As I write, 8 Labour and 3 Conservative MP's have broken away from their parties to form an independent group in the hope of creating a rational alternative to the negativity, irrationality and incompetence of their parties.
I wish them success and I hope they will be a rallying point for thinking voters.
Hard Centre
The group is likely to be categorised as centrist. This category comes with some dodgy history, so:
If
a centre party or tendency does emerge, it needs to distance itself
from any easy 'Liberal Consensus'; it should not squirm to be
nice to everyone. It should be a hard centre: after all, rationality is the toughest of regimes with no comfort blankets of blind faith or tribalism. It should be
prepared to stand up to the thuggish right and the zealot left, with
straight talk backed by its clearly expressed principles and an evidence
led programme.
If
there is any support for Remain it should be clear this is not the
same as a vote of confidence in the EU as it is. It should look the
EU unapologetically in the eye, telling it that it bears as much
responsibility for the current situation as does British politics;
that similar situations are brewing elsewhere in Europe; that reform
is needed (choose your issue - fishery, agriculture, the indigenous
working class?). It needs to lead on an approach to borders which
accepts that the outer borders are a joint manpower and financial
responsibility. Britain, if we remain in the EU, should be a powerful
and positive policy-leading player, not a mardy sideline whinger as
in the past.
A
rational approach to immigration needs to be put forward which is
economically practical, is humane and international but which
recognises local sensitivities and does not require working class
localities to bear the largest share of pressure unsupported. (1)
It
should be a principle that communities are not punished for progress.
When we decide to move away from an industry, for reasons of
environment or modernisation, it is not fair that communities
dependent on it should be left destitute. (2) And the remedy for this does not consist of a belated bung of a bit of one-off cash such as has
recently been suggested.
I
want to see an end to tribal chanting and ingratiation. Whether
it be Brown's 'Bigotgate' chant to the zealot left, Livingstone's
Hitler crack, or McDonnell's Churchill gaffe. (Why didn't he say
'That's a stupid question, fck off'?) This sort of thing gives
traction to facile stupidity and will lead us by a process of folie a
deux to the Planet Stupid.
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- Labour must share the blame for bringing about the current upsurge of racism:'...the conflation of race, equality issues and immigration hampered a proper discussion and internal debate to prepare for government and some of the challenges we saw. [There was] no real strategic understanding or foresight of what was to come.'(Ed Owen, advisor to Home Secretary, 1997 (BBC Radio 4, The Briefing Room, 30/06/2016: Immigration, Why Did It Rise?))So the immigration debate was handed to the loony right on a plate.
- If you are living in a US mining town and your mortgage will not be paid if nobody wants your coal any more, you are going to be punished for progress. Decarbonisation will take your life away. Your town is a work camp based on one industry. You will pick up the tab for progress. And no-one will help you. Except Trump.
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You can find the Independent Group of MP's here:
Check out my other posts for more on this,
