REMAIN needs a positive Left argument.

As I said before I find I will vote to REMAIN in the RU next month but not because of the argument if the Remain side and I find many of the prominent  proponents of the In campaign as odious Leave the In campaign as leave,





Two of the Best Bloggers appear to share my concerns.

Another Angry Voice  a UK left Wing blog that does not decry the aspirations of Wales or Scotland recently pointed out that are using the same time pf Project Fear campaign as that was used by "Better Together" in Scotland.

The Brexit camp have combined utterly dishonest fearmongering tactics and pathetic Third Reich comparisons with an abject failure to spell out anything resembling a coherent economic strategy for what a post-Brexit economy would actually look like. Meanwhile senior figures on the "Bremain" side of the debate have taken to fearmongering about economic Armageddon should the British public vote to leave the EU. No doubt Gordon Brown will soon be wheeled out to scare pensioners into believing that Brexit would cost them their pensions, just like he scared the overwhelming majority of Scottish pensioners into shooting down a Scottish independence movement that was actually supported by the majority of working age voters.

Meanwhile as John Davies of Borthlas fame pointed out some of the arguments in support pf Remain in the case of Wales are admission of failure .

At least one member of the ‘out’ brigade has changed tack somewhat in recent days. Priti Patel has pointed out that there’s no guarantee of EU funds for Wales after 2020 even if we remain in the EU. Whilst elements of her argument strike me as stretching credibility (Turkey a member by 2020? I don’t think so.), her basic point is sound; there can no more be any guarantee of continuing support fro EU funding than there can be of support from the UK Government.

However what really struck me was the response of the Labour MP, Stephen Doughty, who said “… that no other part of the UK benefits as much from EU membership as Wales does and there is no real reason for us to believe that will change.” That displays a remarkable lack of ambition, not to say a lack of faith in the Welsh (Labour) Government. The whole purpose of EU funding is to help Wales reach a similar level of economic activity and success as other parts of the EU; the funding is not supposed to be open-ended.

Perhaps  Doughty problem was like Patel he couldn't guarantee that similar funding would be replaced with ones from Westminster if the UK was to leave the EU.

But even that would be a Project Fear type of campaigning.

The recent decision by ITV to host a debate between Farage and Cameron will solve nothing over my concerns .


Two Right Wing Politicians both arguing over how to prevent Immigration or making spurious arguments on how to deal with Terrorism.

It is Interesting that to note that Vote Leave has tried to sideline Farage and use Boris Johnson as the voice of out.

Indeed the campaign has deteriorated into a fight for the Leadership of the Tory party.

But this has not to us only seeing arguments coming from the right on both sides.

It will be encouraging to see other voices with a more positive argument 

In a speech in central-London, the shadow chancellor John McDonnell will say today.will say the ‘Remain’ campaign must put forward a “vision of Europe based on hope and solidarity”.

“I want to rescue the debate from the negativity and ‘Project Fear’ coming from all sides of the Tory party,” he will say.
“The referendum resulted from the splits in the Conservative Party and their fear of Ukip, and as a result the debate has degenerated and brought out the worst in Westminster politics.
“People want facts, but more importantly they want to see the progressive alternative - not just negative Tory infighting.

 “It’s time to turn this debate around, drive out the politics of despair and offer a vision for Britain and Europe, one where we protect workers’ rights, tackle tax avoidance, get to grips with climate change and protect our industries like steel.”

I hope other voices will start to put forward a more positive argument especially from a Welsh viewpoint,