Through bitter and angry tears at 4.30am this morning, my overriding feeling was that I had let my children down. Parents of teenagers often know what this feels like, but today I realise I have let everyone else’s children down too.
One of the reasons for the Leave vote is a feeling of immense alienation from the political class and institutions. The European Union itself needs to take some responsibility for too often appearing to be a monolithic bureaucracy rather than a manifestation of solidarity and social progress. I wish I had spent more time long before the referendum campaign challenging and defending it. But our politics has become so small that we could not make the case for our place in the world and our role in the EU. We will be smaller, less influential and less able to respond to the myriad problems that cross borders – climate change, terrorism and financial crises. However, many British people believe that today is about us ‘taking back control’.
We have still failed to connect with the ‘left behind’ United Kingdom Independence party voter who sees no benefit to themselves or their family from globalisation and saw free movement and immigration as a threat to his culture and his livelihood rather than an opportunity to live in the south of Spain or for their children to work in Europe. A defence of the EU based on defending the Social Chapter rights was important, but you are less worried about working conditions if your job is already rubbish. Without a radical argument about how a modern, trading, interconnected economic system can work for everybody we will never reconnect those alienated from political and economic developments.
There are issues within our party, but, even more important than what happens in our party is what we can offer to the country. We face a period of time when jobs are under threat; when businesses may flounder; when immigrants may feel insecure and when bigots may feel emboldened. The government will be sidetracked into another blue-on-blue battle for the leadership. Our test now is to craft a response to this which protects those most vulnerable from the impacts of the short-term uncertainty and the long term isolation. Frances O’Grady was strong on arguing for a national plan to protect jobs and workers this morning. What should our role be in the tortuous negotiations that will now start? I think Gisela Stuart should play a key role and we should support her. I know there are many who feel angry about the role she played in the Leave campaign. However, she is a sensible, but radical, Labour politician who was on the winning side. The alternative is to risk our future being shaped by Farage’s bigotry or Johnson’s buffoonery.
I dried my eyes this morning, because I had to go to work in my NHS job. We should dry our collective eyes and set to work on how we build a politics which can tackle the alienation and build a plan to protect our values, our jobs, our businesses and our public services from the onslaught to come.
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Jacqui Smith is a former home secretary and former chief whip. She writes the Monday Politics column for Progress, and tweets @Jacqui_Smith1
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you cried over a bunch of neoliberal elites Oligarchs such as Soros Rothschild and co you cried for them
And you wonder why you are despised You’re an absolute disgrace
How about the zero hour contracts The lowering of wages through mass economic migration temping . No tears for them
Smith iv’e said it before you hate the very people you are supposed to represent
Now accept what you are Neoliberals .and move to create your own party, because i see you as parasites, leeching the working class
Well said Jacqui, can tell why you were such an excellent home secretary!
wow rusty, such venom, but not to worry, no one expects to have a polite, civilised discussion, with pond life such as yourself!!
Jacqui Smith cries over the leave vote
France on fire as the unions protest at the governments policy of making the workforce work for longer hours with less pay
Hollande the most despised French premier in their history
Record unemployment in Spain Portugal Greece
No tears for them Smith Germany crucify the Greek people for the sake of EU bankers f them ay Smith
Your tears are nothing more than self pity
Mary thanks for the compliment
Working class pleb salutes you
Didn’t Jaquis husband get rumbled for writing letters to the local paper praising her
Unfortunately, the Bitterites once again appear more focused on a frivolous attempt to topple their own leader!
There are a number of Labour MPs who have not emerged well from the EU referendum campaign and whose reputations have been further tarnished.These MPs include: Jamie Reed, Alan Johnson, Chris Leslie, Chuka Ummuna, Chris Bryant, Yvette Cooper, Emma Reynolds, Ben Bradshaw, Steven Kinnock, Caroline Flint, Liz Kendall and many of the usual suspects, with some newspaper reports of approximately 55 troublemakers.
‘Project Fear’ was ultimately a failure, as were all those who subscribed to and participated in it, despite being warned that the exaggeration and hyperbole might end up backfiring. This technique may well have worked in the Scottish independence referendum but it appears that lazy recycling, by politicians and the inability to present a coherent and positive case for remain, would not work a second time.
On a regional basis; only Scotland, Northern Ireland and London voted to remain! I voted for remain but with no great enthusiasm, given the somewhat obvious lies and exaggerations, emanating from all the political parties involved.
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Tell us about this Project Fear. I can’t say I came across it during the campaign.
If you did not witness ‘Project Fear’ during the campaign then perhaps you were not paying sufficient attention?
1. Donald Tusk (European Council President)
‘As a historian I fear that Brexit could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the EU but also of western political civilisation in its entirety.’
2. David Cameron (soon to be ex-PM)
a) Suggested that leaving the EU could result in another war in Europe.
b) Stated that pensioners could see their incomes slashed because he would be forced to scrap the ‘triple-lock’ on state pensions as a consequence of Brexit.
3. George Osborne (soon to be ex-Chencellor?)
(a) Insisted that he would have no choice but to hold an emergency budget after a Brexit in order to raise £30bn, by a combination of tax rises and spending cuts.
b) Stated that UK households would be £4300 worse off, post-Brexit.
c) Stated that House prices would fall between 10-18%, post Brexit and that mortgage interest rates would also increase.
NB. A fall in house prices would actually be considered beneficial for the vast majority of UK residents – it makes it easier to get on the housing ladder (assuming housing supply increases), it is of benefit when trading-up etc. It may be bad for banks but only if there are mass defaults on mortgage payments. A house price fall of 50-60% would bring costs back to historic norms. Only in the media and Westminster bubble is rampant house inflation considered a good thing – it raises GDP and tempts some into borrowing against their principal asset thus increasing their personal and national/global financial risk!
4. Harriet Harman said Brussels had been a ‘strong friend’ to women and a vote to quit the union would be a ‘major step back’ in the fight for gender equality, she argued.
MPs, many business leaders, international politicians and organisations consistently parroted dire warnings of virtual Armageddon, rather than choose to rebut some of the more fanciful assertions and dire predictions.
It would have been far more honest to say that there are potential risks, consequences and opportunities, following a Brexit but that much is unknown and unpredictable Unfortunately, the calibre of those making the case for Remain, regarding their capacity for analysis or independent thinking, was sadly lacking in the majority of cases.and they were likely to be perceived as belonging to an out of touch and arrogant elite.
As a consequence, there was a probable greater net deterrent effect, on those wavering or as yet undecided.
There is some interesting and thoughtful analysis in The Guardian:
http://tinyurl.com/zeomh7d
http://tinyurl.com/hpv5j99
Treboc123,
You say “I voted for remain but with no great enthusiasm………”. So what is your point? You dont really care what the result is. It appears from your comment the only reason you are posting is to point the finger at others for their part in a vote the result of which is of little consequence to you.
A strange use of time.
pipermackinnon,
You are missing the point. I decided to vote remain, on balance, despite ‘Project Fear’ and not because of it! I strongly suspect that far more were annoyed/deterred by the tone of the campaign, the hyperbole and exaggeration than were inspired. A more detailed explanation can be found in my reply to Dave Roberts, below.
Treboc123,
You say “I voted for remain but with no great enthusiasm………”. So what is your point? You dont really care what the result is. It appears from your comment the only reason you are posting is to point the finger at others for their part in a vote the result of which is of little consequence to you.
A strange use of time.
Intrigued, the .MPs you mention, tarnished reputations or different reason, you quote exagerating, but incompetence, to arrogance(political class) to sleezy two faced and cynical, is about the best I can say
The feelings not mutual Jaq. You reap what you sow, globalisation is bigger than Europe or do you need a map?
Jaqui Smith,
You created this mess. You and the cabinet you served in. You and your colleagues ignored the regions of England and Wales. Dont tell us you are angry, that gets me angry. There is no point in crying now. Wipe away the tears, look in a mirror and then say “I am sorry for the part I played”.
Jaqui Smith,
You created this mess. You and the cabinet you served in. You and your colleagues ignored the regions of England and Wales. Dont tell us you are angry, that gets me angry. There is no point in crying now. Wipe away the tears, look in a mirror and then say “I am sorry for the part I played”.
England’s a nation, not a bunch of ersatz regions. Maybe you should have said something like, ‘England other than London’. Actually, just saying, ‘England’ would be enough, as perfidious London is only in England in the loosest possible sense.