Marc Glendening, campaign director of the Democracy Movement, accuses former Europe minister Denis MacShane of engaging in 'neo-McCarthyite' smear tactics against those critical of the EU.
The former Europe minister and arch New Labourite buffoon Denis MacShane has been up to his old 'EU-McCarthyite' tricks again. In a Guardian On-Line article this week, he attempted to obscure the key issue underlying the strike at the Lindsey oil refinery plant with a typical New Labour smokescreen. Instead of tackling the key democratic question of who ultimately should determine employment policy in Britain, and on what terms foreign nationals should be allowed to work here, the MP for Rotherham hurled abuse at anybody who has had the audacity to take a position contrary to his own.
Instead of there being 'reds under the bed' he wants the British people to start out with the assumption that all EU-sceptics - whether they support the international free movement of labour or not - are really 'xenophobes in the closet' (or wherever he thinks we like to conceal ourselves). So, William Hague has, according to MacShane, engaged in 'vulgar anti-European xenohobia'. No evidence is given of the usually mild-mannered shadow foreign secretary having done so. In fact, on the specific question of whether IREM should be allowed to bring in Italian posted workers, Hague holds exactly the same view as MacShane.
Labour MPs who supported the strikers and/or questioned the EU Posted Workers Directive were said to have engaged in 'nationalist-protectionist rhetoric'. Again, and in a rather cowardly fashion, MacShane did not name names. Was he possibly thinking of Jon Cruddas who has made, in highly temperate terms, criticisms of the way the Single Market is working regarding his party's traditional support base? If not him, who exactly, Mr MacShane?
Continue reading "Marc Glendening: Denis MacShane outs the anti-EU xenophobes in the closet" »
Recent Comments