. Free trade has made certain industries competitive over the years such as steel and shipbuilding. This as particularly the case in areas if the North of England that voted by the highest amount for Brexit. Most notably, in the former industrial heartlands. Britain’s version of the rust belt states that abandoned the Democrats in the United States. The British establishment became systematically unapologetic to these people. Traditionally, these areas of the country were strongly Labour, but Labour overtime became disliked for becoming too London centric and middle class. I think this process was a result of the policies and success of Margaret Thatcher and the rise of new Labour which many traditional Labour voters felt left behind by new Labour.
Due to the embracement of Neo-Liberalism and the migration policies of Tony Blair many working-class voters were driven to Parties such as UKIP, who by their very nature were the same Thatcherites that shafted Northern England in the 1980's, but just slightly Eurosceptic. For the first time in decades Labour was challenged in their safest seats, but they continued to take their voters for granted. Labour failed to recognise this issue under Ed Miliband who himself served Doncaster North that voted 72% leave. Miliband's constituency is typical of a former industrial constituency, the seat is covered in former mining villages and towns with abandoned factories. UKIP frequently targeted the area, for instance, they Farage's UKIP continuously put their conferences in Doncaster. In 2014 we saw the foundation of the Yorkshire Party which gained much of its popularity in the former industrial heartlands. Its appeal its is localism, as opposed to its London centric policies. The Yorkshire Party is perceived as a middle ground between old an new Labour, which many Socialists see it as preferable to the Labour Party.
The year 2015 was an odd year for politics, we received an unexpected Majority for the Conservatives, the election was disheartening for many working-class voters, hence many switched a allegiance to UKIP. The three main Parties, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives fought the election a very similar platform to each other of Neo-Liberalism. Labour received a mass backlash in Scotland for the failures of Neo-Liberalism as Labour was left with one seat in Scotland where Labour traditionally relied upon and took for granted. The response within the Labour Party in 2015 was rather extraordinary. We saw the return to the traditional Labour with the unexpected election of Jeremy Corbyn against all odds. He would promise to transform Labour and take the Party back to its roots. Initially, he was only put forward as a candidate by MP's to expand the debate. The shockwaves of the election of Corbyn is only beaten by the Brexit, 2017 election and the election of Donald Trump in the United States. While Corbyn brought Labour back to its roots in terms of policy, many internal problems remained. The Neo-Liberals in the Party constantly made his leadership difficult and they constantly undermined the Labour Party. Labour institutionally remained a Neo-Liberal Party in Parliament and in the media. Corbyn really had no respect from these individuals. Corbyn promised to give power back to the members, which he did. Despite rumours that Corbyn could back leaving the European Union, it was decided in the 2015 conference that Labour will back remain.
During the referendum, Labour was perceived as London centric, of course, Corbyn and much of the Labour leadership was London based, the main exception was John Mcdonnell. Labour once again largely embraced the Neo-Liberal economic policies than the past leadership and failed to give the nation a clear Socialist remain and reform vision and the majority of the electorate would embrace. Corbyn of course personally did more remain rallies than any other MP. Many rumours did arise if Corbyn was actually a true remain voter. he traditionally sat on the back benches with Tony Benn and George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn voted against every EU treaty. Corbyn also stated on Sky News during the referendum that he was 7 and a half out of 10 for his passion for leaving the EU. However, I think the idea that he voted leave was a conspiarcy hyped up by his opponents in the Labour Party, Corbyn was a Eurosceptic who wanted to reform the EU at the time of the referendum. Many in the traditional heartlands of Labour saw this as more of the same for the Labour Party and saw the Labour Party as a Neo-liberal London centric Party once again that purposely ignores its Northern deprived heartlands. Unlike the remain side who utilised project fear and campaigned for the status quo, the leave side both on the left and the right offered a new and a different future for Britain, people wanted hope and change. After the referendum, many MP's reflected poorly on the failure and blamed the leadership and accepted that Labour left the North behind. The Northern MP for Don Valley Caroline Flint recognised this a knew Labour had to change, her seat Don Valley voted 68.5% leave the EU. This, of course, was quite telling coming from an MP who is considered to be on the right of the Party.
The moderate MP's who were constantly looking for a way to take down Corbyn used Labours failures during the EU referendum who they are also responsible far to undermine the leadership. Corbyns opposition who were initially split between Angela Eagle united in a hope to defeat Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn, recognised the endemic issues in Labour and committed to honouring the referendum and to bring forth an idea of a Lexit. Owen Smith became the opposition to Corbyn during the 2015 leadership election, he centred his campaign on the idea of a second referendum, essentially ignoring the Northern Working Class. Jeremy Corbyn came on top with nearly twice the vote than Owen Smith. Labour rapidly increased its membership following this referendum. Labour was on a course to return to its roots.
Due to the embracement of Neo-Liberalism and the migration policies of Tony Blair many working-class voters were driven to Parties such as UKIP, who by their very nature were the same Thatcherites that shafted Northern England in the 1980's, but just slightly Eurosceptic. For the first time in decades Labour was challenged in their safest seats, but they continued to take their voters for granted. Labour failed to recognise this issue under Ed Miliband who himself served Doncaster North that voted 72% leave. Miliband's constituency is typical of a former industrial constituency, the seat is covered in former mining villages and towns with abandoned factories. UKIP frequently targeted the area, for instance, they Farage's UKIP continuously put their conferences in Doncaster. In 2014 we saw the foundation of the Yorkshire Party which gained much of its popularity in the former industrial heartlands. Its appeal its is localism, as opposed to its London centric policies. The Yorkshire Party is perceived as a middle ground between old an new Labour, which many Socialists see it as preferable to the Labour Party.
The year 2015 was an odd year for politics, we received an unexpected Majority for the Conservatives, the election was disheartening for many working-class voters, hence many switched a allegiance to UKIP. The three main Parties, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives fought the election a very similar platform to each other of Neo-Liberalism. Labour received a mass backlash in Scotland for the failures of Neo-Liberalism as Labour was left with one seat in Scotland where Labour traditionally relied upon and took for granted. The response within the Labour Party in 2015 was rather extraordinary. We saw the return to the traditional Labour with the unexpected election of Jeremy Corbyn against all odds. He would promise to transform Labour and take the Party back to its roots. Initially, he was only put forward as a candidate by MP's to expand the debate. The shockwaves of the election of Corbyn is only beaten by the Brexit, 2017 election and the election of Donald Trump in the United States. While Corbyn brought Labour back to its roots in terms of policy, many internal problems remained. The Neo-Liberals in the Party constantly made his leadership difficult and they constantly undermined the Labour Party. Labour institutionally remained a Neo-Liberal Party in Parliament and in the media. Corbyn really had no respect from these individuals. Corbyn promised to give power back to the members, which he did. Despite rumours that Corbyn could back leaving the European Union, it was decided in the 2015 conference that Labour will back remain.
During the referendum, Labour was perceived as London centric, of course, Corbyn and much of the Labour leadership was London based, the main exception was John Mcdonnell. Labour once again largely embraced the Neo-Liberal economic policies than the past leadership and failed to give the nation a clear Socialist remain and reform vision and the majority of the electorate would embrace. Corbyn of course personally did more remain rallies than any other MP. Many rumours did arise if Corbyn was actually a true remain voter. he traditionally sat on the back benches with Tony Benn and George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn voted against every EU treaty. Corbyn also stated on Sky News during the referendum that he was 7 and a half out of 10 for his passion for leaving the EU. However, I think the idea that he voted leave was a conspiarcy hyped up by his opponents in the Labour Party, Corbyn was a Eurosceptic who wanted to reform the EU at the time of the referendum. Many in the traditional heartlands of Labour saw this as more of the same for the Labour Party and saw the Labour Party as a Neo-liberal London centric Party once again that purposely ignores its Northern deprived heartlands. Unlike the remain side who utilised project fear and campaigned for the status quo, the leave side both on the left and the right offered a new and a different future for Britain, people wanted hope and change. After the referendum, many MP's reflected poorly on the failure and blamed the leadership and accepted that Labour left the North behind. The Northern MP for Don Valley Caroline Flint recognised this a knew Labour had to change, her seat Don Valley voted 68.5% leave the EU. This, of course, was quite telling coming from an MP who is considered to be on the right of the Party.
The moderate MP's who were constantly looking for a way to take down Corbyn used Labours failures during the EU referendum who they are also responsible far to undermine the leadership. Corbyns opposition who were initially split between Angela Eagle united in a hope to defeat Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn, recognised the endemic issues in Labour and committed to honouring the referendum and to bring forth an idea of a Lexit. Owen Smith became the opposition to Corbyn during the 2015 leadership election, he centred his campaign on the idea of a second referendum, essentially ignoring the Northern Working Class. Jeremy Corbyn came on top with nearly twice the vote than Owen Smith. Labour rapidly increased its membership following this referendum. Labour was on a course to return to its roots.
After the 2016 Labour Leadership Election, many of the moderates in the Labour Party were forced to embrace much of Corbyns economic ideas such as railway nationalisation which, Blair Brown and Miliband failed to support despite the clear failure of the endeavour of railway privatisation. In 1975 the Labour Party supported the campaign to get Britain outside the ECC and the Common Market. Of course, things have changed since then since the late 1980's and the early 1990's the establishment of the Labour Party had abandoned its Eurosceptic roots. Within the left, the European question was a minor one until David Cameron announced an EU referendum to take place in 2016. This idea returns to the Labour Party out of necessary evil for many. However, the period between the Labor 2016 leadership election and the 2017 general election is an awful period for the Labour Party. People accused as the Party as constantly flip-flopping on major issues at the same the widespread fear that the working class will switch to the Conservatives since the first time is the 1931 general election. However, the same MP's that were undermining Corbyn were offering Neo-Liberal ideas and policies contradictory to the Northern Labour voters. Labour was seen in ideological turmoil between the factions, on the idea of what Labour should be in the future. The same divisions were lighted up by the media. Labour continued to confuse the public with what it stands for and what it is its policy on Brexit.
Theresa May calling a general election after Easter 2017 broke the cycle. Labour offered a meaningful future to the public as stated in its Manifesto, let us face the future. It offered a reformed economic deal that would have brought Britain away from Neo-Liberal economics, it endorsed policies that would not be possible without leaving the European Union. The idea of a Lexit became mainstream. Labour unexpectedly managed win success in both leave and remain seats by offering a new and substantial future. In areas such as Canterbury and Portsmouth South. Labour managed to almost gain an equal split of the UKIP vote with the Conservative Party. Many of traditional Labour voters switched back to Labour, they saw hope in the Labour Party again. Of course, the Party is still too London Centric from the viewpoints of many, but it was a step in the right direction. Many individuals in society began to see the global failings on Neo-Liberalism. The Labour movement while remains, internationalist, but it began to become pro-worker. Activists began to realise many of the internationalist problems with Neo-Liberalism, though the most Pro Europe elements of the Labour Party still failed to provide solutions to these problems in their campaign for peoples vote, which remains a very middle-class movement. The most of the remain elements of the Labour Party recognise the issues with TTIP, I rarely give Trump praise he did end TTIP, though he is not trustworthy and the left in Labour recognises this. The general recognition in the example of TTIP is that it would lead to the mass privatisation of industry and perhaps open up the NHS for further privatisation and that would strip British industry of jobs. Only the most Neo-Liberal elements of the Labour Party who are openly demanding a Peoples Vote are failing to recognise this issue with the EU while claiming that we will do the same post Brexit. The same Politicians voted for CETA in summer 2018 that has the same issues than TTIP, but just with Canada as opposed to the United States. Again these Neo-Liberals have no respect of the working class and the Labour movement. These politicians are hypocrites to the highest level, the same induvial claimed the same with will occur after Brexit with the United States.
In summer 2018 in Jeremy Corbyns build it Britain speech. He set began to set forward a positive and credible Post Brexit vision based largely on the economic ideas of John Mills. Many problems still remain with internal divisions and with the lack of enthusiasm to abolish the Thatcherite anti-trade union laws. Labour continues to build up a post-Brexit vision for the United Kingdom. As opposed to the Governing Party that have no clear post-Brexit vision, they are lack ideology, morals and competence. As the Conservative Party undermines Brexit and moves to a softer deal, especially after the chequers agreement in June 2018 people will start to look away from the Conservative Party. After continues scandals, the Conservative Party are doomed to failure, with the same rampant divisions than Labour.
To Conclude my arguments in these essays, Labour is slowing moving back into a working-class Party. Labour is still predominately a pro remain London centric party. Labour must break that mould to be successful and to win votes in marginals such as Nuneaton and to win back Scotland. While maintain the vast support the Party gets from cities such as London. The last election proved by the reduction of Conservative Party to give the nation a hung parliament. While the Labour Party is a divided Party the most moderate and Neo-Liberal members of Labour have lost much of their relevance from their lack of ability to adapt to the growth of a new type of politics. Brexit was a backlash towards what was seen as the political establishment enforced by decades of economic decay and negligence. We need to turn the Party into a Party that can unite the British people behind a common vision for the future. Labour must adopt a new economic ideology whatever it does on the European question at this point, or it is doomed to fail like the Conservatives today. I propose that Labour should become more of a localist Party that is a pro-devolution and local rule. We should consider a federal arrangement for the United Kingdom giving more power to regions across the country. Labour to a small extent is still moving in this direction, Labour now backs a one Yorkshire devolution deal, rather than a Sheffield centric Sheffield City region that puts regional centres such as Sheffield first. I hope we can make progress on these issues.
I think the Lord Ashcroft Poll below is important to discuss the current situation. You can see the lower social classes voted leave according to the Lord Ashcroft Poll.
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