Thread by @MattCarr55

This clip really does remind me why Miliband lost. Why Labour lost and will lose. For Labour to adopt a ‘Rejoin’ position wld be political suicide. But to ‘embrace’ Brexit and praise it as a ‘big idea’ is a painfully shallow, opportunistic and dishonest populist ploy. Why?

https://twitter.com/nicktolhurst/status/1400705706181935104

1) Because Brexit is transparently not a ‘big idea’ in any meaningful sense. Its grandiose aspirations - such as they are - are entirely disconnected from any realistic understanding of the real world, whether in regard to trade, migration, or geopolitics.

It’s a ‘big idea’ only in the sense that ‘Make America Great Again’ is a big idea. Brexit is based on a very similar combination of bitter nationalism, national exceptionalism, national victimhood, all fused with imperial nostalgia. This isn’t ‘big’; it’s toxic and dangerous.

2) Miliband is ‘embracing’ an idea whose negative and harmful economic consequences are becoming clearer with each passing week, and about which Labour has been shamefully silent.

3) SMEs, farmers, fishermen, musicians, transport, hospitality - all these sectors have been harmed by a ‘big idea’ that promised the exact opposite of what is actually happening, in part because Brexiters never understood what this ‘big idea’ meant.

4) European nationals are now being detained and deported as a result of this ‘big idea’ - why is Labour not supporting them?

5)This ‘big idea’ now threatens to pull the Union apart - not a bad thing to my mind, but definitely not what its progenitors intended

6) Brexit has consolidated the power of the hard right in British politics, breaking its flimsy systemic checks and balances to the point when the most corrupt government in British history enjoys almost complete impunity. Would Miliband ‘embrace’ that too?

7) Brexit has instrumentalised the ‘culture wars’ that are destroying even nominal notions of the common good and which are making it ever more unlikely that a left of centre government will take power - unless in coalition of some kind

8) Miliband’s clumsy populist gestures - presumably aimed at placating the ‘Red Wall’ makes such a coalition more difficult and unlikely. Even Remainers who don’t believe it’s possible to ‘rejoin’ - at least now - will be offended and put off by this language

9) Miliband says ‘the argument is over’ - it clearly isn’t, because this argument was always in part an argument about what kind of country the UK should be. By ‘embracing’ Brexit, Labour reduces its ability to reverse the negative consequences of Brexit or even mention them.

10) All very disappointing. But very much in line with Miliband’s previous position on migration - privately recognising its advantages while publicly maintaining a hardline stance and boasting about immigration controls etc

So even in a difficult strategic environment,Labour ought to serve up something more than this lukewarm populist latte otherwise it will lose the voters it might have had & not get the ones it’s aiming for, and things will never get better &;may get a hell of a lot worse.