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Sunder Katwala
@sundersays
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Colin Parry has called for Claire Fox to stand down as Brexit party candidate for the North-West of England - as she supported the IRA bombing in Warrington which killed his son in 1993. She would be MEP for Warrington if elected
This was Revolutionary Communist Party's defence of the IRA murders in the Warrington bombing: that the Irish had the right to defend themselves. (The Irish govt was anti-IRA pro-peace but RCP believed the terrorist group were the legitimate representatives of the Irish nation)
Fox expresses sympathy for Parry. She says that her views are "well known" though "unaired for many years". So the statement implies that her unaired views - for the IRA bombing campaign, because Northern Ireland exists - have not changed.
The RCP & isuccessor offshoots (from Living Marxism and Spiked Online) backed IRA uncritically then criticised Sinn Fein backing the Good Friday Agreement as a sell-out. They continued to oppose it after 72% in Northern Ireland and 96% in the Republic backed it in a referendum!
These "unaired" views are not "well known" to those who were not active left-communists or close critical students of far left. I feel sure less than 1-5% of Moral Maze audience - aware of Fox as articulate "left-libertarian" contrarian - would know that her group was pro-IRA.
Brexit Party vetting process could well have considered a wide range of RCP controversies. (Eg IRA; denial of Rwandan genocide; pro-Serb libel case denying Bosnian genocide).

Choice of north-west (Warrington) may suggest dots were not joined re IRA. Fox was born in Lancashire
There is (cf Scruton) an ongoing debate about norms in public life and "offence archaeology" in the past. Anybody criticising Corbyn over Munich 1972 or John McDonnell over IRA/Sinn Fein ought to be interested in the defence of IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993.
* Whatever range of views about Northern Ireland/united Ireland, this is about public support of the (political) murder of British citizens.

* If those views are unchanged but just unaired, i think that should be a disqualification for a party that wants to be mainstream.
If can say views have changed - against IRA murder in hindsight, but pro-united Ireland - one could debate boundaries for candidacy.

Political issue: does support for united Ireland depends on consent of north & south (GFA), just south (trad Irish/FF), or neither (new IRA/RCP)
It does seem to me bizarrely incoherent for any Brexit Party candidate running on the respect democracy "will of the people" platform about the Leave majority in 2016 to refuse to accept that results of 72%/96% referendum votes entrench the Good Friday principles of consent
As occasional Moral Maze contributor, & have spoken at Institute of Ideas, I know Claire Fox a little bit. Friendly, personable & interested in ideas & debate. I do think this "unaired views" defence can be questioned. If backing IRA is not a boundary, are there any boundaries?
Some background on that particular left faction
Part of imperfect peace process is we want to rehabilitate *past* supporters of violence (eg Sinn Fein in office) to democracy, *on basis that renounce terrorism & violence*.

Derry reaction to murder of journalist Lyra McKee & New IRA apologists shows present (not past) issue
David Aaronovitch a close watcher of the ex-Communists. I was surprised by this *2009* quote about the positives of the 1984 Brighton bomb from Mick Hume
Please do follow @peacefoundation created in memory of Tim Parry and Jonathan Ball, working on conflict resolution & counter-extremism. I will be hearing about some of their work at a practitioner workshop today.

Brexit Party spokesperson says that Claire Fox now supports Good Friday agreement & held those views in the past, but not now. Fox said her views "well known" but "unaired for many years". Did not say she has changed her views, or regrets her (past?) view
news.sky.com/story/brexit-p…
I do not think the Brexit Party spokesperson has the Kremlinology credentials (v.understandably!) to know what the RCP crew have said about Good Friday Agreement for last 21 years. If there has been such a conversion in 2019, the candidate will surely tell us about it very soon.
Claire Fox has fair point against "hyperbolic slur" of saying the ERG were as bad as the Nazis. But why did a candidate who wants to uphold democracy support armed resistance against & after 1998 referendum verdicts (72% & 96%) for Good Friday Agreement?

A good case for inviting those who have held extreme anti-democratic views into mainstream electoral politics. (Complex issues on boundaries/sincerity)

If it comes to championing IRA murders, surely this must be a minimum foundation for Brexit Party?

Colin Parry reports that Claire Fox called him today, but would not disavow the IRA bombing campaign
Sally Bate resigns as a Brexit Party candidate in north-west because Claire Fox will not disavow her support of IRA bombing campaign. I understand Sally Bate lives in Warrington; resigned after Fox's response to Colin Parry call to disavow IRA violence
There are three ex-RCP (former?/current?) supporters of the IRA running for the Brexit Party, in the north-west, Yorkshire and London. I am not clear if the others have been asked if they still hold and defend those views supporting terrorism
Brexit Party candidate James Heartfield has co-written serious book on Easter 1916, defending trad republican account from the "revisionists'. Eg,critiques commemoration of Irish volunteers in WW1 since they fought for the 'wrong cause' & 'wrong country'

google.co.uk/amp/s/www.spik…
Academic Alka Seghal Cuthbert wrote for Spiked about why she is standing for the Brexit party. Includes her family's experience of racism. (Nb: It is quite possible she had no particular involvement in RCP on Ireland; I do not know her background on that).
spiked-online.com/2019/04/22/why…
Heartfield's co-author Kevin Rooney chaired this admirably pluralist & nuanced Institute of Ideas panel on the poppy in Ireland back in 2012, where he and Ruth Dudley-Edwards gave contrasting perspectives on growing Irish commemoration of WW1 volunteers

britishfuture.org/articles/news/…
Personally, I have a pro-revisionist bias. Though Heartfield/Rooney counter-argument about the aspirations of moderate nationalists being blocked eg stridency of Bonar Law is sadly true
google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theg…
Nick Taylor, Director of @peacefoundation reflects on Warrington and RCP support for the IRA bombing. Says of Claire Fox's conversation with Colin Parry today that "the statement that Fox stands by is not radical, it is extreme"

Brexit Party have one candidate who campaigns against terror, after her mother was killed by IRA at Enniskillen. And at least one candidate (three?) from group who defended IRA Enniskillen murders & even now, refuse to disavow, when asked by relatives
A continued refusal in 2019 to disavow vocal support for IRA bombing has to be a deal-breaker. It will be absolutely shameful if it is the campaigner for victims who ends up standing down here. But maybe she can convince her fellow candidates
google.co.uk/amp/s/www.news…
Maybe an issue of personal integrity: being unable to disavow past support for IRA murders, if that would be insincere.

If supporters of extremist violence want to enter electoral politics for a mainstream party, should insist on very clear choice between ballot box & armalite
Warrington Guardian report: local Warrington4Brexit candidate quits her Brexit party MEP candidacy after fellow candidate Claire Fox refuses Colin Ball's request to publicly disavow her support for the IRA bombing Warrington.
warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/17612997.…
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More from @sundersays see all

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Sunder Katwala
@sundersays
"Pro-EU parties to use European elections as 'soft referendum'"
* the approach outlined (no alliances or pacts, compete with other pro-EU parties) is literally the opposite of a referendum approach (combine/aggregate: seek majority).
theguardian.com/politics/2019/…
It doesn't work as a proxy referendum
britishfuture.org/articles/europ…

Probable Change UK, Greens, LibDems, Renew contest in some regions reduces no of pro-Remain MEPs, eg 4-way split of 15-20% can "waste" votes under PR lists. (Eg waste < 5%, or end wasting 15% = no seats x4 if unlucky)
A particular risk in regions that are smaller & more challenging (eg especially north-east; also east midlands, east of england). It may be important in Wales, where Plaid means 5-way division of non-Labour pro-EU. Scotland a bit different again: major pro-EU party in SNP
Read 20 tweets
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Sunder Katwala
@sundersays
Most probable outcome of European Council (21st to 22nd March) is an agreed extension to Article 50 (perhaps to 22nd May, or to end of June). This short extension may make more difference than is often suggested, as to whether decisions are made (not deferred again) in April-June
Must be mutual. If the EU wants the withdrawal agreement to pass, the logical strategy is to be very open to a 2-3 month extension (with v.few conditions) while setting out clear conditions on any further extension (including that an extended extension has to be 12-18 months).
The Opposition (if committed to preventing No Deal by July) would need to either support a longer delay, or to offer terms for support/acquiescence to Withdrawal Agreement.

Read 9 tweets
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Sunder Katwala
@sundersays
The European Elections will be increasingly prominent in the debate about extensions to Article 50. I have not yet seen anybody try to sort out several unanswered questions about this unprecedented situation. (The situation may be messier than is commonly asserted).
Some key dates:
- April 18th: European parliamentary session ends.
- May 23rd - May 26th: European Parliamentary Elections
- July 2nd: new European Parliament convenes for first time.

EU members have a legal obligation to hold European Elections.
- UK is not planning to take part in the EU elections, because Article 50 expires on 29th March. So extension to 22nd May would be similar.
- It is often said an extension to 1st July could involve a derogation (UK not taking part) as would not be a member when EP convenes
Read 21 tweets

Related threads

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Bob From Brockley
@bobfrombrockley
A short thread about Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party candidates from Spiked (Claire Fox & Alka Cuthbert - also active in the Full Brexit pressure group), their Northern Ireland backstory, and the crapness of our media:
1/ A while back I looked at Sunday Times allegations about Jeremy Corbyn’s IRA links brockley.blogspot.com/2018/09/jeremy… with a follow up about the Warrington bombings and the general climate on the left at the time brockley.blogspot.com/2018/09/three-…
2/ I noted that most of the left were broadly pro-Republican in the 1980s, for good reasons, but that the Warrington bombings & similar atrocities turned the tide. Even the most hardcore pro-IRA groups supported the peace process.
Read 27 tweets
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Pete North
@PeteNorth303
Claire Fox was one of the mongs who went out with the "invoke Article 50 now" banners the week after the referendum knowing nothing about the process, caring nothing for detail and has learned nothing since. A carpetbagger spouting empty rhetoric. Farage with a vagina.

#Brexit
She'll trot out all the slogans "largest mandate in history" etc but has no more idea of what's involved in the process than any of the other Brexit blob morons. She hasn't thought about a destination for Brexit much less having an idea of what she actually wants to achieve.
She'll go on the telly and the radio to blether about democracy, claiming that anyone who voted leave voted for her own version of it - ie anything that isn't no deal is somehow a betrayal of Brexit - operating from a position of TOTAL ignorance.
Read 6 tweets
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Tom Kibasi
@TomKibasi
THREAD: The myth of the soft Brexit majority.

A majority in this parliament needs to get to 320. It's been repeated so often that it has become a truth—that there is a majority for a soft Brexit in parliament.

Here's why that's almost certainly not the case.

(1/9)
Let's start with the Labour Party (245 MPs).

Soft Brexit is the position of the leadership (see JC letter to TM 6/2).

But there are at least 60 strong backers of a people's vote in the PLP & maybe 5 who want a harder Brexit.

So Labour brings max 180 MPs to soft Brexit.

(2/9)
What would the SNP do?

Well, Scotland voted to Remain, and yesterday Sturgeon said: "preferably asking for a longer extension to put the issue back to voters".

So don't count on any SNP support for soft Brexit

(3/9)
Read 12 tweets
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Lord Snoutintrough #FBPE
@Rowland72James
#BREXIT craziness update so maybots deal is blown out of the water l. Similarly corbyns vote of no confidence fails and won't be backed by SNP and lib dems
Despite her #BREXIT deal being defeated by biggest margin a government has lost a vote ever maybot seeks concessions on backstop despite being told to bog off by the EU with no realistic hope of a different answer
Corbyn meanwhile refuses to talk #BREXIT without no deal being ruled out despite knowing she can't do this whilst maybot makes no concessions either.
Read 14 tweets
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tony nog #FBPE
@tony_nog
Interview with Corbyn today:
"We can't stop #Brexit"

150 CLPs asked for a #PeoplesVote
Option to Remain got a standing ovation
It's supposed to be (watered down) Labour policy

@uklabour when will you get it?
Corbyn's *not* a democrat
He's *not interested* in your views
@UKLabour It really couldn't be simpler, #Brexit is falling apart and with Corbyn gone & Labour building on the 54% who now want Remain it would be dead

If he can't support his members, voters & the country on ending Brexit can he at least have the decency to shut up about it?
@UKLabour There's literally no excuses left, the party wants an end to #Brexit, a majority of Labour seats want a #PeoplesVote, even a majority of the country.

He said he'd listen to the members, then shut down the #PeoplesVote they overwhelmingly asked for by reinforcing Brexit *again*
Read 6 tweets
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tony nog #FBPE
@tony_nog
1) Megathread - Yes, the #Brexit vote is illegitimate, and it's not elitist to say so

Simply put, a vote that is based on misconceptions and illusions but which *cannot* be reversed is an affront to democracy therefore the very concept of the referendum is illegitimate
2) So why was the #Brexit vote illegitimate? Well, broadly speaking:
1) The Brexit we "voted for" ends FoM, the ECJ & payments to EU
2) This will be severely damaging to the economy & jobs
3) If the public was asked today the same question but were told the above,Remain would win
3) Leave simply would not win if the costs of the #Brexit they promised were revealed honestly in a second referendum. The only way they could win is if these costs were obscured again

buzzfeed.com/albertonardell…
Read 13 tweets

Trending hashtags

#EURef #journalism #projectfear #Brexit #Government #ProjectFear #Article50 #Whips #DUP #industry #StopBrexit #2ndReferendum #fbpe #PeoplesVote #May #brexit #TheBattleforBrexit #Amendment22 #EP2019 #pseudoscience #EuropeanElections #ToryParty #Amendment #GeneralElection #NoDealBrexit
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