Analysis Exclusive

Excl video 3: Pidcock on Brexit – “it’s not the main concern of my constituents”

Labour front-bencher says media fixation with Brexit ignores real-life – and bigger – concerns of working-class people

In the third part of her interview with the SKWAWKBOX – a discussion that in many ways is a model of how MPs should communicate in real-life language with voters – Shadow Labour Minister Laura Pidcock discusses Brexit and the view of her constituents in the north-east.

Ms Pidcock comments on the importance of getting Brexit right, but observes that the media’s obsession with the topic is focused on narrow, political effects – and that it is not the main concern of her constituents, who face far more fundamental and gritty problems:

SKWAWKBOX view:

Laura Pidcock’s voice – like that of many of her northern colleagues – is one that many ‘soft left’ Labour MPs and others pushing an outright ‘stop Brexit’ agenda, or for that matter any Labour MPs treating leave or remain as the be-all-and-end-all of politics, need to hear.

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25 comments

  1. Yep.

    People aren’t arsed about brexit round my neck of the woods, neither.

    And they’re getting sick to the back teeth of the news consisting entirley of shite like the background of the next ‘bakeoff’ or ‘masterchef’ nobody…sorry ‘contestant’, being some sort of triumph over adversity.

    Nobody’s arsed about cack like that. It doesn’t matter to John Q Average. They have their own day to day struggles and they’re being wilfully ignored. Even 99% the politicians are at it; frigging off to the outback to eat ostrich bollocks rather than address and highlight their constituents’ plight(s).

    The plan of ‘dumbing down’ has become passe. It’s about time REAL issues started being reported and acted on rather than debate if grant mitchell’s gay or not ffs.

  2. So why all the bellyaching about ‘respecting’ the opinions of those who can’t – or won’t – grasp what Brexit is about and its impacts for them and the country as a whole

    Not an impressive insight.

    1. Well you seem to know how brexit will affect everyone who voted leave without respecting any of their opinions. The reality, however is a shitload different. You have no idea how it’ll affect me or people around here, where I live.

      Yet you’ve constantly projected your projected pitfalls onto the rest of us; almost as though you think we’re the same….Except you’re middle class – as you always like to crow about – and I’m not, as you like to make snide condescending comment about.

      So,bearing that in mind, have you ever thought people are thoroughly pissed off at being pontificated to?

      Lots of people voted leave as a f**k you to government. The way government’s now bollocksed up the way we go about leaving is probably their version of revenge.

      1. “Lots of people voted leave as a f**k you to government”

        … a government which they quite possibly voted for (50% chance – if they bothered to get off their back). About as bright as kicking the cat because the landlord’s a bastard.

        “Except you’re middle class”. We can predict this tune on a badly played violin that hasn’t been tuned since the mid-19th century. Again – Labour *actually* depends on a progressive alliance of middle and working class support (who overwhelmingly voted ‘Remain’). Class is a description, not a badge of honour, or a guarantee of insight and intelligence – as Marx recognised.

        “You have no idea how it’ll affect me or people around here, where I live.”

        I know you live in your own private La La Land – but it won’t protect you from a declining economy and te effects of becoming the servants of the US.

      2. Once again rh has conveniently forgotten that while ed moribund and ed ‘weirdo’ balls continued down the ‘austerity lite’ track, the toerags were the ONLY party to offer the referendum.

        Who won the election in 2015? Then what happend?

        Even rh thought remain would piss it. Thought we were all ready to tug our forelock to our ‘lords & marsturrs’ (sic) once more.

        Well you were told to get bent. No two ways about it rh….That was a humungous F**K YOU to the establishment that you’re so keen I ought to hold meself obliged to.

        So, here’s the message once again – GET BENT.

        And for thinking that I’m lower than you intellectually as well as socially – GET BENT.

        And for deluding yourself that you know whats best for everyone, especially the likes of me – GET BENT.

        And for refusing to condemn watson for his shithouse ways in getting you your 2nd ref/ remain option,but being overtly hypocritical enough to condemn him for things of far lesser importance with your complaints that he’s ‘undermining the party’

        Yep. You know what’s coming – GET BENT.

  3. Off topic – I see Tom Watson is demanding Jeremy Corbyn work with the Lib Dems on Brexit. I think somebody should remind him that Jo Swinson refused to work with Labour as long as it was led by Jeremy. Maybe he should try explaining to her that Jeremy was democratically elected, just like she was, only by a lot more members and if she doesn’t want to work with him then unfortunately she won’t be able to work with our party.

    1. Toffee (597) I think this is part of Coup No 3 or is it No4? Anyway Watson and a bunch of “senior MPs”
      that nobody ever heaed of will “unite in the National interest” and try to usurp Jeremy as leader. So boringly predictable.
      Also note the Green’s talk about an all female and incidentally all white cabinet from which Diane Abbott Dawn Butler and other experienced BAME women were excluded. I think their Socialist politics played a large part in their exclusion.which is another indication that various MPs are paving the way for a concerted effort to oust Jeremy next month.
      We need to be ready for this and I’m sure staff like Jennie Formby Karie Murphy and Seumas Milne all of whom have been under attack in recent weeks and Jeremy,our shadow cabinet and front bench will be able to see these undemocratic individuals off.
      They need to understand that the membership elected Jeremy by a landslide twice and we are not going to let anybody rob us of a Socialist government which the country is in dire need of after a decade of austerity .

  4. Sadly, Corbyn has already gifted any autumn general election to the Tories by formally flipping in favour of “Second Referendum plus Remain”.

    It kept Blairites and left-liberal Corbynistas happy. But at the expense of the 70 per cent of Tory-held Labour-Tory marginals which voted Leave. For good measure, most of Labour’s vulnerable seats are also Leave-voting.

    Labour’s only chance (which is slim) is to hope that Johnson somehow sells out on a No Deal Brexit thereby allowing a split to materialise in Leave supporting voters between Brexit Party and Conservatives. So the electoral fate of the Party is now entirely dependent on the actions of others.

    The flipping on the EU really marks the end of Corbynism. From the moment he capitulated, the Corbyn project has been effectively dead.

    https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2019/07/17/long-read-labours-brexit-capitulation-is-the-end-of-corbynism/

    1. Nothing, Absolutely nothing Jeremy Corbyn does could keep the Blairites happy except of course resigning.That would make them happy but would make over 300,000 of us very unhappy indeed

  5. The Tories are happy to play the Brexit tune for as long as they can, whilst heads are turned they make hay privatising the remaining bit of the state that’s left. Creating a private monopoly the remainers just can’t see.

      1. Just shut up haywire, you monumental bellend.

        It’s obvious what your problem is. Us scum didn’t vote the way you demanded. We must be punished for it.

        That is why you NEVER ONCE castigated watson nor rejected the 2nd ref/remain option that he procured via his usual shithouse trickery.

        Antisemitism claims = WATSON’S A C**T

        2nd ref/remain option by shithousery, rather than democracy? = Silence.

        As a result votes have been haemorrhaged; but that doesn’t concern you remotely. Now you’ll give us the odd whisper of faux complaint about watson’s shithousery in all other departments but NOT because he got you what YOU wanted (NOT the party as it would’ve & should’ve been agreed at conference last year if it was so important)

        Demonstrably the biggest vote loser of watson’s snide-bastardry and you complain about everything else BUT that.

        And because of you being a rat, I hope brexit fucking well RUINS you. It’ll be worth it for that alone.

      2. Toffee blowing a fuse again because he has lost this argument, it’s a joy to see, cue expletive filled response 🙂

      3. Jack t …. Oh dear. You were schooled yesterday and still you are that senseless and shameless that you come back for another drubbing.

        Had I piled in on Jenny Formby when Watson ‘pearl harboured’ her then had the temerity to complain about Watson’s antisemitism claims undermining the party then I’d have the scruples to realise the hypocrisy and shut me grid.

        But you’re too much of an imbecile to get it.

        Honestly jack, you really are dumb as a stillborn calf.

        Unless you can ‘argue’ you’re way out of that? Yep let’s see you ‘win’ this one??

        Good luck.

      4. But it didn’t stop with attacking Formby did it jack?

        No, because you too, kept silent about Watson undermining the party when he used his usual shithouse tricks to get you your 2nd ref/remain option.

        And that’s lost the party more votes than the antisemitism nonsense ever would.

        Admit it jack – you just dislike Jews.

      5. Also jack, after being called out then going into hiding I noticed you were brave enough to crawl from under your rock at an ungodly hour to make your childish pathetic attempt at a windup.

        Didn’t wait that long to pile in on a woman undergoing cancer treatment, did you?

        Hadn’t exonerated every single person accused of antisemitism, had she? Not good enough for you, that, so in your fit of pique you actually sided with the gobshite making all sorts of wild claims over the issue and for the purposes of doing so, dropped your complaint of Watson being the cause rather than the solution and transferred the blame to Formby.

        You cowardly weirdo.

      6. There are some things that democracy isn’t good at.
        Polling indicates that a referendum on capital punishment would probably result in the return of hanging.
        Real socialists are democrats but not populists.
        Farage, Brexit, Trump and Johnson all rely for their support on the most vile, rancid populism.
        Eventually the kind of people who want to push asylum seekers out of planes or into the sea get their way because those who shout loudest and nastiest – like can’tthinkfortoffee or penniless – appeal to the thick-as-shit football mob mentality.
        These are the people who push into crowds to get through turnstiles, cause disasters like Hillsborough and blame the police for their own homicidally stupid reckless indifference.
        The same people who accuse remainer socialists for the rise of the far right while voting for rabblerousing right wing fucktards like Farage or Johnson.
        That’s why I want so much more spending on education.

  6. This is a really stupid argument. Most working class people aren’t “concerned” about climate change either. That doesn’t stop it from being a massive threat to them. Politicians are supposed to have a deeper understanding of the important issues, not simply listen to what their constituents say and go along with it, no matter how reactionary, damaging or irrelevant.

  7. Jeremy Corbyn has called for cross-party co-operation among MPs opposed to Boris Johnson’s Brexit strategy, and set out further details of his ambitious plan to block no deal before October 31st.

    Below is the full text of Jeremy Corbyn’s letter.
    Last week I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, Mark Sedwill, for his view on how purdah rules would apply if parliament is dissolved for a general election campaign that straddles the Brexit date of 31st October.
    I enclose a copy of his non-committal reply, which I received yesterday (13 August) and should inform our discussions.
    While it is likely that the issue will be contested in the courts, our priority should be to work together in parliament to prevent a deeply damaging no deal being imposed on the country, denying voters the final say.
    This government has no mandate for no deal, and the 2016 EU referendum provided no mandate for no deal. I therefore intend to table a vote of no confidence at the earliest opportunity when we can be confident of success.
    Following a successful vote of no confidence in the government, I would then, as Leader of the Opposition, seek the confidence of the House for a strictly time-limited temporary government with the aim of calling a general election, and securing the necessary extension of Article 50 to do so.
    In that general election, Labour will be committed to a public vote on the terms of leaving the European Union, including an option to Remain.
    I would welcome the chance to discuss these proposals further with you, which I hope can halt the serious threat of no deal, end the uncertainty and disarray, and allow the public to decide the best way ahead for our country.
    Yours sincerely,
    Jeremy Corbyn
    Leader of the Opposition”

    https://labourlist.org/2019/08/lets-work-together-to-prevent-no-deal-corbyn-tells-cross-party-group-of-mps/

  8. Young Tories are paid to come on in blogs like this, and very much mix up a Labour Brexit,with a Tory Brexit in order to influence uis to think that supporting Johnson is somehow supporting working class people. A Tory Brexit (Trexit) must be fought at all costs and is not anti-Corbyn, but anti-Tory. The 31st October no deal is not giving a voice to working class demands, but selling us down the river. I understand most Brexit voters are southern male white middle class people anyway. These are the people they are trying to placate, while splitting the Labour vote, by telling them not supporting the likes of Reece-Mog is anti-working class. It is more like us voting for apples and getting a box of poison and being told we voted for it!! It is the Tories being disrespectful to us as always. They pretend to be one of us by over egging the swearing, or maybe it is just the way they are. Reduced a small party of working class women to tears by their behaviour and language to them a while back.. I am terrified of what will happen if Corbyn is not in charge of Brexit.

    I am not sure if this will be blocked again as nothing I try to post gets through, not even pure unadulterated praise. Please advise me if this is the case.

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