Thread by @tony_nog

1) Corbyn, #Brexit & facing reality - thread
Since this was posted there's been several variations from his supporters on why his responses were "reasonable", which in turn illustrate how far they are happy to put party before country, and Corbyn before party

https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1031943630590763010

2) the question, as a reminder, was very simple "do you (personally) believe we'll be better or worse off after #Brexit?"
One response is "he answered this"
He absolutely didn't, he waffled & none of his 6 answers can be interpreted as "yes" or "no"

3) "but Labour are pushing for the best deal/2nd ref/it's a negotiating position"

These may or may not be true, but they are irrelevant as to why Corbyn didn't answer the question - he was asked about his personal position

4) "Labour need to maintain strategic ambiguity/what about the northern seats?"

Strategic ambiguity is just a whitewash term for "Labour needs to opt out of the #Brexit debate for selfish party centric reasons"

This response does not put the country or Labour voters first

5) in fact "strategic ambiguity" support is an interesting phenomenon. Many Corbyn supporters are so commited to a "party/Corbyn 1st" world view they don't even realise it.

It's perfectly reasonable to them to see Brexit primarily in terms of how it impacts Labour's chances

6) finally "it was a loaded question/he couldn't win"
It's been compared to "have you stopped beating your wife?"

But there's no implied attack in "will Brexit leave us worse off?", no hidden meaning, it's simply the burning question of the hour

7) what's very interesting in the whole "will #Brexit make us worse off is a loaded question" discussion is this - how did a straightforward, honest, direct politician (who isn't like all the rest) get himself into a position where answering a simple, vital question is "loaded"?

8) the question "will #Brexit make us worse off" is only "loaded" because Corbyn & the Labour Leadership have avoided asking it themselves for so long.

Corbyn himself should have been asking this, as opposition leader, for months now

9) this is the reality - "will #Brexit make us worse off" is awkward for Corbyn precisely because he himself made it awkward, by pursuing an approach that did not put the country or his voters (or members) first

So now, he can't answer

10) which begs the question, what is the point of Corbyn?

He's not particularly talented, charismatic, statesmanlike or, as we've now seen, principled.

He was supposed to be refreshing, straightforward, honest, yet the most important but simple Brexit question has him in knots

11) If Corbyn cannot give an opinion on whether #Brexit will make us better or worse off, then what use is he?

What does he bring to the table if honesty, principle, concern for Labour vorers & "straightforwardness" have been so easily discarded?