Julie Ward: Brexit is a wholesale disaster, it is an act of self-harm and there is no good Brexit deal
Interview with MEP Julie Ward, S&D, Labour Party (UK)
What is your opinion on the Brexit deal?
Brexit is a wholesale disaster, it is an act of self-harm and there is no good Brexit deal. My country is having a serious existential crisis. Theresa May made a big mistake by boxing herself in at the outset. She should have left some wiggle room but she went straight for a hard Brexit and therein lies the problem. People realise they have been lied to and they also woke up to the magnitude of the situation. The loss of rights that will accompany Brexit is cruel. To be stripped of our European citizenship when we feel European is an outrage. Citizens rights have not protected from the outset. Human beings seem to matter less to the government than goods. It is all about the market and people are collateral damage.
We are witnessing a surge of far-right parties across EU. How do you interpret this development?
Many politicians talk in abstract terms. They use language that most people don't understand. People want change but they don't know how to effect change through the normal processes because there is hardly any political or citizenship education. Populist and far-right parties have exploited this feeling of helplessness. They offer simple answers to complex questions, such as blaming others for life’s difficulties instead of looking to the real culprits - the irresponsible bankers who precipitated the financial crisis. Icelanders jailed these corporate criminals but elsewhere they have continued to enjoy impunity and huge bonuses! The ‘establishment’ closes ranks so then ordinary people feel left out. The right wing media spin a xenophobic narrative that scapegoats migrants and refugees, provokes a fear of others, and so populists jump on that convenient bandwagon. They have no policies. UKIP, for example, is the party against everything and for nothing. The far right fill the empty space when there is a democratic deficit - they always vote. But it is always a vote of protest and never a vote of hope.
Is it possible to create a big progressive alliance that could provide a convincing alternative to the European people?
Yes I believe that is the best answer. We must stop being tribal about our politics and come together across the wider left to advocate for a ‘Europe for the Many’, a social Europe. In the European Parliament we have a very effective anti-austerity Progressive Caucus which means we can work together in a more constructive way to build alliances around key issues such as employment policy, gender equality, tax transparency, fair trade and climate change. We stopped TTIP and I believe if we scaled up this model we could win hearts and minds across Europe. Young people, in particular, are looking for alternatives. They have been deprived of hope. We need to empower them to be the new leaders too which means the old white men must step aside.
What are the major proposals of S&D group regarding the social agenda toward the EU Elections?
Policy is still being discussed but these are the ideas I am hearing which I believe reflect S&D's values and concerns... people and quality jobs, a wider education offer including much more focus on vocational learning, tackling poverty especially extreme poverty in the developing world and child poverty, more diplomacy and dialogue in foreign affairs, humane migration policies, strengthening democracy in fragile states, upholding freedom of media and promoting a fair rules-based internet for the common good, tackling tax evasion.
Brexit is a wholesale disaster, it is an act of self-harm and there is no good Brexit deal. My country is having a serious existential crisis. Theresa May made a big mistake by boxing herself in at the outset. She should have left some wiggle room but she went straight for a hard Brexit and therein lies the problem. People realise they have been lied to and they also woke up to the magnitude of the situation. The loss of rights that will accompany Brexit is cruel. To be stripped of our European citizenship when we feel European is an outrage. Citizens rights have not protected from the outset. Human beings seem to matter less to the government than goods. It is all about the market and people are collateral damage.
We are witnessing a surge of far-right parties across EU. How do you interpret this development?
Many politicians talk in abstract terms. They use language that most people don't understand. People want change but they don't know how to effect change through the normal processes because there is hardly any political or citizenship education. Populist and far-right parties have exploited this feeling of helplessness. They offer simple answers to complex questions, such as blaming others for life’s difficulties instead of looking to the real culprits - the irresponsible bankers who precipitated the financial crisis. Icelanders jailed these corporate criminals but elsewhere they have continued to enjoy impunity and huge bonuses! The ‘establishment’ closes ranks so then ordinary people feel left out. The right wing media spin a xenophobic narrative that scapegoats migrants and refugees, provokes a fear of others, and so populists jump on that convenient bandwagon. They have no policies. UKIP, for example, is the party against everything and for nothing. The far right fill the empty space when there is a democratic deficit - they always vote. But it is always a vote of protest and never a vote of hope.
Is it possible to create a big progressive alliance that could provide a convincing alternative to the European people?
Yes I believe that is the best answer. We must stop being tribal about our politics and come together across the wider left to advocate for a ‘Europe for the Many’, a social Europe. In the European Parliament we have a very effective anti-austerity Progressive Caucus which means we can work together in a more constructive way to build alliances around key issues such as employment policy, gender equality, tax transparency, fair trade and climate change. We stopped TTIP and I believe if we scaled up this model we could win hearts and minds across Europe. Young people, in particular, are looking for alternatives. They have been deprived of hope. We need to empower them to be the new leaders too which means the old white men must step aside.
What are the major proposals of S&D group regarding the social agenda toward the EU Elections?
Policy is still being discussed but these are the ideas I am hearing which I believe reflect S&D's values and concerns... people and quality jobs, a wider education offer including much more focus on vocational learning, tackling poverty especially extreme poverty in the developing world and child poverty, more diplomacy and dialogue in foreign affairs, humane migration policies, strengthening democracy in fragile states, upholding freedom of media and promoting a fair rules-based internet for the common good, tackling tax evasion.
© European Progressive Forum
7.12.18
7.12.18
