What I’ve learned on the EU training tour
—Thanks to the kind support of Labour Movement for Europe and Progress, I have been touring the country to deliver a series of training sessions to Labour activists about the upcoming European Union referendum. Whether in Southampton, Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester or Leeds, Labour members are instinctively pro-European. We are the party that believes that we can achieve more collectively than we can alone. The founding principles of the EU resonate with our values and support for EU membership has been the settled position of our party for the last 30 years.
However, although the vast majority of members are pro-European many have never had to articulate the reasons why on the doorstep before. This is the first referendum on this issue for 40 years and we have a habit of making European elections about national issues, so we have never needed to know the arguments and key messages in the same way we do with other polls.
One of the things I have picked up in the sessions is an unease among members with talking about Europe on the doorstep as a result of this. Facts and figures are important, but we cannot simply talk in the abstract about jobs and trade and ‘X’ billions of foreign direct investment or reel off 20 European directives. Members need key messages which frame the debate with Labour values alongside specific examples of the benefits of the EU in every constituency.
A second cause of unease in many areas is the worry that talking about Europe will in some way help the United Kingdom Independence party. Central to Ukip’s campaign is of course making this referendum all about immigration. Local party figures in some areas have given express instructions that activists are not to talk about Europe with the assumption that voters only want to talk about immigration and that this will only help Ukip in local elections. This is dangerous thinking.
Let’s be clear – if we are not talking to our core voters about the EU and immigration the only other party that will be doing so is Ukip. If we ignore large swaths of Labour voters in the run-up to 23 June because we want to avoid difficult conversations, we will lose them not just on that day but potentially forever. This referendum will determine whether we are the party of engagement or whether we duck the big issues.
Ultimately, as in Scotland in 2014, this referendum will be decided by Labour voters. Yet our unity on this issue is not as interesting for journalists with column inches to fill. We need a general election-style ground operation, but members report with frustration that local parties are not mobilising, particularly in ‘safe’ Labour areas. We are best organised in marginal seats but there are no marginal seats in a referendum. We need to reach Labour voters in every seat and we have more of them in safe seats. The party is now recruiting dozens of mobilisation assistants to help with local organising. They should focus on building up capacity in areas we have not felt the need to be as active in over recent years to turn out many of our supporters who would otherwise stay at home.
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Kevin Peel is Labour representative for the north-west of England on the European Union committee of the regions. Find out more about the training tour at prog.rs/progin
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Join Kevin on the tour in Newcastle, Battersea, Harrow, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cardiff
The situation in which Labour Supporters find themselves regarding ambivalence to the EU is the total absence of a fully (or indeed any) worked out criticism of the EU. Time and time again what we hear (usually from MEPs) is that we know the EU is not perfect! (how profound is that ?)…… but …. er.. what should we say now?
The Labour position on reform of the EU is so undeveloped we should not be surprised that people just ignore what Labour has say. Aside from concerns about the total absence of any preparations for dealing with the consequences of immigration, this is precisely what many Labour supporters, will likely do. It has been one of the most disappointing areas of policy formation that I can think we have ever had.
Reform of the EU is not going to happen, because those riding the Brussels gravy train don’t want to reform it. It was always intended to be an anti-democratic construct.
So Labour members in major cities in England, Scotland and Wales are instinctively pro-European. Most people throughout Europe are instinctively pro-European, but pro-European doesn’t necessarily mean pro-EU. Wasn’t the late Tony Benn in favour of leaving what is now the EU? My former union leader, the late Bob Crow of the RMT was, I believe, involved in Trade Unions Against the EU, and might well be telling us that the EU’s social charter is all mirrors and smokescreens, were he alive today. In fact, being pro-European and being pro-EU are a very long way from being one and the same. It’s also a tad arrogant to claim (or try) to speak on behalf of those people as if you’ve spoken to them all. Mind you, you are part of the arrogant political class, aren’t you?
“Ultimately…this referendum will be decided by Labour voters.” You seem to overlook the fact that a lot of people who usually vote for other parties, or who don’t usually vote at all, are entitled to vote. More arrogance.