Comment Corbynites now see the ‘left’ as playing into Tories’ hands
There will be some people who object to me calling this a right-wing view. There are Conservatives, and other people on the right, who support freedom of movement.
But it was usually safe to assume someone complaining about immigration was a right-winger. And if you were on the left, you were probably fine with immigration. Not any more. It’s now the left that wants to end freedom of movement.
The policy was included in Labour’s 2017 general election manifesto.
And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed the policy on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, saying that when European immigrants want to come to the UK “we will look at the situation on a basis of the job and skill needs.”
Those who disagree – who point out that academic studies have disproved the myth that migration drives down wages, that migrants are not to blame for bad employers, that you can quit the EU without ending freedom of movement and that our society benefits enormously from freedom of movement – are labelled “right-wingers”, “Blairites” or “centrists” (sometimes “centrist dads”). There’s more. As we consider how to carry out Brexit, it’s clear that the UK has two real options.
We can continue to enjoy the benefits of membership of the Customs Union and the Single Market. Or we can leave these institutions and attempt to go it alone.
A third option is sometimes touted. This is to negotiate some new deal which gives us the same benefits as membership of the Single Market and Customs Union, but also lets us ignore any rules we don’t like.
This, however, is impossible. The EU will never give to us. The nearest we’re going to get is option one with some of the names changed.
What type of Brexit does the right want? Obviously, right-wingers such as Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg want a hard Brexit – option two. They insist we should leave the Customs Union and Single Market.
The Government’s own studies have shown this would be disastrous for the economy. It would mean fewer jobs, lower wages, less money for public services and more austerity. So you’d think, surely, that left-wingers would take a different view.
Uh, no. Apparently, if you want to stand up to the Mogg then you are, once again, a right-winger, or at least a centrist. You may think I’m kidding. But take a look at the selection of a Labour candidate to fight the London constituency of Lewisham East, where a by-election is being held.
The local party selected local councillor Janey Daby – after she promised to support working people by fighting against the Moggite vision of Brexit.
Brexit is the most important issue facing the country today, given that it encompasses so much else (the economy, jobs, wages, NHS funding etc).
And the candidate with the most left-wing views on the issue won, I would have thought.
But apparently not. Selfproclaimed Labour left-wingers and journalists see it as a defeat.
Somehow, being on the left has come to mean helping right-wing Tories get what they want.