Thread by @RichardBentall

1/13 It is hard for a remain/rejoiner not to feel frustrated by @UKLabour right now. Starmer's silence on Brexit is deafening. theguardian.com/politics/2021/…

2/13 I wrote about what remain/rejoiner's attitudes towards @UKLabour should be a little while ago, urging patience and for party members to put their weight behind @Labour4EU.

https://twitter.com/RichardBentall/status/1348352711545278466?s=20

3/13 I am continuing to hold my nerve right now, but I think @Keir_Starmer is in danger of making a bad mistake, losing the support of remain/rejoiners while failing to regain the trust of the red wall leavers (who were fewer in number than commonly supposed anyway).

4/13 Remaining silent about the damage caused by Brexit will not make that damage go away, and will make @UKLabour's voice less powerful when talking about it becomes unavoidable. Brexit isn't over; it isn't going away anytime soon.

5/13 I also think flag waving will be counter-productive, for reasons eloquently explained by Council Estate Voices (it seems false and will not persuade working class voters): councilestatemedia.uk/2021/02/can-st…

6/13 Apart from anything else, the Tories will always out-fascist anything @UKLabour can do, so emmulating them is madness - a hiding to nothing that will just accelerate Britian's shift towards Orban-style totalitarianism.

7/13 @UKLabour's silence on Brexit is simply from fear that the Tories will use Brexit against them if they dare speak it's name. I say, so what? There is now a clear majority of the population that thinks Brexit was a terrible mistake.

8/13 Also @UKLabour are in danger of taking the population for idiots. Ordinary people can understand that rejoining the single market and customs union would solve many, many of our current problems. There's a half-way house between leave and rejoin that needs explaining.

9/13 But @UKLabour obviously needs help to overcome its fear. It needs big nudges from both inside and outside the party, to show it that greater engagement with the EU is a winning ticket not a losing one. independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

10/13 This is why, as soon as coronavirus restrictions allow, we need strong public demonstrations in favour of greater engagement with Europe. @UKLabour needs to be shown the strength of feeling on this - feelings that they can capitalise on but the Tories can't.

11/13 And those of who are members of @UKLabour, like me, need to increase the pressure from within in any way possible - in our local constituencies and party conferences.

12/13 The ministerial appointment of the dismal Frost shows that, left to their own devices, the Tories will try and increase conflict with the EU and weaponise it to promote the uber-nationalism (near fascism) that they see as the key to their survival. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

13/13 Any true patriot can see that this kind of nationalism can only lead to disaster. We must therefore do everything we can to make @UKLabour change direction. Most MPs and Party members want to, so it can be made to happen. It's just a matter of applying enough pressure.

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