Corbyn's silly mistake with Der Spiegel has thrown Labour's Brexit policy into the limelight, so maybe worth spelling out what that policy is, in broad response to the all the "Corbyn's a traitor and we always knew he was Hard Brexit" gubbins.
So a few points of clarity:
So a few points of clarity:
1) Corbyn knows little about the detail of Brexit. It's delegated to Keir Starmer, who does get the detail of Brexit. Obviously as leader he has to say something about it from time to time, and he got it wrong in Germany. That doesn't change Labour's substantive position.
2) Nor is McDonnell in charge of Brexit. Yes, he comes from somewhere close to a Lexit position, but he has recognized over time that is a non-starter, though he has pushed for a Lexiter-pleasing line on State Aid and procurement flex in any Labour negotiation for a CU/SM deal.
3) The idea that Starmer's six tests apply only to any Tory 'deal' is silly. Starmer set them out a long time ago knowing that only a CU/SM deal, incl of acceptance of he four freedoms i.e. BINO, with some cosmetics around State Aid, will come anywhere near passing those tests.
4) These four freedoms esp Freedom of Movement can be negotiated bilaterally as part of a CU/SM deal, while still keeping to the 2017 mantra that "FoM will end".
5) This is because UK can conform to whole substance of Directive 2004/38/EC without calling it FoM and possibly by introducing the work registration processes in place in several EU cvountries under that Directive
6) But Starmer is also seeking a route to Remain, with a BINO solution (and then perhaps Return) as the next best thing. That is why he said at conference that Remain was an option.
7) Note: Starmer did not say that Remain an an option is a People's Vote was an option. He said Remain was an option. The BBC and other outlets simply did not listen properly to that sentence, which was not in the preve-delvery release.
8) Starmer knows, though obviously can't say openly, that if Lab does force a GE, it will almost certainly have to deal with the SNP & possibly LDs to form a govt. That deal is the route to Remain without the need for a referendum, tho it may be via seeking an Art 50 extension.
9) None of this logic, which is consistent with the facts throughout, will have any effect on the conspiracists who believe Corbyn is, all at once, a total numbskull and a Machiavellian genius intent on Hard Brexit.
10) But they are just wrong. Many of course are wrong with decent intentions - wanting to Remain in the EU is a good thing. But to those, there is one simple Q. Why, if Corbyn is a secret Brexiteer, has he not sacked Keir Starmer? I have heard no adequate response to that.
11) So I imagjne this thread, if noticed at all, will be scorned as the work of a Corbynite cultist. But heh ho, you have to try. And if if you want more detail, there's lots on my Brexit-focused blog e.g. medium.com/@Bickerrecord/…
