Labour for a European Future: Recent Episodes
Remain and Reform
The Labour for a European Future podcast covers Labour thinking on the future of the UK and EU relationship post Brexit, UK politics and Labour's route back to power in 2024.
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What do the local elections mean for Labour, national politics and the country? With Emma Burnell, Christabel Cooper and Mike Buckley.
Mike is joined by Chris Locke from Caribou Digital to talk about the digital future of work, why we all need to respond, and what it means for Labour's policy offer.
Mike is joined by Simon Duffy from the Centre for Welfare Reform to talk about universal basic income, how it works and how the country could benefit if it were brought in.
Mike is joined by David Harrison to talk about his new book, 'Capitalism and the Dark Forces of Time and Ignorance: Economic and Political Expectations'. The book looks at the political impact of economic crises like the 2008 financial crash, and how it shapes our current times.
Mike is joined by commentator Emma Burnell and pollster Christabel Cooper to talk about the state of the Labour Party and UK politics at the end of 2021.
Mike is joined by Lara Parizotto and Alexandra Bulat from The3Million, who campaign for EU citizens rights in the UK post Brexit. They discuss the settlement schemes, what happens to people left out, and what we can campaign for now.
Mike is joined by Simon Duffy of the Centre for Welfare Reform to discuss the need for constitutional reform in the UK - from devolution to proportional representation, localism and more.
Mike Buckley is joined by Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice Now, to talk about their campaign for true global access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments
Mike Buckley is joined by Laura Parker and Owen Winter from Labour for a New Democracy to talk about the push for Labour to adopt proportional representation as official policy at party conference.
Join Mike Buckley, Emma Burnell and Christabel Cooper to talk about the coming Labour Conference, public opinion, the state of British politics and what Labour needs from Conference to convince voters it is a government in waiting.
Dianne Hayter is the Shadow Deputy Leader of the Lords. She was formerly on the NEC, Chair of the Labour Party, General Secretary of the Fabian Society and Chief Executive of the European Parliamentary Labour Party. She joins Mike to talk about Labour in the Lords, the future of Labour and Europe and the state of British politics.
Simon Duffy is the founder and Director of the Centre for Welfare Reform and the international coordinator of Citizen Network. The Centre has published a range of materials offering progressive innovations in welfare reform. He speaks with Mike about the crisis in social care and what a progressive, fair solution would look like.
Tim Dixon is the co-founder of More in Common, an international initiative to strengthen democratic societies by countering social division and polarisation. He speaks with Mike Buckley about their work in the UK and overseas, and how we can work in and beyond politics to counter division and strengthen democracy.
Mike talks with Shauna Dillavou of Security Positive about how to make politics a safe space for women, minorities and vulnerable groups. Shauna works to make politics a safe space in the US and overseas. She tells us what the challenges are - and how we can work together to improve things for all of us.
Mike is joined by Owen Reidy, Assistant General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), to talk about the NI Protocol, how Brexit has affected workers rights in Northern Ireland, and what Labour can do to support peace and workers from this point on.
Keith Webb is part of ForgottenLtd, a campaign group representing workers excluded from furlough support since day one of the pandemic. He speaks to Mike about how ForgottenLtd are representing workers, and what Labour can do to help.
Mike is joined by Patrick Lohlein from EFTA4UK to talk about the EFTA model, why it could be a good option for Britain, and how we could move towards EFTA membership.
Our guest today is Professor Tom Selwyn, who is Professorial Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, and Visiting Professor at Breda University, the Netherlands, and Bethlehem University, Palestine.
His article “Brexit, Grenfell, Windrush, and the mooring, un-mooring, and re-mooring of home” argues that those three events, which have all shaped the consciousness of British people, derive from closely related sources deep in the foundations of British political culture, one source being contempt by the British ruling class for the working class and migrants. The article also discusses how we conceive of home and how this has played a part in these seismic events of the last few years.
He joined us to discuss his article and issues related to it.
*Articles discussed in this podcast:
Tom Selwyn, 2019, "Brexit, Grenfell, Windrush, and the mooring, un-mooring, and re-mooring of home", Ethnoscripts, Volume 21, Issue 1.*
*Tom Selwyn, 2021, "Foreword", in Hazel Andrews, Tourism and Brexit: Travel, Borders and Identity, Bristol, Channel View Publications.
If you'd like to be involved in the movement for a closer relationship with Europe and for a Labour government, join Labour for a European Future today: https://donorbox.org/lef-membership*
Professor Paula Surridge (UK in a Changing Europe, Bristol University) joins us to speak about Labour's electoral challenge and how it can navigate the Brexit divide. She speaks about the importance of Labour having both an economics offer and an appeal based on values. Essential listening!
It's been a year since Keir Starmer first took the reigns of the Labour Party. In that year, so much has happened: Covid, multiple waves of internal party strife and ongoing Brexit damage are just a few of the things that will have been occupying the leader's inbox.
Meanwhile, Starmer has come under increasing pressure - not just from the left, but from people who may be seen as politically closer to him as well. Critics point to polls which show his and Labour's numbers slipping back, particularly important, they say, given he was elected on a promise to win.
What have the defining moments of the leadership been so far? Where's the project going? What did we expect when Starmer won the leadership, and have those expectations been fulfillled?
Discussing all this and more are Christabel Cooper, Emma Burnell and Ben Duncan-Duggal, with host Mike Buckley.
If you want to become part of the home for pro-Europeans in the Labour Party, join us as a member and get access to our member-only webinars, a say in our direction and much more besides. Click here to join: https://donorbox.org/lef-membership.
The music industry has been hit hard by Brexit. Rules around the movement of people and goods mean that touring Europe is near-impossible for many artists, with cost and administrative burden putting those tour dates out of reach.
With the music industry having shifted in recent years towards a touring-led revenue model, this constitutes an unprecedented governmental attack on one of the UK's most celebrated industries.
James McVey of pop rock band The Vamps, who have multiple top-10 singles and have headlined the O2 arena five years in a row, joined us to discuss the impact of Brexit on the music industry and what we can do about this.
Streatham councillor Marianna Masters and Hammersmith & Fulham councillor Christabel Cooper join us to discuss the past, present and future of the Black Lives Matter movement.
This podcast was recorded in late January 2021.
If you'd like to join our movement and help fight for a future with a Labour government and a closer relationship to Europe, join LEF as a member for just £3 a month: https://donorbox.org/lef-membership
In this special bonus episode Mike talks to Sammie Mcfarland, a Woman's Wellness Coach and founder of Long Covid Kids. Long Covid Kids is a parent and patient led advocacy and support group raising awareness of long lasting Covid symptoms.
If you want to find out more about Long Covid Kids, please go to https://www.longcovidkids.org/.
Our guest this week is Kevin Kennedy Ryan, who is co-founder of Labour Society of Campaigners and Labour Organiser, which exist to promote and share campaigning best practice in a Labour context.
He joined us to discuss how Labour can campaign better and what the outlook is like for Labour's campaigning.
Please note this episode was recorded on the 5th of October, 2020.
This is a recording of an event we held with Ruth Bergan, Senior Advisor at Trade Justice Movement, who came up with what a 'best-in-class' socially just EU-UK deal would have looked like. Here, she talks about that and the future of this relationship more generally.
Thank you to our podcast sponsors! They are Guy Fraser and Mags Duncan-Duggal. If you would like help make our podcast happen, then click here: https://donorbox.org/sponsor-labour-for-a-european-future-s-podcast
Andrew Skea farms seed potatoes in Scotland, which is one of the biggest exporters of seed potatoes for crisps and chips in the world. But now, because of Brexit, he can't export his potatoes - at all, not even to Northern Ireland.
Andrew talks about the impact of Brexit on him in the long and short term in our latest podcast episode, available now.
We consider the upcoming Scotland 2021 elections with Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray MP, and former Scottish MPs Paul Sweeney and Gemma Doyle. How will Labour do? And how could they do better?
This podcast episode was recorded on the 19th of January.
Please note this podcast was recorded on the 3rd of December 2020
This episode we're talking to Liz Hind, who was Labour's parliamentary candidate for Aylesbury in 2019 and also runs a pub in Aylesbury. We discussed the impact of Brexit and Covid on pubs, as well as the impact of these issues more broadly.
Thank you to our podcast sponsors! They are Guy Fraser and Mags Duncan-Duggal. If you would like help make our podcast happen, then click here: https://donorbox.org/sponsor-labour-for-a-european-future-s-podcast
In this episode, a recording of an event we hosted, we are joined by Catherine West MP, Labour's Shadow Minister for Europe, and Richard Corbett, who was Labour's leader in the European Parliament. They discussed our future relationship with the EU and how we rebuild, both as a party and as a country.
Thank you to our podcast sponsors! They are Guy Fraser and Mags Duncan-Duggal. If you would like to sponsor our podcast and help make it happen, then click here: https://donorbox.org/sponsor-labour-for-a-european-future-s-podcast
Phil Wilson was Labour MP from 2007 to 2019. Here he speaks about his time as an MP, why we lost in 2019, and how we rebuild from here.
We catch up with our man in the North East, Labour Party activist and former organiser Benj Eckford, to discuss what the situation is like on the ground. What do people in the North East think about Brexit now? How does the Labour Party rebuild trust in the area?
Please note that this podcast was recorded at the end of November 2020.
Now, more than ever, it's vital we build the pro-EU, pro-Labour movement in this country. Join Labour for a European Future for £3 a month and help build that movement, and help fund the creation of campaigning content like this. Join here: https://donorbox.org/lef-membership
Labour's Red Wall fell in 2019. But why did that happen in Wales?
Delyn constituency has been held by Labour since 1992. But that all changed a year ago, when the Conservatives usurped David Hanson, who had been the Labour MP since then.
Of course, he wasn't alone in Wales, with other so-called 'red wall' seats including Wrexham, Ynys Mon and Bridgend going Tory. So what happened in Wales? What were the Welsh-specific dynamics which meant this previous bastion of anti-Tory sentiment went blue?
Now, more than ever, it's vital we build the pro-EU, pro-Labour movement in this country. Join Labour for a European Future for £3 a month and help build that movement, and help fund the creation of campaigning content like this. Join here: https://donorbox.org/lef-membership
The NHS is currently fighting what is probably its greatest battle ever - the COVID-19 pandemic. How would the NHS cope with a No Deal in the midst of this fight? What would our care look like?
Joining to discuss this with us is Martin Edobor. Martin is a GP in Stratford, East London, and is clinical director of North Newham Primary Care Network. He is also Chair of the Fabian Society, and stood as Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Witham in 2019.
Please note this episode was recorded on the 24th of November 2020.
Join Mike Buckley, Laura Parker (former National Coordinator of Momentum) and Emma Whysall (Labour Party candidate in Chipping Barnet in 2017 and 2019) to discuss what Britain could look like in 2035 - politics, our relationship with Europe, the UK union, our economy and society.
Join Mike Buckley, political commentator Emma Burnell and Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice Now, to discuss the US election, what it means for the future of social justice in America, and what it means for Brexit, the Labour Party and UK politics.
Join Mike and Aodhan Connolly, Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, to discuss the impact of Brexit on trade, retail, workers and the economy in Northern Ireland. Please note that this was recorded before the Internal Market Bill was published.
Join Mike and Daniel Holder, Deputy Director of Committee on the Administration of Justice, to discuss the implications of Brexit for the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement, human rights and more in Northern Ireland. Please note that this was recorded before the Internal Market Bill was published.
Join Mike and John Patrick Clayton of Unison Northern Ireland as they discuss the implications of Brexit for workers, human rights and the economy in Northern Ireland. Please note that this was recorded before the Internal Market Bill was published.
Join Mike and Dr Katy Hayward to discuss the implications of Brexit for the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement, human rights and more in Northern Ireland. Please note that this was recorded before the Internal Market Bill was published.
Brexit is about far more than trade. We all lose rights - but disabled people face more challenges than most. Mike is joined by Clare Gray of the Shaw Trust and Kathy Bole from Disability Labour to talk about the challenges disabled people face and what we can do to help.
Joining Mike this week are David Barker from the West Midlands, and Chris Murray from Scotland, to talk about the May 2021 local, regional and devolved elections. Labour needs to do well - are we ready?
Join Mike Buckley, former MP Paul Sweeney, Christabel Cooper and Ben Duncan-Duggal to discuss the Labour for a European Future report into why Labour lost the 2019 election, and how Labour can win again.
The Trade Justice Movement has published model Sustainable Regulation and Trade Agreements for the EU-UK relationship, which have been developed in partnership with trade unions, environmental organisations and justice groups. This week we're joined by Laura Bannister (Trade Justice Movement) and Jude Kirton-Darling (former Labour MEP) to talk about the TJM's proposals and how the future EU-UK relationship could protect labour and environmental standards.
Join Mike Buckley, Emma Burnell, Jonathan Lis (British Influence) and former MEP Clare Moody to talk about the Brexit negotiations, the need for an extension to the transition period, and what happens next.
Join Mike Buckley with Laura Parker (formerly Momentum), Martin Edobor (NHS GP) and Christabel Cooper (data analyst and Labour councillor) to talk about the political response to Covid-19 in the UK and elsewhere.
Join Mike Buckley, Emma Burnell and Ben Duncan-Duggal to talk about what comes after the Labour leadership and deputy leadership contests, and a bit about Covid-19. Politics in April 2020.
Join host Mike Buckley and guests Ian Murray MP and former Scottish Labour MP Gemma Doyle to talk Labour, Scotland, what went wrong and how we can rebuild trust by 2024.
As ballots are about to open on Labour's leadership election listen to Laura Parker (former national coordinator of Momentum), Mark McVitie (Labour activist) and Ben Duncan-Duggal (Labour for a Public Vote) give their view on the candidates, the campaigns and what it means for the party.
Join host Mike Buckley with Anna McMorrin MP and Rosie Duffield MP to talk about the election result, how Labour lost and where we go from here.
Mike Buckley interviews Richard Corbett MEP, retiring leader of Labour's European Parliamentary Labour Party. They discuss what Labour has achieved in the European Parliament, Brexit, our future return to Europe and what happens next.
Joining Mike Buckley and Emma Burnell this week is John-Patrick Clayton, who works for Unison in Northern Ireland. We discuss what Brexit and Johnson's deal mean for Northern Ireland, the border, the union, and Northern Ireland's economy. Fascinating listening and sobering on what the future under Brexit will look like.
Join hosts Mike Buckley and Emma Burnell, with guests David Evans (The Campaign Company), Christabel Cooper (Labour councillor and data analyst) and Jonathan Lis (British Influence) to take a sober look at why Labour lost, what it means for the party and what it means for Remain.
This week Mike and Emma are joined by David Harrison, an EU lawyer and activist, and Labour MEP Jude Kirton-Darling, to talk workers' rights, human rights and all that we would lose if Brexit happens.
This week Mike and Emma are joined by Jonathan Lis, Deputy Director of British Influence, and Christabel Cooper, Labour councillor, pollster and data guru. They talk about the election campaign so far, what Labour needs to do to win, and what this all means for Brexit.
The Welsh economy is highly dependent on our relationship with the EU. Joining Mike and Emma this week are Jenny Jones MEP, Eluned Morgan AM and Jeremy Miles AM to talk about Wales, Brexit, devolution and more.
This week hosts Mike and Emma are joined by a huge cast to talk about how to run campaigns and win. With us we have Steve Cowan (Leader of Hammersmith Council), Christabel Cooper (pollster), Patrick Jenkins (Labour for a Public Vote), David Evans (The Campaign Company) and Joe Harrod (Signify). As we head into the election campaign this is essential listening!
Joining hosts Mike Buckley and Emma Burnell this week are Asad Rehman, Executive Director of War on Want, and researcher, campaigner and advocate Taniel Yusef.
We talk climate change, global justice, gender equality and how these issues and more are all linked together - and to our membership of the EU.
We also talk about how to fix the Remain campaign, how to reform the EU and how to fix our broken politics.
It's a full episode of inspiration and challenge. Enjoy!
This week hosts Mike Buckley and Emma Burnell are joined by Jude Kirton-Darling MEP, Seb Dance MEP, John Howarth MEP and former MEP Clare Moody to talk about the EU and democracy.
The EU gets a lot of flak for its supposed lack of democracy. In this episode our guests explain how EU democracy works, why the EU is by far the most democratic trade bloc and intergovernmental organisation in the world. We also talk about things that could and should be done to make the EU even more accountable to its citizens.
Joining hosts Mike Buckley and Emma Burnell for this week's episode are Josef Weidenholzer and Clare Moody, both former Socialist and Democrat MEPs. They talk us through the change they achieved as members of the European Parliament, and discuss how they believe that socialists and progressives can change Europe for the future.
You can find out more about Remain and Reform, a policy commission looking at what the detail of remaining in and reforming the EU might look like from a left-wing perspective, here.
This week we’re discussing trade. Trade is a key way in which we relate to other countries and stake out our place in the world, and trade terms can create wide-ranging effects domestically for both trade partners.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen how true this is, with, in particular, our dealings with the US being talked about as having the potential to create monumental regressive effects in this country.
Meanwhile, we and other rich countries have a responsibility to create a radically more just world through our trade with developing nations, rather than exploiting countries we have already taken so much from.
With us on the podcast today are:
- Nick Dearden (Global Justice Now)
- Jude Kirton-Darling MEP
- David Lawrence (Trade Justice Movement)
You can find out more about Remain and Reform, a policy commission looking at what the detail of remaining in and reforming the EU might look like from a left-wing perspective, here https://m.facebook.com/remainreform/
Mick McAteer, Director of the Financial Inclusion Centre, Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton & Devenport and Shadow Minister for Flooding and Coastal Communities, and Christabel Cooper, data analyst and Labour councillor, join the team to discuss the regional impact of Brexit.
Beyond the headlines, Brexit's real danger lies not in big concepts or numbers but in the day to day, where people will lose income and jobs at a time when many are struggling already. To understand that day to day impact for people it's important to get as local as possible, which is what Mick, Luke and Christabel help us to do in this episode.
This week, Christabel Cooper and Christina Pagel join us on the podcast. They're data experts whose Brexit polling has been creating ripples over the last few months and which, crucially for remain and reform purposes, offers a window onto the challenges to finding a lasting consensus on Brexit.
Their research has also challenged several of the conventional narratives on Brexit, in particular, that Brexit is primarily an economic protest by the 'left behind'.
You can find out more about Remain and Reform, a policy commission looking at what the detail of remaining in and reforming the EU might look like from a left-wing perspective, here https://m.facebook.com/remainreform/
Rosie Duffield and Bridget Phillipson are two MPs from different ends of the country, with fairly different constituencies in Brexit terms. Bridget's Houghton and Sunderland South voted to Leave by a near 2 to 1 margin, and Canterbury, represented by Rosie, only just voted to Leave, by a margin of 2%.
Coming together to discuss their experiences in their constituencies in the current Brexit strife, their thoughts on what Remain can do to appeal to their constituencies, and the growing need to remain, as well as much more, Rosie and Bridget sit down with Mike and Emma just as Boris prepares to move into Number 10, and the challenge facing all of us hoping to win EU membership for the future grows more urgent.
You can find out more about Remain and Reform, a policy commission looking at what the detail of remaining in and reforming the EU might look like from a left-wing perspective, here https://m.facebook.com/remainreform/
If we’re going to address the causes of Brexit we have to address concerns over immigration – that much is clear. The 2016 vote was in large part fuelled by anger around the issue, with campaigning such as ‘Take Back Control’ and Farage’s ‘Breaking Point’ billboard filling the airwaves.
Joining us to discuss the positive case for immigration, child refugees, how we can make freedom of movement better and more are Alf Dubs, Labour Peer and proponent of the child refugee aiding Dubs amendment, and Marley Morris, head of Migration Policy at a think tank (speaking in a personal capacity).
You can find out more about Remain and Reform, a policy commission looking at what the detail of remaining in and reforming the EU might look like from a left wing perspective, here https://m.facebook.com/remainreform/
This week Dr Paul Williams MP and Dr Aysha Raza join us to discuss how probably our most vital sector - health - would be affected by Brexit.
Even before Farage admitted that 350m for the NHS was never going to happen, people on the remain side have been unpicking how EU membership relates to health. What’s become clear is that there may well be deadly effects of Brexit, such as reductions in NHS funding, or restrictions to medicines as a result of No Deal.
You can see the report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into the impact of Brexit on health and social care here.
You can also find out more about Remain and Reform, a policy commission looking at what the detail of remaining in and reforming the EU might look like from a left wing perspective here.
‘Whilst Michael Gove was doing cocaine, I was collecting cans for Leeds University recycling’
Wistful memories from Alex Sobel are just some of the great content in our latest podcast, on Brexit and the Environment. We look at how a Remain and Reform agenda could benefit the environment and in particular help tackle the urgent climate change crisis we face.
Alongside Alex and hosts, Mike Buckley and Emma Burnell, is David Powell from the brilliant Sustainababble podcast.
To hear more from Remain and Reform and get the first news of future podcasts, events and publications sign up here.
In the inaugural Remain and Reform podcast, we cover the recent European Elections and what they mean for Labour. We also talk to Laura Parker, 2019 MEP candidate and Momentum national co-ordinator, and Jo Stevens MP, MP for Cardiff Central, about the ins and outs of the Remain and Reform programme. What makes Remain and Reform better than Lexit? How do we argue a Remain and Reform case to the country at large, rather than just committed left wingers? What do we need to change about the EU to make it more democratic?
In the podcast Laura mentions a study, which is by the European Council on Foreign Relations: you can find that report here.
And if you're interested in finding out more about Remain and Reform and maybe even getting involved in what we're doing, find out more here.