Read on Twitter
Brexit- Moving On:
Those who saw membership of the EU as being in UK’s best interests are told that they are going through the stages of grief. Eventually Brexit acceptance will come and we are told to hurry up about it (by "Spartans" who trumpet never surrendering) /1
Those who saw membership of the EU as being in UK’s best interests are told that they are going through the stages of grief. Eventually Brexit acceptance will come and we are told to hurry up about it (by "Spartans" who trumpet never surrendering) /1
But there is no need for grief. Brexit is not a permanent condition. States can apply for membership. Brexiters have a task: either delivering on their promises or persuading people to forget them. We have a task: creating the conditions for a successful application to join. /2
I want to be practical about this. What needs to be done?
1. We must advocate for membership within the UK.
2. We must help ensure that the UK meets the conditions for membership.
3. We must maintain good relations with the EU. /3
1. We must advocate for membership within the UK.
2. We must help ensure that the UK meets the conditions for membership.
3. We must maintain good relations with the EU. /3
Advocacy: Good advocacy is founded on careful preparation and good information. We will need to be clear about the adverse impacts of Brexit as they occur. We will need to be clear about the developing benefits of membership (and honest about the EU’s difficulties) /4
We need to be where people will hear us: on social media, by providing expertise available for the traditional media and by lobbying politicians. We need to help amplify those speaking for us. Which bring us to a question; do we have the advocates we need? /5
I can't shake the feeling that my own generation has taken a decision that they knew would harm the prospects of younger people. Membership of the EU is a choice that will again affect their future. My generation should now concentrate on helping younger people make their case /6
That means "oldies" like me need to be willing to provide the mentoring, funding and access that they will need. I don’t normally do new year’s resolutions, but this year I intend to put my money and time where my mouth is. I would invite you to join me. /7
Ideally we could identify one or more organisations immediately that met our needs. Ones that were already engaged in doing things that need to be done. We could then ensure that they were resourced sufficiently to foster the community we saw spring to life over the last years /8
We should try to identify candidates within the next few weeks. I am not convinced any political party fits the bill. I think we will need to develop a strength and influence that politicians covet rather than putting our faith in them from the outset. /9
Meeting conditions of membership: There's a press caricature of “Remoaners” praying for economic harm.Those who want to participate in the European Project are not sadists. It would be counter-productive as we want a robust economy to ensure a successful application. /10
Equally, we need to be fierce defenders of the Human Rights and to oppose deregulation that lowers standards and strips away employment rights both because is it is the right thing to do in any situation and also because it helps our application. /11
It would be foolish (and immoral) to hope that Brexit will fail by making the country fail. Pointing out the missed opportunities and the unnecessary adversity is the job of the advocates. We all have the job of helping the country do as well as it can /12
Maintaining Good Relations: For all the sudden assertions about what good friends the Govt wishes to be with the EU, the truth is that there was a deliberate process of destruction of goodwill. That damage needs to be repaired. /13
Neither the Govt nor the any Brexiter has any real interest in taking that on the job of mending the bridges they have burned. We must do so. We will have to foster channels of communication with EU. /14
The sooner we start, the sooner we will reach a position of mending what we have broken. Time spent licking our wounds is time wasted. Let’s move on. / end
