Fighting for a remain vote on June 23 and for a different Europe

Terry Conway reports

Over 1000 people gathered in central London on Saturday to hear a range of powerful speakers and discuss what role they could play over the next short weeks to secure a vote for remain in the European referendum on June 23 at an event called by Another Europe is Possible , open Democracy and Diem25. I certainly came away motivated to step up what I do to get out the arguments to as wide a number of others as I possibly can. This is one small contribution (and I’m planning others – this week focusing on trying to get round student halls of residence to make sure people are on the register before midnight on June 7 – you can also share this link at the bottom of your emails or on social media)

The audience was unusual as much of the organised left, who unfortunately are in favour of an exit vote, had stayed away. It was a younger audience than at many left gatherings, and probably included a higher percentage of people without campaigning experience. Left Unity supporters got our leaflets out to much of the audience, both as people were queueing to get in and in the main hall, explaining that we are involved in the Party of the European Left.

The first panel, chaired by Neal Lawson from Compass, consisted of Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, shadow climate minister Clive Lewis, author and activist Owen Jones, Sirio Canós Donnay from Podemos, Anthony Barnett, from openDemocracy (probably best known for his role in Charter 88 and Yanis Varoufakis from DiEM25

Following a series of other sessions – a participative discussion, a series of workshops and time for practical organising , the final plenary was addressed by shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Young Labour chair Caroline Hill, FBU general secretary Matt Wrack and migrants’ rights activist and AEIP spokesperson Zoe Gardner.

There were common messages from all the speakers I heard during the day. We didn’t choose this referendum and we are witnessing a civil war within the Tory party.  “This is a neoliberal civil war. And history shows that when the Right play with fire we all get burned”. #VoteIn  The danger of a Boris Johnson government in the event of a vote for Brexit was rightly raised by many – as was the fact that none of us can afford to be complacent about the slender lead for remain in opinion polls

Time is short between now and the date of the referendum itself and the arguments made by both official campaigns are treated with the contempt they deserve by most voters. Yannis Varofakis made the well-received point that, as an economist, he knows all their figures are nonsense and pointed out : “The two campaigns are infantilising voters in a rather cynical and astonishing fashion. We on the other hand rely on investing in reasoned debate.”

We can’t afford to leave it to the mainstream politicians – as Owen Jones pointed out they majority of whom support neoliberalism, privatisation and exploiting the poor  – we have to get out there and get our voices heard, arguing for a different Europe. John McDonnell argued that we cannot let the right and the Tories drag this debate into the intellectual gutter. As AIEP’s Zoe Gardner said, in closing the event:  “If we leave it to Stronger In then we may lose the referendum and a chance to be part of an EU we might want”

Harriet Harman this week and Sadiq Khan today appearing with the Tories further underline the importance of Matt Wracks’s point that that too much of the debate is between “two camps of the ruling class” we need an independent Labour movement campaign – a role that AEIP is able to play.

Caroline Lucas, amongst others, took on the argument that we should withdraw from Europe in order to defeat the horrors of TTIP – an argument she also made strongly in The Independent. Both she and Clive Lewis spoke about the environment – pointing out that climate change and polluters are no respecters of borders.

In a powerful speech, Young Labour’s Caroline Hill pointed out that young people have been systematically kicked off the register by the Tories and that “my generation cannot afford to lose this.”  She reminded us that the debate is being framed by negativity and fear and that we need a positive vision of adequate healthcare and housing for all.

Inevitably, many of the speakers focused on the question of migration. John McDonnell told us: “I am proud to be the grandson of a migrant worker” and that Irish men built much of our infrastructure while Irish women sustained our public services.

“It’s important that the left don’t ignore immigration. Britain is one of the greatest beneficiaries of free movement. We shouldn’t be able sleep at night when the bodies of refugees wash up on European shores. Our consciences do not end at the English Channel or the North Sea.”

He continued “Migrants put in more than they take out “ and that “We mustn’t let the Tories use migration as a smokescreen for cuts”.

But amongst a whole array of great contributions, as well as useful exchanges with other participants – some of whom I knew before and others of whom I’d never met, for me the undisputed highlight of the day was the FBU’s Matt Wrack. He wasn’t the most warmly received before he started – that was Varoufakis – though Caroline Lucas, Owen Jones and John McDonnell were not far behind – but afterwards I think he might just have done it.

Both the content and the delivery of his contribution were excellent – so much so that I will quote large chunks of it:

“ I struggle myself  to understand the enthusiasm with which some of my comrades on the left have embraced this referendum. I fail to see any benefits from a vote to leave. …This has largely been a debate between the elite – between businesses that want to exploit us better outside the EU and businesses that want to exploit us better inside the EU… The labour movement can’t ally with either faction of the ruling class – they both represent the interests of banks and billionaires not of ordinary people. .. “

“I want to take up one of the arguments made by some of the left … and I will say it before they do. The European Union is a bosses club. There is no gloss from me on this question… Many have been appalled by the treatment of the Greek people in relation to the fight against austerity… we don’t prettify that… the EU acts to promote the interests of capital – but, brothers and sisters, so does UK PLC and so does the British state. ..”

“If you look historically, over the last 35 years you will find that British governments of various descriptions have pioneered neoliberalism internationally, in Britain and in the EU.  So yes we have enemies in the EU and its institutions but on many of these issues our main enemy is here in the City of London, here in Westminster… “

“The EU has made concessions on the question of worker’s rights despite its origins, despite its lack of democracy and these would be under immediate threat in the event of a British vote to leave… Those calling for such a vote within the labour movement have nothing to say in reality about what happens on day two, what happens in year one and year two, what will happen to EU base law, what will happen to those workers’ rights that have been won as a result of those concessions… These are dismissed by some as secondary, but they are not secondary to millions of ordinary working people in this country. .. “

“Leaving will benefit the racists, the xenophobes and the far right in Britain and indeed across the continent and indeed it’s already happening . … Workers here are suffering and it’s the result of a long running economic depression, sparked by the banks in pursuit of profit not by migrants.  Housing shortages mean that many young people have no real prospect of a decent place to live, of getting on the so called housing ladder, that’s a result of a failure of the housing market not of migrants….Stretched public services like my own are a result of policies pursued by David Cameron and George Osbourne not of migrants. .. Low pay is caused by rip off bosses not by migrants”

“From our point of view a vote to remain is not taken as an endorsement of the status quo but recognition that at the present time we have not been in a position to put in place something better. A vote to remain for us means a cold realistic assessment of the balance of forces we face today and the prospects of the different outcomes in the referendum. .. “

“But it must be the start of a campaign to build a new alternative. .. We want to see democratic change, in Britain and across Europe. Let’s end the secrecy that surrounds many of the EU institutions, let’s see what the European Central Bank discusses …, let’s see what these people are plotting against us…. We need to develop a European wide campaign for a real alternative to austerity, to xenophobia and to climate disaster…”

“Our future is a Europe of democracy and of solidarity… Can that be done within the current EU. That’s a debate we need to have brothers and sisters … Our strategy in response to the international economic crisis is a strategy based on internationalism and solidarity, for another Europe , for a worker’s Europe… for a fundamental change both here at home and across Europe.”

Hard hitting, uncompromising and inspiring – but most importantly addressing the arguments of those on the left who support exit – who, in a close poll we can’t afford not to engage with.

There were inevitably aspects of the day that could have been stronger. The CWU’s Dave Ward didn’t turn up for the workshop on Corporate power and workers’ rights which as a result didn’t really deal with the debate taking place amongst many trade unionists around the referendum. Given that this is the place where the “Lexiters” are probably strongest this was a missed opportunity. The campaign needs to urgently look at developing a briefing for trade unionists – and using many of the arguments in Matt Wrack’s speech would be a great start.

Nor did I agree with everything that was said about the European Union itself. In particular, when Caroline Lucas says that the problem is the EU’s policies not its institutions then this ignores the fact that it’s the most undemocratic institutions – the European Commission and the council of Ministers  rather than the European Parliament – that have the real power. But it’s not surprising that there should be a range of views here – and AEIP gives an opportunity to debate and explore these.

Varoufakis’ Diem 25 hasn’t had much exposure in Britain before this and in terms of detail, despite hearing his plenary contribution and getting to part of the workshop, I’m not that much wiser. But while I do have some reservations (about someone who claimed always to have had a plan B for the Greek economy at the time but didn’t say so at the time, and who seems primarily interested in projecting themselves as an individual rather than as part of a team), initiatives that bring together progressive forces across the continent on a positive basis deserve support. And the call from Diem 24 for greater transparency  of EU institutions mirrors a lot of what Matt Wrack talked about and should certainly be widely endorsed.

And I was fascinated by the allusion made by John McDonnell that will have been missed by many participants when he talked about being In and Against the state on a British and European level – another concept that merits further exploration. AEIP has always said it was going to continue after June 23, after Saturday I have the confidence that it will do.

A long day of political discussion wasn’t over at the end of the conference – there was a call for as many participants as possible to come to Euston station and do some leafletting and talking to others about the campaign. Dozens of us did so buoyed up by the arguments we had been hearing and exploring and got an positive response.

Get involved:

Order Left Unity leaflets on the referendum from info@leftunity.org

Sign the London conference declaration

Sign up as an AEIP volunteer

Watch the live stream of the opening plenary, the workshop run by Diem25  and the closing plenary