Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, has joined forces with the leaders of Plaid Cymru and the Green Party to call for progressive parties to work together to resist the ‘Tories’ toxic politics’.
The leaders have released a statement ahead of Theresa May’s first major conference speech as Conservative Party leader.
In the statement – signed by Sturgeon, Leanne Wood of Plaid Cyrmu, Jonathan Bartley and Caroline Lucas from the Green Party of England and Wales and the leaders of the Green Parties of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – the politicians attack the Conservatives for the ‘the most toxic rhetoric on immigration seen from any government in living memory.’
The statement goes on to say:
“This is not a time for parties to play games, or meekly respect the tired convention whereby they do not break cover during each other’s conferences. It is an occasion for us to restate the importance of working together to resist the Tories’ toxic politics, and make the case for a better future for our people and communities.”
The statement was drawn up this morning between the parties as a response to increasingly hostile rhetoric from the Conservative Party Conference.
Caroline Lucas, who has long urged progressive parties to work together more, said:
“Now more than ever it is vital that we present a real opposition to the Conservatives. This conference has seen them attempt to inflame tensions in our communities and set out a vision for a ‘hard brexit’ that will do untold damage to the places we represent. By uniting we have the best chance of facing them down and protecting the people who elected us.”
Full statement, signed by:
- Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland
- Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
- Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
- Leanne Wood, Leader of Plaid Cymru
- Steven Agnew, Leader of the Green Party of Northern Ireland
- Patrick Harvie, Co-convener of the Scottish Green Party
- Alice Hooker-Stroud, Leader of the Wales Green Party
The countries of the United Kingdom face a spiralling political and economic crisis. At the top of the Conservative Party, the narrow vote in favour of leaving the EU has now been interpreted as the pretext for a drastic cutting of ties with Europe, which would have dire economic results – and as an excuse for the most toxic rhetoric on immigration we have seen from any government in living memory.
This is a profoundly moral question which gets to the heart of what sort of country we think we live in. We will not tolerate the contribution of people from overseas to our NHS being called into question, or a new version of the divisive rhetoric of ‘British jobs for British workers’. Neither will we allow the people of these islands, no matter how they voted on June 23rd, to be presented as a reactionary, xenophobic mass whose only concern is somehow taking the UK back to a lost imperial age. At a time of increasing violence and tension, we will call out the actions of politicians who threaten to enflame those same things.
This is not a time for parties to play games, or meekly respect the tired convention whereby they do not break cover during each other’s conferences. It is an occasion for us to restate the importance of working together to resist the Tories’ toxic politics, and make the case for a better future for our people and communities. We will do this by continuing to work and campaign with the fierce sense of urgency this political moment demands.
Assume that the revised real English Labour Party will take the opportunity of showing their support to the New Progressives within the UK by also signing the Declaration…or is that a hill too far to climb?
I am so pleased to read this. I know that alliance politics is likely to mean some compromises, but then all politics does. I am a remainer who is still seeking to remain, and the wholesale sell-out by the leading politicians to a ‘brexit means brexit’ mentality in response to an advisory referendum is frightening, and all the more so because they seem to believe that we need to kowtow to the racist rhetoric that got us into this hole in the first place.
However, although I will continue to campaign to stay, I am also aware that, should parliament evenutally vote for breixt, should all the legal challenges fail, I believe that that exit should be as fair and good for the British people and for Europeans whose connections or livelihoods may be put at risk as is at all possible, short of remain.
And furthermore, we need to pressure all politicians to lose the establishment racism that seems to have taken over in the mainstream.
Progressive means shaking off the tribal adversarial politics of a two party system which is inherited from the Whigs and Tories of yore.
Todays society is pluralistic and the way we do politics needs to reflect that. We need to be open up discussion to reach broad agreement on how to progress our pluralist society in the face of those who exploit difference in furtherance of phobic and reactionary politics.
Setting an example to Labour, who need to join this alliance. It’s in their own interest anyway if they want to survive.
This looks like a positive development. I do hope it has legs.
In theory, this is fine, but Jeremy Corbyn has to sort out the PLP and the NEC before he can make overtures to other parties (or be seen to make them). The back-stabbing continues.
In practice, when the Corbyn team’s policies and their means of implementation, are fleshed out in terms of legal and administrative steps, it may be that they will gain wide acceptance amongst the voters. The ideas were copied by Owen Smith and, now, it appears that some of them are being copied by the Conservative Party. If voters have fears, it is the job of politicians to assuage those fears, not rubbish them.
The matter of personalities may also take time to sort out, but the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn has been inspirational to many. He needs support, not disparagement by the PLP or, indeed, the mainstream media.
Fine, ideal but why not work together with the Labour Party also so we can defeat the dreaded Tories. It is after all the biggest party.
‘ We will not tolerate the contribution of people from overseas to our NHS being called into question, or a new version of the divisive rhetoric of ‘British jobs for British workers’. Neither will we allow the people of these islands, no matter how they voted on June 23rd, to be presented as a reactionary, xenophobic mass whose only concern is somehow taking the UK back to a lost imperial age. At a time of increasing violence and tension, we will call out the actions of politicians who threaten to enflame those same things.’
Well said, all of you
Makes total sense and I fully support. I’m a member of the Labour Party but am pretty sure that the way things are (and especially with the forthcoming boundary changes) there’s almost no way that Labour can win the next election on its own. Progressive parties must join together if only temporarily to prevent further destructive Tory policies on the NHS, education, welfare, social cohesion generally.
At last someone standing up for over 16 million of us and all those too young to vote but the ones who will be affected the most.
So where is Labour’s voice on this?
it is a strange kind of Christian that can spout the xenophobic nonsense coming from the Birmingham conference. This statement is the beginning of a decent response.
Mr Corbyn made his Conference speech and stated that his way of reducing migrant numbers will be by making it harder for employers to recruit migrants as cheap labour. Since that speech there have been a number of comments by progressives supporting open borders and now the Compass Statement. Firstly I have some difficulty in agreeing to your description of the SNP and Plaid Cymru as progressive. At the end of the day they are nationalist parties and nationalism has a toxic history if you view the past from a liberal/socialist perspective. I fully understand and agree the economic and human rights argument in favour of immigration. Unfortunately good economics does not make good politics. The problem here is between 25% – 33% of Labour voters voted to Leave the EU and one of the key motivators for their vote was/is immigration. I hope your message and that of Jeremy Corbyn will resonate with voters but I doubt it and the progressive vote could shrink further since May 2015. I represent a Ward as a Councillor with a high and growing number of EU migrants and other migrants. With the cuts to public services there is no out reach work and many migrants in my Ward live in dangerous conditions. There are other issues as well. Many of the problems are caused by austerity damage to public services but, even oif the public expenditure tap were open there would still be problems. Unless we progressives understand these issues and tackle them we are in a difficult place on immigration electorally.
Why not the Liberals as well?
Tim Farron said he and the LibDems were completely open to working with other parties re. Brexit and electoral reform, to name two issues.
They are down to 8 seats and 2.5 million votes, but this is still more votes than those parties above and they are in second place in 60 odd others.
Only single “Reform” type candidates can beat the First Past the Post stitch up voting.
A good start as May has already said that the NHS will not be getting any more money therefore dashing the hopes of the leavers who claimed that exiting the EU would mean more for the service,and we are already seeing the effects of the decision of June 23 with the warning of higher prices in the shops which will hit those on low incomes and it is they who are in the social groups who were the likeliest to have voted to leave Europe.