He couldn't own most of his academic and industry opponents, for starters, and even people in his camp disagree over the free-market reforms and assumptions he wishes to see bear fruit. Textbook economics can only take one so far, and he's going by the book and crossing his fingers. Nor, sadly for Leavers, is he yet in any position to influence policy. If you think there's appetite for Thatcherism max, you're misjudging the public mood as much as Corbyn is misjudging his breadth of support.
But as you're a fan, I won't labour the point.
If you think Minford is Thatcherism max, you should check out the EU, it's capitalism on steroids. Discouraging or outlawing public ownership of common services (and forcing Greece to sell theirs), austerity max across so much of the continent, massive red tape favouring mega corps and stifling innovation and small business. And then of course the campaign to keep us in it bankrolled by Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and co, such stalwarts of progressive social democracy.
As Jim Sillars (Ex SNP former deputy) once said "The Treaty of Rome enshrines the ethic of capitalism, giving it the right to move wherever it wants across the continent, irrespective of the damage done to communities". Nice summary I say.
Funny you mention Corbyn, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist who up until was politically pressured into it, was clearly against the EU and what it stood for. Historically the Labour party was always anti-EU, precisely for the above reasons. Another key democratic socialist, Tony Benn, vehemently against the EU, and is also quoted as saying something similar to Jim Sillars above. The EU is not about progressive social democracy, it's ultimately for big business.
I'd give it 7/10. Especially if they go for imperial nostalgia, wild theories of cultural assimilation, violent segregation, repatriation or encouragement of social disorder with silly rhetoric.
If they start encouraging an infantile worldview, two-bit thuggery and proudly wave jingoistic willies at the world? Sure. I would be quite vocal about them too, but they don't. Are there are some extremists among the cyber nats? Yep. Is the party mostly just New Labour in Tartan with far from nationalistic social policies? Yep, certainly no English Democrats, Liberty GB, BNP, EDL, UKIP or other high calibre nuttery we witness south of the border feeding off each other.
And English nationalism, particularly when its construed along the lines of white and nativist prerogative, has a rather more troubled history. Only a rather sheltered fantasist isn't capable of seeing its negative and largely emotional effects of clouded judgement and social discrimination.
Indeed there is a simple rule of thumb for me: if they love their people and their country -- fine; if they tell you they are better than others because of where on the planet they happened to be birthed, and blame all the world's ills on them, with no other distinguishing features or contributions to their name -- they can jog on.
I do enjoy your rants
Yes there are idiots like the BNP, Britain First etc, who frankly should be stamped out/jailed at the first sign of any of their "real" intentions, but I doubt you would attach such negative connotations to the 350k Northern Ireland citizens who voted leave, nor the 1m+ Scots who voted leave. Equally I doubt your statement of there being more "nationalists than Minford's" would apply to those voters.
There are idiots on both sides of any debate, especially one that captures the emotions of the whole country. You shouldn't make sweeping generalizations that play up to a media frenzy. A reporter got punched at an anti-Brexit rally in London the other day for having a Union Jack on his hat. Completely unprovoked. Progressive social democratic? Yeah right.
Oh, silly things like not wanting ludicrous deregulation, better working conditions, health and safety, environmental protections, consumer assurances, standards, and the list continues. In Minford's world of perfect competition -- most of this goes, and people currently heading into power are only a few steps removed from him on their economic thinking. Hence the obvious fight, which Labour would be fighting if they could agree amongst themselves to be a competent opposition.
Clearly we disagree as per my point above, the EU ultimately stands for big business, not the people.
And as for how the EU developed: thank France for most of its inward looking measures; should have been there earlier and tried harder. But this aspect of reform from within is moot now.
Naturally, we disagree. We never had any real influence and never would have if we stayed in. One thing is for sure, we have more negotiating leverage now than we did before, like how the EU bureaucrats are saying "start article 50 now" and we're saying "no thanks, we'll take out time". Merkel is being a bit more measured than the unelected Brussels crew though, perhaps as she has an election next year.
