Climate Change is actually a far BIGGER challenge then Brexit

Whilst our mainly 2nd division political leaders grapple with Brexit a far bigger issue is being kicked further down the road because climate change will destroy the lives of millions if it is not addressed very firmly and very soon.

There is every danger that because our weak Parliamentary politicos talk of nothing but Brexit (other than Jez Corbyn who avoids all hard subjects) that it becomes the biggest political challenge – It’s NOT!

I was dragged out of watching the sad Little Englander world of Brexit by my old friend Phil Holden who sent me a link to a very interesting piece on the economics of climate change or more precisely how we will pay for trying to beat it before it kills us. Here’s that link to a blog posting by Paul De Grauwe:-

escoriallaan.blogspot.com/2018/12/who-should-pay-for-cost-of-climate.html

OK, the thrust of the blog posting was more about how we pay for saving the earth than about the desperate need to save it. And maybe we won’t save it all as we will continue to argue about who should pay……………..!

Merseyside – The job losses of Brexit

Just what the Brexiteers ordered, or is it? – Job losses!

The Liverpool Echo has the article on its website – see link below:-

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/how-brexit-could-kill-thousands-15532708

So Teresa and her Brexit buddy Jez, the Brexit enabler, continue to drive the UK over the edge to fulfil their joint desire to force a Brexit upon us that the electorate no longer supports. No big benefits of leaving the EU (there never were any), plenty of job losses (are you listening no job loss Corbyn?) and all this misery just to help the Tory Party deal with its internal difficulties.

No wonder that folks on Merseyside are backing a Peoples Vote to put an end to this gross stupidity. And it’s time for more of our local MP’s to come out from behind their Brexit Sofas and make it clear that they will back a Peoples Vote.

Brexit – Where to now for self-destructive Tories?

I like to see sober analysis of important political events rather than hear the views of the biased waring factions involved. Below (with thanks to Roy Connell) is a link to an article by Gaby Hinsliff from The Guardian website which is well worth reading:-

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/13/jacob-rees-mogg-split-tory-party-brexit

That Brexit has always been about irreconcilable differences within the Tory Party is a given and no matter which way any Tory leadership goes the result is the same – more EU splits more internal trouble.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a politician of the left seeing the Tories in deep trouble is in many ways pleasing. However, we are all now deep in the utter Brexit chaos of their making and the infection, for want of a better word, has taken root within the Official Opposition as well!

Our economy is on the slide, jobs are at risk, our position as a trading nation is at best very worrying, hard-won employment rights may be quickly lost, environmental protections watered down etc. etc. The Tories internal war is infecting every part of our society and our economy.

And where now for the Tories? Goodness knows for the party of shambles and chaos

TUC Leader is spot on over May’s failed Brexit ‘Deal’

That Teresa May’s failed Brexit (and now withdrawn) ‘deal’ would have been bad for jobs, the economy, employment rights etc. etc. is a given simply because it’s a poorer deal than we presently have as EU members. Here’s what the TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady had to say about it:-

www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/deal-will-threaten-uk-workers%E2%80%99-rights

But of course, every form of Brexit deal will only deliver a worse outcome than we presently have so no one can ever promise one that will meet, never mind better, our present situation as EU members. The TUC knows this better than most because it’s the millions of trade union members across the UK who are at risk from us leaving the EU under ANY deal.

However, I fear that Frances O’Grady has to be careful what she says with TU leaders like UNITE’s Len McCluskey trying desperately to stop Labour from adopting a pro-EU stance. Sadly there’s always been a wing of the trade union movement who have been anti-EU despite it being a really positive force for good on things like employment rights and protections. How on earth they can call themselves trade unionists beats me. As a life-long supporter of the TU movement, I’m ashamed that it has Little Englander’s in its ranks.

‘Britain no longer has a functioning Government’ (or Official Opposition)

Reuters has the story on its website – see link below:-

uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-labour/britain-no-longer-has-a-functioning-government-labour-party-idUKKBN1O91G9

For Corbyn, who leads a completely dysfunctional Labour opposition, to say that the same is true of the Tory Government beggars belief. Of course, Corbyn is not wrong about May’s limping leadership but he makes his comments from a bubble all of his own where the major fault lines between his Brexit leaning Labour leadership and the Party’s MP’s, members and supporters don’t exist!

Have we ever had a situation in the past when the Government and Official Opposition are in such a terrible mess?

Brexit – May V Corbyn – It’s actually not a party political matter

The British media see things in a rather black and white way and often things can be like that. However, in politics especially at the moment, things are actually many shades of grey. Just look at this article from the BBC website about how many Conservative Brexit factions there are:-

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46386172

And of course, Labour is also split. Their leadership is Brexit leaning it’s just that they want a different deal to the one that May has negotiated. Corbyn, of course, has always been anti-EU. However, lots of Labour MP’s are pro-EU and anti-Brexit although with many Labour constituency party organisations being dominated by Momentum those MP’s hardly ever speak out for fear of being deselected for opposing Jeremy’s view.

So a May V Corbyn debate is actually pointless as fundamentally they both want the same thing i.e. to leave the EU except that Corbyn says he can negotiate a different deal to the one May has come up with.

One leading commentator said this of the proposed debate, which sums up the situation perfectly:-

Mike Galsworthy – ‘As far as I’m concerned… A May-Corbyn debate on Brexit is going to be like watching two flat-earthers arguing over who can explain gravity better’

My point is this, any sensible debate should actually be between May and a representative of the cross-party People’s Vote Campaign. Personally, I’m not bothered who that representative should be but here are a few suggestions – Sarah Wollaston MP, Vince Cable MP, Alastair Campbell, Caroline Lucas MP. I think I would probably plump for Campbell.

Surely no one wants a no deal scenario other than complete Brexit nutters so the real choice in the ridiculous situation the UK now finds itself is between May’s deal and Remain.

However, there could be a point in having Corbyn in the TV debate too so that he has an opportunity to explain how different his deal with the EU would look and how he would achieve it. We get it that Corbyn and the Labour leadership feel they can negotiate a different, even a better deal, than May has done but where will the differences be? We need to see Labour’s Brexit Deal detail or indeed have Corbyn exposed for not having a real alternative at all.

That May’s deal is rubbish seems to be a given across Brexteers and Remainers so staying in the EU is the only really sensible alternative to it unless Corbyn can clearly show why and how his Brexit deal would be better than staying in the EU. If Corbyn can show his Brexit would be better for jobs, the economy, the NHS etc. than staying in the EU then his next step would have to be to get Article 50 extended whilst he wins a General Election and then delivers his deal. A tough ask indeed because he would also have to show why the EU would back his alternative.

With thanks to Roy Connell for thew lead to this posting.