Accountability in the British political system is questionable. Voters have little trust in their representatives as a result of lack of virtuous politicians.
The Labour Party's Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer stated that the United Kingdom should stay in the customs union and the single market for a transitional period which can be "as short as possible, but as long as is necessary".
This statement has been taken with confusion, and it has easily exposed the party to extreme public scrutiny. The Labour Party promised a Brexit, in fact "the best Brexit for British people" if you echo the words of the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn; but are now giving signs of potentially staying in both the customs union and the single market. Many has deemed this as a U-turn however I believe there is urgent need for more clarification on this issue before that can be said. Therefore I am going to examine Labour's upcoming decisions following this, as this seems distinct from the more honest Labour that we have been introduced to since Corbyn's arrival. The honesty that earned Labour an additional 30 seats in the latest general election; the public warmed to the party, liked the manifesto and believed it could be implemented.
As someone who values the quality of character and someone who has accepted the harsh reality that is Brexit; I have acknowledged that Brexit is going to happen as it is the will of the people. This has been outlined many times by both the Prime Minster and the Leader of the Opposition. This is why this news is so shocking to hear, changing their opinion of this, is in my opinion - too little too late. If the party didn't want to leave the political and economic union then it should have campaigned much better in the time prior to the referendum.
Following the snap election many renowned political commentators were shocked looking at the outstanding performance that Corbyn's Labour put on, gaining a large number of support from all groups. I was not shocked. Even in a BBC World News interview the day before polling day, I stated that I had never underestimated the leadership of Corbyn, especially when campaigning. If Labours true intentions are to stay within the EU's institutions then surely they should have campaigned to do so.
Despite this, I do believe that this a temporary safety net may be extremely beneficial for job security and to ease economic shocks are forecasted to occur following Brexit. When speaking on BBC Radio5 Live's Breakfast show this morning, I discussed the matter with a member of the political movement Labour Leave, who also understood the decisions made by Labour but also felt that the statement in question was potentially ignoring a large number of their voters for their own aims.
It is evident that Brexit is an extremely complicated, Owen Jones would call it a "Tory mess". But leaving such a large political economic institution will be far from simple. Political parties need to provide us with clear, thought out plans and not irrational accounts that damage the concepts and reputation of their party. The Labour party has recently showed us that it can put together sources and provide evidence to create pragmatic plans for the will of the nation, however this was definitely not an example of it.