by Conrad Landin
in Glasgow

TRANSPORT union TSSA reiterated its opposition to Brexit today — but some members warned that a second referendum would obstruct Labour’s vision for public ownership.

A statement agreed by the union’s executive said Brexit had “sadly” been a “victory for the xenophobia of the nationalist right.” The statement said leaving the EU “poses a real threat to our worker rights, our jobs, our NHS, our public services, our food standards and our fight against climate change.”

The executive said it would continue to make the case for staying in the EU “with vigour.”

But in a debate at the union’s annual conference Anglia South Central delegate Malcolm Wallace described the EU as “fundamentally undemocratic” and argued that “Labour and Tories were all elected on the basis they would respect” the result of the 2016 referendum.

He accused Labour MPs of “pretending” that the party’s position was to leave the EU and singled out deputy leader Tom Watson, who he claims, “said very clearly Labour’s position was to remain and reform — that is not true.”

Mr Wallace argued: “It’s true that the single market does allow public ownership and state aid — but only if it doesn’t distort competition, and that’s the key.”

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “We could be spending £20 billion on state aid. Why won’t we do it? Because Westminster doesn’t want to do it.”

He cited the example of the Scottish government’s attempt to privatise ferry company CalMac, saying that when SNP ministers asked the European Commission if this was required by EU law, they responded: “Nothing to do with us, governor, you do what you want with your ferries.”

Mr Cortes continued: “The biggest barrier to state aid in this country is not EU rules, it’s our politicians in Westminster.

“Lets not blame the EU for the lack of political will in this country.”

Yorkshire North delegate Dave Merritt argued that the EU’s “substantial” shift towards a more neoliberal politics in recent years showed that the institution was reformable and could be changed for the better.

Euston branch member Mitch Tovey urged caution in supporting “the so-called people’s vote,” warning that there were “hundreds of thousands of votes that [Brexit Party leader Nigel] Farage is waiting to claim as his own” if Labour was seen as betraying the referendum result.

He added: “Farage is waiting in the gutter for us to be his recruiting sergeant, and that’s what a second referendum would be.”

Network Rail North London delegate Lisa Jackson said: “If there’s one thing Europe has done, it’s given us a forum for debate that doesn’t result in terrible wars.”

But former TSSA president Andy Bain countered: “The EU has been involved in many wars over the years … in Yugoslavia and in Ukraine as well.”

Euston delegate Sarah-Jane McDonough concurred: “I can’t comprehend how the EU is a socialist project at all when 2,300 people died crossing the seas to get into the EU.”

The executive statement argued that “the real division in our society is not between those who voted Leave and Remain but, as ever, between the many and the few.”

Mr Tovey said that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “has been playing a difficult hand so far, and has played it well.”