The EU plans to permanently sabotage a Jeremy Corbyn-led government
The EU reportedly has longstanding plans to permanently sabotage a Jeremy Corbyn-led government. A senior EU source involved in the withdrawal negotiations told the Times that the “real battle” of Brexit was preventing a future Corbyn government transforming the UK economy. In other words, the EU wants severe restrictions on a Labour administration’s public spending in any Brexit deal.
The worst form of the sabotage
Theresa May’s deal would legislate the worst form of the EU’s sabotage. As part of the Northern Ireland backstop, the UK remains locked into EU rules preventing state intervention in the economy with “non-regression”. That means that, when the EU legislates further restrictions on public spending, the UK will automatically follow without any say on the matter. And the government’s legal advice that May tried to hide shows there is no way for the UK to leave the backstop without approval from the EU.
The EU’s “real fear” is Jeremy Corbyn
But it’s not just May’s deal that could tie a Labour government’s hands. Rather, the EU is a free-market project that essentially has austerity written into its laws. So undermining a Corbyn government is central to the EU’s Brexit negotiations. As the Times‘s senior source said:
The real fear is state subsidies under a Jeremy Corbyn government. British policy has remained unchanged for generations but now there is a real chance of a left-wing government reversing it. We have to protect ourselves and the single market.
According to the source, the EU has punishments lined up for a Corbyn government including tariffs, customs checks, and the so-called “nuclear option” of placing restrictions on UK aircraft.
We are sleepwalking into a disaster
The EU source also told the Times that it publicly focuses on issues like environmental standards post-Brexit simply “because it is better public relations”. But EU standards are nowhere near enough anyway. The recent intergovernmental climate change report shows we have about a decade to decarbonise the global economy. And the free-market dogma of the Conservatives and the EU is very unlikely to do anything fast enough.
What we need is revolutionary public investment in renewables, as Labour pledges in its manifesto. And that level of investment is incompatible with membership of the EU’s single market.
The EU is not the friend of Labour supporters. As the sabotage attempts show, the free-market bloc is quite the opposite.
Featured image via fishfish_01/ Flickr and Theglobalpanaorama/ Flickr
Director of capitalist think tank launches a stunningly hypocritical attack on a Guardian journalist
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I’d say James has it right. The EU is a free maket project with austeritly written into its laws.
It’s not unlike when the French revolution was a threat to the royal’s realm. Its just a modern version.
New philosophy requested!
During WWII the Germans were still paying reparations to England for what happened in WWI.
These are the kind of people you are dealing with.
Look no further than the RBS with it outlandish bonus’s after it was bailed out by billions, billions of public money.
People pay for the ruling classes mistakes always!
Even if the politicial/wealthy group in Greece are corrupt, the people pay the price of their mistake.
Make no mistake who is paying their bailout.
I think Junkers will junker the EU in the end if this orthodoxy stays in palce.
Why a new philosophy has to be by the people for the people.
Have I heard this before?
Is this Communism?
Having just returned from France, I can assure Canary readers that there is no more consensus in that country, than there is here on the correct way forward for a re forming Government. The only difference here in the UK, is that a Corbyn Government in alliance with the SNP will start the break up of the United Kingdom, an Independent Scotland, a re united Ireland, but with an on going civil war, a semi autonomous Wales, and regions in what is left of England clamouring for semi independence London will want to be a self governing EU Region.
Wow! You got all those “facts” on Corbyn’s apparent plans to breakup the UK & “civil war” from a trip to France?
Personally I wouldn’t put much faith in hearsay from a country that has been so overwhelmingly duped into voting an ex-Goldman Sachs banker into their presidency to “reform” them and is now paying the huge price of their foolish folly!
So thanks for your wise assurances – but no thanks.
Your quite astute. If one votes for a deal or deal Brexit what you say will happen. The only option is to remain, and work it out within the EU to replace the neoliberal philosophy which is looking like junk around the world.
This is a lot of work to replace, and can’t be done alone but Jeremy Corbyn isn’t afraid to look for one.
Around the world I see feeble minds in leadership which is no fault of their own as the world is quickly changing , and nothing is known about humanity who they are supposed to lead. No guidebook is written.
By the time it is written its obsolete which is good.
The fact that these leaders can’t stop a war in Syria , and instead simply take the consequences of refugees bombed out of their homeland shows how feeble minded they are..
Macron’s little talk on nationalism, and patriotism without mentioning the significance of how important a culture is to people shows how shallow the understanding. Its interesting the neoliberal regime has no respect for a culture yet the wealthy buy paintings, support the arts etc. What a disconnect.
Now he has riots.
The EU should tell Trumplandia that the American militiary has to leave from Europe and save America’s infrastructure or face financial doom. Do it for us! Save what used to make America great!
The ” let us be” French reply is to be a wall flower fading in the sun.
I live in Canada but what is interesting is we have the identical problems here with the same complaints.
A oneness is here in the world beyond anything religion has dreamt of.
To correct my pevious letter, revolution begins when humanity is suppressed without a voice to speak, and be listened to in finding a way into the future. No” ignorance isn’t bliss”
I refuse it.
Hoping I’m not boring you half to death.
I say this is distinct possibility of what will happen as well but the reasons will be a rejection of what the Tories economic philosophy means to people just like it does in France.
What is confusing in the debate is it’s an abstract political jargon of left, neoliberal , the right., the backstop. Where is the plain language anyone can understand regardless of the politic. Where are the analogies or real life consequences mentioned as was pointed 2 thousand years ago in Greece I forget by who.
There is a reason why its so confusing , and it’s in someones interest to play the people for fools
It reminds one of when the Bible was only read aloud in Latin, and only those who read Latin could understand what was said which were the ruling class.
Hard to believe but true that people could just sit there and listen without apparantly understanding a word.
It started a revolution.
“The EU is not the friend of Labour supporters. As the sabotage attempts show, the free-market bloc is quite the opposite.”
Very true indeed. So why does the Canary seem to be so pro-remain? The pro-corporate EU will only want to thwart Corbyn’s plans to nationalize etc. Its focus on retaining “state aid” rules rather than workers rights is very telling. Do we really believe that there are 60,000 corporate lobbyists in Brussels to be “helpful”?
This is from the Times, a Brexit supporting Rupert Murdoch newspaper. It is what I would expect from them, but not from the Canary.
There are neoliberals in the EU, there are neoliberals controlling the UK. But the EU is a far more democratic body than the UK and it is perfectly possible to reform the EU – from within. Outside it, we have no chance to do anything except a so-called trade deal with Trump that will destroy whatever is left of the UK’s sovereignty, democracy, human rights, economy, everything.
The Times is spouting absurd Murdoch propaganda and it needs to be treated with the contempt it deserves.
People in England who think that Britain still has any real influence in the world, or that countries will queue up to trade on good terms with it, are in cloud cuckoo land.
Anyone who seriously thinks any deal is possible that avoids a hard border in Ireland needs their head examining. There is no ‘backstop’. It is the Brexiters who want a border – and not just a customs border either but one that prevents ‘free movement’ of people. The Scots and the DUP – and Trump, who wants to buy the whole UK – will not stand for a border in the Irish Sea. And the Republic of Ireland, backed by the EU, will not be prepared to exit the EU too simply to please the Brexiteers, however much they threaten to starve them out. The only possible Brexit is a hard Brexit. May’s so-called ‘deal’ simply kicks it down the road.
We have to reverse our decision to leave and remain – as soon as possible.
I’d say there are many countries in the Eu who are not happy with the Austerity Philosophy, To Remain does not mean to submit to an authoritarian rule for the sake of a free market economy. Why shouldn’t a State be involved in a civil disobediance. How does the EU evolve?
You mean it is cast in stone from it’s beginning never to be altered? Its ridiculous to think it has no will to adapt to a radcially changing world.
Deaf, and dumb forever?
I think the UK has more chance of orchestrating real change by not going it alone, and suffering the grave trade consequences.
Why wasn’t a soft EU deal done like Norway.
Where was the leadership?
These leaders do nothing to stop the war in Syria while Germany, Russia, America, Britian and are all accomplises to the refugee problem without any recognition their leadership created it.
If they are so smart why is everything going so wrong?