Michael White's Blog, page 6

Attempts to elevate the Brexit debate following MP's death begin to fray

The tone of an ‘ugly’ debate temporarily softened after Labour MP Jo Cox was killed, but David Cameron soon faced hostile questions on immigration

The murder of Jo Cox, the British MP shot and stabbed to death in her Yorkshire constituency last week, was supposed to have raised the maturity level of the UK’s traumatizing debate on whether or not it should sever its 43-year relationship with the 500 million-strong European Union (EU).

And so it did for 24 hours, patchily for a few days longer.

Related: What is Brexit and why does it matter? The EU referendum guide for Americans

Related: Leaving the EU would not bring immigration under control | Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah

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What is Brexit and why does it matter? The EU referendum guide for Americans

Michael White explains the history of British politics and the perfect storm of economic crisis, migration and nationalism leading up to the 23 June vote for the UK to either remain in the European Union or leave it

On Greek holiday beaches and in remote but pretty French villages this summer British visitors have faced similar questions from anxious fellow citizens of the European Union. A month ago it was: “Your referendum, it will be OK, yes?” But a run of opinion polls showing the campaign to leave ahead of opponents who want to stay in by up to 10%, has forced a change of tone as the 23 June ballot looms. The more reproachful version has become: “Why are you doing this to us?”

Washington’s Capitol Hill legend, Tip O’Neill, once said “all politics is local”. True enough, but rarely the whole truth. The campaign for Brexit – British exit – feeds on decades-old, homegrown resentments. Real or imagined, they include nostalgia for imperial certainties and for pre-globalised jobs for life, plus resentment of immigrants and of rules imposed by “unelected” courts and commissions in Brussels. Such are the demons said to restrain national “sovereignty” or (for some) free market spirits. “ Take back control” is Brexit’s catch-all slogan, designed to appeal to both social isolationists and blue-water buccaneers.

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Can David Cameron survive Brexit? | Michael White

Whatever the result, and whatever furious Eurosceptic Tories say, the prime minister may not be finished yet

Oh dear, a clutch of slightly moth-eaten Tory grandees have laid into David Cameron, George Osborne, into the Treasury and Bank of England too, in terms that will make it even harder to bind up the country’s wounds when the referendum campaign ends. I wish both sides would throttle back a bit.

Whatever the result at breakfast time on “Brexit Friday”, the outcome will be damaging and lasting. By putting party management over statesmanship in conceding a referendum at all – “a device for dictators and demagogues” as Margaret Thatcher once confirmed – this sorry mess is primarily Cameron’s fault. Since Osborne is his consigliere he shares the blame.

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Philip Green case shows select committees' power – and weakness | Michael White

Can MPs really compel recalcitrant witnesses to appear before them and accept a grilling?

So, “King” Phil Green, retail wide boy, is still refusing to give evidence to MPs on the Commons business, information and skills (BIS) select committee over how he offloaded BHS on to a passing ex-bankrupt for a quid. Ahead of Wednesday’s standoff the MPs are preparing sanctions. But who is bluffing?

In reality both sides are engaged in brinkmanship. But King Phil is the one most likely to blink first and appear at Westminster, if not sooner, then later. He has a lot more than his mud-stained Blair knighthood to lose and has very few friends left. When the Daily Mail gets on your case it is time to start checking out options for asylum. Parts of Saudi Arabia can be lovely in the winter months.

Related: How Britain fell out of love with BHS – timeline

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Gordon to rescue remain? Then he must do better on immigration

Ex-PM argues that staying in the EU will help economy but fails to address major question

“Gordon to the Rescue,” cry a clutch of newspaper headlines – here and here – as the former Labour prime minister launched his 10-day and 11th hour crusade to save the country from Brexit. Three cheers? Possibly one and a half?

We’ve heard the rescue routine before, haven’t we? Back in 2014 Brown’s pledge “saved” the Scottish independence referendum in the nick of time, just as he “saved” Tony Blair’s last election campaign in 2005. The one campaign he couldn’t save was his own to win a personal mandate from the British electorate.

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Sarah Wollaston gets the Brexit diagnosis right this time | Michael White

GP-turned-Tory MP is right to repent coming out for Brexit – the idea that the NHS would benefit from leaving is preposterous

I was surprised when Sarah Wollaston, the level-headed GP-turned-Tory-MP from Totnes, came out for Brexit last winter. At one level I’m surprised she publicly announced a change of mind on Thursday. Not so level-headed after all, good though it always is to see a politician admit error.

Related: Dr Sarah Wollaston defects from Vote Leave to remain campaign

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Should we listen to the experts on the EU referendum?

Michael Gove knows he can get easy applause for denouncing experts, but on the big issues we may need their advice

The week in which the self-taught education expert Michael Gove announced that “the people of this country have had enough of experts” is clearly not the best one for his cabinet colleague, the former miner Patrick McLoughlin, to admit that the experts got it wrong over diesel cars.

By cutting the duty on low-sulphur diesel back in 2001, the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, correctly thought he was helping meet carbon-reducing climate change targets in Britain. Unfortunately no one explained that the harmful pollutants such cars emit – nitrogen oxides – can quickly build to lethal levels.

Related: Blair attacks Corbyn for doing nothing to stop Syria being barrel-bombed - live

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Blair's Iraq reflections show how supercilious much of the EU debate is

International order is fragile enough without weakening one of its more stable components

Oh no, not Tony Blair defending himself on the front page of the Guardian again before Sir John Chilcot’s report has even delivered its verdict after a protracted inquest into the Iraq war’s failings. Yes, and why not? What do we expect people to do when relentlessly and savagely prejudged? Most of us are not pacifists.

What Blair’s latest reflections in Tuesday’s Guardian serve to do is to underline just how supercilious much of the for and against debate – name calling? scaremongering? – on Brexit is in the current campaign. By no means the most thoughtful man to win elections and occupy No 10, Blair can sound like Aristotle in comparison with what we get from Dave and George, Boris and Govey, let alone from (where is he?) Jeremy.

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A reverse Maastricht would be legal and politically feasible | Michael White

With strong leadership, pro-remain MPs could use their majority to protect UK access to the single market as part of an EU withdrawal

What if the Brexit camp wins the referendum on 23 June, as some polls are currently scaring sterling by suggesting? Could pro-remain MPs do as one anonymous minister told the BBC and use their parliamentary majority in a “reverse Maastricht” to protect UK access to the EU single market as part of the withdrawal?

They would do so, according to today’s enjoyable speculation, because they have an overwhelming cross-party majority to do so – 454 to 147 mostly rightwing Tories, on some calculations – and because they will be able to claim Brexit has not put up a coherent policy for Britain’s trade relationship with Brussels. It has put up many options, but has no mandate for many of them.

Related: This rebellion is Cameron's Maastricht. He should have seen it coming | Melissa Kite

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Jeremy Corbyn needs to be honest as well as bold on immigration | Michael White

Labour leader should make the case for immigration in a language that busy, suspicious voters can understand

I don’t know Tim Roache, the newly elected leader of the giant GMB union, number three in Britain’s shrinking TUC hierarchy. By reputation he’s closer to his members than most general secretaries, leftwing but also a local Labour activist who understands the party and still finds hinterland time to run a kids’ football team in Yorkshire.

I like the sound of most of that (“a very nice guy who is good company,” says one friend), thoughtful and not afraid to say unpopular things. Such as? In his Guardian interview he suggests that Jeremy Corbyn should have the guts to make the positive case for immigration.

Related: Brexiters are missing the point of Australian-style immigration

Related: Steve Bell on the Australian-style immigration system – cartoon

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