Britain's Labour Party leader sacks Northern Ireland policy chief over call for second EU referendum

[rooster59]

Britain's Labour Party leader sacks Northern Ireland policy chief over call for second EU referendum

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's opposition Labour Party leadership candidate Owen Smith speaks at a rally in London, Britain September 10, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sacked his shadow Northern Ireland minister on Friday after he called for a second referendum on Brexit, a move that exposes deep divisions in the party over whether to leave the European Union.

 

Owen Smith, who challenged Corbyn for the party leadership in 2016, wrote an article in the Guardian newspaper on Friday urging his party to reopen the question of whether Brexit was the right decision.

 

Smith said he was sacked for voicing his opinion that Brexit will damage the economy and threaten the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, which ended decades of armed sectarian conflict in the province.

 

"Those views are shared by Labour members & supporters and I will continue to speak up for them, and in the interest of our country," Smith said in a Twitter post.

 

Labour is narrowly ahead in opinion polls, but, like Prime Minister Theresa May's ruling Conservatives, remains deeply divided on Brexit.

 

Britain is due to formally leave the EU on March 29, 2019.

 

Over the last few months Labour has diverged from the government's policy on Brexit. Last month it said it wanted to remain in the EU's customs union - a move that would make commerce with the European Union easier but limit Britain's ability to strike future trade deals with non-EU countries.

 

The government has ruled out staying in any form of the customs union.

 

Corbyn, who supported the 'Remain' campaign in the 2016 referendum but with little enthusiasm, has repeatedly said it is not Labour's policy to offer Britons a vote on any final deal that Britain negotiates with the EU.

 

Smith will be replaced by a former Labour minister, Tony Lloyd, who returned to parliament last year after quitting in 2012 to become police and crime commissioner in Manchester.

 

Some Labour lawmakers criticised Corbyn's decision to sack Smith.

 

Pro-EU Labour lawmaker Chuka Umunna said it was "extraordinary" that a shadow cabinet member should be sacked for advocating a Brexit policy that commands the overwhelming support of the party.

 

"What has happened to our party?," he said on Twitter.

 

Peter Hain, the former Northern Ireland minister and a Labour lawmaker in the House of Lords, Britain's unelected upper house, accused Corbyn of carrying out of a "Stalinist purge".

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-24

[Khun Han]

Ah yes.....Owen Smith, who built his commercial career working for the pharmaceutical industry, and who lobbied the NHS against purchasing identical generic drugs instead of them purchasing rip-off drugs (up to 1000 x the price of the generics) from the Big Pharma that he was being paid lots of money to represent. Such a classy guy. Good <deleted> riddance.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/20/owen-smith-i-have-never-advocated-privatisation-of-the-nhs

[Samui Bodoh]

55 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Smith said he was sacked for voicing his opinion that Brexit will damage the economy and threaten the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, which ended decades of armed sectarian conflict in the province.

I think that there is merit in this idea.

 

The first vote was to leave the EU, but there really wasn't any true sense as to what that would look like; would it be a 'hard Brexit' or a 'soft Brexit'? What would the border look like? What about UK citizens in Europe and EU citizens in the UK? What (precisely) would the relationship to the EU/Europe be?

 

These are reasonable questions and there is a good case to ask the British people if they are happy with the end of the negotiations. Brexit is a momentous decision which requires a great deal of agreement to avert bad feelings later; better to seek a final consensus now. 

 

[Ron19]

A post against forum rules has been removed.

[meinphuket]

Great one Jeremy, democracy at work...NOT.

[mfd101]

Thrashing around in the shallows as the spring tide comes rushing in.

[stevenl]

29 minutes ago, meinphuket said:

Great one Jeremy, democracy at work...NOT.

Why not?

[jonstarjon]

When Corbyn came to lead the party, he was accused of not being the strong leader required for the job. Since then, the major opposition to his leadership has been the Blairite mob who have been shown to be just a bunch of has been losers. These idiots need removing. This is just one step on the pathway to acbritish government with a conscience as well as a brain. Let's start work on Chukka now another Blairite hangover pain in the butt. 

Edited March 24, 2018 by jonstarjon

[geriatrickid]

I'd love to see Corbyn meeting with Trump. They could compare notes on how much they were paid as Russian  lackeys.

[champers]

20 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

I'd love to see Corbyn meeting with Trump. They could compare notes on how much they were paid as Russian  lackeys.

LA porno star and Miss Playboy v Diane Abbott.

[Baerboxer]

Corbyn is a disgrace. He deliberately showed little enthusiasm in leading the "remain" side in opposition to the Tories. 

 

He has always been anti EU. Given his communist, socialist dictator and terrorist sympathies that's hardly surprising.

 

He doesn't want a strong EU, West or NATO. He wants a county that would always appease and do the bidding of Russia and it's allies. 

 

He would, maybe will turn the UK into another Venezuela given the chance. Where the "more equal chosen ones" rule and simply lie or change the rules to keep in power and make opposition and criticism illegal dissent. He wouldn't be able to do that so easily with Britain a member of the EU.

 

The inept, ineffective, reactionary Tories of today, the spent center left, leave a very real door open for this evil anachronism to get into power.

[William C F Pierce]

3 hours ago, jonstarjon said:

When Corbyn came to lead the party, he was accused of not being the strong leader required for the job. Since then, the major opposition to his leadership has been the Blairite mob who have been shown to be just a bunch of has been losers. These idiots need removing. This is just one step on the pathway to acbritish government with a conscience as well as a brain. Let's start work on Chukka now another Blairite hangover pain in the butt. 

"has been losers"????? Tony Blair is the most successful Labour Leader in history. Corbyn is just an MP who has won nothing yet. He is the puppet that dances on the strings of the Hayes Militant Tendancy (MT). (I live in Hayes)

 

When Neil Kinnock got rid of the MT in Liverpool. A fortnight later they were suppose to investigate the Hayes Labour Party. Enough time for the Hayes MT to hide the evidence. Where does the Shadow Chancellor Hayes MP come form? Yes Liverpool the original home of the MT. Most genuine Labour supporters don't want the MT. Yes he is the original "Puppet on a String"

 

Anyway what does Corbyn really know about politics? Goes to Pop Festivals stands behind a microphone and he can't even sing. The best he can do is lip-sync "O Tannenbaum" at the Labour party conference. 

 

Corbyn is the biggest traitor to the Labour Party in the history of the Labour Party. In government he voted over 500 times with the Tories against the Labour Government. As Opposition Leader he is now part of a Caustic Toxic Coalition voting with the Tories again for the Brexit. Owen Smith should challenge him again for the leadership.

Edited March 24, 2018 by William C F Pierce

[jonstarjon]

Yeah yeah like the rest of you. No imagination no vision no change in approach despite a period of massive technological development bringing real democracy to the people. That's all you guys have got left a reliance on the past taken out of context to try and avoid your future deletion from history as a bad joke. What ever the labour leadership is attacked with by Blair Cronies, at least they won't be accused of war crimes lying deceit and worst of all, Tories dressed as labour sheep.

[jonstarjon]

william C F pierce.... Says it all really, doesn't it.

[William C F Pierce]

13 minutes ago, jonstarjon said:

Yeah yeah like the rest of you. No imagination no vision no change in approach despite a period of massive technological development bringing real democracy to the people. That's all you guys have got left a reliance on the past taken out of context to try and avoid your future deletion from history as a bad joke. What ever the labour leadership is attacked with by Blair Cronies, at least they won't be accused of war crimes lying deceit and worst of all, Tories dressed as labour sheep.

Shouldn't you mean the Corbynites dressed up as Tory Sheep. Their record of voting with them over 500 times in the last 20 years says it all.

[Basil B]

oh, Comrade Corbyninsky does not like other peoples opinions... 

Edited March 24, 2018 by Basil B

[William C F Pierce]

7 minutes ago, Basil B said:

oh, Comrade Corbyninsky does not like other peoples opinions... 

Apart from agreeing and voting over 500 times with the Tories in 20 years.

[Basil B]

3 minutes ago, William C F Pierce said:

Apart from agreeing and voting over 500 times with the Tories in 20 years.

You hit the nail on the head...

 

That's whats wrong with British politics, the Opposition will vote against everything instead of voting in the best interest of the country.

[William C F Pierce]

1 minute ago, Basil B said:

You hit the nail on the head...

 

That's whats wrong with British politics, the Opposition will vote against everything instead of voting in the best interest of the country.

Corbyn does not vote against everything he voted with the Tories for Brexit against the best interest of the country.

[dunroaming]

12 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

These are reasonable questions and there is a good case to ask the British people if they are happy with the end of the negotiations. Brexit is a momentous decision which requires a great deal of agreement to avert bad feelings later; better to seek a final consensus now. 

I don't think it should be a second referendum as such.  If there were to be another vote then it should be in three parts.  One would be whether the go with the negotiated Brexit as it has ended up, the second to be whether we should reject that and walk away and the third whether we should scrap Brexit completely.  That way we would be voting on definates and not maybes.

 

I think it is fair to say that we have all been let down whichever way we voted.  For the Brexiteers it looks like so many concessions are being made that they won't end up with what they wanted, if the negotiations continue as they are doing.  They should have the opportunity to reject such a compromised result with, if they wish, a vote to leave with no deals at all.  On the other hand it gives the remainers the opportunity to look at the negotiated  deal and decide if that is the best option or should they vote to scrap Brexit altogether.  But crucially it would give the people who didn't turn out and vote the first time the opportunity to do so now.

 

At the moment the MPs get to vote on whether the outcome of Brexit is passed or not but I feel that that doesn't truly represent the will of the people. 

[vogie]

2 hours ago, jonstarjon said:

william C F pierce.... Says it all really, doesn't it.

He does say it well till he gets to the part where he says "Owen should challenge Corbyn again" Owen is a bigger weasel than Corbyn.

[Grouse]

13 hours ago, Khun Han said:

Ah yes.....Owen Smith, who built his commercial career working for the pharmaceutical industry, and who lobbied the NHS against purchasing identical generic drugs instead of them purchasing rip-off drugs (up to 1000 x the price of the generics) from the Big Pharma that he was being paid lots of money to represent. Such a classy guy. Good <deleted> riddance.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/20/owen-smith-i-have-never-advocated-privatisation-of-the-nhs

An honourable man. A true parliamentarian. ( look it up )

[Grouse]

If only we had a real opposition ?

 

Anyone hear Abbott on Any Questions? Has anyone got one of those captive bolt thing vets use to put down your daughter's pony?

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.

[jonstarjon]

15 hours ago, Grouse said:

If only we had a real opposition ?

 

Anyone hear Abbott on Any Questions? Has anyone got one of those captive bolt thing vets use to put down your daughter's pony?

Can't not agree on that one. Infuriates me too.

[dick dasterdly]

On 3/24/2018 at 6:24 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

I think that there is merit in this idea.

 

The first vote was to leave the EU, but there really wasn't any true sense as to what that would look like; would it be a 'hard Brexit' or a 'soft Brexit'? What would the border look like? What about UK citizens in Europe and EU citizens in the UK? What (precisely) would the relationship to the EU/Europe be?

 

These are reasonable questions and there is a good case to ask the British people if they are happy with the end of the negotiations. Brexit is a momentous decision which requires a great deal of agreement to avert bad feelings later; better to seek a final consensus now. 

 

 

16 hours ago, dunroaming said:

I don't think it should be a second referendum as such.  If there were to be another vote then it should be in three parts.  One would be whether the go with the negotiated Brexit as it has ended up, the second to be whether we should reject that and walk away and the third whether we should scrap Brexit completely.  That way we would be voting on definates and not maybes.

 

I think it is fair to say that we have all been let down whichever way we voted.  For the Brexiteers it looks like so many concessions are being made that they won't end up with what they wanted, if the negotiations continue as they are doing.  They should have the opportunity to reject such a compromised result with, if they wish, a vote to leave with no deals at all.  On the other hand it gives the remainers the opportunity to look at the negotiated  deal and decide if that is the best option or should they vote to scrap Brexit altogether.  But crucially it would give the people who didn't turn out and vote the first time the opportunity to do so now.

 

At the moment the MPs get to vote on whether the outcome of Brexit is passed or not but I feel that that doesn't truly represent the will of the people. 

Good response from dunroaming - I'd only add that there are going to be "bad feelings later", regardless .

[dunroaming]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 6:12 AM, dick dasterdly said:

 

Good response from dunroaming - I'd only add that there are going to be "bad feelings later", regardless .

Agreed.