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.