Good old BBC. Let’s try and be nice to the British political extremes. All in hope of getting that reporter’s gem. The got’y moment. The “ah, so you don’t really mean it” moment that can get nailed on a website or flamed out on social media. The cosy feeling that a truth is revealed.
There’s one social good that the BBC delivered this morning on my radio. I was reminded, over breakfast that the Reform Party is just a home for renegade Conservatives. Nothing, more or less. The part of the former Conservative Party who thought Thatcherism was a bit soft.
They tout polices that have not weathered the storm. Failed, time and time again. Like downed rotten trees in a high wind. Add to that a fantasy series of promises about being more efficient and the darkness of the rabbit hole is all consuming. However much they talk over questioners, the bare bones of tickle down economics remain at their core. Give more money to those who already have it and mystically everyone will benefit. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss on overdrive. It would be deeply satisfying to see the Reform Party crumble. However, I fear that’s not going to happen as long as wealthy people keep throwing money at this political group.
This week is one where a shift in political momentum could go horribly wrong. For the last few weeks, the governing party has been slowly climbing up the opinion polls. Some say, at last the Labour party is being the Labour party. Others say that a massive dose of realpolitik is a betrayal of the progressive creed. As usual such rumbling debates are alive and well.
On the table is talk of “freedom of movement.” I wish it weren’t expressed in that way. Mainly because it’s not entirely what those three words say it is. It’s an oversimplification.
From my point of view, it’s essential to apply some pragmatism to the debate about who comes and goes from this country and why. One thing is absolutely clear; Brexit has made the situation much worse. Over the last decade, control of this country’s borders has become a rolling nightmare. Endless newspaper column inches of negativity.
As Europeans we should have a degree of freedom to move. A right to mobility is real. To live, work or retire in each other’s countries. There are conditions attached. I remember having to register in the German city of my residence. Freedom doesn’t come without bureaucracy.
There’s a strong national interest in getting the whole European economy moving. The notion that our island status affords a separation that means we are unaffected by others is utter nonsense. In fact, in the current economic circumstances this country could occupy a major leadership role in Europe.
The world of politics and diplomacy are intertwined. The difficulty is that this fact is difficult to translate into everyday public sentiment. Our eyes are focused on the big issues, and the cost of living is one of the biggest. So, making arguments for “freedom of movement” must come with attachments. Again clearly, Brexit did not make goods in the shops more affordable. That lie has been sunk.
To maintain stability in a complex world, countries need to work together. For us, the best chance of that happening is with our neighbours.
I have discovered an unfamiliar word. Gefühlspolitik – being driven by emotion, is the road to endless disappointments. Churning over the same old ground, being fooled by snake oil salesmen and Machiavellian masters.
