Just Biden our time

Just Biden our time

Sep 22, 2022 | Bylines, News

Waking up to the reality of Brexit – our biggest trading relationship is destroyed and we can’t conclude one with the world’s biggest economy writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines.

Before Liz Truss had even got her feet under her desk at Number 10, she was already preparing her excuses. In advance of her meeting with the President Joe Biden, she was telling the country why a free trade deal with the US was not on the cards. Probably for years.

As world leaders assembled in New York on Wednesday for the United Nations summit, Biden and Truss were preparing to meet. It appeared as though both would come to the table with very different agendas. The president’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, had already made it clear that Biden would want to discuss the Northern Ireland protocol “in some detail”. Truss, meanwhile, was insisting that a UK/US trade deal was not on the agenda and there were no negotiations currently taking place. “I don’t have any expectation”, she said, “that those are going to start in the short to medium term”. That timescale looks certain to be after the next general election.

 

Waking up to reality

On becoming trade secretary in 2019, Truss regarded a trade deal with the US as her main priority. She was “confident that things were moving in the right direction”. Not any more, it seems.

It was also seen as a major priority for Boris Johnson when he became prime minister. Not only was it regarded as a seemingly straightforward task to do a “great deal” but we’d be “first in line”.

A former adviser, Ben Ramanauskas, said Truss “did try very hard” in earlier negotiations with Biden but was now forced to accept that “reality” had caught up with her. A trade deal with America was, according to the BBC, now “on the back burner because Truss knows it is unattainable”.

Not so special relationship

The most pressing issue affecting any potential trade deal, for Biden at least, is the Northern Ireland protocol and protecting the Belfast Good Friday agreement (GFA). While Truss insists that the government’s controversial Northern Ireland protocol bill itself provides protection for the GFA, it is not a position that many outside the government support. Least of all, the US president. While Truss will be seeking to distance any discussions of trade deals from those on the protocol, Biden will be keen to link them inextricably together.

However, not all issues surrounding trade negotiations, or the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries relate to the protocol. On the UK side there are issues – for the British public and farmers, at least – relating to food, health and animal welfare standards, such as hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken.

On the American side, there are issues over policy – currently British economic policy. As Truss admitted that her economic proposals would benefit the rich the most, Biden said he was “sick and tired of trickle-down economics”. The Americans, he said, were “building an economy from the bottom up and middle out”. The right-wing economic theory – suggesting that cutting taxes for the wealthy would “trickle down” to the less well off – “has never worked”, he added. Although not a specific condemnation of Truss and her policies, Biden’s comments ahead of their meeting will not have improved already strained relations.

 

Steadfast allies

If the mood music before the meeting was cool, Biden and Truss made an effort at the UN. Presumably keen to demonstrate their similarities of purpose rather than their differences, Truss described the US and UK as “steadfast allies”. The words ‘special relationship’ were never uttered.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to the GFA, even though they have very different ideas on how to provide the protection they both seek. Biden said he was looking forward to hearing what was on Truss’s mind and to further discussing how to make sure that the GFA was “upheld into the future”.

The president is planning a state visit to the UK in the first half of 2023 to mark the 25th anniversary of the GFA. In effect, the visit will provide a deadline for resolving the issues surrounding the protocol.

 

Rewriting history

With the prospect of a quick trade deal with America dissolving, Brexit supporters are attempting to change their stories. A US/UK trade deal was never promised, they say. It’s not important to the UK economy, they say. And the always familiar Brexiter refrain, they need us more than we need them.

Alternatively, they say that everything is going to plan/going well, or going exactly as they anticipated. Or that all will be well if we just wait long enough. In other words, the same tired excuses and lies we hear every time the truth about Brexit becomes blindingly obvious, even to those wearing rose-tinted goggles.

The pro-Brexit campaigns sold the prospect of doing free trade deals around the world – and especially with America – as one of the biggest wins of leaving the EU. Even as recently as August 2020, the Expresswas talking about a “Brexit trade breakthrough”, with a headline claiming that the Remainers had been “silenced” as a “brilliant US/UK future deal plan revealed”. Just this week, their own headline tells a very different story, as they admit that the deal “might take years”, and describe Biden as “uninterested”.

Having witnessed the kind of harmful compromises the British government have already made when making post-Brexit trade deals, many will see any delays to a US/UK deal as a relief. Not least British farmers, and the British public, concerned about the cost to our valued health and food standards.

As regards the damage to our economy that a failure to secure a deal would bring, this perhaps is the least of our economic concerns. Damaging as the situation might be, it pales into insignificance when compared with what we have already lost.

 

If leaving the EU was about enabling our freedom to deal independently with countries around the world, it has failed. Either the Brexiters were lying or they were overly optimistic about their own talents. Or both. In the process, they have destroyed our biggest trading partnership with our closest and most important neighbours, and without accepting any responsibility whatsoever. That’s more than just a spectacular failure. It’s criminal negligence, and they seem to be getting away with it.

Biden is smart. He can see through this government’s nonsense. Thankfully, finally, it would appear that the British public can too.

Liz Truss – Brexit Britain’s anti-monarchist, Remainer PM

Liz Truss – Brexit Britain’s anti-monarchist, Remainer PM

Sep 22, 2022 | Bylines, News

‘These are my principles, if you don’t like them, I have others’ seems to be PM Liz Truss’s modus operandi. Lisa Burton, Bremain vice Chair takes a closer look for Yorkshire Bylines“

I’m against the idea that people can be born to rule – that people, because of the family they are born into, should be able to be the head of state of our country. I think that’s disgraceful.”– Liz Truss

 

Once, it was widely known and accepted that Britain had its fair share of republicans, but these are strange days in British society. Right-wing tabloids, commentators and a rise in nationalism mean that we must watch our language. Not showing enough reverence to royalty, the country, and even Brexit can land you in unpatriotic deep water. Indeed, criticism can even get you arrested.

Yet here we are. We have witnessed the new British prime minister get through an entire leadership contest, meet the Queen and subsequently King Charles with hardly a mention from mainstream media that she, a former Liberal Democrat, was a republican who campaigned for the abolition of the monarchy. When her previous views were reported, well before the death of the Queen, there was no criticism. Indeed the Daily Mail’s front page reporting was of her regret and mistake.

While social media responded to Truss’s bizarre attempt at a curtsy/bow, now dubbed ‘the burtsy’, with a mixture of cringe and humour, we should consider the abuse Jeremy Corbyn received on front page spreads when ‘he didn’t bow deeply enough’ at the Cenotaph.

 

The hypocrisy of the government-supporting media

Truss and her supporters would say it’s irrelevant because she was young, or she has changed her mind. So let’s pretend it was Keir Starmer or Nicola Sturgeon who campaigned for the abolition of the monarchy when young.

It is undeniable that the right-wing, Conservative-supporting media tabloids, like the Daily Mail, Sun and Express, would attempt to annihilate them over their stance. After all, the Mail ran 13 days of front-page coverage over ‘Beergate’ in line with the advice of their old pal Goebbels who said, “repeat a lie often enough it becomes truth”. Sorry, folks, it doesn’t change the law though.

Every time Corbyn interacted with the Queen, he was regularly attacked and criticised for his republican beliefs and perceived lack of respect, as these headlines show.

‘NATIONAL DISGRACE Jeremy Corbyn refuses to bow to Queen.’

‘Leftie who hates royals will kiss Queen’s hand to grab £6.2 million.’

‘Jeremy Corbyn snubbed Queen with ‘deeply insulting’ refusal: Don’t expect to kneel’

‘Jeremy Corbyn branded ‘disloyal’ after refusing to sing national anthem.’

‘”Scruffy and disrespectful” Corbyn is slammed for his appearance at Cenotaph service.’

The speech

In her previous incarnation – before she became a Conservative and a monarchist – Truss was president of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats and very much an anti-monarchist.

In 1994 she made a ‘monarchy-bashing’ speech at the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton. If a ‘leftie’ spoke these words previously, the tabloids and so-called ‘patriotic’ commentators would likely be foaming at the mouth:

“This Party, unlike Labour, will not duck and weave about debating the issues people are interested in. When they examine what we stand for, unlike the figure at the centre of this debate (meaning the Queen), we will not be caught with no clothes on.”

 

She is referring to the expression ‘the emperor has no clothes’, which describes a situation in which people are afraid to criticise something or someone because the perceived wisdom of the masses is that the thing or person is good or necessary. It is often used in political and social contexts for any obvious truth denied by the majority despite the evidence of their eyes, especially when proclaimed by the government

 

Truss, the ardent Remainer

In the six years since the Brexit referendum, Truss has gone from being a vocal and ardent supporter of remaining in the European Union to being a ‘born again Brexiter’.

In May 2016, Truss, then secretary of state for the environment, addressed the Food and Drink Federation to speak about the benefits of the European single market and encourage them to vote remain. It is a speech worth listening to because, for once, she was spot on.

 

“I do think that the decision on the 23rd of June probably will have a greater impact on the food and drink industry than it would have on any other parts of the economy. That’s because if we look at trade, the food and drink industry exports 60% of all its products to the EU.”

She was right to be concerned. The value of food exports to the EU dropped by £2.4bn in the first 15 months after Brexit, according to analysis of HMRC data.

She also said:

“If we are a country like Norway, we’d have to fill in 50 boxes on a form every time we went to export something. In products like agricultural products, there’s a regime of quotas and tariffs.”

 

Right again. This is becoming impressive. Maybe Truss is a clairvoyant?

It wasn’t just trade – Truss campaigned for remain for our children’s future benefits

Speaking in 2016, the Conservative MP then said she championed Britain staying inside the EU to protect her daughters’ future and the environment.

I don’t want my daughters to grow up in a world where they need a visa or permit to work in Europe; or where they are hampered from growing a business because of extortionate call costs and barriers to trade.

“Every parent wants their children to grow up in a healthy environment with clean water, fresh air and thriving natural wonders. Being part of the EU helps protect these precious resources and spaces.”

 

Truss called this one right too. Brexit is cited as a factor in the recent sewage scandal, allowing water companies to increase how much sewage they discharge into Britain’s waterways and oceans.

Is she now happy that her daughters are hampered from growing a business due to extortionate costs? Does it fill her with glee that her children are now unable to travel freely, with no limits, to work, marry and retire in 26 other countries?

 

In Brexit Britain – you can change your mind – but only if it’s in the ‘RIGHT’ direction

UK government members are no longer traditional Conservatives. The party’s lurch to the populist right has been ongoing since those same forces brought about Brexit.

It has become a country where all polling shows that the majority of the UK now thinks Brexit is a failure and mistake and evidence abounds of its damage. Yet, discussion in addressing issues around Brexit is shut down. People who express these opinions are called traitors, remoaners, and unpatriotic.

Liz Truss can turn from anti-monarchist to monarchist and Remainer to Brexiter without being crucified by the tabloids, because her words align with the people and forces pushing the hard-right political agenda in Britain. She is now their figurehead who will willingly do their bidding and be protected for as long as she toes their line.

The hard-right of the party now drives Conservative policy. The ERG, Taxpayers Alliance, and Net Zero Scrutiny groups are just some examples. I recommend reading this investigative report by Byline Times and this article by Ann Moody in Yorkshire Bylines, which expose that Truss’s Cabinet appears to be ideologically aligned with some of the most controversial themes of far-right activism in the USA, including women’s (abortion) rights.

Six of Truss’s Cabinet appointments and four of her advisors have funding ties to Conservative organisations connected to American billionaires, the Mercers. The Mercer lobby has been called “the chief financiers of the fascist movement”.

 

Will Truss stick or twist?

In an LBC interview with Eddie Mar in March 2019, the conversation with Truss went like this:

Eddie: “People can change their minds, can’t they?”

Truss: “But they were told in the referendum in 2016 that their vote would be implemented.”

Eddie: “What about people who have changed their minds between then and now?”

Truss: “I don’t think people have changed their minds.”

Eddie: “You have.”

Truss: “I have, that’s true. In the other way, though.”

Ah, that’s ok then, and who knows, maybe the winds of politics will change direction, and Truss will become an anti-monarchist, liberal Remainer again. She might even regain some of her previous convictions. However, we can be reasonably sure that the right-wing, Conservative-supporting tabloids wouldn’t let her off so lightly if she shifted in the other direction.

The King’s first speech

The King’s first speech

Sep 12, 2022 | Bylines, News

On Friday, King Charles III gave his first speech to a nation in mourning – what did this tell us about the king he plans to be? Sue Wilson MBE, Bremain Chair writes for Yorkshire bylines.

The day after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on Thursday 8 September, Prince Charles became the oldest heir, at 73, to ever accede to the throne. From St Paul’s Cathedral, King Charles III gave his first speech to a nation in mourning. The speech was warmly received and described as “remarkably personal” (The Telegraph) and full of “heartfelt tributes” to his mother (The Times).

But what did the new king have to say about how he might handle his new responsibilities and what his priorities would be?

 

Continuity and service

The speech contained affectionate praise and respect for his mother’s long service and a promise to renew that dedication to the nation personally. King Charles spoke of the Queen’s “profound personal commitment” to the Commonwealth – a commitment he clearly shares.

“As The Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.”

In what was described by chief political commentator (The i), Paul Waugh, as the “most politically interesting passage” of the speech, Charles referenced how he anticipated his son Prince William would follow his lead. Charles expects William – who succeeds him as the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cornwall – to “inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given”. A reference, perhaps, to the increasing gap between the rich and poor in our society, and to the cost-of-living crisis; or indeed to the many sections of society who feel excluded.

 

A new era

Charles spoke of an ethnically diverse nation of many religions and beliefs and how the institutions of state had changed over the last 70 years. His upbringing, he said, had taught him to have the “greatest respect” for the “precious traditions, freedoms and responsibilities of our unique history and our system of parliamentary government”. He also expressed his “deeply routed” faith in the Church of England and the “values it inspires”.

Regardless of where you live in the United Kingdom, or in British realms or territories, and irrespective of your background or beliefs, Charles promised to serve all equally with “loyalty, respect and love”.

“In the course of the last 70 years we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths. The institutions of the state have changed in turn. But, through all changes and challenges, our nation and the wider family of realms – of whose talents, traditions and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud – have prospered and flourished. Our values have remained, and must remain, constant.”

 

The implications of new responsibilities

In the past, the former Prince Charles sometimes caused controversy supporting causes close to his own heart – causes such as architecture, interfaith dialogue, the environment, and alternative medicine. In total, he previously supported at least 19 causes and 17 charities and foundations, including the Prince’s Trust, Red Cross, Children in Crisis and the National Wildlife Federation.

He acknowledged in his speech that with his new responsibilities, he would no longer have the time or the energy to dedicate to these causes. Of the many that Charles has supported, climate change has been at the forefront. He now passes the baton to the “trusted hands of others”, and in the case of the environment, this is something his son William has already taken up.

“My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities. It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”

Apart from having less time for important causes, Charles will also have to rein in any personal comments regarding government policy. His recent remarks regarding the Rwanda immigration scheme were considered outspoken and misplaced by some, even as the son of the monarch. As King Charles, he will no longer be in a position to make such direct criticisms of government policy, much as he might wish to at times.

 

Family ties

Apart from his affectionate, loving and “heartfelt” comments about his “beloved mother”, Charles also took the opportunity to express his love, affection and respect for his wife and children. He concluded his speech with the recognition of the “loyal public service” given to him by Camilla, during their 17 years of marriage. He fully expects, he said, that she will bring the same “steadfast devotion to duty” to her new role as Queen Consort.

The new Prince and Princess of Wales were also praised, and Charles gave a special mention to his younger son Harry and wife Meghan, expressing his love as they “build their lives overseas”.

The speech ended with thanks to the nation for their condolences and support and with the mention of laying his mother to rest in a week’s time.

“We will come together as a nation, as a Commonwealth and indeed as a global community. In our sorrow, let us remember and draw strength from the light of her example.”

Moving forward

In a week that has seen a new prime minister and a new monarch, it is difficult to predict what difference these significant changes will make. Our divided country is facing many serious problems. For many, the Queen was the glue that held us together and that crossed divides between rich and poor, left and right, and across political boundaries. For anyone under 70, she was the only monarch they have ever known – a symbol of stability and continuity when our political landscape is anything but.

For those of a more republican persuasion, perhaps this is the time to start a conversation about the future of the monarchy. For monarchists, it is an unsettling time of immense sadness and of wondering what the future will hold. King Charles III’s role as head of the nation must be to speak for the whole country, republicans and monarchists, rich and poor, left and right, alike. It won’t be an easy task, but it is one he has been preparing for his whole life.

This is the end of an era and the start of a new one. A reminder that in this modern, global world, we cannot live in the past, nor should we wish to. We have reached that turning point that we have been anticipating for years. King Charles III, and the nation, must grab this moment in time with both hands and take the country forward.

 

“The Queen is dead. Long live the King.”

National Rejoin March on Saturday: going the extra mile

National Rejoin March on Saturday: going the extra mile

Sep 8, 2022 | Bylines, News

Lisa Burton, Bremain Vice Chair talks to some of those who are travelling from Spain to London this Saturday to join the National Rejoin March, writing for Yorkshire Bylines.

The first National Rejoin March will take place in London this Saturday, 10 September. It has the support of dozens of UK-based, pro-European groups who will travel from across the country to attend. But what motivates those coming from further afield? I spoke to some fellow British immigrants living in Spain and asked them why they were making the effort, at considerable personal expense, to attend an event that lasts just a few hours.

Attending the National Rejoin March: Sheila

Sheila and her husband live in Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands and are retired. Her husband has health and mobility issues, yet, at considerable expense and disruption, will take the four-hour flight to London, arriving after midnight the night before the march and flying back the day after.

They have been living in Spain since 1993 and are well settled and legalised, with Brexit not causing any specific problems for them personally. So why make an effort at all?

Sheila spends time on forums helping people in crisis because of Brexit. Whether it be denied residency, advice on health, driving, families separated due to different immigration statuses or a friendly, supportive ear. She sees the stress and difficulties Brexit has wrought on many people’s lives. People have had to leave and sell their homes. Lives shattered.

Sheila’s son has lived in France for 15 years. She fears they may need his support as she and her husband get older. Brexit makes that extremely difficult. UK nationals have rights in their host country but lost their freedom of movement and must adhere to the 90/180-day rule in the rest of the Schengen zone.

Sheila, like many UK nationals residing in the EU, did not have a vote in the Brexit referendum due to the 15-year limit. She wants to voice her opinion. “Brexit has caused so much damage to so many people.”

Attending the National Rejoin March: Hilary and Stewart

Hilary and her husband Stewart will be flying in from Valencia. They are both passionate pro-Europeans and have attended protests previously.

Hilary told me:

“I have felt a deep sense of commitment towards Europe from the day we joined in 1973. For 47 years, we enjoyed all the benefits of being part of a group of nations that always sought to improve the lives of its citizens. I never even dreamt that one day I would find myself on the outside looking in. I am deeply ashamed of what Brexit has done to our once-proud nation and shall continue to resist until the day we resume our rightful place at the heart of Europe.”

Hilary and Stewart supporting SODEM and Steve Bray (Mr Stop Brexit) 2020, photo used with permission

Attending the National Rejoin March: Vanessa

I came across Vanessa a couple of weeks ago as she reached out for help on a Facebook group. She has an elderly mother in Spain who has sadly had a stroke and needs care. Brexit has made it impossible for Vanessa to stay and take care of her mother. Her tenaciousness and attitude are admirable. She has tried every avenue to get help and her story heard, including contacting many Spanish authorities, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Sky News, the BBC and LBC radio, and is still looking for solutions.

Vanessa must leave Spain on 8 September and leave her mother for three months before returning, or she will be deemed illegally overstaying. I couldn’t practically help Vanessa, but I was able to tell her story, which you can read here in full.

“This will be the first protest march I have ever attended. Brexit has turned people’s lives upside down in a way few understand. My mother wants to remain in her home of 22 years, and I just want to take care of her.”

Attending the National Rejoin March: David Eldridge

“Although on a personal level, I’ve recently rejoined the EU by becoming Spanish, I’m travelling to London for the march because I still care for my former compatriots (including close family) in the UK.”

David continues: “To those that say it’s too early to campaign to rejoin the EU (we’ve been dubbed ‘extremists’ in one tabloid). I know the UK isn’t going to rejoin soon, and rejoining will be a long process involving profound changes to British society and the political system. But we can start on that path immediately after the next election if the political will is there and embark on a step-by-step process. Erasmus, Horizon, an amended treaty encouraging UK-EU trade rather than inhibiting it, eventually leading to rejoining the single market and customs union, the restoration of reciprocal free movement rights until the time is right to take the next logical step and become full EU members again.”

Attending the National Rejoin March: Sue Wilson MBE

Sue is chair of the citizens’ rights group Bremain in Spain and one of the guest speakers at the event. Before Brexit, Sue was not interested in politics but was devastated by the referendum result. She was the main plaintiff in a case that took Theresa May to court over the legality of the Brexit referendum. The government accepted the referendum broke electoral law and that had the result been legally binding, it would have been overturned. However, even though it was treated as binding by the government, it was, in fact, merely advisory; therefore, the court ruled that the result should stand.

 

“As British citizens abroad, we have always felt as though we were invisible to our own government. We’ve been treated like bargaining chips during negotiations and had rights we expected to hold for life stripped away from us. Brexit is an unmitigated disaster, and we’ll keep turning up in Westminster – even from Spain – until politicians of all persuasions get the message. It’s time to get Brexit undone and rejoin the EU.”

Sue Wilson MBE – Chair, Bremain in Spain, photo used with permission

Let down by our government

What I note most strongly when speaking to UK migrants in Spain is the sense of feeling let down. Let down by a government that didn’t tell them or the country the truth about what Brexit would mean. Saddened that so many UK nationals don’t fully understand the far-reaching consequences of Brexit, what the loss of freedom of movement truly means and the difficulties it brings. After all, it was only the British that lost this right.

The Brexit referendum was six years ago and no one born this century voted for Brexit. Evidence abounds that Brexit is damaging the fabric of Britain, its investment potential, growth and the UK’s world standing. Almost half of all businesses have ceased trading with Europe due to costs and red tape.

While the Conservatives, Brexit-supporting media, and even the Labour Party may want to avoid the B word altogether, many say it is time for an open and honest conversation about the damage of Brexit and how it is exacerbating all the UK’s issues. And how the most simple solution to so many problems would be to rejoin the single market at the very minimum.

These people are no longer Remainers. They are Rejoiners, and they are not going away.

Can we talk about rejoining the EU yet?

Can we talk about rejoining the EU yet?

Sep 1, 2022 | Bylines, News

With mounting evidence of Brexit damage in plain sight, Sue Wilson asks whether now is the time to start a campaign to rejoin the EU? Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE writes for Yorkshire Bylines.

On Saturday 10 September, the National Rejoin March takes to the streets of London. It will be the first time since before the pandemic that pro Europeans will rally to the cause of rejoining the EU. The march will include many well-known speakers from the political world and from pro-EU campaign groups, all wanting to make the case for a reversal of Brexit and a return to common sense. But is now the right time?

Time for a serious debate?

Lord Alan Sugar recently raised the issue of rejoining the EU on Twitter. Lord Sugar had earlier tweeted that Boris Johnson and Michael Gove – “the biggest liars in 2016” – should both go to jail for misleading the British public during the referendum. He followed this up with the question “what would it take for us to reverse Brexit and re join (sic) the EU”, and asked for a “serious debate” on the subject.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>This might sound a stupid if not naive question but what would it take for us to reverse Brexit and re join the EU. Serious debate please. <a href=”https://t.co/T4l30EDpfo”>https://t.co/T4l30EDpfo</a></p>&mdash; Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Lord_Sugar/status/1564157036975333376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Whist that debate may be starting to happen on social media, there is no evidence, as yet, that it is happening in political circles, though it certainly ought to be.

 

Will the EU have us back?

There seem to be two main arguments against any serious debate on rejoining the EU, or even the single market and customs union.

Firstly, the EU won’t want us back. We’re a bunch of trouble-makers, any lost business can easily be made up elsewhere and we can’t be relied upon not to change our minds again at some future juncture.

Terry Reintke, German MEP, and one of the speakers at next weeks’ rally, begs to differ. On a recent trip to the UK, she was struck by the UK’s doubt that “the EU would take us back if we wanted to rejoin”. She responded by stating we have “millions and millions of friends in the EU” and that “no matter what happens, we will always leave a light on.”

This is a view that is supported by former Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, who has retweeted the details of the forthcoming rally with the following comment:

“Polls show British voters regret Brexit & want a European future, yet no opposition party dare represent them & the next Tory Government will be the most Eurosceptic yet. Britain needs a pro-European renaissance!”

 

Mike Galsworthy, founder of Scientists for EU, and Campaigns Strategy Manager at the European Movement UK, also tweeted recently that the EU’s attitude should not be a matter of concern. He said he has been reassured by trusted contacts in the EU that “there would be a real supportive appetite on the other side”, and even some room for flexibility.

 

Now is not the time

The other pervasive argument against rejoining the EU is to do with the timing. It’s too soon, they say. We must wait a decade, or even a generation, before the country is ready to even think about Brexit again.

That argument may have held some weight in the early days of Brexit, but it’s now over 6 years since the referendum, and Brexit still hasn’t been fully implemented. All the earlier government talk of not mentioning Brexit, then the realism that Brexit still wasn’t “done”, makes the waiting even more pointless. Are we supposed to wait for Brexit to be fully implemented before we can even start a sensible, serious discussion on Brexit damage, and how to rescue the country from the Brextremists?

Sorry, but no. How can it be too soon for debate? How can it be too soon to attempt to prevent further damage, or to start to fix the many problems that Brexit has, and is, causing?

As Professor A.C Grayling says, to talk of delay is “defeatist”, and plays into the Brexiters hands. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Brexit is reversible”, says Grayling, and rejoining can be achieved in 5-6 years, which means we are over halfway there already. Now that’s a timescale I can get on board with!

 

What would it take to rejoin the EU?

In answer to Lord Sugar’s question, Galsworthy responded with a list of four requirements for rejoining and an offer of drawing up a business plan:

A stable, substantial, popular majority for Rejoin.
A competent campaign to keep it in the spotlight.
Both Labour and Tories with high Rejoin numbers.
A willing EU.

Galsworthy added that the requirement that is not given enough consideration was point number 3). Not only was it important to prevent “the UK dancing the hokey-cokey down the decades (in out in out)”, as different parties took power, but also to rebuild the one nation, pro-EU, pro-single market, Conservative base.

The best catalyst for the rebuilding of the Conservative party would be a dramatic loss for the party at the next General Election, and the new government dispensing with the unfair and undemocratic first-past-the-post voting system. Considering the latest voter intention polls show a 14% lead for Labour over the Conservatives, and the public are increasingly dissatisfied with Brexit, then anything starts to look possible.

Nobody is suggesting that undoing Brexit will be easy, or quick. It’ll be a tough journey, with roadblocks and diversions along the way, and no doubt more Brexiteer lies, misinformation and anger. But after six years of this anti-Brexit fight, pro-EU numbers are swelling, our arguments are cutting through, and evidence of Brexit damage is in plain sight. Even the right-wing media are starting to take notice.

That’s why I, along with many more eloquent and informed speakers, will stand up on 10 September and say now is the time. The country cannot afford to wait a decade, or a generation, to save itself from Brexit. So, join the resistance now and demand a better Britain – one that is back at the heart of Europe where it belongs.

My personal journey through Covid

My personal journey through Covid

Aug 29, 2022 | Bylines, News

Sue Wilson MBE, Bremain Chair, reflects on lessons from her own experience of Covid for West England Bylines. Are we now failing to treat it seriously enough?

I’m recovering from Covid. I had always expected to catch Covid at some point. After all, an increasing number of friends, family members and acquaintances had succumbed, so there seemed a certain inevitability about it.

Living in Spain, in a village of 3,000 people, had certainly helped to keep me Covid free until now. The measures here were strict – much stricter than in the UK – and as a result, I felt safe. I was also very careful, and continued to avoid crowds and to wear a mask long after it was no longer mandatory, especially during the summer when our numbers were swelled by tourists.

The only time I really felt concerned for my safety was when I travelled back to the UK to visit my elderly mum. The contrast between the attitudes of both the UK and Spanish governments, and the UK and Spanish people, was stark. The British public were behaving as though Covid was no longer a threat. And why wouldn’t they? That was what they were being told to believe.

 

A surprise and unwelcome birthday gift

It’s rather ironic, therefore, that I caught Covid in my own home. On Sunday 14 August, 16 friends joined us for lunch in our garden to celebrate my husband Steve’s 70th birthday. Little did any of us know that a surprise birthday gift for Steve, then me, would be our first, and hopefully last, dose of Covid.

Two days later, we received a call warning us that our friend had tested positive for Covid. We both tested ourselves immediately, but both tests were negative. The following day, Steve was starting to display symptoms but still testing negative, but by Thursday morning, the test was positive. By that evening, my symptoms started appearing, and by Friday morning, I too tested positive.

 

Not everyone’s symptoms are the same

While most of our symptoms were the same, there were noticeable differences between my symptoms and Steve’s. We both ached all over, even our eyes seemed to ache and our ears felt as though our eardrums had been blown out by a very loud bang. We both found even the smallest of tasks took all of our energy – even making a cup of tea felt like running a marathon – a feeling compounded by a real fogginess of the brain.

However, where Steve lost his sense of taste and smell, I did not, and my cough was much worse than his, especially during the first couple of nights.

For me, the most obvious symptom though was one of exhaustion. Having tested positive on Friday, I slept for over 20 hours on Saturday, then 15 hours on Sunday and 12 on Monday. Only on Tuesday did my sleeping habits and my eating habits start to return to something like normal. In the process, I had lost 3 kg in weight in just four days.

 

Returning to normal

It’s now six days since I first tested positive, I am definitely past the worst, and I’m on the way to recovery. I know that I am going to have to pace myself, and will certainly heed all the warnings from those that have been here before, not to try to do too much too soon. Friends and colleagues that have had Covid tell me not to expect to feel completely back to normal for one to three months and I will gladly head their warnings.

Although the last six days was a relatively short time to feel sick, the severity of my dose of Covid was not only a shock, but a wake-up call. I may be no spring chicken, but I’m a healthy middle-aged hen. I rarely drink, I eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, mostly meat-free, I exercise regularly and I keep my brain active. I’m also fully vaccinated and boosted. If Covid could hit me so hard, then how much worse could it be for someone more vulnerable, or unvaccinated?

 

The threat has not gone away

Responsible governments around the world are well aware of the dangers that Covid still presents. As the virus mutates into new forms, or the true nature of the long-term effects become better understood, ways of dealing with Covid will also need to mutate.

The British government, on the other hand, continues to act as though Covid is “done” and ignores the damage that is being inflicted on the British public and the NHS through their lack of action. The pandemic has claimed the lives of over 180,000 people in the UK and millions are now “grappling with long Covid”, according to The Times newspaper.

To add to the list of government mistakes made over Covid – from late lockdowns to the removal of safety measures and support too soon – they are about to add another irresponsible action to their catalogue of errors. From 31 August, “regular asymptomatic testing will be paused across certain settings including in hospitals and care homes”. Not only is this action “completely negligent” and “unacceptable”, says Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, but it will likely result in “vulnerable patients getting infected – some even dying”

Public inquiry

Hearings for the long-awaited Covid public inquiry are planned to commence in 2024. Despite that fact, the cost of the inquiry has already reached £85 million, thanks to the government hiring top legal and public relations firms to represent it. For comparison purposes, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, which has been running for four years, has so far cost £88 million. The Covid inquiry looks as though it will be one of the most expensive inquiries in British political history.

Ministers, it seems, do not hold back when it is their own backs that need protection. It’s a shame that they don’t feel the same way about protecting the nation, not least from themselves.

Thankfully, it appears that the worst of my infection is now behind me, and I can expect a gradual, if not speedy, return to pre-infection levels of normality. Let’s hope the same can be said for the country once we rid ourselves of the terrible virus that is infecting Westminster.