The lamentable Wes Streeting appeared on Sky News today to complain – yawn – about Labour’s position on Brexit.
In a nonsensical interview, Streeting complained that a Labour amendment to retain access to the EU internal market has no chance of passing – but claimed that an amendment to remain fully in the single market via the European Economic Area (EEA) could pass – and, of course, that it would be Corbyn’s fault if it doesn’t because, Streeting thinks, Labour should whip the vote to support the EEA amendment:
Sky’s Faisal Islam quickly points out that the EEA amendment is unlikely to get past a number of Labour MPs – several, such as Frank Field, would be almost certain to vote against it regardless. Certainly there are enough anti-EU Labour MPs to defeat such an amendment, which they and a lot of working-class Labour voters would consider a back-door attempt to neuter Brexit.
Undeterred, Streeting – whose lawyers have still not responded to the SKWAWKBOX’s rejection of their demand to remove this blog’s thoroughly-evidenced article about his screaming fit at Labour front-bencher Diane Abbott – persisted in his delusion about the EEA amendment.
Corbyn’s ‘access’ amendment – which Streeting admitted he will be supporting – is far more intelligent, nuanced and respectful of those who voted to leave the EU. The same is true of Corbyn’s entire handling of the thorny Brexit issue, as even the BBC had to admit last year – while the ‘centrist’ determination to overturn Brexit has been damaging, as the loss of former UKIP votes to the Tories in some areas during May’s local elections compared to last year’s general election shows.
It’s hard not to see such behaviour by so-called ‘moderates’ as all part of the cynical right-wing determination to undermine Corbyn’s leadership.
But there is bad news for Wes and his colleagues of like mind. Arch-remainer and avowed Corbyn-underminer Peter Mandelson has put the blame for Brexit squarely on the shoulders, not of Jeremy Corbyn, but of Tony Blair and his ‘New Labour’ – and of Wes and his ilk.
In July 2016, as centrists prepared to try to remove Corbyn from the leader’s office, Peter Mandelson gave a lecture at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. Alex Hilton attended it and wrote his account of the lecture the following day.
He described Mandelson’s discussion of where the blame lies for Brexit:
But Corbyn doesn’t even wobble the needle on [Mandelson’s] gauge of responsibility for Brexit, the number one pretext for this month’s coup attempt. Instead he explicitly lays responsibility at two generations of New Labour; the founders for their lack of foresight as to the consequences of globalisation and the current centrists for failing to adapt, having seen those consequences.
No video of the lecture appears to be available online. But there is video of Mandelson speaking in similar terms, also in Singapore, a couple of months later:
Comment:
Brexit is, without question, a complex and incendiary issue – not just in terms of achieving a deal but in terms of the potential electoral consequences of taking the wrong stance or path – but Corbyn’s intelligent handling of that issue has been recognised even by the Tory-dominated BBC.
By contrast, Labour’s Brexit-fixated back-benchers are damaging the party by constantly blundering into positions that are not only politically foolish but unwinnable – and they are failing even to recognise the fact that Corbyn’s smart tactics are only necessary because of their own past failure to recognise or care how badly removed from and arrogant towards working-class voters they had become, both in government and since.
And that failure continues unabated.
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World’s top economist Wes Streeting, now spouting more nonsense on a subject that he is clueless on. He should have a chat with Keir Starmer if he has any soncerns. He is simply a back-bencher who should be serving his community, not working for Sky TV News.
World’s top economist Wes Streeting.
Well he would’ve been if he hadn’t had his lunch money taken off him at school ever day…
The conference in Jerusalem to organise how best to defeat BDS that Streeting attended in 2010 was chaired by Avidgor Lieberman, who is now minister in control of the Israeli army. Thousands of protestors shot recently and over a hundred dead including a nurse with her hands in the air a few days ago. Anything to say to Avigdor today Wes? Do you agree with him that “there are no innocent people in Gaza”? Too busy 24×7 trying to get rid of Corbyn?
By constantly attacking the Labour Party Wes Streeting is effectively working for the Tory party.
It is time for the CLP to replace this complete liability with a proper Labour MP.
The sooner we get rid of big money in politics – which is perverting the cause of democracy, the better. We wont be having politicians like Blair, Streeting, et al, completely ignoring the expressed will of the people in order to serve their paymasters who are so completely wedded to the neo-liberal economic agenda of the EU in its current form. They are in fact parroting what their handlers at City and the MSM have told them. Actually, no one is mentioning Corbyn’s referendum campaign platform of Remain and Reform. Because it doesn’t sit well with these so called pro-EU centrists. If there is any message that is contrary to the expressed will of the people that the pro-EU ‘centrists’ want to put out there, it is Remain and Reform. That will be a true test of their pan-Europeanism. Anything else is support of the discredited neo-liberal economic agenda that is currently threatening to break-up the European project that they claim so hard to be promoting.
Yes need to select left wing democratic socialists instead of these morons. When I think, just been to a good (if depressing) conference on the Govt charging migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, for some NHS services when what £79b a year goes to big business in tax reliefs and subsidies – Corporate Welfare – that is £3,500 per household per year and what is the cost of treating these vulnerable groups?
I think it works out at about £10 per household – a small price to pay for a civilised society but I guess we have a Tory Govt. of Barbarians!
We need socialist fighters not mediocrity!
Great clip of Mandelson saying it how it is…. but, as you also seem to suggest, the fact that his troops continue to ‘blunder’ into politically damaging positions, indicates that their agenda is to undermine Corbyn…. the better dead than red position.
Are all of the neodems dues in good order?Hang in there comrades.
“Labour’s Brexit-fixated back-benchers are damaging the party by constantly blundering into positions that are not only politically foolish but unwinnable ”
Because these self centred careerists like Streeting , Chukka etc don’t give a fig for the working class , they represent the Corp’s and are making sure that their paymasters see them ” in action ” promoting their cause of ” Business as usual ” neolib politics for the few and not the many.
Christ what utter paucity of a choice that they were offered to the electorate as Labour MPs , just shameful utterly shameful dross.
Their vacuous shallow unsophisticated criticisms /comments , their ill conceived unthought through so called alternative plans creating division even within their own ranks.
No as per usual this is nothing more then the ” Get Corbyn ” brigade engaging gob without brains, difficult I know as they obviously have none or they would see how utterly transparent to all their actions are .
Thank God most of the membership can , by now , see straight thro this yet again utterly pathetic crap from Streeting and the other ” usual suspects” .
Needless to say that these Blairs Boys and Girls show how truly useless Blair’s “placemen” are to the working class and continue to be in-it for themselves.
The Corp revolving door awaits them , pse just XX and go !
“The voters knew what they were voting for, how dare you dismiss them as idiots” is something we hear from both sides of the Brexit chasm.
Even from some on the left we hear it – but we on the left KNOW FOR CERTAIN a majority on both sides are clueless because – how ELSE could Tories still win elections despite being toxic to anyone earning less than £80K?
If the neodems believe that the margin of victory in the referendum was too small to be convincing, do they therefore believe any constituency that was won by equal or smaller percentage should be rerun. Fairs fair in Labour, isn’t it?