Why is the People’s Vote campaign sidelining Lib Dems?

Published on Liberal Democrat Voice by Caron Lindsay | Sun 9th December 2018 – 11:55 am

It’s fair to say that some party members have been expressing concern on social media about a perceived detachment between the Liberal Democrats and the People’s Vote campaign.

Why is it that Caroline Lucas is representing the campaign on the Channel 4 debate tonight? Why was Vince missing from the petition event in Downing Street? It’s not a great way to treat the party who kicked off the campaign for a final say on the deal in the Summer of 2016.

Late last week, Liberal Democrat MPs were criticised by the campaign for putting down an amendment to Labour’s amendment calling for a People’s Vote.

The People’s Vote campaign is not backing the move because they want to wait until the deal is rejected because they think that they will have a better chance of securing a referendum then.

They may be right. But in a febrile and unpredictable environment, why wouldn’t you make sure that you have the option of putting it on the agenda?

Paul Waugh is wrong in this report when he says that:

“
Crucially, it adopts the prime minister’s proposal and just makes it conditional on a second referendum. Unlike other amendments, it does not reject May’s deal.
”
It doesn’t. It is an amendment to Labour’s amendment so if both were passed, the motion passed by the House would read:

“
This House declines to approve the negotiated withdrawal agreement and the framework for the future relationship because itfails to provide for a permanent UK-EU customs union and strong single market deal and would therefore lead to increased barriers to trade in goods and services, would not protect workers’ rights and environmental standards, allows for the diminution of the United Kingdom’s internal and external security and is likely to lead to the implementation of a backstop provision in Northern Ireland that is neither politically nor economically sustainable; declines to approve the United Kingdom’s leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement; and therefore resolves to pursue every option, including a public vote as endorsed by the Labour Party Conference 2018, that prevents the United Kingdom’s either leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement or leaving on the basis of the negotiated withdrawal agreement laid before the House.
”
We don’t know yet if our amendment will be debated or even put to the vote but we have at least got a People’s Vote on the order paper so that the House has a chance to get it into the mix. I think we need to trust our people to know what they are doing. They are the ones having the conversations in Parliament and they will know what is possible.

It may well be that waiting is the best option. Last week in the Times, Matthew Parris said that Tory Remainers would be much more likely to back a People’s Vote once the deal has been rejected. He may be right. But our amendment doesn’t secure a People’s Vote. It is very cleverly worded. It just calls for it as an option to be explored. If passed, it would be a stepping stone to a future motion. If rejected, it doesn’t stop a further specific motion for one.

There are all sorts of twists and dramas that could happen before Tuesday night and I think that the People’s Vote campaign maybe needs to talk to us a bit more to understand what we are doing and why.

While we obviously support the People’s Vote campaign, we need to be aware that its Director of Communications is Ed Miliband’s former spin doctor, Tom Baldwin. He is not a fan of the Lib Dems and will not instinctively offer us a platform or give us the time of day.

People’s Vote needs to be careful that it is as inclusive as possible to all its supporters. We are so close now to achieving our common goal and we need to keep together. The lessons of the Scottish independence referendum are there in all their horror to be heeded. The awful Better Together campaign kept us pretty much out of the loop and made some disastrous decisions. It may have won the vote, but lost the campaign.

700,000 people marching on the streets of London 7 weeks ago weren’t wrong. We are winning the argument. We have the momentum. Let’s make the most of it together and secure that referendum.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron’s Musings

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