Reform to Remain Strategy - Uniting Leave and Remain

Reform to Remain Strategy

The Quest to Unite Leave and Remain 

Lexit

As Labour members, our reasons for leaving the European Union with ‘Lexit’ are quite different to Brexit. Labour Leavers or ‘Lexiters’ wish for the EU to amend a few regulations that would allow the Labour Party, the freedom to make its own economic policy decisions. We also believe, that if the EU were to concede on the regulations currently preventing the creation of Socialist economic policy, then Brexit in itself, would become irrelevant.  

We are naturally internationalists and irrespective of our Brexit positions, we all hold a deep longing to maintain our close relationship with the people of the European Union. This is combined with the equally strong desire, to have the most progressive Labour Manifesto ever created, implemented in full and without delay or hindrance. The current belief that we can’t have both, has caused some consternation within the membership, as to the direction the Labour party should take in Brexit negotiations.   

Tory/Hard Brexit

We are united in the fact that, we are completely against any form of right wing tory Brexit. This is not just because of anti-tory sentiment but because we feel any deal they strike, will intentionally either lead to the greatest bonfire of Human and Employment rights ever seen in the UK or will tie the UK into the economically restrictive EU regulations for another generation, denying the realisation of our truly progressive, socialist manifesto.

We also believe that those demanding a hard Brexit, do so in their desire for total separation from European Union regulations, to create a UK where the protections of ordinary people are discarded and enable the UK to be reinvented as a low wage, low skilled, bargain basement, tax haven.

Unacceptability of Brexit Choice

The destructive nature of Brexit has forced Labour members into having to consider the most awful of choices, do we sacrifice the European Union for our Manifesto or do we sacrifice the manifesto, to remain in the European Union?

It’s a choice that irrespective of the decision we make, we all lose a piece of who we are and what we want our future to be.

As labour members we find this choice unacceptable and we recommend Labours negotiations with the EU, adopt a ‘Reform to Remain’ strategy.

Reform to Remain Strategy to Benefit All of the EU?

As Labour members, we recommend that Brexit negotiations should focus on changing the EU regulations that prevent the full and unhindered implementation, of the Labour Manifesto. 

We recognise that ‘Reform to Remain’ is a highly ambitious strategy, as it requires that we approach the EU, not just to negotiate a bespoke deal for the UK, that will allow us to trade as partners with the EU, but to change the regulations that are forcing us to consider leaving in the first instance. We believe that if this is achieved, then we completely remove the need to leave the European Union without a 2^nd Referendum or Peoples Vote.

As Labour members we are acutely aware and deeply concerned about the civil and economic issues that our brothers and sisters in the European Union are suffering with poverty, inequality, unfairness and the rise of the far right in Europe to name but a few. We believe that the restrictive nature of EU regulations on all European Union member states, has deprived the people of the EU the opportunity to vote for the changes that it needs. We believe that the rise of the far right in the EU has been caused by the lack of a political alternative, as opposed to the evils of racism and xenophobia. We believe that the ‘Reform to Remain’ strategy, whilst not only allowing the UK to remain as part of the European Union, will also provide ‘all’ nations of the EU, the fundamental changes they need to EU regulations, to start addressing the injustices within their own nations.

We believe that ‘Brexit’ can be turned into a fantastic opportunity to fight for the changes that not only the UK needs, but the needs of the entire EU region.

Creating a New Larger Support Base for Lexit

There are several Brexit positions which have coalesced into three main groups. This has led to much misunderstanding of each other positions. ‘Lexiters’ has been branded in the same group as those wishing to leave the EU to reduce our protections or on xenophobic grounds.

Likewise, those who wish to remain and reform the EU have been branded the same as those wishing to deny us the chance of Labours progressive manifesto.   

1.       Remain

This group is made up of two types of remain supporter. Those who are passionate about the EU and the Labour Manifesto those who are passionate about the EU and are not passionate about the manifesto. Reform to Remain would split this group.  

2.       Remain and Reform

This group are also passionate about the EU and the Labour Manifesto. I believe that they would support a Reform to Remain strategy as it meets their objectives. 

3.       Leave

This group is interesting because it combines Labour Leavers, tory regulation destroyers and xenophobes. ‘Reform to Remain’ would separate the Labour leaver from the regulation destroyers and racists.

By creating the new group of ‘Remain to Reform’ we believe it possible to separate the clustered groupings of remain and Leave supporters and create a new and very large central group. Bringing them together under the banner of ‘Reform to Remain’.

The new groupings would look like this.

1.       Reform to Remain

This group now consists of half the entire remain group, the entire and remain and reform group and the entire Labour Leave group.

2.       Remain

A group largely of hard remain voters with no interest in the Labour manifesto or changing EU rules to enable the Democratisation of the EU.

3.       Leave

This group now largely consists of those who wish to leave the EU for xenophobic reasons and those who seek a bonfire of our working and human rights.

     

Benefits of ‘Reform to Remain’

We believe that the ‘Reform to Remain’ strategy has the potential to unite both leave and remain supporters, both from inside and outside of the Labour Party because it:

·         Gives back control to freely decide our economic policy.

·         Gives confidence to remain voters that the Labour Party truly is fighting to remain as part of the European Union.

·         Gives confidence to ‘Leave’ voters that we really are fighting to return the control we need to direct our own political future.

·         Allows Labour Manifesto within the European Union.

·         Brexit is dealt with in months, as opposed to years as only a fraction of the EU rules need to be renegotiated, as compared with a full Brexit.

·         No issues with the Irish.

·         No divorce bill.

·         Retains access to cross border programs Schengen, Horizon 2020, Euratom, the European Medicines Agency, Eurojust, Europol and European arrest warrants.

·         No food and medical supply shortages.

·         Freedom of movement remains intact but current allowable restrictions are enforced.

·         Freedom for all political parties of the EU to determine and freely present their own unrestricted manifestos.

·         Provide alternative political direction for the people of the EU to the hard right.

·         Open up the political spectrum in Europe to ‘new thinking’ and direction.

 ‘Reform to Remain’ has three main advantages.

1.       Whilst negotiating with the EU it allows both ‘remain’ and ‘leave’ supporters to unite around a common vision, to remain with the Labour manifesto intact. As such, the focus of attention is redirected away from the Labour Party and onto the Council of the European Union Itself.

2.       We use Brexit as a fantastic opportunity, not just to fight for the rights of the people of the UK, but for the people of the entire EU region.

3.       If we don’t secure the changes we desire, then the EU will have sent a clear and unequivocal message to all of its member states, that if any of them desire the freedom to determine their own economic policy, then they will have to leave the EU to achieve it.

Does ‘Remain to Reform’ Change Labours Brexit Position?

We believe that ‘Reform to Remain’ doesn’t fundamentally change the Labour Party approach to Brexit but adds another layer to it. Our strategy must primarily be developed around options that will facilitate the Labour Manifesto. Therefore our strategy could be:

1.       Reform to Remain

2.       Bespoke deal/soft Brexit

3.       Peoples Vote (back stop)

As such, we recommend that a ‘bespoke deal/ soft Brexit’ and a ‘Peoples Vote’ for the UK are considered our back stops to ‘Reform to Remain’ as they both render the UK powerless to affect the changes that the people of the EU need.

Take a Break from Brexit / Withdrawal Bill Extension

 As ‘Reform to Remain’ has evolved in the twilight of the Brexit negotiation period, we recognise that we may need more time to negotiate Brexit and to seek support within the EU. With this in mind we also support DiEM25’s call to ‘Take a Break from Brexit’.

Recommendations

Therefore, as Labour Party members we respectfully request that you consider the following recommendations when entering into the Brexit negotiations.

·         Recommend ‘Reform to Remain’ strategy to unite ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ voters under common direction.

·         Recommend ‘Reform to Remain’ to turn Brexit into an opportunity to not only bring the changes the UK needs, but deliver the changes the entire EU region need.

·         Recommend that support is sought from sympathetic EU leaders to increase pressure on the Council of the European Union.

·         Recommend that we show the people of the EU that the decent people of the UK don’t want to leave the EU, but are not being allowed to stay.

·         Recommend that we show the people of the EU that if we do leave, it will be for purely economic reasons that is causing us as much regret as them.

·         Recommend that a bespoke deal/soft Brexit and Peoples vote are considered as back stops to ‘Reform to Remain’.

·         Recommend that if ‘Reform to Remain’ is not accepted by the EU then the softest possible Brexit is sought that allows the Labour Manifesto in full.

I hope that this recommendation will receive your support and we can fight to build a European Union for all people.

Reform to Remain

Reform to Remain

I think that the term ‘Lexiteer’ or 'Labour Leaver is a bit of a misnomer, the key to understanding Labour leavers is that by and large, they have absolutely no desire to leave the European Union, but instead feel that they have no choice and are in effect being forced out. The Labour Leave position is purely an economic one, to ensure the implementation of the Labour manifesto. Which is currently impossible or at best extremely difficult to realise, at least within current European Union regulations.  

Many consider Brexit to be the most important issue of our generation, I don’t think that Labour Leavers do. Their priority is to bring an end to homelessness, poverty, inequality, restore our public services to public ownership, create new green energy industry, build truly affordable homes to buy and rent. But to achieve this we have to create the income streams needed to end austerity and provide the investment to benefit the people of the UK.

So if you want the Labour Manifesto, then leaving the European Union is currently a necessity, not a desire.

‘Uniting Leave and Remain’

There are two ways to take back control of our laws, our ability to decide our own policies, we can either leave the European Union or we can put pressure on the European Union to change theirs.

‘Remain and Reform’ does not immediately and may never achieve the reforms we need, as they have to be negotiated and as such, will never get support from Leavers.

Leaving the EU guarantees the changes we need, but at great cost, both financially and to the ‘Four Freedoms’ and quite rightly, will never get support from ‘Remain’. So the people of the UK are both divided and entrenched. Both have positions that cannot be opposed because both in their own way, are correct.

It is possible to bring both 'Leaver' and 'Remain' together to fight for a common cause. By fighting for 'Reform to Remain' we can keep the 'Four Freedoms' whilst winning the ability to determine our own economic policy. If we successfully negotiate reforms to EU regulations before we leave, then all of valid reasons to leave the EU will have been satisfied and leaving the EU becomes pointless. We will have taken back control over the laws that ‘Remain’ want to change inside of the EU and what ‘Leavers’ want to change out of it.                                                    

If Brexit happens, it will not be because we wanted to leave, but because we weren’t allowed to remain.

The People of the EU

However, I do think that we can take this a step further. ‘Reform to Remain’ is a position that could unite the majority of 'Leave and ‘Remain' voters alike, but as it also positively changes EU regulations, should also gain support from European socialists across the continent and direct the focus of attention, away from each other and onto the EU leaders.

The people of the EU are fighting their own battles against austerity, poverty, inequality and the hard right. The neoliberal EU rules, that have promoted austerity and have allowed poverty and inequality to get out of control in the UK, is also causing the social problems and civil unrest we see in the EU today. This is why I am not fan of a bespoke deal for the UK, because it’s very limiting and UK specific. It provides us with a way out of our problems, but leaves the people of the EU trapped in the same desperate position they are in now. 

If we change the way we are approaching ‘Brexit’ by fighting to ‘Reform to Remain’ it makes no difference to our Brexit strategy. The benefits we want for the UK won’t change, but we can also win them for the people of the European Union. We can help the entire EU region to win the reforms it needs to allow them also, the freedom to imagine, create and implement the policies they need.

The purpose of ‘Reform to Remain’ should be able to tick the boxes of every reasonable leave and remain voter. Besides fighting for a more prosperous EU and UK, the EU employment regulations will become the minimum standard, not something to be aspired to. Immigration will decline naturally as people will be less inclined to migrate because improved conditions in their own countries will remove the desire to seek a better life elsewhere. For those that do come here to live, love, work and play, they will come because they want to, not because they have to.

Remaining in an unreformed EU denies us these freedoms and condemns us all to a neoliberal controlled future.

We have an opportunity to use Brexit to fight for the changes that will affect the entire EU region by fighting for ‘Reform to Remain’.

Lets’ not waste it.