Bring all sides together to negotiate our future with Europe
By Shirley Williams in The Guardian
Originally published by South Lincolnshire Liberal Democrats
It is vital to avoid the EU referendum result leaving an appalling legacy of division in the UK
In 1981, the Labour party conference decided to leave the European Community despite the British people having voted to remain inside it six years earlier, in the 1975 referendum. At the time, I wrote a letter to the Guardian drawing attention to the desperate situation in which the centre-left found itself. Today, I raise a similar warning at a time when the country is in serious need of an effective opposition to maintain the best possible relationship with the EU.
With every passing day, the problems confronting the new prime minister multiply. The balance of payments worsens, the pound sinks against the dollar, the London property market, no longer attractive to ambitious young bankers and financial experts, declines and Brexit begins to look more and more like snake oil.
During the referendum debate, some on the Remain side commented that the only head of state who would welcome a UK exit from the EU would be President Putin. Last week, our prime minister agreed to send several hundred troops to eastern Europe as a sign of solidarity, given Russia's recent interventions. It is important that all Nato's leaders reiterate the alliance's commitment to the member states of the EU and that the UK underlines the commitment of this country to the same end.
To get through the business of negotiating an alternative to membership of the European Union, and to do so without our country falling apart, will require patience, tolerance of different and often strongly held views and good, grown-up government. None of these were evident in the bitter, brutal referendum debate. We need not just good government but a serious, responsible opposition as well. It is therefore dismaying that the Labour party cannot in its current state fulfil that role.
The party so far has been unable to reconcile its parliamentary wing with its members. Under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, membership has grown dramatically, from just over 200,000 in May 2015 to 388,000 in January of this year. There have also been an additional 100,000 new members since the Brexit decision, whether in support or in outrage we do not know. What is clear is that Jeremy Corbyn's standing among party members remains high. If his wish to stand for a new leadership election prevails, his chances of being elected for a second time are considerable.
Yet much of the parliamentary party is in despair. Some on the hard left, like the Trotskyite Socialist Workers' party, saw Corbyn's election as an opportunity to piggyback into power, using the same entryist tactics that so nearly destroyed Labour and succeeded in splitting it in the 1970s. Jeremy Corbyn is seen by many Labour voters and supporters as an incorruptible politician. But he is not seen, particularly by most of his MPs, as a natural leader nor a man willing to compromise.
With Labour in such disarray, how do we ensure that our future relationship with the European Union reflects the range of disparate opinion in this country, in a way that will avoid the referendum result leaving an appalling legacy of division?
Over the next two years, the consequences of our departure from the EU will become clear. Two things are crucial. First, we must see the committed involvement of those representing all sides of the debate in the UK, in the renegotiation of our relationship with the EU. Second, all parties represented in parliament should take part in a committee to oversee the negotiations.
Parties that supported staying in must be part of this committee including Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and the Greens, as well as the pro-Remain element of the Conservative party. Consensus has to be reached before any deal is struck and any proposed deal must be approved by the committee before it is submitted to the government.
An all-party approach is essential if the country is to be drawn together again. The result of the referendum was very close and a new round of battles could irreparably split the country even to the point where the UK might fall part. This would be a terrible price to pay for the referendum outcome.
Shirley Williams recently retired as leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords