Comments on: ‘Rushed’, ‘Nothing new’: Progressives respond to Brexit white paper https://leftfootforward.org/2017/02/rushed-nothing-new-progressives-respond-to-brexit-white-paper/ Left Foot Forward is the home for UK progressives. We provide evidence-based analysis on British politics, news and policy. Fri, 03 Feb 2017 13:47:18 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.5 By: Craig Mackay https://leftfootforward.org/2017/02/rushed-nothing-new-progressives-respond-to-brexit-white-paper/#comment-866831 Fri, 03 Feb 2017 13:47:18 +0000 https://leftfootforward.org/?p=118447#comment-866831 This pointless White Paper repeats the brave words of Theresa May’s speech but principally demonstrates the curse of the word processor where vast tracts of weapons-grade guff may be cut and pasted to fill out a document. This guarantees it is even less readable than we ever expected. We simply know nothing more than what she had already said apart from the fact that it is clear she and her staff simply haven’t a clue what to do in the next two years.

]]> By: Alma https://leftfootforward.org/2017/02/rushed-nothing-new-progressives-respond-to-brexit-white-paper/#comment-866767 Fri, 03 Feb 2017 09:38:57 +0000 https://leftfootforward.org/?p=118447#comment-866767 Just to notice for UK, there are countries outside EU and countries that joined the EU in the past years. Why are you scared of? There is life after EU!

]]> By: Gary Hogg https://leftfootforward.org/2017/02/rushed-nothing-new-progressives-respond-to-brexit-white-paper/#comment-866574 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 22:04:44 +0000 https://leftfootforward.org/?p=118447#comment-866574 Liberal Democrats are “Progressives” but SNP are not?

]]> By: David Lindsay https://leftfootforward.org/2017/02/rushed-nothing-new-progressives-respond-to-brexit-white-paper/#comment-866430 Thu, 02 Feb 2017 16:33:36 +0000 https://leftfootforward.org/?p=118447#comment-866430 If the result of the EU referendum was a vindication of the economic vision of someone like Daniel Hannan, then Leave won in all the wrong places. As, for that matter, did Remain, of which more anon. The same is at least broadly true of immigration. The one specific promise made by the Leave campaign to those who, unlike me, would not necessarily have voted Leave anyway, was that there would be an extra £350 million per week for the NHS.

But there is no mention of that in today’s White Paper, which has bizarrely been published on the day after Second Reading of the Bill to which it relates. In view of this omission, and having indicated its acceptance of the referendum result by voting for Second Reading, Labour ought to vote against Third Reading. That would constitute a challenge to Conservatives such as Neil Carmichael, who has broken cover today.

Until 2010, his seat of Stroud was held by the admirable Labourite David Drew, who was still only 4,866 votes short when he sought to recapture it in 2015. I for one would very much like to see Drew back in Parliament. But Carmichael clearly has other worries, and he has good cause to have them. Every constituency in a Remain area, but for which the MP voted for Second Reading last night, is now a Liberal Democrat target seat. Overwhelmingly, those MPs are Conservatives in the South of England. Using the NHS excuse to abstain, at least, at Third Reading might very well be their last hope of remaining in Parliament after 2020.

It might also be enough to kill this Bill. Thereby requiring the Government to produce one that did indeed honour the result of the referendum: withdrawal from the EU, leading to an extra £350 million per week for the NHS. Or face defeat at the polls overall by the party that would do precisely that.

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