LibDems Post-Referendum: What Next

Meeting of @LibDems tonight…

Vince Cable

Former minister for Business Innovation & Skills

"Wouldn't amaze me if tomorrow's news was that Theresa May was out and had handed reins over to Corbyn."
Described TM as best of a bad lot

She's going to have to explain what "Brexit means Brexit" actually means.
TM wasn't chosen by country, wasn't even chosen by her party, but by default. She must call an election.

It was very clear that Remain won the economic argument, but we lost the overall argument. We said there would be painful economic consequences. Anyone of any learning agreed.

We're very lucky that someone in this country was ready with a Plan B and that someone was Mark Carney.

We've only just begun to recover from the 2007/8 crisis.

As a result of Brexit, credit will become more difficult to obtain. 

The likelihood is that we will face a Brexit recession in the next year. This will be because people will lose confidence, they will have less to spend, and businesses will be unable to grow in the UK.

Recessions come and go. What makes this one different? We've used up our weapons. Western world now has lowest interest rates since the days of the Babylonians. They cannot go lower. 

As we hand the country over to the right they will be tempted to remove protections and safety nets — for workers' rights, for sustainability, for the environment.

We have a responsibility to provide a positive alternative and constructive solutions. And we can.

We've had a party crisis following the last election, but we've weathered it with more dignity and cohesiveness than Labour are dealing with theirs. We are fighting for the 48% of voters who voted to Remain.

Caroline Pidgeon

London assembly member

So many of us in the room have felt gutted after the last election, but we've felt it even more so on the 24th of June. We feel like our country is slipping away from us. 

We've seen horrific incidents of racism in the weeks since then. Disgusting xenophobic attacks.

I'm proud to be party of the only party that wholly fought for the UK to remain in the EU.

I've been horrified by the use of EU citizens resident in the UK as bargaining chips.

The new prime minister must deliver on the fantasy promises of the Leave campaign. People voted on the basis of the what they were promised with regard to cutting all we give to the EU and keeping all we get from them.

Already major companies have cut investment and announced plans to move thousands of jobs away from the UK. Virgin, Easyjet, Siemens, Morgan Stanley, etc.

The new PM has to deliver on Leave's glib optimism. If she can't, she must call a general election.

We must ensure our voices are heard. LibDems must stand up for Britain's place in the EU.

Kishwer Falkner

LibDem peer

Chair of foreign affairs from 2010-5. Too many wars and interventions.

Margaret Macmillan wrote an interesting piece in which she referred to the English Channel as our moat.

There is a real danger at the moment that the international cooperation is breaking down. 

Most countries are judged on 3 types of power: hard (military), soft (influence), and the ability to get things done.

The City of London is the global financial centre. This is predominantly due to geography and history. Brexit will have an impact on that. Half a million jobs are dependent on that sector. Back office jobs, all over the UK. Technology jobs. Regulatory jobs. Nobody in thinking about how dependent we are on those jobs.

The Norway option is the only option left to us that if we leave. It's the only one that works. 

Simon Hughes

Minister of state for justice until 2015

My late father lived to see Margaret Thatcher become leader of the Tory party. He wasn't happy about it, but told me we must always look on the bright side.

Living on an island, it's easy to forget how connected Europe is. We can get a train all the way to Moscow.

We failed to win the argument about immigration. People voted to Leave because they believed the lies that we were being inundated with. We failed to win the argument. 

Within days Cornwall, which voted to Leave said they wanted to be sure they would continue to receive the EU funding they've been getting. The leader of Labour Out (a German citizen) suddenly turned around and began arguing for eu citizens to be allowed to remain.

I think we will see Article 50 triggered and I think it will be done with parliamentary approval. There may be a different referendum to agree terms as negotiated.

Tories are more right now than they were under David Cameron, and they were further right then than they were in coalition with us.

We must continue to fight. Labour is in no shape to fight the progressive cause. We are the people who must fight the liberal cause.

Audience Questions

Q1. Seeing as we've had this vote and we disagree as dos Scotland, shouldn't we let them have another referendum about leaving the UK?

Answered by Lib Dem member of House of Lords, that old folks home that pretends to be another House.

Doesn't believe we should have a general election now, because we'd end up with a strong Tory govt with a UKIP opposition. But we must begin a cross-party fight back. We should be shouting from the rooftops about the consequences of Brexit.

Q2. In our first-past-the-post system, we do not end up with proportional representation. What can we do about that?

Simon Hughes: We've failed. All of us have failed to produce a feeling of belonging. Non-metropolitan England have wreaked vengeance on us for alienating them. We must speak to their needs. We must engage with them. This referendum was not about the EU, it was about London. We must build a proper alliance of progressives. We have an unelected House of Lords, and an unelected monarch.

Vince cable: Scotland presents us with an interesting conundrum

Q3. Alex from Harrow

If we are working together as progressives, should we support Angela Eagle as leader of Labour

Q5. Should we be working together across parties?

CP: I'm not sure whether we should or shouldn't support Angela Eagle, but what I do think is that we'll see Labour splitting. I also think some Conservatives will break away. We should absolutely work with them, whether as one party or as an alliance of parties, I don't know.

Q4. Sarah of Greenwich

Tim Farron said if there is a snap general election, we should campaign on a platform of remaining in the Eu, but if A50 has been triggered is that possible?

KF: We're not out until we're out. We can cancel A50 before it's in force.

Sarah: Unless we can be certain that we can — definitely, absolutely — cancel an A50 after it's been triggered, we can't promise that. What's to say Europe would accept that?

VC: I've been around the country speaking to business groups around the country. And business leaders overwhelmingly want to remain. Instead of worrying about the institutions, about which side of the line we land on, we must position ourselves to protect what is good and right about the EU.

SH: I think we won't have a general election called until the Autumn and I think A50 will be triggered before them. We must balance being the party that represents the 58% with NOT disrespecting the 52%.

KF: A general election is a fresh mandate. It is not undemocratic for a new govt to overturn decisions of a previous party.

Q from a doctor in the audience 

The NHS is in crisis. Scientific community is in crisis. We must do something about this.

VC: I was responsible for science budget in govt and we made sure that was funded. Universities will be very badly hit by this both in loss of funding from EU and in student bodies from EU. You cannot have tax cuts and increase spending at same time. Ms May will need to address this.

Q from audience member

I'm hearing a lot about progressive alliance. What does that look like?

Q from audience

Regretful I agree, we can't disregard the 52%. If there is a general election in the next few years, we can and must try to claw our way back from this.

KF: The EU will not be bending over backwards to make concessions to us. We're not playing nicely with them at the moment. Why would they play nicely with us? I wouldn't advocate us drawing red lines, but I would encourage our negotiators to think very carefully about our priorities.

SH: Think of the benefit to the EU if after two years, the negotiations are such that we decide to remain. That would be a grand success. We have to be clear about our own position, but we must be willing to engage with others. 

Q from Wendy from Westminster 

I came here tonight hoping to hear some optimistic news about Brexit, about us not leaving. I am deeply disappointed. This is not a fait accomplis. We do not have to do this. You've had one donation from me, unless you can provide more certainty, you won't get more.

Q from audience

I'm from Italy. I've lived here for 20 years. I woke up on 24/6 feeling unwelcome. We haven't talked about European values. I share the other woman's disappointment. Tonight has been all very polite. The time for polite is past. We need passion. 

SH: This referendum is not binding, it is advisory. I think parliament will vote to BEGIN the negotiation process. And I think it's the end of the negotiations that are more important. I am hopeful that what we will see is an outcome that will persuade people to stay.

CP: I agree with Wendy from Westminster. I hope we can halt this in its tracks.  There are many things about this that should have been done differently.

Audience member

I voted Leave. I'm not against immigration. I'm American. I voted to Leave because this government has let us down. We have banks that don't pay minimum wage. Every time the EU voted to increase protections to individuals, the UK government fought them on it. So my question is this: can the Lib Dems do better?

VC: A lot people voted to Leave for similar reasons you did. And if you're foolish enough to hold an unnecessary referendum, you'd better be sure you can win. David Cameron handed the marginalised communities of this country to blow him a great big raspberry, and they did.

SH: The areas with the largest Leave vote are the areas with the lowest rate of post-16 education. They are the communities with people who have been left behind by the economic recovery in the major metropolitan areas.

Audience member

I'm from Germany. What is your advice to other EU countries now. How should they react to what is happening here.

Audience member 

I work in video games. After the referendum, people feel very disenfranchised and are angered, but it's left them with an unwillingness to vote in future as they don't believe their voice will be heard.

Audience member 

I joked the LibDems last year because I was angry at how the LibDems was treated in the coalition. If also like to say that I'm an octogenarian and I voted to Remain.

CP: I think a lot of people punished us for the coalition, not thinking that we'd be virtually wiped out.

Audience member 

I'm from Blackpool, which was 70% Leave. I joined 2 weeks ago. I work in brand marketing. I think the LibDems have a branding issue.

CP: Our brand is damaged. You are absolutely right. I hope the gentleman here will get in touch with our marketing people, because we need help. 

VC: To close, I'd like to say we were the only party that was united. We've come out of this regaining some of the ground we lost last year. I hope that we maintain that momentum.

SH: We do have a branding problem. We had it at the last election. We said, 'please keep us in power. We will help temper the government.' But people don't vote for that.

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