Labour is slipping further behind the Tories on the economy, which is stagnating at the moment, and few expect an upturn soon. Only 31% of voters declare themselves optimistic about the year ahead, with 37% pessimistic. Just 40% of those backing Labour last year are looking ahead with any confidence. A very disappointing 12% of voters say Labour has been “successful” so far, with 56% saying it's been unsuccessful
The result is Farage is capitalising on Starmer’s stumbling and hesitant beginnings. Another poll recently pointed to Reform UK getting over 70 MPs if an election were to to be held now. That is worrying and shows people are still inclined to support sloganeers provided they shout loud enough.
Where else could Labour show some ambition but in announcing plans to expand the economy by rejoining the single market in the medium to long term and pledging to persuade people that Britain's future is in Europe not outside of it? I think it would enable Starmer and his front bench to take the argument to Badenoch and Farage and expose the stupidity of Brexit.
Instead, the PM is following in the failed footsteps of Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak, all of whom have tried to 'make Brexit work' by pandering to the extremists.
Politico are even taking the mickey out of Labour's incoherent EU policy with the headline: Britain wants to reset its Brexit reset.
Apparently, the chair of Strasbourg’s Committee on Foreign Affairs ended a recent visit of a delegation of members of the European Parliament to the UK by quoting '90s girl band the Spice Girls: “Tell us what you want, what you really, really want.” This is all reminiscent of Merkel's question to Mrs May in early 2018 asking what Britain wanted to achieve only to be told to "make me an offer." This is seven year on, seven years in which we have learned nothing. We are still pussyfooting around apparently too embarrassed to ask for what we really want or accept the trade offs to get it.
In 2019, Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK’s representative to the EU until Mrs May sacked him in 2017, said in a lecture to UCL's European unit:
"Second, we have to understand how the EU works and negotiates, because we shall, like it or not, not ever be floating free of ties and responsibilities in the mid-Atlantic. We shall, like an outsized Switzerland, be negotiating on everything – from fish to financial services, from food and farming to fundamental rights, and that is just the “fs” - for as long as both UK and EU exist."
If we are to 'make Brexit work' (an oxymoron if there ever was one) we could at least stop pretending we hold the whip hand, understand the EU's processes and constraints, and set out on the road of endless negotiations in Brussels with some clear objectives which at least have the prospect of success.
And to start this, I suggest a bit of honesty with the British people about the damage that Brexit has, is and will do to this country's prosperity on which we all depend, would be helpful to Starmer in turning around the polls.
A majority of voters know Brexit hasn't been a success and I suspect many of the don't knows or too-early-to-tells, would be converted to the EU cause if Starmer, a trained lawyer, laid out a cogent argument for reversing Brexit. That would be the real reset Labour needs.
And a Happy New Year to you.
