Sunak’s first year as prime minister in 46 seconds

Sunak’s first year as prime minister in 46 seconds

Oct 27, 2023 | Bylines, News

Is a 46 second video of Rishi Sunak’s achievements in a year of being PM perhaps a bit too long? Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE writes for Yorkshire Bylines.

Have you seen our prime minister’s latest puff piece, celebrating his first year in office? No? Then, boy are you in for a treat!

At (thankfully) just 46 seconds long, it is a run-through of everything that “we’ve achieved” in the year since Rishi Sunak became PM. The list of so-called achievements scrolls past so fast as to be practically unreadable. Which is, perhaps, the point.

Feedback

In the first 24 hours after posting on X, Sunak’s video collected almost four million views. Surprisingly, it also recorded almost three million likes. What was less surprising was the responses. Having scrolled through all of them (so you don’t have to), I only found one short message of support. The ridicule, however, was widespread.

Caroline Lucas drew attention to Sunak’s many failures on climate change, described by Sunak as a “new approach to net zero”. Others criticised Sunak for “gaslighting”, cried “shame on you”, called him a “clown”, or much worse, while others drew attention to his many failures or simply scoffed at his ridiculous claims.

Sunak’s so-called achievements

Amongst Sunak’s claims were a list of things the government have banned (XL bully dogs, nitrous oxide, strikes in school, protest), plus a list of spurious claims, such as record levels of NHS funding, falling crime and a million new homes. Funny but, despite extensive research, I can only find reference to a Sunak commitment, made in July, to build one million homes before the end of this parliament. Surely, had that goal been achieved, we’d have heard a lot about it, and no doubt had a special PM video celebrating the fact.

Many of Sunak’s so-called achievements haven’t even happened yet. His “long term decisions for a brighter future” included a “long-term NHS workforce plan”, “expanding childcare” and a “smoke free generation”. I’m not sure exactly how long Sunak thinks the Conservatives are going to remain in power, but it certainly isn’t long-term. His own stay in power might be even shorter, now his Conservative colleagues are free to submit letters of no confidence to the 1922 committee

The five priorities

When Sunak spoke of his five priorities in his New Year’s speech, he called on the British public to “trust” him. He claimed his five pledges would “deliver peace of mind — five foundations, on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren”. Not only that, he was going to be “straining every sinew” in order to achieve his goals.

The first of those pledges – halving inflation – was expected to happen anyway over the following 12 months, with or without any government actions. As for the other four pledges, Sunak and his government seem to have made matters worse, rather than better.

The second and third pledges – growing the economy and reducing debt – are not going to plan. While there has been some recent improvement in the UK economy, the IMF are still predicting just 0.5% growth in 2023 – the second worst in the G7. As for reducing debt, the level of UK debt has actually risen to the highest levels in 60 years, and in June passed 100% of GDP for the first time since 1961.

 

Sunak’s fourth pledge – cutting waiting lists – for the NHS, has proved to be another epic failure. Just this month, the waiting list in England alone hit a record high of 7.75 million people awaiting treatment (as at the end of August). With further strikes likely in the medical sector thanks to the government’s intransigence on pay, this is only likely to get worse.

The final pledge – stopping the boats – has also failed miserably, with record numbers of desperate migrants risking their lives to cross the Channel. According to Migration Watch UK, the Home Office is expecting the numbers for 2023 to reach 85,000 by the end of the year. Not only would that set a new record high but is roughly equivalent to the total number of arrivals between 2018 and 2022. And all as a direct consequence of Brexit and this government’s policies.

In his video, the prime minister admits that “there’s so much more to do”. Whether he, or his government, are given the opportunity to do more good, or harm, seems increasingly unlikely. The video ends with the question “so what can a country achieve in 52 weeks?” and ends with the words “watch this space”. Well, we’ve been watching, and it seems that the only thing Sunak can celebrate after a year in office is outlasting his predecessor. I doubt there are many, except the delusional few, that honestly believe we can expect anything more from this PM, or this government. They’ve had 13 years, and the evidence of their damage is everywhere you look. But don’t expect to see that in any videos.

‘Hard man of Brexit’ Steve Baker changes his mind

‘Hard man of Brexit’ Steve Baker changes his mind

Oct 26, 2023 | Bylines, News

Steve Baker MP has declared that future referendums should require a super majority to be enacted – so why the sudden change of heart? Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE writes for Yorkshire Bylines.

Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker has been sharing his thoughts on referendums with the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly. The self-proclaimed ‘hard man of Brexit’ told the assembly that the Brexit referendum “probably should have been a supermajority” requiring 60% voter support. That’s despite his having voted against an SNP amendment to the EU referendum bill in 2015 calling for just that. He added that it would not be advisable, in any future vote on Irish unification, to accept a “50% plus one” decision.

We’d have lost

Baker was a prominent figure in the Leave campaign in the run up to the Brexit referendum and an active ‘Brexit Spartan’ in its aftermath. Despite Theresa May’s hard red lines on Brexit, Baker voted against her deal three times, presumably because it wasn’t hard enough. He later told Newsnight that “holding those tigers by the tail”, between 2016 and 2019, had cost him his mental health. Much of the country felt the same way. Many of us still do.

Baker suggested that not having a supermajority threshold had caused the country serious political “trouble”. Indeed. But he failed to mention the government’s seeming willingness to stir up that division, to spread misinformation, and to fail to have any implementation plan whatsoever.

He admitted that had there been a supermajority in the Brexit referendum, “we’d have lost and we’d still be in (the EU)”. But at least “everybody would have abided by the result”, including the government, presumably. He added that it was “inconceivable” that we would have had “all of the political difficulty which followed from members of parliament in particular refusing to accept the result”.

 

Referendum “met the threshold for illegality”

Baker failed, of course, to mention that those refusing to accept the result, politicians or no, were raising other important issues when “refusing to accept the result”. Such as the outrageous promises and outright lies of the Leave campaign. Or the fact that, according to Sir James Eadie QC, Theresa May’s legal counsel, the referendum “met the threshold for illegality”.

 

In my 2019 court case – ‘Wilson and others versus the Prime Minister’ – I challenged the government over the legality of the referendum result. With the referendum being merely advisory, rules that would have applied had the result been binding, did not apply.

Had the referendum been legally binding, parliament would have had “a statutory legal mechanism by which it would be annulled”, as they do with elections. So, the government, and Baker presumably, knew the referendum result to be illegal but decided to proceed regardless, and with no idea how to do so. While David Cameron had promised to honour the result, that was before the illegality was fully known or understood. And in any case, he didn’t hang around long enough to honour anything.

 

An ulterior motive?

I don’t doubt that Baker is sincere in hoping to ensure that, in the event of a vote on the unification of Ireland, a supermajority threshold be required. Not only would it give the result legitimacy, but it would make it easier for the public, and the politicians, to get behind the outcome. It might also make the unification of Ireland a more difficult goal to achieve – a factor that may be influencing Baker’s thinking.

Baker says that had 60% of the voting public decided to leave the EU in 2016, the road to Brexit, even with the Conservatives in charge, would have been smoother and the country less divided. Whether to ensure legitimacy or prevent division, there will be those arguing for a supermajority in the event of any future referendum on rejoining the EU. No doubt hard man Baker and his fellow Spartans will be amongst them.

But, even if the hard man of Brexit has now gone soft on democracy, it’s hard not to conclude that he has an ulterior motive – one that will ensure that his beloved Brexit is secure. He’s known all along that a supermajority is a much tougher threshold to achieve. Which is why he voted against it 2015.

EU races ahead on asylum and immigration deal

EU races ahead on asylum and immigration deal

Oct 6, 2023 | Bylines, News

In anticipation of natural disasters and war, the EU has agreed plans to deal with the inevitable displacement of the vulnerable, writes Bremain Chair Sue Wilson MBE for Yorkshire Bylines. 

On Wednesday, the EU sealed a historic deal on the future management of asylum seekers in the event of sudden rises in migrant numbers. The Crisis Regulation – which was three years in the making – met with opposition from Hungary and Poland and saw Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Austria abstaining. The deal aims to prevent a repeat of 2015 when an influx of a million refugees, mostly from war-torn Syria, were unevenly distributed across EU member states.

With the objective of sharing the weight of asylum seekers across the bloc, the preliminary agreement has still to be passed by the European Parliament. However, the agreement was warmly welcomed by President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who described it as a “real game changer” that would allow negotiations in the European Parliament to advance. Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, acting Spanish minister for home affairs said, “we are now in a better position to reach an agreement on the entire asylum and migration pact with the European Parliament by the end of this semester.”

 

The Crisis Regulation

The new rules will allow the fast-tracking of asylum applications that will facilitate the movement of migrants to other European countries. In times of crisis – such as climate emergencies, natural disasters or war – an accelerated registration process will see the necessary paperwork completed in just four weeks. The responsibility for examining and processing the asylum claim would then fall to the supporting member state.

Member states will be allowed to apply tougher measures while asylum claims are being examined. Those measures could include allowing asylum seekers to be held at the border for up to 20 weeks. Rejected applicants could also be held for up to 20 weeks before the process of returning them is completed.

Where the agreement falls short – according to Guy Verhofstaft, MEP – is in failing to open European embassies and consulates outside of the EU to asylum applications. Doing so, Verhofstadt says, was the “only way to stop smugglers” and to prevent refugees from “dying in the Mediterranean Sea”.

UK inaction despite awareness

According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, environmental change, conflict and civil unrest could result in over one billion people at threat of being displaced by 2050. In regard to the climate crisis alone, the UK government recently published a paper detailing how the crisis is likely to increase migrant flow over the coming decades. In it they stated that, “while there is no agreed upon way of reliably forecasting future flows of migration which result directly from climate change, the numbers are likely to be significant”.

An earlier government paper – Preparing for climate change – discusses the impact of climate change in the UK and actions that will be necessary to deal with the challenges. Yet, despite obviously being well aware of the impact of global warming on migrant numbers, and on the UK in particular, the government are kicking the climate crisis can down the road. The only discernible ‘policy’ on migration seems to be to scream ‘stop the boats’ enough times at full volume and hope for the best.

 

EU getting on with business

While our own government seem intent only on jockeying for position, arguing amongst themselves and focusing on the coming election, we can only watch from the sidelines at progress being made in Europe. The EU, without the UK, is getting on with business. And perhaps some of that business is more easily conducted without us.

Today, leaders from 47 countries are gathering in Granada, Spain for a meeting of the European Political Community. This group – which includes EU member states, the UK, Ukraine and western Balkan states – first met last October in the Czech Republic. The agenda for this third EPC summit will include aid for Ukraine, deepening conflicts on the continent, and migration.

It is an opportunity for Britain to mend some fences and discuss common solutions to shared problems. I suspect, instead, our government will be trying to share their own divisive, right-wing rhetoric on immigration to a largely non-receptive audience.

As European leaders gather, Rishi Sunak will likely take every opportunity to be photographed at Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s side. Indeed, he wouldn’t be the first British PM to do so. No doubt Sunak will offer help and support to the war effort, and mean it. But in doing so, he might be hoping the Ukrainian president doesn’t mention support for refugees. There is a limit, after all!

 

Bremainers Ask ……… Dominic Grieve KC

Bremainers Ask ……… Dominic Grieve KC

Sep 29, 2023 | Bremainers Ask, News

Dominic Grieve was Attorney General (2010-2014), served as Shadow Home Secretary and was MP for Beaconsfield (1997-2019), as well as chairing Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.

He is also president of the Franco-British Society, holder of the Legion of Honour award and a visiting professor in Law, Politics and Human Rights at Goldsmiths University London. He was a prominent Remainer, proposed many Brexit amendments and called for a second referendum.

For his work on civil liberties and the rule of law, Grieve was recognised with two awards: Parliamentarian of the Year in 2005 and in 2014 he received a Lifetime Achievement award from Liberty. He now serves as Vice President of European Movement UK.

Ruth Woodhouse : How can a cross-party approach to rebuilding ties with the EU be achieved when there is such extreme polarisation within politics today?

There is no doubt that the process by which we joined the EEC in the 1970s was enabled by the development of a significant cross-party consensus that it was in our national interest to do so. But such a consensus can emerge again driven by the realities of our geo-political position in Europe. As the heat generated by Brexit cools, there are already signs of greater realism in the two main parties on this issue. This emphasises for me that rebuilding ties with the EU can be done a stage at a time.

Michael Soffe : As an ex-Attorney general – do you believe that we will ever see a legal process that will end in some “Leave” MPs being found guilty of criminal charges in some way?

No, there will be no such criminal process and nor is one desirable. Self-deception and misleading others as a consequence is not a crime, even if it is an undesirable aspect of democratic politics and history will judge some politicians very harshly over their behaviour. But to progress we cannot spend our time seeking some form of retribution on those who have landed us in this mess. We need to persuade them to our way of thinking.

Steven Wilson : Looking back on the earlier parliamentary battles over Brexit, is there anything you wish you, or others, had done differently? 

I think I can really only speak for myself on the matter. The principal criticism directed at me and others in the Conservative Party who argued for a second referendum is that it contributed to making Theresa May’s “soft Brexit” impossible and the same criticism is also made with more force against Labour. But Labour were never going to take responsibility in Opposition for helping carry out Brexit in any form and I took the view that the Brexit Theresa May wanted was both a poor outcome in itself, but also wholly unachievable in view of the attitude of the “Hard Brexiters” in the Conservative Party. So I don’t think my approach made any difference although I did worry about it at the time. If Labour had swung behind a second referendum, then it was possible we could have had one. But it will always be unclear if the result would have reversed that of the first.

Anon :Can the Conservative Party ever be rescued from the far-right extremists, and if so, how, and by whom?

It can be rescued and will doubtless be at some point in the future when the right wing that has high-jacked it is wholly discredited.  But this will not necessarily follow defeat at the next election, as history shows that parties fail initially to learn lessons from defeats and often become more illogical and extreme in the short term, helped by the fact that any new leader (and Sunak will not survive defeat) will be picked ultimately by the members who are no longer representative of Conservative voters at all.

Dominic Grieve

Valerie Chaplin : Why are our politicians so reluctant to talk about Brexit and rejoining the EU when the public have demonstrably changed their minds?

The public has clearly concluded that Brexit has not worked out as they hoped, but that is a different thing from saying they want to go back in. Returning will not be on the same terms we enjoyed when we left and will be a complex negotiation. This is why politicians avoid the issue. As time passes, however, it will become unavoidable, as it becomes obvious that there is no substitute to our building a much closer relationship with the EU.

Helen Johnston : As a lawyer with a long-standing interest in human rights, how do you feel about recent reports that members of the Government are pushing for the UK to leave the ECHR?

It troubles me very much that our adherence to the ECHR is now in question with members of the Government. The ECHR may not be perfect and its interpretation by the European Court of Human Rights at times not what some would wish. But it is one of the great successes of UK soft power in raising human rights standards in Europe and has been beneficial to us as well. Leaving would mean leaving the Council of Europe, wrecking our Trade and Co-operation Agreement with the EU and having to exit the Horizon programme, because shared adherence to the ECHR underpins data sharing. It is also irreconcilable with the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement that requires us to adhere to it. I also cannot see the slightest advantage to our doing this. It is not going to make it any easier to return illegal migrants, as the main problem is that their countries of origin will often not co-operate to take them back.

Lisa Burton : Do you think we may see a split in the Conservative Party if they lose the next general election?

The Conservative Party may split, but that depends on what happens after the election and who becomes leader. It is unclear how many Conservative MPs will remain and what their views are, and this will be critical to whether or not they can find a common policy approach round which to rally.

David Eldridge : What should Parliament have done differently to achieve the aim of stopping the hard Brexit we ultimately got?

I have in part tried to answer this in question 3 above. I think a hard Brexit was inevitable. Theresa May ruled out the softest of Brexits and Labour then refused to support her less soft version, and she did not have the majority to carry it in the face of ERG Conservative rebels. So, all forms of Brexit were doomed to be unachievable until Johnson won his large majority through Corbyn’s folly at failing to appreciate his own unelectability, helping to deliver the hard Brexit Johnson and his supporters wanted.

Coming next month

We are delighted to announce that Gina Miller has agreed to feature in our Bremainers Ask in October. 

Gina is probably best known for taking the government to the Supreme Court for attempting to implement Brexit without parliamentary approval and for successfully challenging the government over the prorogation of parliament in 2019. She has since launched the True and Fair Party and will stand for parliament in the forthcoming election.

If you would like to submit a question for consideration, please email us no later than Sunday 8 October at enquiries@bremaininspain.com

National Rejoin March II – Saturday 23rd September

National Rejoin March II – Saturday 23rd September

Sep 27, 2023 | Campaigns & Events, News

Bremainers March For Rejoin
Saturday 23rd September 2023

Keeping up with the march as
it happened.

“We marched for an end to Brexit, we marched for a second referendum, and we’ll keep marching until the politicians catch up with common sense and the British public and take us back into the EU, where we belong.”

Bremain’s Vice Chair Lisa Burton’s excellent speech.

“As British migrants living in Spain, we are literally living proof of the incredible opportunities that freedom of movement can bring. Most of us would not now qualify for any visa post-Brexit and we need to change the narrative, and minds, because the removal of freedom of movement only stops our children, families, and friends from having the same opportunities as 450 million of our European neighbours. Rejoining is inevitable; demographics alone prove this. Our politicians need to get on board to stem the damage now and start talking about how we can get back into the heart of Europe. We need a seat at that table for all our sakes” – Lisa Burton Vice Chair Bremain in Spain

We Want Our STAR Back…

“You might expect that after seven long and painful years since the referendum, Brits abroad might have gotten over the stress, anger and sadness that shocked us to the core when we heard the result of the referendum. That has not been our experience at Bremain in Spain. When Brexit was supposedly “done”, we expected our membership numbers to dip as we all tried to come to terms with the situation. With Brexit removing our treasured rights and opportunities, we were now having to fight for all that we had lost with our hands tied behind our backs. We expected some members would think it was now time to move on – for their own sanity, if nothing else – but in fact, our numbers continue to grow.

Protecting the rights of UK nationals in the EU has always been one of our primary goals. Whilst we should look at all available options to enhance those rights, we have never believed in cakeism. The only way for us to regain all that we have lost is to regain our EU citizenship, and there is only one way to do that – by rejoining the EU. That’s why we were protesting and speaking at the National Rejoin March in London, as we have done every year since 2016, and will continue to do until we are back at the heart of Europe where we belong. This is too important a fight, and even if our politicians aren’t brave enough to admit as much, the public have woken up. Rejoining the EU is inevitable. We just have to get on with it. The country cannot afford to wait!” – Sue Wilson MBE Chair Bremain in Spain

“It was another brilliant day in the Rejoiner calendar, with numbers bigger than the first march last year. Despite some of the frankly ridiculous reports in UK media. People from all around the UK attended, not least seriously dedicated groups from Scotland. We also had people come from our European neighbours, not least the amazing crew at Bremain in Spain, one of whom, Lisa Burton, spoke at the rally and blew away the audience! It was an extremely positive and hope filled day and plans are now already underway for National Rejoin March III in 2024. See you all there!” – Peter Corr – Co-Founder National Rejoin March

Bremain in Spain in London

Bremain in Spain in London

Sep 27, 2023 | Bylines, News

The second National Rejoin March heralds a turn of the tide that will bring the UK closer and closer to the heart of Europe, writes Bremain treasurer Helen Johnston for Yorkshire Bylines. 

Members of campaign group Bremain in Spain had a busy and productive weekend in London, attending, and speaking, at the second National Rejoin March and holding our annual general meeting.

On Thursday 21 September, Sue Wilson, Lisa Burton and other members of the Bremain in Spain Council landed in London for the start of a great weekend. Sue arrived by Eurostar from Brussels after visiting the European Parliament to witness the inauguration of ‘Our Star’, a symbol of friendship, unity and hope. The rest of us travelled from various parts of the Spanish mainland and islands for our first get-together in person for almost a year.

 

Annual general meeting

For our meeting on Friday we were joined by friends and colleagues from Volt España, the National Rejoin March, Save Freedom of Movement and Grassroots for Europe.

The Bremain Council was delighted to welcome those who took the time to attend in-person and online and took the opportunity to thank all the group’s members for their continued support.

 

The big day

On Saturday 23 the sun was shining and the skies were blue when we set out to central London to meet up with thousands of Rejoiners from all over the UK and Europe for the second National Rejoin March. We greeted old friends and new as we assembled on Park Lane. The Bremain in Spain Council was joined on the march by loyal members including Keir Duncan, Tracey O’Rourke, and Trevor Perfect, and many others.

The march set off at 1pm, headed by the speakers carrying a banner declaring “We want our Star Back”. They included our vice chair, Lisa Burton, and our friend from Volt España, Rachele Arciulo, who had travelled from Barcelona to give a speech at the rally. They were flanked by familiar faces such as the German Green MEP Terry Reintke, former Belgian PM and EU Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, the great campaigner Gina Miller, and Mr Stop Brexit, Steve Bray.

Behind them, marchers waved all the flags of the European Union. Our chair Sue Wilson proudly carried the Spanish flag, representing all of us British citizens in Spain, and Spanish citizens in the UK.

We wound our way along Piccadilly and Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square. A police source told organisers that the numbers were in excess of 20,000. The atmosphere was, as ever, joyful, with friendly waves from passing tourists and honks of support from taxis, buses and cars. In Whitehall we marched past a small but vocal demonstration by a handful of dog owners protesting the proposed ban on the XL Bully breed, a demonstration that was shown on the BBC News, while its reporters and cameras mysteriously failed to spot tens of thousands of Rejoiners filing past a few metres away!

Halfway down Whitehall we were greeted by ‘Our Star’, brought over just the day before from Brussels for the first leg of its trek around the UK over the next few months.

Inspiring speakers

The highlight of the day was, of course, the speeches in Parliament Square. The crowds cheered as Terry Reintke told us “We are still with you, we love you and we want you back”, and the Green Party’s Zack Polanski declared that “Brexit has failed”.

Lisa Burton represented Bremain in Spain on the stage this year, and she did us more than proud. She spoke of how Brexit has affected the lives of those who took advantage of freedom of movement when we could, and of our pain that future generations have been denied that right:

“That freedom of just packing a suitcase, finding somewhere to stay, looking for a job, experiencing another culture, that dream has gone.” 

Her heartfelt speech was roundly applauded as she explained that we campaign precisely because we are patriots, and she called on politicians to acknowledge that rejoining the EU is now inevitable.

“So, let’s start talking about how we can get back into the heart of Europe. So British people will once again have the right to work, study, love, marry and retire across this incredible continent.”

Also from Spain, Rachele Arciulo of Volt España, spoke of the need for unity among all Europeans, saying that:

“We should not wait for the UK to rejoin European institutions to strengthen our bonds. Instead, we must work locally to reconnect people with Europe. Sustainable development, resilience against climate change, access to quality healthcare, transparency, education: these are common aspirations that bind us together. This grassroots approach not only empowers our communities but also reminds us that we are not alone in our journey.”

The future in their hands

Young people were well represented among the speakers. 21-year-old Ceira Sergeant expressed the frustration of those who were too young to vote when the referendum happened – those “who never got the chance to have their voices heard”.

Other young campaigners included 2018 Young European of the Year, Madeleina Kay, who talked about the ‘Brexiles’ she met throughout Europe, who are trapped by the borders that prevent them moving on.

Stella Mavropoulou, a Greek student and activist who lives in London, said:

“As we look back at the decisions made in 2016, we must also look forward, knowing that our unity can transcend borders. It is not too late! We are more than our individual nationalities. We are part of a shared European identity. We stand for diversity, democracy and human rights.”

The final speaker of the day was the courageous campaigner, Gina Miller, who said that:

“Brexit was a fantasy, and like all fantasies, we’ve woken up. People can see the effects in schools, in hospitals, in their supermarkets. This is no longer theoretical. The damage is everywhere. Brexit has broken Britain.”

In the final words of the final speech:

“This is a fight for our future. Rise up and speak out and fight for our future. A future where we rejoin the EU.”

The more they refuse to hear, the louder our voices

The star of the day, however, was undoubtedly the indefatigable NRM organiser Peter Corr. For the second year running he and his dedicated team of volunteers have worked tirelessly to make this event happen. He told us:

“It was another brilliant day in the Rejoiner calendar, with numbers bigger than the first march last year, despite some of the frankly ridiculous reports in UK media.  People from all around the UK attended, not least seriously dedicated groups from Scotland. We also had people come from our European neighbours, including the amazing crew at Bremain in Spain, one of whom, Lisa Burton, spoke at the rally and blew away the audience! It was an extremely positive and hope filled day and plans are now already underway for National Rejoin March III in 2024. See you all there!”