The Issue Bigger Than Brexit

So what are the big issues this election?  The easy answer is Brexit.  But that in itself is a second order issue.  Britain is part of Europe and all the time the EU exists Britain is going to have some kind of relationship with it.  Being in or out of it is a key decision.  But what decision you make depends on what kind of Britain you want and what kind of Europe you want. 

So what do I want as a voter, and what are the offerings I have to chose from?  The Conservatives seem to have been on  quite a journey with this.  They appear now to be favouring the 'Singapore on Thames' strategy, which is all about deregulation.  This is the ultimate variation on the idea that free markets are good things in their own right. If we let people be their enterprising spirits and activities will lead to optimum results for everyone.  It doesn't sound either very appealing or very practical to me. But it is at least logical, even if it doesn’t align with some things that Brexit voters are supposed to want. For example it requires pretty high levels of immigration. I don't like the Tory vision, but it is particularly galling to think that a lot of the people supporting it probably won't like it much either.

The Labour Party has a logical approach as well.  It has two goals.  It wants to minimise the damage to the British economy and start the process of forgetting the whole Brexit issue.  This is both to improve the cohesion in the country and to get a subject that doesn't really suit the party off the agenda.  To this end it wants a much closer relationship with Europe.  This keeps Britain in the mainstream of Europe and allows a much sooner and less painful re-entry.  Frankly I don't like this one any better than the Tory one.  I can't put my finger on it, but I think it is that it is too reactive and doesn't really take a position.  It does have the great virtue of including a further referendum.  But even that still feels a bit early.  If the aim is to calm the issue down it would be better to leave the whole issue to cool off for a couple of years.

The Lib Dems and the Scots Nats both want to rejoin more or less straight away.   This would be painful given the level of support that still exists in the country for Brexit.  It would definitely leave the issue on the table at least for a bit longer.

But basically all these questions are about the kind of country we want to live in.  If you want to live in a neoliberal free market, you probably want to be out of the EU as it currently stands.  But if the EU's guiding philosophy came around to yours there wouldn't be much of a problem.  Likewise if you are after some version of social democracy then staying in the EU makes a lot of sense.  But if the EU were to morph into something different to what it is then you'd be thinking about booking your train out.  This basically is an argument that is never going to end.

So basically we have three unpalatable options.  I think the Labour one is the least worst option.  But if they win, I have a feeling that nobody is going to thank them for it afterwards.