SSenior staff from the campaign “begged” Corbyn to do a rally with the prime minister, according to a senior source who was close to the Remain campaign. Corbyn wanted nothing to do with the Tory leader, no matter what was at stake. Gordon Brown, the Labour prime minister whom Cameron vanquished in 2010, was sent to plead with Corbyn to change his mind. Corbyn wouldn’t. Senior figures in the Remain camp, who included Cameron’s trusted communications chief Craig Oliver and Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign guru, were furious.
Even at more basic levels of campaigning, Labour were refusing to cooperate. The party would not share its voter registration lists with Stronger In, fearing the Tories would steal the information for the next general election. “Our data is our data,” one senior Labour source said when asked about the allegation.
In desperation, the Remain strategists discussed reaching out to the White House to intervene directly. Obama had met Corbyn during a trip to London in April, when the American president argued forcefully for Remain. They wondered: Maybe Obama could call the Labour leader and convince him to campaign with Cameron?
Don’t bother, Labour aides told them. Nobody was going to coax their boss into sharing a public platform with Cameron. The idea was dropped before it reached the White House.
19 thoughts on “How David Cameron blew it – POLITICO”
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Am I the only person here who thinks that Brexit is probably not as big of a deal as everyone seems to think?Report
Why yes, yes you are!
I honestly don’t know how big of a deal it’s going to be.Report
I’m of the opinion that it won’t be a “big deal” in the way people are talking about it right now… but it will still be a “big deal” just to do. I also think that this may not be the final word on the EU and the UK.Report
I know way too little about the EU, but hasn’t it always had some sort of exceptional relationship with the UK? The UK was a latecomer among the well-to-do western European members, and it didn’t get on board with the shared currency plan.
tl;dr: I agree with you.Report
Yep. The UK are the Electricians of the European Union ( <– that's hilarious if you've ever worked on a Union construction site – just sayin')
The UK has lots of cards to play; the strange thing this time around is that they would need to be played by people who don't agree that playing the game is a good idea. That's the big head-scratcher for me.
Merkel called Cameron's bluff, the UK has called Merkel's bluff. I think we've still got a couple more cards to be dealt and a few more bets to be placed.Report
My father was a journeyman (and union) electrician. I don’t know enough about his work life to know exactly what you’re referring to, but I can guess 🙂Report
No, I as well am sort of looking around, confused by all of the excitement.Report
The powers that be got p0wned. This NEVER happens
Rocks fall, everyone loses.
Oh, and we’re getting the 4th Reich.
Enjoy your summer!Report
Sadly you are not in control of the financial markets.Report
Am I the only person here who thinks that Brexit very possibly won’t even happen? I’d put the odds that the Government informs the Commission of its intent to Leave under Article 50 – ever, well, lets say this decade – at no more than 60% right now.Report
I can’t speak to the odds, but I agree. There are so many things that can and will happen over the next two years.
On the larger point, I find the collective freakout simultaneously fascinating and a little scary. The number of people offering strong opinion on something that most people probably could not hold a substantive ten minute conversation on is vexing. It’s another way that political discussions have become almost about defining who you hate.Report
This fellow agrees with you — suggests that there’s no reason the Article 50 notification couldn’t have been made immediately and the longer it’s delayed, the more likely it never happens. I loved his closing reference:
ESTRAGON: Well, shall we Leave?
VLADIMIR: Yes, let’s Leave.
(They do not send the Article 50 Notification.)Report
I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t some amount of moral authority that is going to be… I don’t know what word to use. Spent? I don’t want to say “lost” given that it’s going to be deliberate and “squandered” has a value judgment in it… spent… by having a referendum and then the government not following through.Report
That’s why it’s so important for TPTB to push the Bregret line.Report
Well that’s the pickle the Tories and Cameron were in. The whole business was not a good idea, was mainly thrown out as right wing red meat and is not how parliaments regularly do business. It’s a pity Labor is currently wrecked or they’d be taking advantage of the whole situation but I get the vibe that they were due for a cycle of wilderness to shake the bugs out of the ol’ wig.Report
I agree as well. The Government is going to fall and there’ll be a new election on the matter which will functionally amount to a do-over on this referenda and the Remain side (especially young voters) will now, having had the fear of dog put into them, actually turn out.Report
Won’t happen. If it did happen, when a substantial majority (60/40) wants to leave? Oh, my god, the fireworks.
You’d be right if this was an actual, fair election — it wasn’t.Report
If so, then they get voted out of office.
Better they pull the scottish trick out of their hindquarters.Report
It’s both much, much more of a big deal than anyone thinks, and much much much less.
We’re looking at the very real potential for a worldwide depression.
But, hell, the Remain predicted doomsday, and it won’t be that.Report