The People’s Vote March in London drew supporters of a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal from across the UK.
Estimates varied from 100,000 to 500,000, potentially making the People’s Vote march one of the largest and most peaceful protests in London in decades.
Whether you were able to attend or not, please don’t forget to sign and share the People’s Vote petition online!
We’ve adopted a Brexitometer from the Shrewsbury group – this has proven a very interesting talking-point when campaigning, illustrating people’s hopes and concerns over Brexit. If other groups are interested, the details are below:
120 Swanley people took part in the SSTIE Brexitometer survey at Swanley Market on the 6th June.
The main conclusions are :
The first conclusion is in line with the fact that 70% voted Leave in the referendum in Swanley but the second is at variance with this and makes one wonder whether some doubt is entering into the heads of some leave voters.
* excluding “No Idea” response
On Saturday 26 May, 310 shoppers in Calverley Road in Tunbridge Wells shared their thoughts on the impact of Brexit going ahead.
We asked them whether they thought things would be better if Brexit happened, or worse. And this is what they said:
On 28 February 2018, the following letter was presented to Kent County’s Council leader Paul Carter by 14 concerned groups from across the county.
On Wednesday 28 February 2018, campaigners from across Kent descended from a familiar looking battle-bus to deliver a message to Kent County Council. This bus carried the slogan: “Brexit to cost £2,000 million a week” – a different message from its infamous predecessor!
Richard Morris – a SSTIE committee member gave the following speech outside County Hall. Continue reading “What’s the cost of Brexit?”
‘Stop Brexit’ is the message of the times and the forthcoming Autumn of Discontent represents an attempt to restore democracy
The period before the last general election was a time of immense anguish for those who believe in the potential of the EU. During the election campaign Theresa May, backed by the majority of polls predicting an overwhelming electoral victory for her party, repeatedly stated that every vote for her was a vote to strengthen her hands in negotiating Brexit. The outcome of the recent general election in effect wiped out the mandate she claimed; her ‘strong and stable’ election slogan was followed by an electoral result revealing instead that she was weak and wobbly. And so the referendum mandate, based on the myth that it represented the will of the people, was significantly undermined.
The political cowardice of the Labour Party to hide behind the myth of the will of the people has only served to deepen divisions in British society and highlight further the lack of consensus. Tory hardliners and Corbynistas have hijacked the agenda. Party politics prevails over true democracy.
Yet despite the lack of a clear and overwhelming support for Brexit, Theresa May and her party continue to pursue the Brexit agenda. Having failed to provide any detailed plans beyond a jingoistic narrative for a ‘Global Britain’ trading with unknown countries at this stage and with access to endless chlorinated chickens, she continues to ignore a number of recent polls clearly showing that the original protest vote has now switched sides. The Labour Party, mainly through statements by Corbyn, seeks a Brexit that is good for jobs and employment; a contradiction evident to most sensible people.
The folly of Brexit is revealed through numerous reports predicting economic and social upheaval. There has not been a single report that Brexit can deliver a better society. The blindness and moral cowardice of the two main political parties caught in a vicious circle of groupthink reminiscent of the ‘Abilene paradox’ undermines the democratic will of the majority of people. The status of three million EU citizens remains unclear. And all this in a country with over two thousand food banks and over one million children below the poverty line. None of the two political parties has attempted to explain how Brexit might address austerity.
It was George Orwell who stated that speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. The deceit is blatantly obvious not only through the white letters on the side of the red bus but also through the endless appeals to xenophobia, hatred and division in the pages of some mainstream media. During these times of deep crisis muddling the message with slogans that might appeal to ‘soft leavers/Brexiters’ is an act of complacency. There is nothing to rethink. There is a lot to reject.
The three Stop Brexit marches (September 17, Bournemouth, Lib. Dem party conference – September 24, Brighton, Labour party conference – October 1, Manchester, Tory party conference) as well as varied other actions with an explicit Stop Brexit focus during this forthcoming autumn, represent a message that is timely and are an attempt to restore democracy.
Emma Forage
The Restoring Integrity to Democracy initiative has decided to discontinue this case on financial grounds. For more info please see the statement on the Restoring Integrity facebook page.
Restoring Integrity is a citizens initiative that seeks to ensure that the UK’s Election Laws are upheld – and that any attempt to undermine the democratic process by breaking these election laws is prosecuted to the fullest extent under the law.
They are currently raising funds for their new legal challenge – a private prosecution to investigate “undue influence” in the 2016 EU referendum and to criminally prosecute the individuals responsible of any corrupt campaign practices.
More details on the case are available on the Restoring Integrity website, and you can also follow them on facebook or twitter.
However, to make this case happen, it still requires a lot more funds than the £15,000 raised so far. So please give what you can to the crowd-justice fundraiser and encourage others to do likewise!
What’s The Plan is a campaign that wants answers to 10 Questions before MPs vote on Article 50:
“After thousands of people signed our petition demanding a plan for Brexit, Theresa May finally agreed to producing a White Paper outlining the plan for her negotiations with the EU.
However, despite the ruling that MPs must be allowed to vote before the government triggers Article 50, they’re being asked to do so before a plan is presented. That’s not good enough. Our MPs need to know what they’re voting for otherwise we could be faced with a choice of Mrs May’s bad deal or leaving the EU with no deal at all.
Please write to your MP telling them that you don’t want them allowing the PM to trigger Article 50 before she tells them what they’re getting.
Please visit the What’s the Plan website and support the campaign.
