This is my message to Andy Burnham
Dear Mr Burnham whilst you maybe thinking about re- joining the European Union some time in the future I must press upon you that this decision has to be made now and not sometime in the vague future. However i must caution you regarding the idea of another referendum. I do not support the idea of having another referendum about the issue. In my opinion this is the only issue that might win you the next General Election against Farage’s Reform.
If you believe that Britain’s future lies in the EU then you should stand by that decision and let the next General Election become your referendum.
So if you were to campaign in a General Election you should campaign on the matter of re-joining the EU. So a vote for you would become an endorsement for re-joining the EU. If you should win a General Election then you would have a mandate to take that forward into reinstating our EU membership. This is the only way that you just might defeat Reform.
Personally I believe that you are already on the wrong track to defeating Farage and his Reform Party. In my opinion the only way to defeat Farage’s Reform is to offer the public an opportunity to go back into the EU and that makes the next potential General Election a single issue Election. That’s not such a bad thing: it polarizes the public into 2 opposing voting camps. The idea is enough to polarize supporters into 2 factions. This strategy had successes in the David Cameron Conservative success offering a Brexit Referendum and then again in the ‘ Get Brexit Done’ election of Boris Johnson. So it can be a successful strategy. In my opinion it is the only strategy that can defeat Reform right now.
Many of the viewpoints held by Reform’s supporters have entrenched values that are rigid and cannot easily be overturned. Most of Reform’s supporters want things that are not attainable by any responsible government. They have come to these conclusions largely ignoring all of the factors that have come to play to put pressure on the economy such as wars in the world and Trump’s ill conceived interventions. These largely disaffected supporters have gravitated towards Reform because of the Party’s appeal to the angry, disaffected but largely ill-informed. They want change quickly without proper examination of fiscal considerations. They want to feel better off despite problems like inflation and world market problems. They will align themselves with the party offering the most benefits to them personally even despite it being unrealistic and unachievable. These are traits that are difficult to reverse even through intense negotiations and certainly not just by figurehead changes.
These viewpoints have transpired even without Reform offering any viable policies to get behind, some are even prejudiced. Even Reform’s policies on controlling immigration are wildly ambitious but largely unworkable. They have no economic policies that look any different to outdated Thatcherite policies. However at the moment they have the momentum. Farage will not be defeated by smiles and tinkering. There has to be something far more radical that crosses traditional political boundaries to united people behind a cause and that would be rejoining the EU.
Anyhow Mr Burnham I encourage you towards looking to offering the EU membership as a possibility for Britain in the next Election. However I encourage you to put your money behind your thoughts and words and to back yourself with more resolve. Make a vote for Mr Andy Burnham a vote for EU membership. Stand by this position and you just might win the next General Election if you stand in one for your Labour Party. MAKE A VOTE FOR YOU THE REFERENDUM. Bypass and forget the need for a referendum because that is a vote looser. Nobody wants to go down that route again. Stand by your convictions and let a vote for you be the referendum. It could be the greatest political gamble ever made. Good luck.
Yours faithfully
A Labour Party Supporter