Reassessing Corbynism: success, contradictions and a difficult path ahead

[Ken Burch]

5. I'm aware that a large group of Labour politicians before Corbyn came along

were joining the Tories in the poorbashing hysteria...that was despicable and unforgiveable...it was the outrage about that among the Labour rank-and-file that led to Jeremy's upset victory in the leadership contest. Corbyn can't be blamed for words of betrayal that were said before he was elected leader.

If Labour fights now to stop Brexit and its vote goes down, which is what would have to happen, what is achieved?

In answer to your question Labour will be able to spend whatever it needs to spend after Brexit...The EU didn't exist when Labour created the post-war social welfare state, after all. And there are no EU member countries where social welfare spending isn't being relentlessly and savagely slashed. Implementing pro-worker legislation is impossible within the EU. Look at what happened to Holland just for trying to bring in a 35-hour week...a bare minimum measure for the protection of worker's rights. Macron, his successor, is now going to "reform" labor laws-i.e., eliminating job security and removing most legislation that gives working people any protection at all from injustice in the work place.

If there had ever been any chance, or ever could be any chance, of establishing the space for social democracy with EU membership, you'd have a case. But we both know that space can never exist-people like Merkel will run the EU forever and they will forever bloc any egalitarian measures.

And the Social Charter is now basically a meaningless remnant, thanks to the mandatory spending limits. It no longer offers any meaningful protection to the working or kept-from-working poor in terms of their economic rights.

In spite of this, I supported Remain on anti-xenophobia grounds and would do so again. But we're past the time when the EU can or will do anything to fight xenophobia or any other form of bigotry, and it will always be on the side of the rich against the workers, so really, at this stage, what's to like?

The work now should be to create a European economic alliance from below...an alliance run for the good of the working and non-working poor in Europe. Why not move on to working for that, rather than trying to salvage what can't BE salvaged?

Why insist on trying to save Remain, when Remain CAN'T be Remain and Rebel, when the EU will always be exactly like it is now, no matter what?

At this point, a new fight to stay in the EU can only be a fight for the interest of the billionaires of Britain. The EU is no longer a way to fight xenophobia or protect anyone's rights in the UK.

The way to beat May is to mobilize the mass opposition to her austerity proposals and the outrage that has arisen from her party's handling(all the way down to the council level)of the Grenfell tragedy-not by restarting a battle most people in the UK see as over and see as having nothing any longer to do with their lives. It's no longer possible to make a left-wing case for going back.