On Wednesday 20 September, en route to the Bremain in Spain AGM and the National Rejoin March in London, I took a slight diversion via Brussels. I had been invited to speak at the inauguration ceremony of ‘Our Star’ – an event hosted by German MEP and vocal anti-Brexit supporter Terry Reintke – it was an invitation I was delighted to accept.

Our Star

‘Our Star’ is the creation of German sculptor Jacques Tilly, whose earlier anti-Brexit works have included politically satirical floats such as the infamous ‘Gun’ sculpture, featuring Theresa May holding a gun in her mouth. Tilly’s floats have appeared at carnivals in Dusseldorf, as well as making regular appearances at anti-Brexit marches in London.

The ‘UK’s Star of European Peace’, a two-metre-tall talisman representing peace and unity was being exhibited and inaugurated in the European parliament, ahead of its appearance in London at the National Rejoin March II on Saturday 23 September. Following its appearance at the march, Our Star will then be making its way around the UK, including making appearances at party political conferences.

Reintke, who hosted the inauguration ceremony and exhibition, promised yet again to look after ‘our star’ on the flag of nations until we are ready to claim it back. In her usual passionate, anti-Brexit voice, she spoke of changing public opinion in the UK, and how our MEPs (not all of them, obviously) are missed in Europe. She reassured us, yet again, that the door is still open and that the EU are keeping the lights on for our return

At the heart of Europe

Other speakers included Richard Corbett (former leader of Labour in the EP), Sandra Khadhouri (director of Keeping Channels Open) and yours truly, speaking on behalf of UK nationals in the EU. Corbett will be appearing with Reintke again on Saturday, as both will be making their cases for the UK to rejoin the EU at the National Rejoin March.

This was my first trip to Brussels since before the pandemic, and it was a great pleasure to be back at the heart of Europe. Not only did it bring home to me the inclusive, collaborative nature of the EU community, but it highlighted the isolation and loneliness of go-it-alone Britain.

As I walked the corridors of the European parliament, listening to a multitude of European languages being spoken, I keenly felt the loss of my EU citizenship, and all the rights, benefits and opportunities that go along with it. Being back in the parliament building really brought it home to me how much we have lost and how much I had missed the warmth and the welcome.

The theme of the exhibition, organised by Peter French and Phil Jeanes, was one of hope. As I left the building, having listened to the speeches, and having met many fellow campaigners both from the UK and Europe, there was plenty of hope to go around. I came away with a strong feeling of belonging, gratitude and optimism.

The lights are on and the door is still open

Whether British politicians accept it or not, we are on a journey back to the EU, and it’s a journey that is increasingly gaining public support. With the rejoining of Horizon, we have taken a first step, and prime minister in waiting, Keir Starmer, has spoken of closer ties with Europe.

While there are significant limits on what can be achieved without rejoining the single market or the customs union – and a certain degree of cakeism and delusion from both main parties – we are on our way back to Europe. It’s the only course of action that makes any sense, and both the UK and the EU, understand that. Even if they won’t admit to it.

When Our Star leaves the European parliament building, it will be replaced by a smaller version, which will be on display until we can reclaim our rightful place at Europe’s side. As I said in my speech, “Our star is in very good hands. But hopefully not for too long. We really would rather like it back!”

And the sooner the better! Enough damage has been done already. Let’s not add to it by delaying our return any longer than is necessary. As Reintke and fellow MEP Guy Verhofstadt never hesitate to remind us, and will do so again on Saturday, the lights are on and the door is open. We just have to walk through it.

Watching the furore over the people waving flags at the Last Night of the Proms has been something indeed. The hypocrisy has been particularly stunning since it has come from those who label themselves patriots and free speech warriors and have a pattern of alleging that ‘the left’ is trying to cancel what they label, often somewhat imprecisely, as British culture.

Patriotism vs nationalism

Nationalism believes in a homogeneous society with strong leaders, authority, and a particular slant on history and ideology. It demands loyalty and devotion to a nation. It boosts the identity and superiority of one group in direct opposition to other individuals or group interests.

Patriotism requires love of the country as a whole, which includes ALL the people who live within it.

Charles de Gaulle, who led Free France against Nazi Germany during World War II and later became president of France, said, “Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first”.

Albert Einstein said, “Nationalism is an infantile disease; it is the measles of mankind”. The people who are upset about EU flags at the Proms tend to have nationalistic traits as opposed to patriotic values.

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Shutting down political opposition smacks of extremism

It is noted that some of the more extreme commentators vociferously attack anyone who speaks out about Brexit, and we can expect this to worsen. They seem to be in a state of increasing panic, with daily news now seeping out of every sector telling the public just how bad it has been. Environmental standards are being slashed so big businesses can make more profit, and they know they are approaching the Brexit-shattering realities of a demographic time bomb. Research shows that for every day that has passed since the EU Referendum, 1,356 votes have been added to the pro-European side with older voters naturally passing away and younger voters coming of age.

If someone speaks out against Brexit, or the ideologically constricted government, daring to state the obvious, i.e., it has been bad for the nation’s wealth, is damaging to business, has hurt British farming, or daring to suggest that Britain needs to be part of the EU, they will receive a torrent of abuse, or be told to stay in their box. Notable lightning rods for this invective include Carol Vorderman, Gary Lineker, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and, lately, Stephen Fry.

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The people who have been the most vocal about EU flags at the Proms take great pains to insist they are proponents of free speech and freedom of expression. It’s clearly arrant nonsense as their latest tirades demonstrate. What they mean is they want the freedom to use bigoted language against migrants, to deny well-established science and spread Covid misinformation, to indulge in unevidenced conspiracy theories, to attack net zero, and blame everything on some enigmatically unidentifiable force, like ‘the blob’ or the ‘wokerati’. Those who challenge them are labelled the enemies of free speech and part of an amorphous ‘metropolitan elite’ that they’ve never been able to quite define.

Brexit has been deeply damaging to British music industry

The Proms itself represents musicians and music from all corners of Europe, indeed, from all over the world. Members of the EU Flags Team have run this campaign and their slogan is #ThankEUForTheMusic. They are trying to highlight the issues facing the music industry and the effects that leaving the EU has brought.

“Music has no borders and we should want our music industry to succeed.”

The loss of freedom of movement has been devastating to musicians and orchestras. Visas and paperwork for every country. The 90 in 180-day rule, and particularly ‘carnet’ paperwork, which allows an individual traveller/business to temporarily export or import goods for commercial purposes to and from a country without having to pay duty or value-added taxes (on their equipment) being hugely impactful.

Arron Banks’ meltdown in response to Blur’s Damien Albarn daring to explain the issues aspiring musicians face due to Brexit, renders a near-perfect example of both the ignorance and arrogant nonchalance espoused by some.

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Yet, almost half of UK musicians and workers in the music industry have had less work in the EU since Brexit than before, and more than a quarter have had no EU work at all. Musicians who participated in the survey said:

And another:

The UK’s music and arts industry is huge

The UK’s music industry – contributing some £4.4bn a year to the UK economy – is a dominant global force and a central part of the UK’s creative industries, which, valued at £92bn a year to the UK economy, are worth more than the automotive, aerospace, life sciences, oil and gas industries combined.

Patriots would understand that the British music industry is one of our best exports and a huge source of soft power to the United Kingdom. They should be appalled at how Brexit has affected it. The extremists don’t seem to care about the damage to individuals’ lives or UK industries, yet waving a flag they don’t like is enough for some of them to deem you a ‘hater’ of your own country. They would certainly identify themselves as ‘patriots’, yet how patriotic is it to appear so relaxed about the destruction of one of the UK’s most successful industries and the disenfranchisement of so many of their fellow citizens?

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Thank EU so much!

The Proms is screened on national television in Germany and France and around the world. Those EU flags were also seen by the three and a half million people who tuned in to watch in the UK, which would be a success in itself. However, the pro-European rejoin movement, including the amazing EU Flags Team, owes a big thank you to those who commented with such passion. They showed the world how intolerant they really are while bringing much-needed national and international attention to the damage Brexit has done to the UK music industry.

You couldn’t pay for this type of coverage. Their reactions have also brought a considerable amount of much-needed light entertainment.

The likes of Richard Tice, Nigel Farage, Isabel Oakeshott, Nile Gardiner, former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, and even PM Rishi Sunak are amongst those who seem to have had kittens in their commentary. Days on, the fallout and commentary is still going. What a great job! Thank you, guys.

Thank EU for the music

In an open letter to Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, from the campaign organisers, EU Flags Team (read here in full), they said:

No one forced members of the audience to take or wave the EU flags; they took them voluntarily. Those individuals may feel they are British and European. They may come from an EU country or understand the issues that leaving the EU has brought to the music industry and want to show solidarity. They may be musicians themselves. So, forgive us, please, if we call you hypocrites when you say these people ‘hate’ their country if at every turn you are unwilling to admit how much car manufacturing, farming, fishing, the arts and culture, your fellow compatriots, and so much more are suffering because of Brexit.

Rejoiners are now in the majority

Currently, over 60% of the UK wants to rejoin the EU, with that rising to 86% of those under 25, without any significant political party or politicians calling for it. Joining the EU again is looking like an inevitability. The most extreme contingent of Brexiters know this, so expect more hysteria from them in the coming months.

The second National Rejoin March is happening on 23 September in London, with speakers that include myself, Gina Miller, Guy Verhofstadt, A C Grayling, Mike Galsworthy, Terry Reintke and many more. You can find all the details on their website, MarchforRejoin.co.uk – Join us on the road to rejoin. The will of the people has changed: those who disagree can either get on board or get out of the way – increasing numbers of us are done with being shut down and we are making our voices heard.

At PMQs this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated he was “committed” to the triple lock on pensions. That is until he was challenged, when he declined to commit to the lock’s inclusion in the next Conservative manifesto. As SNP leader Stephen Flynn pointed out, “as someone who spends more heating their swimming pool than the entire state pension, it’s safe to say he’s not as invested as others”.

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The triple lock was first introduced by the Conservative/LibDem coalition in 2010 to ensure pensions would increase annually by either inflation, average earnings or 2.5% – whichever is the highest. Inflation this year is currently expected to be around 7%, based on the annual rate in September, to be released next month. However, earnings could be even higher thanks to one-off bonus payments to public sector staff, taking the forthcoming annual pension increase to over 8%.

Earlier threats and precedent

Treasury officials are currently said to be discussing a one-off break from the triple lock that could save £1bn. Except it wouldn’t be a one-off. The precedent for downgrading the triple lock to a double lock – at least on a temporary basis – has already been set.

The lock was suspended for the year 2022-2023 following a rise in wage inflation due to the pandemic. The lock also came under threat when Liz Truss was temporarily prime minister, as both Truss and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt threatened to abandon the triple lock.

What’s different now is that the policy has never been challenged so close to an election. It is likely to prove a hot topic at the forthcoming Conservative Party conference, and is already causing division within the party

Conservative division

Sunak is coming under increasing pressure from some in his party to protect the triple lock. The policy has been described by some party members as “sacrosanct”, especially as older voters are more likely to vote Conservative, and to turn up at the ballot box on election day. Others, however, either claim the policy is unfair to younger people and/or are concerned at the potential cost.

An unnamed former treasury minister told the Guardian, “Everyone agrees it’s massively unaffordable now. But the timing of this is questionable”. Former work and pensions secretary, David Gauke, said “tough choices” would have to be made, while the current work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, suggested the policy was not sustainable in the long term. Former Conservative Party leader, William Hague, described the policy as a “runaway train” that was putting “insurmountable pressure” on the government to increase the minimum age of retirement.

In favour of the policy, the chair of the cross-party parliamentary group on pensions, Nigel Mills, said, “No one ever wants to talk about what will be in the future manifesto, but we should be clear that the state pension should keep pace with inflation and earnings”. He said it would be “politically impossible” to remove the triple lock.

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8% of not very much

Regardless of the perceived or otherwise fairness of the triple lock for pensioners, even a rise of 8% is very little when the UK pension is so pitifully small to begin with. British pensioners, on one of the lowest pensions in the industrialised world, are in desperate need of a reasonable increase, especially when the cost of living is rising so sharply.

Of course, pensioners are not alone in receiving low incomes, as increasing poverty levels in Britain clearly demonstrate. Meanwhile, and especially under this government, the rich get richer, the extremely rich get extremely richer.

Of course, it makes good sense to have meaningful political debates, both within the government and with opposition parties, on how our taxes are spent. But removing the triple lock – as with other policies that affect those on lower incomes – is not the answer. The wealthy need to be paying more, and most especially, those that avoid paying tax in the UK altogether need to contribute.

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The proposed saving is but a drop in the ocean when compared with the cost of this government’s policies and the obscene waste of taxpayer money, not least during the pandemic. Whether it’s the exorbitant and unnecessary cost of Conservative policies – not least on failed immigration policies – or the writing off of monies lost through faulty PPE and dodgy VIP contracts during Covid, this government have proven categorically that our money is not safe in their hands.

The Tories like to regard themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility. The last 13 years have proven categorically that the government cannot be trusted to spend our money wisely, or in the interests of all of society. Not only that, they appear to have learned nothing about what the country, and especially their own core supporters, want and need.

So, go ahead, Sunak and co., threaten the triple lock all you want. This close to a general election, it’s just another nail in your coffin.

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There’s a saying. You can take the girl out of the Valleys, but you can’t take the Valleys out of the girl. I’ve been a resident of Spain for 12 years now. But I was born in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, where I grew up on a council estate in the 1970s. I’m deeply proud of my Welsh and Rhondda heritage and working class roots, and visit my family who live there regularly.

I identify as Welsh, British, and European; choosing to live elsewhere doesn’t mean you’re turning your back on your country. British immigrants abroad often maintain solid ties. We have elderly parents, adult children, grandchildren, and friends living there. We want them to have the best lives possible. So of course we have a vested interest in the health and prosperity of our home nation. That’s why I was devastated in 2016 when the UK voted to leave the European Union.

A manufactured enemy

The Leave campaign resonated with many people, particularly those from struggling, left-behind communities like mine. Immigration was weaponised and used to instil fear, even though 96% of the Welsh population self-reports as White British.

Many from post-industrial communities lacked opportunities and felt powerless to be heard or affect political change. So when Nigel Farage and the likes told people their lives were somehow under threat, pointing fingers at the big bad EU and immigrants as scapegoats for all their woes, while flooding social media with lies and psychological ads, it’s no surprise many were persuaded it was in their interest to vote to leave.

Brexit gave people who felt ignored and let down an opportunity to kick the establishment. However, the wrong establishment got the kicking.

It wasn’t the EU that shut down coal mines, putting tens of thousands of men out of work and thus their families into poverty. It wasn’t the EU that did nothing to replace these industries or invest in the communities. That was Thatcher and successive governments.

The current Conservative government has been in charge for 13 years. Their austerity measures decimated council budgets and stripped away youth services, home help, mental health and addiction support, care in the community, policing, libraries, sports facilities, and lives. Look no further if you want someone to blame.

Shockingly, the most profound economic divide in Northern Europe is between London and West Wales and the Valleys. London is the richest, West Wales and the Valleys are the poorest, with several other UK regions up there – down there? – too.

The Welsh economy

Wales received £83 per person in funding from the EU, funnelling billions of pounds into regeneration projects, infrastructure, training, and job creation, which helped to heal economic divides. If the UK was still part of the EU, between 2021 and 2027, Welsh people would’ve received £3.8bn in regional project funding, which would help further close the economic gap.

The UK government said it would replace all EU funding. But, as with so much else, it lied and has not.

With this interactive map you get some idea of how much job creation and how many cultural and regeneration projects were aided by EU money. There is no denying that EU membership was fantastic for Wales.

Welsh farmers contribute significantly to the economy of Wales, with agriculture representing a higher percentage of the Welsh economy compared to the UK as a whole. Yet the UK government sold out British farming and Welsh farmers when it signed the New Zealand and Australia trade deal.

The deal will bring negligible benefits to the economy. It benefits farmers on the other side of the planet while disadvantaging UK farmers. And all for a few cheap headlines, so it can pat itself on the back and pretend such deals are some sort of Brexit success.

I asked Liz Webster, founder of Save British Farming, for her thoughts. She said, “Brexit is particularly damaging for Welsh farming because of its large sheep sector, which relies on exports to the EU. Unlike England, the Welsh Government is still subsidising food production, so the full impact of Brexit is yet to be felt by Welsh farmers. We need a common sense approach to food security as the world’s food system can’t be relied on to always provide the UK with enough food.”

Changing minds

Most voted Leave because they thought it would be best for them, their families, and their communities, just as those who voted to remain did. Yes, the lies were horrendous, but such a complex issue should never have been put to people in a binary referendum.

Now people are waking up to the damage of Brexit, pro-Europeans need to give them space and support to do so. Changing your mind as facts change around you is perfectly normal, and 69% of people in Wales now think leaving the EU was wrong. No one under 25 today got a say on Brexit, but 86% of those aged 16–25 want and would vote to rejoin.

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Being a member of the EU brings prosperity. It’s why the UK joined in 1973, when it was known as ‘the sick man of Europe’. Poland will be wealthier than the UK by 2030, with other Eastern bloc countries like Hungary and Romania expected to surpass it by 2040. 20% of the poorest UK households are now more impoverished than the poorest 20% in Poland. This was unimaginable when Poland joined in 2004.

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After the referendum, I felt angry that freedom had been taken from us. I couldn’t understand why a government would do something knowing it would harm the country and its people. Most of all, I felt helpless and powerless to do anything.

Then I heard of the citizens’ rights and pro-EU group Bremain in Spain and joined them. That was five years ago; I’m now Vice-Chair of Bremain. We lobby on behalf of British people in Spain and Europe, have given evidence to Parliamentary committees, and collaborate with dozens of other pro-EU groups and organisations across Britain and Europe.

True patriotism

My colleagues and I often face abuse for daring to oppose Brexit from afar. Brexiters deem us as traitorous for wanting a say. But we understand the gift of freedom of movement because we’re living it, and wouldn’t be where we are without it. We love our country and want it and its people to prosper.

Communities up and down the country can’t take any more austerity and cuts. Society is suffering. That’s why, on 23 September, I’ll speak on stage in Parliament Square at the second National Rejoin March. I’m hoping to bring a positive message about freedom of movement, and to dispel some myths about us British migrants living in Europe.

Where do we go from here? The UK is again being referred to as the sick man of Europe. Shall we stumble along for decades while our European neighbours see prosperity and growth, as they work together for a better future? Do we deny our children and grandchildren the right to work, live, marry, and retire across 31 other countries like their European counterparts?

Brexit has taken so much. It hasn’t worked, and it can’t work. So isn’t it time we asked ourselves what being a patriot means? Do we dig in harder, denying the damage to our communities, country, and individuals? Or do we do what’s sensible and inevitable? That is: stem the damage and start working our way back to our European family again.

If you feel like me, join me and thousands of others in London for a great day out on Saturday 23 September at the National Rejoin March. You’ll find all the details on their website. See you there, in hope.