TUESDAY 20 AUGUST 2019

Brexit pantomime distracts us

from the issue of class

I take strong issue with Steve Ford and Vic Gaunt in their respective advocacy of a

Remain party and a “sensible” centre party (Letters, yesterday).

First, the sensible centre is actually no such thing at all – but merely a pretext and a facade for yet more of
the right-wing neoliberal policies to which we’ve been subjected for the past four decades. With the centre
ground having shifted so far to the right, a la Keith Joseph, anything mildly to the left of social democratic
(which is what Labour under Corbyn will be) can then be erroneously labelled “extreme left” by forces
determined to retain the largesse of the few and scupper a progressive government for the many.

As for the mooted Remain and Brexit parties, to entertain such a possibility is to collude with the mass
distraction from real class politics for which the Brexit pantomime has been responsible. Just as Ukip has
virtually disappeared because it never had any class base that mirrored the class forces in society, exactly
the same calculus applies to any yearned for Remain Party.

At the next “which side are you on?” general election, it’s going to be a straight choice between five years of
scorched-earth market fundamentalism under Bullingdon Johnson, or five years of a left-progressive
reforming government under Corbyn – and no amount of Brexit obfuscation should distract us from this
most existential of political choices.

Dr Richard House Gloucestershire

Freedom of movement is essential

The decision of this government to end free movement of people is madness (Priti Patel pushes to end
freedom of movement on day one of no-deal Brexit, yesterday). When farm owners are talking about crops
rotting in the fields, and when the NHS has tens of thousands of nursing vacancies unfilled, what is the
government’s plan to fill the gap?

Many families like mine wouldn’t exist were it not for free movement of people from Europe. Those who
want to end it include Dominic Raab whose Jewish father came to Britain to escape the Nazis and Priti
Patel, whose parents were given sanctuary before Idi Amin came to power in Uganda. The double standards
are breathtaking.

Chris Key Address Supplied

Voices /Letters