In a recent speech Jeremy Corbyn succinctly laid out why those of us on the left should vote to remain in Europe. Connected interests, whether for organised labour, educational organisations, social justice or ethical, market driven enterprise…all are more powerfully able to argue their case collectively, rather than in isolation.
In fact, the very basic tenet of a political party with a distinct and clear emancipatory view of the world. The Labour Party in the UK.
Challenges for people across the globe in the 21st Century are many and will continue to be immense. Jeremy outlined the work thus…
How to deal with climate change. How to address the overweening power of global corporations and ensure they pay fair taxes. How to tackle cyber-crime and terrorism. How to ensure we trade fairly and protect jobs and pay in an era of globalisation. How to address the causes of the huge refugee movements across the world, and how we adapt to a world where people everywhere move more frequently to live, work and retire.
(Source: Speech by Jeremy Corbyn, http://www.labour.org.uk/blog/entry/jeremy-corbyn-europe-speech Accessed 15.06.2016)
The EU and its workings can, by default, often seem complicated and distant from the lives of ordinary people. If only to protect the interests of workers and to be able to have access to the largest market in the world for British enterprise, we should vote to stay in.
In a recent article, A Long Requiem for Europe, we looked at how the the threat of war with our neighbours is best prevented by co-operation. If your neighbour is responsible for a million pounds of your income, you are very unlikely to set fire to his property, in a civilised and ethically framed world of co-operation.
If war has receded forever from Europe, which many think unlikely we are sure, then the economic advantage, the pursuit of social justice and environmental protections needed for a sustainaible future rely on more neighbourly co-operation, not less. Jeremy said…
Britain needs to stay in the EU as the best framework for trade, manufacturing and cooperation in 21st century Europe. Tens of billion pounds-worth of investment and millions of jobs are linked to our relationship with the EU, the biggest market in the world.
(Source: Speech by Jeremy Corbyn, http://www.labour.org.uk/blog/entry/jeremy-corbyn-europe-speech Accessed 15.06.2016)
If the labrynthine nature of ‘Europe’ causes despair, the cry of an anti-democratic rule by Europe is hollow in reality.
We elect MEP’s to represent our interests, the governments of nation states within the EU have an immense influence and veto rights on legislation. Being in the club, with a right to sit at the table is infinitely preferable to sitting outside shouting at the door.
There is a clear and refining statement of how the EU central processes serve our interests available on the pages of The Guardian this month, June 2016. It quotes research by the London School of Economics that, under Qualified Majority Voting, the UK ‘won’ legislative arguments 87% of the time.
See https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/13/is-the-eu-undemocratic-referendum-reality-check Accessed: 15.06.2016
It may be that we need, in the UK, to embrace the concept of being European more actively, and support and engage with the European Parliamentary process more deeply and effectively. We need, perhaps, to press vigorously for reform in order to make understanding and engagement with our own MEP’s much more effective.
But you need to be in the EU to press for reform…
…democratic reform to make the EU more accountable to its people. Economic reform to end to self-defeating austerity and put jobs and sustainable growth at the centre of European policy, labour market reform to strengthen and extend workers’ rights in a real social Europe. And new rights for governments and elected authorities to support public enterprise and halt the pressure to privatise services.
(Source: Speech by Jeremy Corbyn, http://www.labour.org.uk/blog/entry/jeremy-corbyn-europe-speech Accessed 15.06.2016)
Vote for the ethical left, vote for an end to tax avoidance, climates of fear and veiled special interests. Vote for social justice and workers rights. Vote for a powerful, democratice and effective collective market place.
‘Vote in’ on the 23rd June 2016.
