Speech on 'The Future of Britain and Europe'
With Tom Watson, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and MP for West Bromwich East.
Read the transcript of the speech here.
"The tone of our politics has become shrill."
— Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) June 17, 2019
Deputy Labour leader @tom_watson says he wants to "foster a deliberative democracy" to help solve national problems.
Read more here: https://t.co/SM3SHEHfgT pic.twitter.com/Tblj0GSgIa
"Our belief in the EU has been whispered, not shouted."
— Sky News Politics (@SkyNewsPolitics) June 17, 2019
Deputy Labour leader @tom_watson is calling for a second referendum and calls the EU a "good thing".
Read more here: https://t.co/SM3SHEHfgT pic.twitter.com/LJj8CWk2PG
.@tom_watson says this isn’t an attack on the leader of the party - he is deputy leader and wouldn’t do that.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
Questioner - this intervention might be interpreted as an attack on the leadership. You’re going to face a backlash by those who will interpret this as an internal factional issue.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
No doubt Labour will change position on #Brexit but I fear it may be too late, @tom_watson says in q&a after speech at @CER_EU making case for Labour to be pro-remain
— CER (@CER_EU) June 17, 2019
Q on what @tom_watson has learnt canvassing during general elections. Many people said they couldn’t vote Labour in this election bc they couldn’t support the party’s Brexit position & wanted to send a strong message.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
There’s no point changing our policy if our prevarication means that we’re not trusted.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
@RaniaRamli, National chair of Labour students, asks how can young people persuade the leadership to listen? @tom_watson has no doubt that Labour Party conference will harden the party’s policy towards Remain - but fears it will be too late.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
.@tom_watson says he has no doubt the Labour Party conference will change #brexit position to be more clearly in favour of another referendum but he fears it’ll be too late.
— Vicki Young (@BBCVickiYoung) June 17, 2019
Labour needs to listen to its members. The extremes of both wings of politics will prosper if centre ground parties don’t listen to voters. That’s a lesson to learn from European and local elections.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
Now onto Q&A. @CER_IanBond asks what message Labour MPs need to be giving in Leave-voting constituencies. @tom_watson says constituents just want honesty about what’s in their/UK’s interest. Brexit will cause job losses.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
Labour needs to champion the EU. The patriotic choice is to remain, @tom_watson concludes.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
Our members are remain, our values are remain, our hearts are remain – only tool to break the #Brexit deadlock is a public vote - our future doesn't need to be Brexit, @tom_watson says in speech at @CER_EU - watch live: https://t.co/QgbCwObFAE
— CER (@CER_EU) June 17, 2019
Membership of the EU brings a 2% boost to our GDP according to the Bank of England. That’s significant for public services - that should matter for anyone who calls themselves a democratic socialist. Every penny counts when it comes to supporting working people
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
The EU is no boss club. It’s an engine of progress. A friend to workers. Britain alone will struggle to take on regressive labour policies, tax avoidance. On our own, we are vulnerable.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
This is the country I am proud of, not anybody’s nostalgic fantasy of how it used to be. And our future is with Europe, and growing with its institutions.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
.@tom_watson making an eloquent case for Britain as “utterly indivisible from Europe”, recalling all the historical cultural and political ties between the UK & the continent of Europe from #Shakespeare to the present day.
— Ian Bond (@CER_IanBond) June 17, 2019
Good to be @CER_EU to hear @tom_watson make a positive case for the EU aligned with labour values pic.twitter.com/LfYBxsUh3O
— Emily Wallace (@emilywallace25) June 17, 2019
“The European Union is not something to apologise for. It is a good thing. It is Good with a capital G.”- says @tom_watson @CER_EU
— UK Music (@UK_Music) June 17, 2019
Excited to hear from @tom_watson (he's somewhere in that picture, honest) today at @CER_EU He's talking about culture, polarisation and the future of Britain and Europe. #Tomwatson pic.twitter.com/tCOIWWVezC
— Thomas Collinge (@ThomasCollinge) June 17, 2019
In a keynote speech on Europe, @tom_watson outlines his views on #Brexit at @CER_EU pic.twitter.com/HX1Mg6sweP
— UK Music (@UK_Music) June 17, 2019
Tom Watson has started his speech at the CER - EU is a good thing, with a capital G, he says. Watch live https://t.co/RUjg0Hhh5J pic.twitter.com/n43sNBKy9X
— CER (@CER_EU) June 17, 2019
Britain’s place is in the EU because Britain is by definition in and of Europe. Our great cities are among the most diverse in the world - that is what and who are. We are a great historic European nation.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
I embrace the EU because I am a socialist. Democratic socialism is achieving common causes by the strength of endeavour. I am a democratic socialist, a British patriot, and a proud European. These are mutually reinforcing
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
It’s not perfect, but what institution is? The core values are internationalism, solidarity, freedom. These are British and Labour values.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
We’re still scared of telling the truth about Europe. It is not something to apologise for but a Good Thing.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
Says @tom_watson. Our belief in the EU has been whispered not shouted. Taken as read by politicians that it’s at best a necessarily evil - the economic benefits make it worth putting up with what we don’t like. Labour is still doing this.
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019
The tone of our politics has become shrill and negative. We’ve lost the ability to argue well. I want to foster a more deliberative democracy. Citizens assemblies could play a much greater role in addressing almost insoluble national problems pic.twitter.com/GbGxCM7sVe
— Beth Oppenheim (@BethOppenheim) June 17, 2019