lead our country.”

In this election, it isn’t an election on personalities; it is an election on the Constitution, specifically about getting Brexit done. This is the nub of this election, something which the Labour Party cannot and shouldn’t talk about given their Brexit stance. In my first blog back, I said that those who didn’t honour their word will be talking about anything but Brexit.

 https://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2019/11/it-was-best-of-times-it-was-worst-of.html

On the 6^th of Nov, Paul Hutcheon, Daily Record Political Editor wrote of the Scottish Labour Election launch.

“Richard Leonard is very keen to shift the focus from the constitution to domestic policies”.

This is because there isn’t a narrative that works for them regarding their Brexit position of what happened in parliament.

Ian Austin isn’t the only former Labour Minister to be voting Conservative in this election, at a recent event I attended; I heard that this person was voting for the party who would deliver Brexit. What I always said right from the start was that the Labour Party should have been behind the referendum vote 100%. The true of the situation in Scotland is that Scottish Labour's general election hopes are tied to the UK party rather than what it should be Scottish Labour should be charting its own course. What is needed in Scotland is a ‘Nye Bevan’ moment for Scottish Labour or depending on how you grasp politics, a return to John Smith type politics. Unlike Labour down south, Scottish Labour has to deal with the SNP threat; both are fishing in the same voter pond.

I don’t like the Labour position on Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn’s plan to negotiate a Brexit deal with the EU, put it to a referendum against Remain, and then campaign for Remain is nonsense. It is the type of nonsense which I think damages the Labour Party in the short and long term regarding integrity.

Former Labour Ian Austin is a remainer, which is fine, it is a position I can respect, I am a hard Brexiteer, I believe, we must leave with no deal in order to reset our relationship with Europe back on a even par. Then we can have meaningful talks with them because at present, they don’t respect us or taken us seriously.

Ian Austin said:

“I think Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit policy is a complete fantasy. The idea that he would be able to do a better deal in a few short weeks and we’ll get a good deal when he says he’s going to subject it to a referendum”.

Finally, I have always said, that Jeremy Corbyn does better when on domestic politics rather than foreign affairs. He faces a real task because there is only one game in town and it is Brexit. You will have heard the phase, ‘the elephant in the room’, well in this election; this is something which the Labour Party cannot avoid whether you are a rank and file activist or the leader. Someone somewhere is going to ask questions, in Scotland, a million Scots voted Brexit, sooner or later the party in Scotland is going to run into them on a doorstep or on the street.

So, it would be rather handy to change the Labour Party Brexit policy to leave because we are leaving the EU!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University