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JWestland
Free movement of people is the essential issue. It is not by accident that it is one of the four freedoms recognised by the European Community as a fundamental element of free trade. Without free movement of people low wage economies have an advantage which undermines the employment and welfare of workers in the richer countries.
Under the Imperial model beloved of Brexiteers the UK owned the low wage countries and reaped the benefit of black and brown people working for stavation wages (formerly slaves). Under the Emipire only the richest and whitest of the British subjects could exercise our theoretical right of entry and abode in Britain.
At the 1975 EEC referendum I voted no with the left socialists who saw the EEC as a rich capitalist club that excluded the majority of European workers in the socialist eastern and fascist southerrn countries.
Things have changed. In the 1980s along with many thousand others I discovered that free movement allowed Brits to work in Europe. We were the low wage earners like the Romanians and Bulgarians today. Personally I am not entitled to free movement in Europe but I remained resident here crossing the channel 4-6 times a month to earn more, enjoy far better working conditions, benefit from supportive labour regulations and bring money back to impoverished Thather's Britain.
It is saddening that the Labour Left and xenophobic unions have not recognised the benefits of free movement and the potential of improving workers rights and benefits is best achieved through international partnership. Over decades they have disengaged and allowed the globalist capitalists to gain advantage. Over the past couple of decades the expansion of the EU and the botched Euro project have been enormously damaging. That is not an argument for disengagement by Left and progressive forces, it should be an argument for dedicated engagement.
Free movement of people should be welcomed and promoted as the best route for improving workers rights and worker power, across many countries not just in one country. To do otherwise is to play into the xenophobic, anti-immigrant, bigoted agenda of Farage, UKIP and all their racist fellow travellers.