“We do have to work collectively…Owen [Smith] has made it clear he’s not prepared to abide by the collective responsibility principle,” notes the Shadow Transport Secretary.
Lavish campaign spending does not guarantee electoral success. If it did, Brexit wouldn’t be happening. And Theresa May would now have a majority.
If Hillary and Remain had won, using the same methods, would anyone at the Guardian or the BBC have cared a bean about Cambridge Analytica’s behaviour?
Given that most people don’t really understand what it is or how it works, it’s a field ripe for under- or over-reaction. Or, indeed, both at the same time.
The message that some send to Brussels – that if the Eurocrats make it all painful enough then we can be bullied into changing our minds – is mistaken but harmful.
That’s unlikely to deter hardcore Remainers from egging Juncker et al on. But will it persuade Labour to stop working with Brussels against the UK negotiating position?
The Mayor should take the responsibility to be a unifying figure with a positive message – not just churn out doom-laden predictions.
Also: SNP’s deputy leadership contest reveals splits over Europe and ‘Indyref2’; and Jones demands ‘soft border’ between Irish and Welsh ports post-Brexit.
Many voters – Leave and Remain – appreciate his spirit of boldness, and want to move on from past divisions, not reopen them. There are opportunities to be grasped.
“It has become absolutely clear to me that we cannot take the argument for granted.”
Some of the powers it proposes to give to ministers are not democratically acceptable. But peers should correct these flaws, not seek to block Brexit itself.
Voters know that Project Fear-style predictions can’t be trusted – it’s remarkable that pro-EU campaigners still haven’t realised the tactic has been rumbled.
If making a final decision seemed too risky for the Prime Minister, her deliberate indecision has now proved even more dangerous.
Many Leave voters may dislike the necessary kowtowing to President Trump just as much as they did our deference to Brussels.
First we must ensure that we fully regain control of trade policy from Brussels. Then we must ensure we put those new powers to their fullest use.