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| Lessons for Labour as EU centre fails to hold | Lessons for Labour as EU centre fails to hold |
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| Len McCluskey attributes the Labour party’s dramatic loss of support to an anti-Corbyn plot and to Tom Watson’s criticism of the party’s attitude to a public vote (Report, 27 May). McCluskey needs to start thinking clearly and get out of his bunker. Whatever Watson’s motivations and utterances, some of which have been unacceptable, his view of the failure to lead on the question of a public vote is widely shared by those like myself who are paid-up supporters of the “Corbyn project”. | Len McCluskey attributes the Labour party’s dramatic loss of support to an anti-Corbyn plot and to Tom Watson’s criticism of the party’s attitude to a public vote (Report, 27 May). McCluskey needs to start thinking clearly and get out of his bunker. Whatever Watson’s motivations and utterances, some of which have been unacceptable, his view of the failure to lead on the question of a public vote is widely shared by those like myself who are paid-up supporters of the “Corbyn project”. |
| Sadly this has been put into jeopardy by the leadership’s persistence with a policy past its sell-by date. Once drawn into discussions with the government, it became blindingly obvious that the leadership could only protect and legitimise its position by declaring that any Brexit deal would be subject to a confirmatory vote. Instead there followed contradictory and muddled responses to media questions about the party’s intentions. The siege mentality exemplified by McCluskey is itself an obstacle to the elaboration of a strategy which accords with Corbyn’s own desire for a people-led party and movement.David ParkerMeltham, West Yorkshire | Sadly this has been put into jeopardy by the leadership’s persistence with a policy past its sell-by date. Once drawn into discussions with the government, it became blindingly obvious that the leadership could only protect and legitimise its position by declaring that any Brexit deal would be subject to a confirmatory vote. Instead there followed contradictory and muddled responses to media questions about the party’s intentions. The siege mentality exemplified by McCluskey is itself an obstacle to the elaboration of a strategy which accords with Corbyn’s own desire for a people-led party and movement.David ParkerMeltham, West Yorkshire |
| • Rather than picking a fight with Tom Watson, Len McCluskey should be turning his attention to the fact that so few electors voted – around half the number expected to participate in a general election – after an unprecedented degree of coverage in print and broadcast media. | |
| Labour has paid the price for a lacklustre campaign and fudging the answer to the big question – in or out – shedding lifelong supporters and members as a result. If the party’s leadership doesn’t act swiftly, many may get beyond being tempted to return to the fold and will become comfortably Green.Les BrightExeter | Labour has paid the price for a lacklustre campaign and fudging the answer to the big question – in or out – shedding lifelong supporters and members as a result. If the party’s leadership doesn’t act swiftly, many may get beyond being tempted to return to the fold and will become comfortably Green.Les BrightExeter |
| • History tells us that things get really bad not just when a populist right wing are in the ascendency but when the centrists are rudderless and start trying to pander to the extremes. | • History tells us that things get really bad not just when a populist right wing are in the ascendency but when the centrists are rudderless and start trying to pander to the extremes. |
| As Britain’s embarrassment deepens and Farage’s gurning visage is now the face of UK politics to the world, this is exactly what appears to be happening. | As Britain’s embarrassment deepens and Farage’s gurning visage is now the face of UK politics to the world, this is exactly what appears to be happening. |
| Both the main parties shrivelled in the face of the lies, jingoism and xenophobia of the leave campaign and sought to claw back ground not by showing leadership but by pandering to populism. | Both the main parties shrivelled in the face of the lies, jingoism and xenophobia of the leave campaign and sought to claw back ground not by showing leadership but by pandering to populism. |
| Now that May has been removed by the grey men in grey suits, there is a feeling of inevitability that what the Tories must do is replace her with a “real” leaver. In a nutshell, Farage’s gains make it more likely that Boris Johnson will become Britain’s bargain-basement Trump.Amanda BakerEdinburgh | Now that May has been removed by the grey men in grey suits, there is a feeling of inevitability that what the Tories must do is replace her with a “real” leaver. In a nutshell, Farage’s gains make it more likely that Boris Johnson will become Britain’s bargain-basement Trump.Amanda BakerEdinburgh |
| • Have the Brexit parties really been that successful? The combined Brexit/Ukip vote was 34.9%, but that was up by only 7.2% from last time, and was exceeded by the five unambiguously remain parties (Lib Dems, Greens, Change UK, SNP and Plaid Cymru), who got 40.4%. Also, only three out of eight of us bothered to vote for anyone, so Faragism was supported by only an eighth of the electorate. Let’s keep things in perspective.Andrew AndersonEdinburgh | • Have the Brexit parties really been that successful? The combined Brexit/Ukip vote was 34.9%, but that was up by only 7.2% from last time, and was exceeded by the five unambiguously remain parties (Lib Dems, Greens, Change UK, SNP and Plaid Cymru), who got 40.4%. Also, only three out of eight of us bothered to vote for anyone, so Faragism was supported by only an eighth of the electorate. Let’s keep things in perspective.Andrew AndersonEdinburgh |
| • How very bittersweet for Ukip that their dream to be out of Europe has finally been fulfilled by their failure to win a single seat.Ian PhillipsLondon | • How very bittersweet for Ukip that their dream to be out of Europe has finally been fulfilled by their failure to win a single seat.Ian PhillipsLondon |
| • Towards the end of March, the government rejected a petition with more than 5.78m signatures calling for Brexit to be halted by revoking article 50. Now, two months later, when 5.25 million voters support the Brexit party in the EU elections, most candidates for the Conservative leadership contest seem to be suggesting that this is a ringing endorsement for leaving the EU even if this means crashing out with no deal. Do they not understand simple mathematics?Colin OxleyLydiate, Merseyside | • Towards the end of March, the government rejected a petition with more than 5.78m signatures calling for Brexit to be halted by revoking article 50. Now, two months later, when 5.25 million voters support the Brexit party in the EU elections, most candidates for the Conservative leadership contest seem to be suggesting that this is a ringing endorsement for leaving the EU even if this means crashing out with no deal. Do they not understand simple mathematics?Colin OxleyLydiate, Merseyside |
| • One important factor only hinted at in Jon Henley’s analysis on “the end of cosy consensus” for the centrist groupings in the European parliament (27 May) is Russia’s continued success in driving forward its agenda of weakening of the European Union and other western institutions by its support of Eurosceptic parties, all of whom improved their vote in the European parliament. | • One important factor only hinted at in Jon Henley’s analysis on “the end of cosy consensus” for the centrist groupings in the European parliament (27 May) is Russia’s continued success in driving forward its agenda of weakening of the European Union and other western institutions by its support of Eurosceptic parties, all of whom improved their vote in the European parliament. |
| Indeed the resulting Brexitisation of the Conservative party has made the UK’s no-deal departure from the EU in October that much more likely. It will also suit President Trump with his hostility to the EU, but then surely he is himself already part of President Putin’s agenda?Wiktor MoszczynskiLondon | Indeed the resulting Brexitisation of the Conservative party has made the UK’s no-deal departure from the EU in October that much more likely. It will also suit President Trump with his hostility to the EU, but then surely he is himself already part of President Putin’s agenda?Wiktor MoszczynskiLondon |
| • The government can’t say they weren’t warned about the risk of EU citizens being denied a vote (Report, 24 May). I was granted an urgent question on the issue in parliament back in April, when there was still ample time for action to be taken to prevent this happening. | • The government can’t say they weren’t warned about the risk of EU citizens being denied a vote (Report, 24 May). I was granted an urgent question on the issue in parliament back in April, when there was still ample time for action to be taken to prevent this happening. |
| The government refused to listen and make changes to allow the additional form for EU citizens to be completed at the polling station. Shamefully, the minister dismissed my concerns, suggesting EU citizens could vote in their “home countries”, when the UK is their home. | The government refused to listen and make changes to allow the additional form for EU citizens to be completed at the polling station. Shamefully, the minister dismissed my concerns, suggesting EU citizens could vote in their “home countries”, when the UK is their home. |
| Everything I feared came to pass last week, and this government could have prevented it. How can we hold up our democracy when thousands of people have been disenfranchised from their basic right to vote? I wrote to the Electoral Commission to raise my concerns back in April. We need urgent action to prevent this from ever happening again.Catherine West MPLabour, Hornsey and Wood Green | Everything I feared came to pass last week, and this government could have prevented it. How can we hold up our democracy when thousands of people have been disenfranchised from their basic right to vote? I wrote to the Electoral Commission to raise my concerns back in April. We need urgent action to prevent this from ever happening again.Catherine West MPLabour, Hornsey and Wood Green |
| • The second letter above was amended on 28 May 2019. An earlier version said incorrectly that fewer than one-third of electors voted in the European parliament election. | |
| European parliamentary elections 2019 | European parliamentary elections 2019 |
| Europe | Europe |
| European elections | European elections |
| European Union | European Union |
| Brexit | Brexit |
| Article 50 | Article 50 |
| Foreign policy | Foreign policy |
| letters | letters |
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