Pledges: Europe

#5 in the series

Photo by Joss Woodhead on Unsplash

The Email:

Congratulations on your selection as a Parliamentary Candidate in the General Election. I am writing to you, as my local candidate, to seek your views on the future of the UK’s relationship with Europe.

In a recent poll, over 50% of the UK voting population said that Europe is an issue that should be more prominent during this election. Public opinion is changing, over 70% of people now believe that the decision to leave the European Union has “had a negative impact” on the UK economy.

Brexit has made the UK 5.5% poorer. Brexit Britain has 7% less trade in goods and 11% less inward investment. The government’s own Office for Budget Responsibility estimated a 4% reduction in GDP from Brexit.

I think it is important that candidates in this election do not ignore the Brexit elephant in the room. For that reason, I am asking you as a prospective parliamentary candidate to complete the European Movement UK’s Manifesto on Europe survey: www.europeanmovement.co.uk/manifesto_survey

The survey should only take 15 minutes and your answers will be added to our website in the future.

I urge you to put on record your views on an issue that is so important to the British people ahead of this election.

My Thoughts

I’ve filled in the survey and strongly agreed with every question where I fully understood all the organisations and acts referred to!

I voted Remain during Brexit. I thought it was an awful referendum, with people not being clear on whether it was binding; no clarity on what majority was required for action; misleading campaigns scaring people; and a lack of options. Where was the option to remain in Europe but work to reform some of the aspects that are problematic? As with many examples of bad politics, things were presented as binary oppositions, when the reality is often somewhere else. And many people voted for Brexit just because they were angry and disenfranchised and wanted to make a point. Many of them regretted it afterwards when they saw what a mess it has made of everything. And it was unfair that Scotland, which voted against Brexit, got dragged into it against their will.

The Green Party’s Manifesto was published today, and you’ll be pleased to know that it includes this goal:

“Rejoin and play its full part in the family of nations that is the European Union, as soon as possible”. :-)

So yes, I’d like to reverse Brexit as much as possible, whilst also working to improve Europe and some of the areas where it could do with a nudge. And if the UK as a whole won’t, I still have (personal!) dreams of Scotland and Wales becoming independent, Ireland becoming a united country, and all three forming a Celtic alliance with each other, as well as rejoining Europe and other co-operative organisations such as BRICS. I am much more positive about those at present than NATO and all the conflicts it is escalating, when we need more cooperation in the world, not violence.

I hope that reassures you that a vote for me would be a vote for someone who supports co-operation and Europe.

To be honest, I sometimes think that an easy way to be successful in government, is to just repeal many of the laws, acts and policies of the previous fifty years of Conservative and Labour governments. :-)

How you can help.

Promoted by Karl Drinkwater (Green Party) at The Gate, Keppoch Street, Cardiff CF24 3JW.