Month: June 2019

Brexit: We fear change – but only when we are aware of it

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We’ve heard an awful lot of Politicians and Activists tell us that a No Deal Brexit would be a catastrophe. But who exactly would a No Deal Brexit be a catastrophe for?

When we start to look more closely at the reasons people have for not believing that Leaving the EU is a good choice, it is usually because they have a job, income or some other form of beneficial relationship with someone or something that they expect will be affected negatively in some way when we Leave.
More often than not, many other people who Voted for and support the idea of Remaining as a Member of the EU do so, simply, because the UK being a Member of the EU is all that they have ever known.
The misconception about Remaining within the EU, is the idea that things will always stay the same.
In fact, things are always changing in the EU and have been doing so right from the time it began some six decades ago.
The most obvious sign of the changes in the EU has been the name changes and the introduction of the Euro to all the other Member States.
But underneath the façade, things are changing and being changed all the time. Laws which have been developed undemocratically by bureaucrats in Brussels as part of a plan to harmonise everything throughout the EU Member States have simply been adopted by the current UK Government and many successive Governments before them because we are obligated to do so.
Often, as was the case with Devolution in Scotland and Wales, our Governments have kept more controversial changes pushed on us by the EU quiet, by portraying or rather selling them as being their own.
The funny thing is, when we don’t have a choice about change, we rarely notice what’s actually going on.
Brexit was different, because we were actually given a choice.
Yes, Leaving the EU was a choice and it will represent a lot of change.
But change is happening to and around us all the time. Change is a natural thing for us to do. And Brexit is a change that will give us back the power to choose the changes we make and all that as a Country we do.

The pretence that the UK MUST have a Deal with the EU to Leave is a myth

On Thursday 23rd June 2016, UK Voters made the democratic choice to Leave the EU.

The choice was very simple. It was binary or rather ‘choose one way or the other’.
 
The choice was Leave the EU, or Remain a Member. There were no other options. No dependent options, or depending on this or depending on that of any sort.
 
There was no instruction to MPs to go away and then create many shades of Brexit, based on their own view of whether we should Leave or Remain.
 
Above all, We did not give authority to our MPs to go away and create, decide upon, or agree terms with the EU in ways that suited them, depending on how they got along.
 
The decision of the People was clear. The decision of the People was to Leave the EU without any strings attached.
 
Even the suggestion that the UK must have a deal before it can Leave the EU was, is and always will be a myth.
 
We will always have a relationship with the EU and We don’t need or require an obligatory deal before we actually Leave to have one.
 
 It’s healthy and normal to walk away at the end of a marriage without either party dictating how the other must then behave.

Delivering Brexit – in steps

Here are the steps that to achieve a proper Brexit this Government and the new Conservative Leader must take.

It’s no longer about them alone, and if they continue to think so, they will be making a terminal mistake:

1 Forget the EU 

Yes, counter-intuitive as it may seem, the EU is not and should not be considered as being important to the next steps and how the UK moves ahead. 

 
No, we don’t need to consult any further with them whilst we are sorting out the mess and if the right steps are taken as soon as the next Conservative PM has taken over, the time between now and 31st October could still be time enough. 
 
What those in a panic need to remember is that for the EU, a no deal Brexit will have far more negative consequences for them than it will for the UK – and that is why they have done everything possible to make it sound so tough. 
 
The EU will not allow a situation to arise where they would be seen to take responsibility for a no deal Brexit. 
 
It won’t work for them with any of their Member States and would destroy their advantage in the situation that they are hoping for which is that we Leave on a no deal whim and then go to them, cap in hand, and on their terms go straight back in. 

2  Build a Grand Brexit Coalition 

Delivering Brexit is a cross-Party issue. 

 
It is not one that any one Party can own. 
 
There isn’t one Party that can alone win a General Election with a working majority as things stand right now, and certainly not one that can command a majority of Brexit-backing MPs that will support whatever the steps are that will be necessary to get the job done. 
 
The Tories will have no choice but to embrace working with the Brexit Party to form an electoral Pact before holding a General Election, and on the basis of working together as a partnership in coalition Government when they have put together a formula and Manifesto that will go way beyond Brexit itself and get the Election won. 
 
This coalition must not be tied to old politics or political ideologies and there must be open arms to MPs who are committed to Brexit that currently sit with other Parties but accept that our future is no longer based on the tribal boundaries created by the Party System – its all about delivery for the People. 

3  A New Manifesto: A New Politics for All 

‘We know best’ is not a conversation. 

 
And it’s a conversation with the People and what comes from it that must now be had. 
 
Winning a General Election with the working majority that will support Brexit will not be achieved if the Political Parties involved will not embrace the need for change in politics that is now required and that everyone can now see. 
 
This winning manifesto must be about representing the needs of All Our People, not just those that are heard because they have their own voice. 
 
This inclusive manifesto must speak loudly about the realities that we all face in our lives today, be ambitious about the steps that will be taken to address them, but also realistic about the obstacles that will need to be addressed along the way. 
 
Above all, this, Our Manifesto must be very positive about Brexit and talk up the real benefits that will come for all of us, once Leaving the EU is done. 
 
The best of Our future will come from then focusing power back to the People properly, not paying lip service to what needs to be done. 
 
The People do not need to be sheltered from reality. 
 
Understanding what is wrong, how we are going to fix it and then how we are going to go forward together is how majority support from British People is going to be won. 

4  Getting the New Mandate

If Brexit is to be delivered and be the Doorway to Change that it really now can be, it is essential that it is done properly, is permanent and that there is no reason for us to take a backwards slide towards the EU from where we have come. 
 
With the right Manifesto, messages that show the direction that we are going, Leadership that inspires rather than concerns, and Confidence that all that our Politicians are telling us can be achieved because we are in control of our own destiny and not dependent upon world events, external influences or some other Foreign cause, the People will give the Mandate required to deliver Brexit and open up the doors to a whole lot more. 

5  The Brexit Government 

The New Government will be all about Brexit and what comes after. 

 
Its immediate priority will be getting on and getting Brexit done. 
 
This Government will go back to the EU and tell them We are going. That we are Leaving the EU without any negotiations, restrictions or obligations getting in the way. 
 
It will then be up to the EU to be reasonable and realistic about why a two-way dynamic relationship with the UK is as important if not more so for them, and that they have to decide if they want pettiness to get in the way. 
 
To the World our borders MUST be open to every kind of trade that doesn’t undermine our own production and manufacturing abilities, the provision of services that we are good at and what we need to have in place to be safe, secure and confident of our place.
 
Above all, this Government will be about action and not just talking. Without the restrictions of being an EU Member, we will be able to change, modify and create rules, regulations and laws that will allow Our Country, Our Communities, Our Industries, Our People to develop, grow, thrive and be happy with our place in the World.