97-year-old Mr. Shindler, a resident of Italy, is a vocal campaigner for voting rights for British citizens resident abroad. He is currently a claimant in a case lodged against the Council of the European Union by lawyer Julien Fouchet, in a bid to have the Brexit referendum declared illegal since Brits abroad were not allowed to vote if they had been out of the country for more than 15 years.

Harry kindly answered our members’ questions about his campaigning and views on Europe.

Sandra Stretton: “Has bringing this action given you a new lease of life?”

Harry Shindler: “The present case against the EU is, of course, not the first. As you may know, we have made our case in many courts in the EU, including the highest. In fact, I started with a petition to the Commission in Brussels, and that was 14 years ago. Whilst it may not have given me a ‘new lease of life’, it certainly helps you not getting too old!
It’s said that the UK loses many battles – but wins the war in the end. We’ve lost in most courts. Let’s hope that we win this one!”

Steve Wilson: “What was the first event in your life that motivated you to become politically active?”

Harry Shindler: “There was no ‘one event’. I could do no other than become active in politics. We were a very poor family in one of the poorest areas of the UK, for though I was born in Lambeth, I grew up in the Portobello Market area of North Kensington. I didn’t just see the poverty all around, but lived it.
I went to school in Portobello Road and worked on Saturdays in the market. I left school (and schooling) at 14 and entered an engineering factory in Park Royal. There I met men and women who wanted to change and improve our lot. I joined with them. I went on to work as an election agent for 17 years and served as the General Secretary of a national organisation in the pub industry. I took early retirement to be with my grandsons in Italy.”

Rachelle Hughes: “What can we do as individuals to help speed your [Votes for Life] campaign through Parliament?”

Harry Shindler: “Sadly, our ‘Votes for Life’ bill still needs to go through all of the stages in Parliament. We can do little to speed up the parliamentary process. But of course, the more MPs we win over, the easier the road will be.
We have been very patient as the years have passed. And this patience has paid off. As has our not making the issue a party political issue. We work with all who support our aim. We just want the right to vote.”

Pam Wallace: “I have written to many MPs regarding Votes for Life. Are there other people that would be worth contacting?”

Harry Shindler: “You’ve done a great job in contacting MPs – so what else? May I suggest letters to Glyn Davies MP, who is the sponsor of our bill? Let him show in Parliament his postbag, with hundreds of letters of support.
Of course, letters to MPs from “groups of British citizens in Spain” etc. carry a lot of weight with MPs. Moreover, if they include a reminder that our family in his constituency expects him/her not to block the bill in Parliament, well that might give him/her food for thought!”

Ruth Woodhouse: “What would you say to the MP who told me, with regard to Votes for Life, ‘If someone chooses to live in another country, I don’t see why they need to have a say in the government of this country when they are not going to have to live with the consequences’?”

Harry Shindler: “The ‘someone’ is a British citizen, and wherever he/she goes, that goes with them. We don’t measure Britishness by so many miles from Charing Cross, and the further you go, the less British you are! No, you are born British and no matter where and how far you travel, you will always be British. If I go to work and live in Hong Kong, does that make me Chinese? We are the unpaid ambassadors for our country. But not all ‘choose’ to be abroad. A large percentage are abroad for reasons of employment.

Ray Stonebridge: “What would your old wartime colleagues have made of this separation from Europe after the 70 years of peace you all earned?”

Harry Shindler: “This is the most important part of our work – PEACE – 70 years of PEACE. If only for this we should remain in the European Union. Many of my old comrades will be as sad as I am when we’re told the older generation voted to leave Europe. We, who went through it all, as did the citizens in the UK, must hammer the message – it’s peace within the EU, but for how long outside the Union? I believe that if membership of the Eu gives us peace, then with all its faults, I’m for staying in.”

Many thanks to Mr. Shindler for giving us an insight into the reasons behind your campaigning – you’re an inspiration to us all!

Harry receives his MBE

War Graves work

Wanted in Rome.com

In the fourth of our exclusive Bremain interviews with high profile Remain activists, we meet Kyle Taylor, Director of Fair Vote Project. Kyle set up the project in the wake of whistleblower allegations relating to global data misappropriation and law-breaking in the EU Referendum.

Based in London, United Kingdom, Kyle Taylor is the founder and director of The Fair Vote Project which is focused on lasting reform, campaigning for fundamental changes to the Electoral Commission and a Digital Bill of Rights for Democracy. He also works across a range of progressive political, cause-based and social enterprise projects through his Social Enterprise: Overton Group, with a particular specialisation in Millennial and Gen Z engagement.

Previously, Kyle was the national campaign strategist for Best for Britain, one of the UK’s largest second referendum organisations. He has also campaigned for a binding government-sanctioned NHS and care convention, worked on a migrant rights campaign in the Middle East and regularly supports an international education charity across a range of areas.

He co-managed the coordinated campaign for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina and in 2015 finished a four-year post as the Chief of Staff and Campaigns Director to the former Minister of State for Justice, Sir Simon Hughes. Kyle has lived on four continents and travelled and worked in over 100 countries.  He also enjoys taking on immense physical challenges to raise money for charity. He has run the London marathon, swam an opener water marathon in the English channel, trekked to Everest Base Camp and summited Mount Kilimanjaro twice, personally raising over £30,000 for various charities. Kyle was a Presidential Scholar at The American University and graduated Summa cum Laude in 2006 with two bachelor’s degrees. While there he served as Student Government President and was selected to be student commencement speaker. He gained a Master’s Degree with distinction in International Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2009.

Kyle is currently heading a legal challenge against the government, calling for a public inquiry into Brexit cheating

Sian Shaw: “What is the likely time frame for the legal process & how high do you rate your chances of success?”

Kyle Taylor: “Legal processes can take quite a while but we believe our aim has a high chance of success because it’s a very reasonable request of the government. The goal is for a decision by the end of the year but for the claim to be in progress when Parliament debates whatever deal (or no deal) that has been secured to put additional pressure on MPs.”

Pam Wallace: “There have been many court cases since Brexit and only one that has succeeded (Gina Miller). What do you see as different about this one?”

Kyle Taylor: “I think what’s different about this case is the basis of its claim. This suit isn’t about the merits of Leave or Remain – it’s about the fundamental institution of democracy, how that was undermined and abused in the referendum and why that justifies proper scrutiny, reform and remedy. This is something that everyone should be able to get behind whether leave or remain because it’s so much bigger than a single issue. This is about the very fabric that is meant to hold our democratic society together.”

Karen Watling: “Bearing in mind the vitriol that the referendum has wrought setting friend against friend and family against family, how do you see the future of the UK?”

Kyle Taylor: “I think – regardless of what happens with Brexit – we’re looking at another 5-10 years of discontent. I know that’s not an easy answer but I think it’s accurate. We’re at a crossroads as a country and, more broadly, as a collection of liberal democracies. This happens about every 100 years in the UK – a realignment of political parties and of the fundamental ideals that frame those parties’ core reason for being. This time, it’s the internationalists vs. the nativists. Brexit showed us this is the new fault line and no political party in its current iteration accurately represents those interests, leaving everyone feeling like they don’t REALLY have a proper partisan home. This realignment will be exhausting, fraught and complicated but in the end it will leave us with two new main parties that look and feel nothing like what they look and feel like now. The last thing I’ll say is that the core problem that will complicate this process is the propogation of “fake news” as it’s called. We need to – for the sake of democracy – fight the idea that there are mutliple truths immediately, incessantly and fully. A functioning society is dependent on shared information and shared experience. We’ve got to all be working from the same baseline truth and fact or else we’re genuinely living in alternate realities. There is a lot of work to do but I believe we can do it. Never give up. Never surrender!”

Roy Stonebridge: “Is Internet and social media campaigning controllable?”

Kyle Taylor: “In short, the answer is yes. That doesn’t mean, however, that we’re close to controlling these mediums. The biggest hurdles remain public awareness about these issues and lawmaker “literacy” around how digital spaces work. We’ve got 20th-Century lawmakers attempting to regulate 21st-Century technologies. The easiest “first step” is to require digital advertising to be treated the same as a leaflet that comes through a letterbox with an imprint so people know who sent it and from where. Couple that with an online database of all adds and easy access to targeting information (so people can find out exactly how and why something is showing up in their newsfeed) and we will be on our way. The next step is getting a full public inquiry started with a 12-month remit to investigate, take evidence and recommend immediate action to safeguard our democracy.”

Elspeth Williams: “Long-term campaigning is exhausting. How do you keep focused, stay positive, pick yourself up after a bad day?”

Kyle Taylor: “Oh my goodness, isn’t it?! This is particularly true when you feel like “your side” hasn’t had even a small victory in a long time. That’s because progress is always 8 little steps back then one GIANT step forward. I keep focussed – ironically – by checking out for at least an hour a day. I check out by watching an episode or two of my favourite TV show – Parks and Recreation – to get some inspiration from Leslie Knope. I also read fiction that’s entirely escapism every day. After a bad day I pick myself up by speaking to close friends while I fold laundry. I know it sounds bizarre but combining a mundane physical activity with “real” conversation to a close friend forces the brain to be fully present and pushes the bad day away. I also never make big decisions in the moment. Sleep on it and things inevitably make more sense the next day. I stay positive by remembering how many people there are working so hard to fight for what they believe in and also reminding myself that I am a very privileged person and with privilege comes responsibility to fight for those who aren’t able to.”

Pat Kennedy: “Can you give us one inspirational comment or quote to help keep us focused through this difficult time when it can be hard to keep optimistic.”

Kyle Taylor: “My goodness, there are so many quotes that keep me going. I’ll share two that I have written on my wall: “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” – JFK. Have any truer words been spoken? “Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton. This resonates with me more than anything else right now because we’re in an environment that those opposed to our point of view suggest somehow it’s anti-country or anti-democracy to believe passionately in what we believe in. This is always the tactic of the powerful to suppress those resisting wrong. Did the suffragettes stop when it got hard? No. Did the allied forces give up when the Nazis were storming across Europe? No. Fighting for what’s right, true and just is always worth it.”

You can find out more information at Fair Vote or on Twitter @fairvoteuk

Next month Bremainers will be putting questions to Votes for Life campaigner Harry Shindler MBE.

James Gambrill: “Can you describe a typical day for you and the B4B team in the campaign to stopping Brexit?”

Eloise Todd: “No day looks the same, except for the campaign huddle first thing in the morning to check in on the news of the day and what the political activity has been overnight, and to plan ahead, for example on social media. My day could involve meeting with partner organisations in the movement, twisting the arms of MPs to get on board for a people’s vote with the option to stay in the EU, checking in with team members, coming up with creative ideas to push us to get to more people with our messages, or travelling round the country to meet our supporters, or maybe doing some media. For the team as a whole, any day might include drafting supporter emails, managing our social media channels, responding to activists and volunteers, running our campaigning training sessions, meeting with MPs, conducting research and writing research briefings, meeting with funders, brainstorming campaign ideas and managing general office operations! It’s full on and very busy, but very motivating and exciting work. We remind ourselves every day that we CAN (and WILL!) stop Brexit – but we all have to pull together for that goal while we can! We feel very strongly that the fight to stop Brexit is crucial while we are still a full member of the EU – for as long as we have the chance to stay in, that’s what we should be fighting for – the chance for that option to be put to the people.”

Roy Stonebridge: “What do you think the questions should be on the People’s Vote ballot paper?”

Eloise Todd: “One thing is clear – the people’s vote ballot paper must include the option to stay in the European Union! It might seem like a no-brainer but the worst case scenario would be that MPs make it about ‘how’ and not ‘whether’ to leave the EU.  We’ve always said that the people’s vote should give people the opportunity to compare the deal the government come back with to the deal we currently have – meaning the referendum question would be between the deal Theresa May manages to negotiate (and if that’s No Deal, it’s No Deal), versus our current deal – the terms of which we have been developing for over forty years. There is some discussion about whether we should have three options on the ballot paper which we are following carefully – but the non-negotiable is option to stay in the EU. Too many MPs have been shy to come out on that specific point, so Bremain In Spain supporters that are vocal about the need to stay must make sure they write their MPs, or to MPs they have a connection with in the UK – we really need to embolden them to be fearless and defend staying in the EU.”

John Hodges: “What can be done to enhance Jeremy Corbyn’s chances of persuading the Labour Party to change their position on EU membership?”

Eloise Todd: “The question is perhaps more what the Labour Party can do to persuade Jeremy Corbyn to change his position on EU membership! Labour Party Conference this year will be vital. People from across the party are tabling motions to stay in the EU, and to call for a people’s vote: that’s the point at which Jeremy Corbyn may take a different path on Brexit.

We’re also showing MPs research that shows than many more Labour voters voted to stay in the European Union than those that voted to leave. In effect, Labour is pursuing the policy of Brexit despite the fact the majority of their members, voters and increasingly, the country at large want to stay in. Leaving the EU is a policy most passionately supported in the Conservative party. Labour wouldn’t have supported the poll tax and wouldn’t support privatisation of the NHS even if a majority of Conservative voters did – we want them to show that consistency on Brexit.”

Pat Kennedy: “What was your immediate reaction to the news on the morning of 24th June 2016?”

Eloise Todd: “That whole week in the run-up to the referendum was obliterated by the murder of my amazing friend   Jo Cox. I went to bed the night of the referendum earlier than I might have, my grief was starting to kick in after the organisation of the events we had put on in Jo’s memory on 22 June were over. Normally I would have pulled an all-nighter to watch the results coming in. As it was, I woke up around 3am on 24 June and grabbed my phone to look at the latest results. I got the shock of my life. Leave were ahead by about 800,000 at that point. And all I could think of was the fact that the urban results come in first, and the rural areas take longer to count…and I thought that meant the gap was going to get wider. And it did.

Eloise Todd: “The resignations of David Davis and Boris Johnson show just how impossible it is going to be for Theresa May – or anyone for that matter – to present a deal that unites supporters of hard and so-called soft Brexit. With hard brexit, it would mean massive economic harm for our country. And while ‘soft’ sounds nice and fluffy, it would be the opposite of Take Back Control, being subject to laws decided by the EU with us losing our sovereignty. The good news is that against this backdrop we have the opportunity to make the case for staying in the EU.

More broadly the resignations show how much hot water the brexiters have got themselves into. They made promises to a hopeful public that they would never be able to deliver. Now that Brexit has played out a little more and we have seen for sure that the promises of Brexit Britain are impossible to deliver, they have jumped ship.

The possibility of a leadership challenge is something we’re all watching for – but it’s hard to say whether Johnson or Rees-Mogg- or even Gove –  will actually put their head above the parapet. On some level they must acknowledge that there is no majority in the country for hard Brexit and nor is there one in parliament. Polling shows that the country consistently rejects soft Brexit, and the people are becoming more in favour of staying in by the day. We are also looking out for the threat of MPs wanting to pull together to deliver Brexit. They risk being two years behind the will of the people, and that’s why signing up and helping us deliver the option to remain – in a meaningful vote, in a people’s vote, any which way we can – is so vital!”

Dave Peachey: “With such a dynamic situation & ministers resigning, is now the time to think of different strategies to #stopbrexit?”

Eloise Todd: “We know what we need to do. We need to help get information to people who want to know about the impact of Brexit, we need to connect people that are worried about Brexit to their MPs, and we need to persuade Parliament to do what’s best for the country, not for their own career. and in some ways the volatility doesn’t change that – we need remains the same. The core tenets of the strategy don’t change: we need to show the public why we should stay in the EU, and we need MPs to know how their constituents feel. These remain the most important elements of any strategy to stop Brexit, no matter what  is going on in Westminster.

However with little time to go, we need to be open to whatever gives us a chance of getting a proper choice for Parliament and people on the Brexit deal. Fighting Brexit is going to require some flexibility and the ability to adapt to all the various different political scenarios that may play out in Westminster.”

https://www.bestforbritain.org/

In the second of our series of exclusive Bremain in Spain interviews with Remain activists Bremainers Ask…. we talk to Steven Bray from SODEM about his vigil on St Stephen’s Green opposite Parliament. Steven and his supporters are there every day when Parliament is sitting and supporters are welcome to come along and join him. Steven gives us a bit of background about himself:

Steve is originally from Wales but spent his childhood in various locations due to his father’s military background.  Steve is a passionate coin collector, having started collecting at the age of six. He turned his hobby into a business in 2001, though admits that he sometimes finds it hard to sell, as he struggles to let certain coins go.

Until the referendum, he describes himself as “just plodding along”, and says it’s a shame that it took a disaster to wake him up so he could take life by the horns. He tells us that there are so many things that he never appreciated or never got round to doing. Now he does appreciate all manner of things, and he will get up and do them! Steve finished by thanking us at Bremain for our efforts. He is certain that united, as a team across the UK and Europe, we are a force to be reckoned with, and together we will stop Brexit – FULL STOP!

Below are Steve’s answers to a few of the questions put forward by Bremain in Spain members:

Ruth Woodhouse: “What do you plan to do in the event of the worst case scenario of the UK leaving the EU?

Steven Bray: “I can’t plan for an event that will never happen!”

Alison Curtis: (1) “Do you have a sense, from people’s reactions, that support for Brexit is changing?”

Steven Bray: “As time has gone by, I have seen a distinct change in people’s approach to us. The black cab drivers used to be very vocal in favour of Leave, and that has declined at least 80% in the last five months. That has to be a good benchmark. There is far more support now than there was back when we started. The tide is turning. The  more people see the butterfly effect and implications, the more they realize how dire the consequences of leaving the European Union really are.”

Alison Curtis: (2) “Are there days when you wonder whether SODEM is worth getting up for?”

Steven Bray: “There is not one day that I think, ‘I can’t do SODEM today!’ Every single day is worth it – for so many people in Britain and Europe. I wish I could do more.”

Gerald Abell: “Why do you do what you do?”

Steven Bray: “I have always been relentless in what I do, but it does come at a price. I have to give 100% to what I do. I can’t multi task so to speak, so to try to keep my business going AND give what I give now would be impossible, and both would suffer. One day I will go back to my business… and we will still be members of the European Union!”

Thanks to Steven for taking the time to answer our questions. You can follow Steven and SODEM on their Facebook Page:

SODEM Facebook Page

Next time, Eloise Todd, CEO of Best for Britain answers your questions which can be submitted in advance via enquiries@bremaininspain.com

Recently, Bremain’s Media Relations Officer, James Gambrill, joined Steven on his vigil and presented him with a Bremain in Spain scarf. Here’s his story:

“On a recent trip to London, I once again took time out to thank the people who, come rain or shine, continue to make our voices heard outside the courts and parliament. My morning started off thanking all those who had attended the overnight vigil outside the High Court. It was nice to put some more faces to names. Unfortunately due to work commitments, I wasn’t able to join them on the actual vigil, but I think they were grateful for a cheery ‘good morning’ and thanks on behalf of all of us.

In the afternoon, I stopped by at the SODEM muster point to hand deliver a gift from Bremain to Steven Bray. A couple of days before my trip, fellow council member Elspeth Williams had mentioned that Steve quite liked our Bremain in Spain scarfs. So one of my tasks was to give him a scarf as a thank you for all he does each day. The weather has since changed somewhat in the UK so he may not be needing it as much of late, but it did get an airing on C4 news that evening!

It was SODEM’s ‘Pies not Lies’ day. There was a great crowd, and just before I arrived Philip Lee had resigned, which had a positive impact on the day’s “Stop Brexit” chants. It was good to catch up with people from many different groups, some of whom I’ve now met several times. I even bumped in to fellow Bremainer Cliff, who attended a Bremain barnstorm event recently in La Herradura.

With so many news teams on the green that day for May’s cramming session of the Lords’ amendments, Steve and friends weren’t able to flag bomb as much as usual, but they found a way to be featured by lining the pavement instead, which led to quite a few TV appearances. I also got the impression that the tide is well and truly turning, as many more passing by were in support of stopping Brexit than was the case the last time I visited.

I know it’s not possible for all of us to pop by, grab a flag and show our support, but if you are ever in London, a visit to SODEM really is worth it – and much appreciated by Steve and all the team. Thank you to everyone who has already stopped by to show their support!”

Steven sent a video message to Bremain in Spain members via James prior to the People’s Vote March on June 23rd:

This is the first in a series of exclusive Bremain in Spain interviews with leading Remain activists, starting with Femi from Our Future Our Choice. Bremain members were asked to submit questions and here are the answers you’ve been waiting for! Firstly, a little bit of background about Femi:

Femi Oluwole is the co-founder of ‘Our Future, Our Choice’, a campaign organisation formed and run by young adults who firmly believe that the best future for the United Kingdom lies within the EU.

Femi was born in Darlington and is 28 years old. He grew up mainly in Worcestershire, but has also lived in Dundee, Birmingham, among other places. He studied Law at the University of Nottingham, and his parents are Nigerian doctors.

He says that the best year of his life was the year he took part in Erasmus, which allowed him to experience life in Brest, France.

After graduating, Femi spent a ski season working in a hotel in France and has also undertaken three EU Affairs internships in Brussels as well as one in Vienna – specialising in Human Rights. He says that he quit the best of his internships to come back to the UK in order to #StopBrexit.

Sandra Stretton: “Once Brexit is cancelled, do you intend to pursue a career in politics, and – if so – in what capacity?”

Femi: “When the referendum happened, my plan was to work in EU Human Rights for a year, which is where my passion lies, and then come home to stop Brexit, and failing that keep the UK from swinging too far to the right. Theresa May’s plans to scrap the Human Rights Act are a major red flag for me. Brexit or no Brexit, that’s still something I’ll focus on, but addressing the concerns of people that led to the Brexit vote will be the first objective. That means rebalancing the country in favour of the North by pushing the government to invest in northern infrastructure and create incentives for businesses that employ in the North. If I run as an MP it will almost certainly be as an independent. Everyone except the Greens seems to be tarnished with the “establishment” brush.”

Valerie Chaplin: “What would you say to members of the younger generation who have moved to another EU country, feel abandoned by the UK, and risk the loss of their freedom of movement and EU citizenship?”

Femi: “If you’re a Brit abroad, make your vote count. Do absolutely everything you can to send the message that Brexit will not be tolerated. Talk to your MPs from your home town. Let them know that supporting Brexit now will cost them future elections. Know that you’re not alone. Spread the message to them and to everyone you know back home that “No Deal” would be a fundamental betrayal of Brits such as yourself.”

Alison Curtis: “Has the treatment of the Windrush generation, in illustrating the UK government’s unreliability and poor treatment of citizens, made the exit agreement more difficult?”

Femi: “The government’s treatment of the Windrush generations (incl. descendants) means that whatever willingness there was on the part of the EU negotiators to trust that the UK will act in good faith in its treatment of EU27 citizens has vanished. They will definitely require that the strictest of safeguards be put in place to avoid any such “mishaps” with their own citizens. This scandal also sends a strong and frightening message to EU27 citizens living here that their futures aren’t secure. Given how much the NHS relies on EU doctors, that message is bad for our health.”

Phil Walsh: “What, in your experience, do young people fear most should Brexit actually happen?”

Femi: “For us it’s racism and just the country just getting poorer. We see the world as our friend because we’ve been more connected to every part of it than any generation before us. So, the notion that close ties to Europe are a bad thing just seems completely alien to us. We know that most Brexit voters aren’t racist, but we know several of the big voices driving it are. Letting them direct the country is unacceptable to us. As for our economic futures, we trust experts. We’re more academic than any generation before us. So, when we see that 9 out of 10 economists say Brexit would permanently harm the country, we listen.”

You can read more about Our Future Our Choice on their Facebook Page here:  OFOC Facebook Page

The next Bremainers Ask…. feature will be with Steven Bray from SODEM.