GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

Trump in the US, it is the lesson of Farage here, it is the lesson across Europe

which is unless there is a fundamental challenge to neoliberalism and the sort

of economy which it has delivered – in favour of capital, against workers, in

favour of debt, against rising real wages, in favour of large amounts of

unsustainable inequality – then there is going to be a phenomenal reaction

against it and that is by no means guaranteed that that is going to be from a

party of the left and the left needs to actually think about what its answer is to

some of those fundamental problems, because until it does and comes up with

a viable, attractive offer, then there is going to be a temptation for people to be

attracted by the voices of the right. Thank you very much. (Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Larry. Lots of food for thought there. I know that you

are happy to take some questions or listen to some points that might be made.

I open this to everybody, I guess, as well as delegates if they want to actually

talk to Larry about what is going on. Can I start with something, a Brexit

related one? Of course, we hear a lot about deal, no deal, where it is going,

WTO rules. It seems to me, and this is as a remainer from a union that was a

remain union, it is going to happen. If it does happen with no deal, as they say,

whatever that actually means, where are we likely to go and where are the

unions likely to be or will it be business as usual as far as we are concerned?

LARRY ELLIOTT: It is hard to know, because it will depend on what sort of no deal

happens. If no deal were to emerge out of a clear blue sky one day, then

clearly there would be a period of quite serious chaos. How long that would be

remains to be seen. I think actually that would be the catalyst for coming up

with a settlement fairly quickly. I think where the unions, the unions would be

part of that process. They would have to make their voice heard and say, “This

is the sort of Brexit we want”, because I think the problem has been that nearly

all the post-Brexit ideas have come from the right. That is the issue. There are

very, very few people on the left who have said, “Either we are going to have

Brexit and here is our answer – more State ownership or more vigorous public

procurement or a different tax system to take advantage of some of the

opportunities”. There has been very little of that from the leaver left. I have

done some of it by talking about the need for a new deal for the north or a

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