A Plea to My Friends Who Want Lexit - This Is Not the Time
The British Left needs to decide whether to make or break the EU but an exit on 23 June would represent an exit the Little Englander’s terms, not ours
I'm not a great fan of the EU. Virtually all of my life is spent campaigning against its policies. Whether it be big business trade deals like the EU-US trade deal TTIP, the destructive austerity imposed on Greece or inhumane pacts with Turkey to keep refugees out of the richest part of the world, there's not much to like.
Maybe that's why I've had many good debates over the last two months, where I argue to stay in the EU to transform it into a people's union, and my 'opponent' argues we must recover our sovereignty in order to build a democratic paradise. We stress our common values - internationalism, equality and democracy. With a few exceptions, we agree on nearly every issue.
There have been times over the last year when I could even have been converted to Brexit, most notably as Greece was sent into oblivion by an unelected commission and central bank. The principle reason I haven't is that I prefer the idea of being a European citizen to being a British subject.
Being European seems to distance me a little from the crimes committed on the world by the British Empire, dissociates me from the petty 'little England' superiority that surrounded me growing up, and helps convince me it really is possible for us to collaborate beyond our historical national identity which has repeatedly plunged our continent into war over centuries. It feels like the future, not the past.
But for all that, I understand and respect the idea that only by throwing off this undemocratic structure can we focus on the real battle for a better society in a context that resonates with the majority of people in this country. That a so-called Left Exit (Lexit) might just shake the complacency of a cosmopolitan political and business elite and finally give voice to the people.
And maybe it will. One day. When a progressive British government is halted in its steps in the way Greece was last Summer, then I would conceivably vote Brexit.
But that day is not today. Because an exit from the EU on 23 June would represent possibly the most right-wing exit imaginable. Even a fanatical optimist cannot believe that the values of internationalism and equality will be reinforced by a Brexit in these circumstances.
The last four weeks have witnessed a re-emergence of views on a mass scale that seemed safely assigned to the past. The mainstream campaign to leave the EU has pandered to nationalism, has built a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment and has fostered a notion that outside the EU we can return to an age when Britain was the world's foremost 'great power'.
Of course, this has been a deliberate strategy. The leaders of the Brexit campaign are prepared to do anything and say anything to win this referendum. That's how those who have privatised the NHS pretend Brexit could save it, or those who believe in free movement of labour promise Brexit will end it.
But the biggest vote winner is that fear that's been used by elites over centuries; fear of 'the other'. It has kept kings on their thrones, boosted the popularity of failing governments and silenced those who speak for a better world. "Immigrants are taking your jobs, immigrants are flooding your public services, immigrants are raping women, and immigrants are anathema to our superior, tolerant values."
Many Lexiters have realised this, and said, for these reasons, they'll vote remain or abstain. My plea is for the rest to join them. This is not to forever remove the possibility of Lexit. After all, in its current guise, the EU is on life support. Across Europe, the structures have lost legitimacy. They have failed to deal with the major problems humanity faces. Their lifespan is limited, and Yanis Vaorufkakis' challenge to 'democratise or die' will only grow in importance in coming years.
But our role must be to convince Britain's alienated and dispossessed, that the ordinary people of Poland, Greece and France are not our enemies, but our allies in this battle. We will transform or break up this structure together. Much damage has already been done. A remain vote will not solve our problems, but ironically, it is the only way for those who want Lexit to achieve it.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
I'm not a great fan of the EU. Virtually all of my life is spent campaigning against its policies. Whether it be big business trade deals like the EU-US trade deal TTIP, the destructive austerity imposed on Greece or inhumane pacts with Turkey to keep refugees out of the richest part of the world, there's not much to like.
Maybe that's why I've had many good debates over the last two months, where I argue to stay in the EU to transform it into a people's union, and my 'opponent' argues we must recover our sovereignty in order to build a democratic paradise. We stress our common values - internationalism, equality and democracy. With a few exceptions, we agree on nearly every issue.
There have been times over the last year when I could even have been converted to Brexit, most notably as Greece was sent into oblivion by an unelected commission and central bank. The principle reason I haven't is that I prefer the idea of being a European citizen to being a British subject.
Being European seems to distance me a little from the crimes committed on the world by the British Empire, dissociates me from the petty 'little England' superiority that surrounded me growing up, and helps convince me it really is possible for us to collaborate beyond our historical national identity which has repeatedly plunged our continent into war over centuries. It feels like the future, not the past.
But for all that, I understand and respect the idea that only by throwing off this undemocratic structure can we focus on the real battle for a better society in a context that resonates with the majority of people in this country. That a so-called Left Exit (Lexit) might just shake the complacency of a cosmopolitan political and business elite and finally give voice to the people.
And maybe it will. One day. When a progressive British government is halted in its steps in the way Greece was last Summer, then I would conceivably vote Brexit.
But that day is not today. Because an exit from the EU on 23 June would represent possibly the most right-wing exit imaginable. Even a fanatical optimist cannot believe that the values of internationalism and equality will be reinforced by a Brexit in these circumstances.
The last four weeks have witnessed a re-emergence of views on a mass scale that seemed safely assigned to the past. The mainstream campaign to leave the EU has pandered to nationalism, has built a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment and has fostered a notion that outside the EU we can return to an age when Britain was the world's foremost 'great power'.
Of course, this has been a deliberate strategy. The leaders of the Brexit campaign are prepared to do anything and say anything to win this referendum. That's how those who have privatised the NHS pretend Brexit could save it, or those who believe in free movement of labour promise Brexit will end it.
But the biggest vote winner is that fear that's been used by elites over centuries; fear of 'the other'. It has kept kings on their thrones, boosted the popularity of failing governments and silenced those who speak for a better world. "Immigrants are taking your jobs, immigrants are flooding your public services, immigrants are raping women, and immigrants are anathema to our superior, tolerant values."
Many Lexiters have realised this, and said, for these reasons, they'll vote remain or abstain. My plea is for the rest to join them. This is not to forever remove the possibility of Lexit. After all, in its current guise, the EU is on life support. Across Europe, the structures have lost legitimacy. They have failed to deal with the major problems humanity faces. Their lifespan is limited, and Yanis Vaorufkakis' challenge to 'democratise or die' will only grow in importance in coming years.
But our role must be to convince Britain's alienated and dispossessed, that the ordinary people of Poland, Greece and France are not our enemies, but our allies in this battle. We will transform or break up this structure together. Much damage has already been done. A remain vote will not solve our problems, but ironically, it is the only way for those who want Lexit to achieve it.
I'm not a great fan of the EU. Virtually all of my life is spent campaigning against its policies. Whether it be big business trade deals like the EU-US trade deal TTIP, the destructive austerity imposed on Greece or inhumane pacts with Turkey to keep refugees out of the richest part of the world, there's not much to like.
Maybe that's why I've had many good debates over the last two months, where I argue to stay in the EU to transform it into a people's union, and my 'opponent' argues we must recover our sovereignty in order to build a democratic paradise. We stress our common values - internationalism, equality and democracy. With a few exceptions, we agree on nearly every issue.
There have been times over the last year when I could even have been converted to Brexit, most notably as Greece was sent into oblivion by an unelected commission and central bank. The principle reason I haven't is that I prefer the idea of being a European citizen to being a British subject.
Being European seems to distance me a little from the crimes committed on the world by the British Empire, dissociates me from the petty 'little England' superiority that surrounded me growing up, and helps convince me it really is possible for us to collaborate beyond our historical national identity which has repeatedly plunged our continent into war over centuries. It feels like the future, not the past.
But for all that, I understand and respect the idea that only by throwing off this undemocratic structure can we focus on the real battle for a better society in a context that resonates with the majority of people in this country. That a so-called Left Exit (Lexit) might just shake the complacency of a cosmopolitan political and business elite and finally give voice to the people.
And maybe it will. One day. When a progressive British government is halted in its steps in the way Greece was last Summer, then I would conceivably vote Brexit.
But that day is not today. Because an exit from the EU on 23 June would represent possibly the most right-wing exit imaginable. Even a fanatical optimist cannot believe that the values of internationalism and equality will be reinforced by a Brexit in these circumstances.
The last four weeks have witnessed a re-emergence of views on a mass scale that seemed safely assigned to the past. The mainstream campaign to leave the EU has pandered to nationalism, has built a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment and has fostered a notion that outside the EU we can return to an age when Britain was the world's foremost 'great power'.
Of course, this has been a deliberate strategy. The leaders of the Brexit campaign are prepared to do anything and say anything to win this referendum. That's how those who have privatised the NHS pretend Brexit could save it, or those who believe in free movement of labour promise Brexit will end it.
But the biggest vote winner is that fear that's been used by elites over centuries; fear of 'the other'. It has kept kings on their thrones, boosted the popularity of failing governments and silenced those who speak for a better world. "Immigrants are taking your jobs, immigrants are flooding your public services, immigrants are raping women, and immigrants are anathema to our superior, tolerant values."
Many Lexiters have realised this, and said, for these reasons, they'll vote remain or abstain. My plea is for the rest to join them. This is not to forever remove the possibility of Lexit. After all, in its current guise, the EU is on life support. Across Europe, the structures have lost legitimacy. They have failed to deal with the major problems humanity faces. Their lifespan is limited, and Yanis Vaorufkakis' challenge to 'democratise or die' will only grow in importance in coming years.
But our role must be to convince Britain's alienated and dispossessed, that the ordinary people of Poland, Greece and France are not our enemies, but our allies in this battle. We will transform or break up this structure together. Much damage has already been done. A remain vote will not solve our problems, but ironically, it is the only way for those who want Lexit to achieve it.