General Election 2019 and Brexit

I wasn’t in practice as a psychoanalyst for many years without picking up a sense also of the collective public mind and so I believe that labour, in it’s campaign, is making a similar mistake to that of the remain campaign in the EU referendum.

When launching Labour’s manifesto Jeremy Corbyn gave it the right introduction in that it was a message of hope for the future, a plan for a better, safer, more caring and kinder times ahead. Apart from that though their campaign has been largely negative in that they have, at time of writing, concentrated on how terrible it would be if Boris Johnson’s Tory Party was re-elected for a further five years. The list of horrors awaiting us has been endlessly trotted out and of course this is largely correct. Now for the ‘but’ which is that human beings are programmed to be positive, it is what made our specie successful, to see dangers not necessarily to be avoided but to be overcome, a challenge. Additionally when the dangers are being continually thrust upon them by a serious faced old man, even though he is right, there is a natural tendency to avoid accepting them because that requires action of some kind not least the action of thought. Contrast that with a genial, laughing, bumbling twit who enjoys being mocked while stuck on a zip wire, who says don’t worry, everything will be alright, it’s all a load of scare mongering, follow me and we’ll ‘get it done’. He doesn’t even have to specify what he will ‘get done’ it’s easy for a lot of people to be content to leave it all with him and save themselves the necessity of thinking, even though they know that in reality he is lying to them.

The same error of negativity was made by the remain campaign in the EU referendum. The focus was almost entirely on the likely disasters that would arise if we gave up our membership of the biggest trading bloc on the planet and based on peaceful co-operation and whilst likely to be entirely true, was counteracted by a deceivingly positive campaign by the leavers led by Farage. His laughing face beaming out from behind a pint glass of beer and a cloud of fag smoke created a vision of anti establishment even though a part of it. The consummate salesman he wove a vision of the future based on a mental image of our ‘glorious’ past that we never had.

Is it too late? Probably but like the rest of humanity I am programmed by evolution to cling to hope.

My Letters to May & Corbyn

I recently sent the following letters to the Prime Minister May and leader of the opposition Corbyn.

Theresa May MP

10 Downing Street

Westminster

London

SW1A 2AA

Dear Theresa May

I do believe that you would like to do more to help our NHS and not to make a real time cut to our less fortunate citizen’s benefits but that you are constrained by the forthcoming financial disaster that is called Brexit.

You will know, better than me, that when Brexit happens you will go down in history as the Prime Minister who lead us into the abyss, you are between a rock and a hard place. Never mind the loss of the benefits of membership of the EU the sheer cost of leaving and the loss of jobs and investment will see us reduced to an insignificant little island.

It seems to me there is a way out but it requires bravery and leadership and yes, risk but history shows us the great Statesmen had the courage to take a risk after careful planning of course. So how about make a statement in the Commons and in a national broadcast that as negotiations have progressed and more information has come to light that you believe leaving the EU is a wrong act for the UK and as our Prime Minister you advise against continuation. Consequently you will instigate a referendum on the final deal with the option to remain members. If the opinion is still for leaving (unlikely as the tide is turning in favour of staying in) then we leave democratically but democracy requires the right for minds to change, or we’d never have need of a general election.

I believe you would save the nation from itself, assure a positive place in history for yourself and we can call it a win-win. Yes the party knives would be out for you but let’s be honest they will be out for you eventually anyway, they always are for any P.M.

                                       **************************************

Jeremy Corbyn

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

Dear Jeremy

For the first time in my (long) life I joined a political party, the Labour Party, when you were campaigning to become leader and I can see nothing better than you in No 10.

I want to live long enough to see your policies put into action and our lovely country becoming what it should be, prosperous, peace making and caring for all. I’m sure you realise that this will be impossible if we leave the European Union into which we have invested so much and I don’t mean money. I mean the strong bonds, the mutually beneficial laws, many, if not most, that we helped to formulate. The rapidly escalating financial costs involved in leaving will leave us skint for decades to come and reduce us to an insignificant poverty stricken little island.

The first duty of government is to protect the people and I believe that includes protecting them from their own stupidity if necessary. We desperately need a leader to arise to say stop! I appreciate you need to choose the right time to be that leader but the tide is turning, realisation is slowly sinking in and the cry for a second referendum on the deal will get louder or at the very least for MP’s to have a free vote on it including the option to remain members.

When I leave this life I want to know that my children and grandchildren will enjoy the human and workers rights that I have had, be free to work, study and live in other EU countries and enjoy the peace that the EU has helped to keep along with concern for the environment. Like you I’ve campaigned for decades for CND, Oxfam, stop various wars etc. and the only real success has been gay rights. Stopping the disaster that is Brexit is my last campaign that I hope you’ll help to win.

Best regards