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