On This Day in History Britain voted to leave the EU: What followed was 5 years of chaos and the collapse of the Labour Party

On the 23rd of June 2016, the UK voted to LEAVE the EU 

The Conservative government and the Remain camp were confident of victory but by the time the final EU Referendum results came in they had realised not only had they lost the argument, but they also had to implement the result.

A shocked Westminster found themselves in a position they or the establishment did not expect or want. 

The People had voted the wrong way! The poll was to leave the EU.

The vote share came in at Leave 51.9% translating into 17,410,742 votes and 16,141,241 votes for remain, a margin of 1,269,501 votes. 

A clear majority in the context of EU referendums. Especially when you understand the Referendums on the Maastricht treaty. In France and denmark they actualy had a referendum on such a big give away of soverenty, it was known as the “petit oui“, that along with the Danish “No” vote are considered to be signal of the end of the “permissive consensus” on European integration which had existed in most of continental Europe until then. From this point, forward issues relating to European integration were subject to parliaments and not the people. 

It is in that contrast, we see the treaty that formed the EU was won by a majority of 50.8% or 12,957,324 voters, against the 12,542,635 voters who did not support the forming of the EU, a difference of fewer than 500k people. 

Of course, the British did not get a vote on becoming part of the EU, no referendum for us. Parliament and the Tories under John Major decided our voice did not matter. 

Jeremy Corbyn had quite a lot to say on our behalf, Corbyn opposed the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, stating: “… the whole basis of the Maastricht treaty is the establishment of a European central bank which is staffed by bankers, independent of national Governments and national economic policies, and whose sole policy is the maintenance of price stability[.] That will undermine any social objective that any Labour Government in the United Kingdom—or any other Government—would wish to carry out. … The Maastricht treaty does not take us in the direction of the checks and balances contained in the American federal constitution[.] It takes us in the opposite direction of an unelected legislative body—the [European] Commission—and, in the case of foreign policy, a policy Commission that will be, in effect, imposing foreign policy on nation states that have fought for their own democratic accountability”

There are many facets resulting from the 2016 referendum but let’s just have a brief look at how it has virtually destroyed the Left with their insistence of a second referendum.

Chaos reigns

If the referendum was a test of democracy for the Labour Party, it failed dramatically.

The entire Referendum campaign and the run-up to the 23rd of June became very complicated. Some people voted within their tribal groups their political spheres, some voted in protest against the establishment and the Tories, after all the Tories were desperate to remain in the EU. 

But for a majority, it was all about sovereignty and the question of where the heart of our democracy was to reside, was it in Brussels or Westminster.

The Blairites within the Labour Party shouted loudest and won the argument to campaign for the status quo. Even if historically Labour and the Left had always opposed the undemocratic neoliberal EU the official campigne was to Remain.

With former EU commissioner Lord Peter Mandelson running the remain camp for Labour the Dark Prince set out to convince the Left that being part of a right-wing economic and political trade organisation which actively worked against socialism was a good idea. Boy did he do a good job on some of you.

It should be noted Lord Peter Mandelson sat on the board on Britain Stronger IN Europe. He along with Roland Rudd another of Tony Blair’s advisers later setup the Corbyn–sceptic remain campaign pressure group ‘The People’s vote’

Britain Stronger in Europe (formally The In Campaign Limited) was an advocacy group which campaigned in favour of the United Kingdom’s continued membership of the European Union in the 2016 British referendum.

It should also be stated that there appears to have been some overlap between the the Labour Party staffers mentioned in the buried #Labourleaks of the Forde report and the organisation “Britain Stronger In Europe”; of course at this point I would be remis if I did not mention Mandelson’s mantra saying he is ‘working every day’ to topple Jeremy Corbyn.

Unfortunately all the Left know that both Starmer and Mandelson won the battle to topple Corbyn, at least Starmer had the good grace to wait a few months before bringing Lord Mandelson into his top team, however unfortunate for both the Left and the dream of some form of socialism in this country.

For those that voted remain in good faith and accepted the democratic result, it’s a shame you have been brought into this unholy war of Remain vs Leave, for those that would not accept the result of the referendum, you get all you deserved with Starmer. The shame is those of us that ‘told you so’ have had to share that same fate.

For Labour remain screamed against its ideology. Never mind claims of internationalism, it just does not hold water. I often find it funny how Remainers tend to think that line runs out at the EU border, internationalism defiantly does not extend if we include the Americas.

Being members of the EU has never been about internationalism, it’s a right wing Bosses club running a free market while exploiting workers throughout using unbalanced waged economies to exploit areas of high-intensity labour filled by low waged eastern bloc members. A mobile workforce of wage slaves cheered on by the liberal elite who ask now they are gone “who will pick my fresh veg”!

It should have been a walk over for Remain.

But what Mandelson and the Tories did not count on was the masses of Labour supporters that would vote leave.

Over 60% of Labour constituencies voted out!

The majority of Labour constituencies voted to leave the EU especially those outside the metropolitan cities, The Labour heartlands that had been raised on the milk and honey that flowed from the mouths of Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner voted out with massive percentages. These were the regions that have been left to decay in a post-industrial wasteland of corrugated workshops, cloned retail parks and constantly failing business, businesses unable to compete with cheap imports or an oversaturated market after all our bikes can only take us so far and we can not all be computer programmers. 

These regions are the poorest in North-Western Europe, regions that had seen no benefits from either successive governments or the EU.

Regions that felt under pressure from inadequate infrastructures of housing, Doctors, and even jobs, regions with infrastructures unable able to take in mass immigration from Eastern Europe with regiments of workers added to that reserve army of Labour, competition for jobs meant only one thing for the working class, no matter how many studies to the contrary, it meant a cut in wages.

Remaining in the EU was a Tory concern, it should have been left that way, they took us in and they wanted to keep us kept in. It benefited the capitalist ideals in far too many ways to be abandoned.

The Tories called the referendum for one propose, to remove UKIP and stop the Tory descent, Camron wanted to show once and for all the British people approved of their EU membership, he failed, however the result actually achieved its gaol but for the wrong reasons the voters wanted out UKIPs Raison d’être was over.

The illusion of democracy and that bad magic show called parliament  

David Cameron along with the majority of the Tory Party supported our continued membership of the EU; following the success of the Leave vote and the nations most historical turning point since world war two he resigned leaving the country and his Party leaderless. 

However, you would be forgiven for not noticing Camerons departure or the ensuing leadership contest, not only did the fourth estate kick into action but the fifth columnist of the establishment also set to work, its sleepers within the Labour Party woke. They made their move acting as cover running a campaign of sabotage.

The Coup

Three days after Cameron’s cowardly resignation the majority of the Labour Party PLP including Sir Keir Starmer participated in a coup against their own Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, thus relieving the besieged and leaderless Tory Party. These Labour MPs not only betrayed the majority of members who voted for Jeremy Corbyn they gave the Tories the time they needed to regroup and seamlessly retake the helms once again continuing undisturbed but for that pesky Leave vote and a damn referendum result to implement.

“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”

People often say what ‘if’ if only. I imagine Peter Mandelson et al all trembling at the thought of a strong convincing Labour Party on the day Cameron resigned, a Party ready and able to take the country out of the EU, lead by a competent lifelong Eurosceptic, no wonder they worked so hard to undermine Corbyn he was a danger not only to the status quo but to the illusion of democracy they all work so hard to maintain. 

We all know the story for the next 4 years a parliament at war, all working for their own vested interests and none for the people or towards implementing the promise of leaving the EU.

The Tories at first worked as hard as some in the Labour party, willing to throw themselves under the Brexit bus no matter what price was printed on the side. That all changed after the 2017 General election.

The Corbyn Project really scared the establishment and more so the grifters within the Labour party.

After the 2017 GE again Labour sleepers ran disruption within the partis own ranks and the likes of Chuka Umunna worked his socks off to undermine both Corbyn and Brexit creating a breakaway party that had a funny tinge about it. Soon fading into insignificance once the people had a say on their reelection.

For most of us, this had now become a test of democracy and it was failing dramatically.

Corbyn had ordered a no second referendum policy.

The Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Smith was sacked by Jeremy Corbyn for publicly calling for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal.

Unfortunately the turning point for Labour came when the Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer broadsided the 2018 Labour conference and after a long six hour battle to get a composite motion passed on a campaigning for a second referend against a Tory no deal or bad deal.

Starmer used the opportunity as Labour’s Brexit spokesman insisting the party could back another referendum that offered voters the chance to stay in the EU.

Sir Keir Starmer used the second referendum composite vote to make his turning point political speech he stated without party support or policy the party would back a second referendum and a remain stance.

Sir Keir Starmer said the party was “certainly not ruling out” such a move.

As I wrote in 2018, it was at that point Starmer broke the Labour Party while at the same time making a bid for the leadership, a bid that succeeded riding on the backs of all the remainers wanting the vote reversed. Deservedly the Remainers were betrayed by Starmer who once gaining the leadership made an edit to ‘Get Brexit done’.

“I think it’s noticeable, having been Mr Remain all the way up until he got the leadership of the party”. -Diane Abbot

The question of whether we were better off economically within the EU was secondary to the question of democracy, has the late great Tony Benn once said:

“I do not want to go over old ground, because this is not a question of yes or no to the status quo; we are looking to the future. Some people genuinely believe that we shall never get social justice from the British Government, but we shall get it from Jacques Delors. They believe that a good king is better than a bad Parliament.”

Or in layman terms: it really does not matter how good or bad the EU may or may not be it’s a case of democracy.

People can continue to argue the merits of the referendum vote, good or bad, however, the majority result was to leave the EU. If democracy is to mean anything at all it must mean upholding the democratic values it is built upon, even if the vote does not go your way.

Of course, there are many Remainer and cult Rejoiners that still argue the referendum result, that democracy was perverted, to be fair they may be right but not quite in the way they claim. 

There was much talk of Russian influences but both the Government and Facebook investigations found this to be unfounded. 

The fact is if you are really looking for Russian influence then look no further than Alexander Yevgenievich Lebedev is a Russian businessman, and has been referred to as one of the Russian oligarchs. Until 1992, he was an officer in the First Chief Directorate of the Soviet Union′s KGB and later one of the KGB’s successor agencies, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. Lebedev and his company Evening Press Corporation, part of Lebedev Holdings, bought approximately a 75.1% of share in the Evening Standard newspaper for £1. Alexander and his son Evgeny Alexandrovich Lebedev, now Baron Lebedev, owns Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which not only owns the Evening Standard but The Independent and the TV channel London Live. All remain backing people vote campaigning media outlets. So maybe the Remain camp was right after all there was Russian influence in the referendum but just not on the side they claim.

Cambridge Analytica did not misuse data in EU referendum, says watchdog

Again Cambridge Analytica was also widely accused of interfering with the Brexit referendum, although the official investigation recognised that the company was not involved “beyond some initial enquiries” and that “no significant breaches” actually took place.

The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found no evidence that digital marketing firm Cambridge Analytica and its affiliate SCL misused data to influence the Brexit referendum in 2016.

In a letter to Julian Knight, the Conservative MP who chairs the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham wrote that she “found no further evidence to change [her] earlier view that SCL/CA were not involved in the EU referendum campaign in the U.K.”

Denham also said she found no evidence of Russian involvement in the referendum.

Every conceivable excuse was made to make the Remain camp feel righteous in their pursuit to overthrow the democratic decision of the people. The one thing they could not accept was their argument had failed. Their arrogance and condescending attitudes to anyone that voiced a negative opinion of the EU is the reason Labour will continue in its descent.

Labour has abandoned its core voters the working-class, the leave voters from its post-industrial heartlands and no amount of flag shagging by Starmer the architect of the vote losing second referendum vote will ever bring them back to the fold.

Five years on from the referendum and for me two things hold true:

One the words of Nye Bevan when he asked after questions on the UK entering into the EEC.  

Puting it very clearly Nye Bevan in 1957 stated: “In the absence of a wider sovereignty, all the conception of a common market does is to elevate the marketplace to the status now enjoyed by the various European parliaments.

Is it the disenfranchisement of the people and the enfranchisement of market forces?

Are we now expected to go back almost a century, reject Socialism, and clasp free trade to our bosom as though it were the one solution of our social evils? …

The conception of the Common Market… is the result of a political malaise following upon the failure of Socialists to use the sovereign power of their parliaments to plan their economic life… It is an escapist conception in which the play of the market forces will take the place of political responsibility…”

Conservatives, on the whole, expressed enthusiasm for the Common Market for precisely the same reasons. They understood that its general character would make a return to full-blooded Attlee-style socialism almost impossible. 

Secondly these insperational words of Michael Foot, we should all take heart from when we think of this Tory goverment…

 “We did not fight for the vote to have it dismissed or overturned by the politicians or the losing side!

“People didn’t fight for the vote just to have the fun of electioneering they wanted to see that the vote that they used and the Ballot Box could change things stop things alter things remove government’s when necessary.

That’s one of the principal reasons for having a vote but that’s not going to happen if we stay in the market if we become enmeshed in the whole of their machinery and apparatus because what will happen then is that you can go and have an election in this country in which we vote out the government here but you won’t be voting out all the government that meet in Brussels to decide What’s going to happen to us

It is that precious inheritance given us by the people who fought for the right to vote fight for the right to form trade unions thought for the right to establish their own institutions fought for the right to have an elected house of commons which should be the supreme authority in this country and answerable to nobody else it is those things that are at stake in this campaign “

That point stands today, a democracies true power is within the hands of the people.

These last five years have been difficult years for the Left but more so for LeFT (Leave Fight Transform) leave voters who have been constantly against the tide of liberal Remainers arguing to overturn the result and an extension of free market economics for more neoliberalism, forsaking all their socialist ideology in exchange for a passport free line on a European holiday.

But much worst is the fact these Remainers/rejoiners tend to be oblivious to their part in the destruction of the Corbyn Project with their insistence on a second referendum. A policy insisted on by Starmer that has brought the Labour party to its knees.

The refusal to accept the referendum result and the democratic result of the biggest ever peoples vote in the UK has brought into power Boris Johnson and a Tory government backed up by Keith Starmer’s New Labour. Labour really did fail the test of democracy.