Dear fellow traveller

It has been a great joy in my life to travel around this continent of Europe where I was born, on a small island off the north coast of the main landmass. I am privileged that in that time there has been peace across most of the countries close to my homeland. I have not had to face personal danger at home and not lost dear ones fighting in fields far away. And for that I thank the spirit of cooperation that we have built together over the last seventy years. That’s almost a lifetime. And to think that in that lifetime we have forgotten why it was so important to pull together and not apart is heartbreaking.

The vote for Brexit was a betrayal. It betrayed the many genuine people who, instead of having their needs met and their fears assuaged, were sold an enemy that doesn’t exist. There is real suffering in the changes that globalisation has brought to our economy for some of our most vulnerable communities. But the EU is not to blame. It should be part of the answer.

They were sold out by a Labour Party who should have been protecting them not stepping aside. For the hard left had control of the agenda, and for them Brexit meant that nationalisation and state intervention became possible again. So there was benefit to them in staying quiet and blaming the right for the mess that ensued.

And what of the right? Well the betrayal there was so multifaceted that it is hard to know where to start. The blinding ambition of a would-be Prime Minister eclipsed any sense he had left and set him on a path to stand out at any cost. Will I change my opinion on a sixpence if it serves to get me into the top office? Sure I will. No scruples at all. And the cost of his ambition is being borne by those who can least afford it.

The bigotry of the far right and their racist and anti-immigration stance on anything that doesn’t ‘look like us’ was tragic to watch. So many hard working families that have poured their hopes and dreams and futures into building a life in the UK (alongside paying their taxes, running successful businesses and contributing to community life) were made to feel unwelcome and suffered appalling abuse on the streets. That is not the England that I love. That was hatred fomented by the powerful to repress the powereless.

And those with fine family fortunes and aristocratic heritage are not being honest when they try to say that this will benefit the common man in the UK. All it will do is reinforce the historic divide between the haves and the have nots. They will retain their wealth and avoid the new taxes that the EU was discussing to make our societies fairer. The timing of their resistance is not coincidental. It was about to hurt them in their offshore pockets.

So where do we look for democracy? In a referendum where all of the above were allowed to lie, exaggerate, scaremonger and dissemble, with no accountability, where do I find democracy? In a government that is so divided that they cannot themselves come up with a plan, where do I find democracy? In the horror story that is about to unfold where I lose my right to travel, trade and share with my European neighbours, where do I find democracy?

It is not too late to stop this tragedy from occurring. I proudly stand up as a Remoaner. I want to remain in the safety of the community of nations that has preserved the peace my whole lifetime. I want my children to experience the same freedoms I had to travel and learn freely. I want proudly to see research and development coming out of cross-EU industries and Universities so that our joint knowledge makes us all stronger. I want those who have made their home in any country in the EU to feel welcomed and resepected. If I have to moan to get that, then moan I will. And it is time all of us who have sat on the sidelines, shocked and saddened, to stand up and moan.

I demand that my voice be heard. I am one of the real majority. A vote based on lies is not democracy. The real will of the people is. And it is time for us to act.

To the Government – cancel the process now. It is in your power so to do. A second referendum is not needed. The evidence is overwhelming. And the EU graciously has said they would accept that position.
To the Labour Party – commit to remaining. No fudges, no prevarication. Commit to looking after the rights of the working man and woman by remaining in this community that protects the weak.
To all other parties and politicians – set aside boundaries and give us a genuine alternative. If ever there was a time to step up, it is now.
To my fellow travellers – agitate, write letters, march, saturate social media with your ideas. Share wherever you can that you are part of the majority.

We can stop this.