27 cross-party reasons to Leave the EU | Page 12

However, every single business in Britain is forced to obey every single one of the costly EU rules that often undermine businesses’ ability to employ more people. This is yet another unfair disparity from Brussels which we, the general public, now have the opportunity to change. 18. The ‘Corbyn conundrum’ When Jeremy Corbyn became Leader of the Opposition in September 2015 it was on the back of a campaign which promised that he was bringing a “new kind of politics” to the table. This included bringing seriousness back into Westminster debate and demonstrating that politicians weren’t all into gesture politics and could stand up for their core beliefs, principles and values, even under intense scrutiny. Whether you agree with his position or not, trident is just one example of Corbyn sticking admirably to this mantra. Which is why, when he has positioned himself as a well-known Eurosceptic for 40 years, his decision to back staying in the EU is all the more baffling. Or is this new kind of politics he promised us subject to change, you may wonder? Corbyn voted against membership in 1975 and opposed the subsequent Maastricht and Lisbon treaties. In December 2011, he tweeted: “26 EU Govts hand economic power to unelected Commission. EU wants to protect privilege of City. Who is defending workers jobs and services?” Unfortunately it seems Corbyn has given in to pressure from the Blairites in the Parliamentary Labour Party and, in doing so, has put short-term party cohesion ahead of his long-held EU objections and the long-term prosperity of the UK. Quite cynically, some of his most powerful anti-EU speeches have recently begun disappearing from his website. A coincidence it is not. One of Corbyn’s closest allies, political activist Owen Jones, wrote in July 2015 that the left needed to “reclaim the Eurosceptic cause”. He added: “The case for Lexit grows ever stronger, and – at the very least – more of us need to start dipping our toes in the water.” And yet, you’ve guessed it, fast-forward nine months and Jones has also miraculously changed his tune. Many people will very fairly question: can we, or should we, put our trust in people so seemingly moveable on such a fundamental question? On the other side of the coin, supporters of Corbyn will need to read between the lines when they cast their vote and realise that a vote against their party leaders ‘official’ position is actually a vote for his policies long-term. The ‘social Europe’ Corbyn outlined in his pro-EU speech is, to put it politely, a pipedream – and he knows it. If Cameron, whose politics are far more centre-ground than Corbyn, failed to achieve any meaningful change then the chances of Corbyn helping to shape a vastly reformed EU is close to nil. Put simply: the EU Corbyn describes is not the option on the ballot paper in June. And it’s an EU which is at great odds with many of the values Corbyn supposedly stands for. 27 cross-party reasons to Leave the EU | @DavidSeadon