This has been a tough week for us all. It’s followed the hard work in the build-up to voting day, the exhaustion of the day itself and the dreadful night as the results saw the collapse of the political and structural certainties we have all come to understand.
Firstly I want to give a huge thanks to all those up and down the country who have worked their socks off campaigning to keep the UK in the EU. Ours was a positive, passionate and patriotic campaign. It was always going to be a tough fight, trying to reverse in a matter of weeks the anti-EU propaganda and anti-establishment mood that built up over many years. But the Lib Dems stood firm, and our thousands of activists can be proud that when the time came, they stood up for the values we hold dear and for what we believe was firmly in the national interest.
On my return to Brussels on Monday, the overwhelming mood amongst my fellow MEPs was not one of anger, but of huge shock and sadness. Sad that a country that they love and admire could be so led astray by the lies and deception of the Leave campaign, and sad for the millions of young people who overwhelmingly voted to remain but who are set to be deprived of the opportunities EU membership brings. There was a spontaneous sign written on the windows of the European Parliament that simply said: “We will miss you.” This is the real European Union. Not faceless bureaucrats, but real people from all over Europe working together, celebrating our differences and eccentricities and doing our best to respond to big common challenges. That’s a vision that millions of people in the UK share. And it’s one we must stand up for in the difficult months and years ahead.
So as we watch with open-mouthed horror at the way both the Conservative and Labour parties deal with the fallout of the vote, we need to be clear about our position. I’m delighted that Tim Farron has done just that. We are, and have always been an outward-looking, internationalist pro-European party. Nothing has changed. We believe we are stronger when we work with our neighbours to build peace and sensible trading relationships across the continent and the wider world. I was with Tim this week when he met the seven other Liberal Prime ministers, leaders of our sister parties and MEPs from across the continent. He passionately laid out our position to them and it was welcomed with a heartfelt round of applause.
But we haven’t left yet. My job as an MEP goes on, I’m still working on tackling wildlife crime and trafficking in the EU and representing the interests of my constituents. As the circumstances change, and the empty promises of the Leave campaign begin to unravel, people will be calling for a renewed democratic mandate to decide exactly what our relationship with the EU should look like. In my view this should be in the form of a General Election. It is certain there is no mandate for the Conservatives to continue to rule as if nothing has happened when they have changed the face of our politics and their leader in such a cavalier fashion.
How we mend this country – its political system, divisions and frightening rise in xenophobic attacks – while dealing with years of economic turmoil and uncertainty is still to be worked through. But I am proud to be a member of the party that is growing, recognises the tasks ahead and is ready to roll up its sleeves to get on with that task.
Three cheers for the Liberal Democrats!
* Catherine Bearder was Lib Dem MEP for the South East region from 2009-2020.
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8 Comments
Thanks for being so gracious about the defeat of the in campaign. The majority of the fight is not finished yet, there is still a lot that can be done to secure a deal that involves the four freedoms as opposed to total isolation.
That the UK will not be in the EU has already been decided, what life will look like outside the UK has yet to be decided.
In the absence of a written constitution the UK national interest is a matter of opinion.
The Head of State has said that she keeps out of party politics.
The Prime Minister has resigned and a replacement is not yet in place.
He has no deputy.
Historically parliament achieved its power by chipping away at the powers of monarchs, particularly over raising tax revenues for wars at times when the HoS was sovereign.
Referendum/s are technically advisory, as saw in the Scottish referendum when the terms were changed after an adverse opinion poll, without a change in the ballot question/s.
Statements about the future are all forecasts. Statements about the present or the past can be checked for accuracy and would be subject to penalties if made in court.
Today I joined the LibDems. A lifelong Labour supporter, I can no longer remain a member of a party which is destroying itself and does not even realise what a laughing stock in the eyes of the electorate it has become – a party which cannot even decide by reading its own rules if the incumbent leader has to be nominated to run in a leadership election and the PLP cannot even decide on one candidate to put up against him – a party which handed itself over to Marxist entryists who seek only to destroy it. I am impressed by the LibDem stance to work constructively in the face of the Brexit decision, but living in Sheffield I know that millions of (mainly) ex-Labour voters have genuine concerns about their lives and how they have been consistently ignored by Labour and actively victimised and attacked by the Tories. It was no surprise to me that Sheffield – ” a prosperous Northern city” (BBC Newsnight, last night) – went Brexit. Many people wanted not so much to leave the EU but to give a poke in the eye to politicians across the spectrum and Cameron’s government – who have consistently punished the city economically for electing labour MPs in 2015 ever since – in particular. Most Brexit voters are not “stupid”, “ignorant” or “racist” (terms all used about them by Remain).
I believe many Brexiteers now regret their decision and see the Brexit campaign as nothing but an ego trip by cowardly, shameless politicians who wilfully risked ruining many people’s lives for their own vanity project. I trust the LibDems can effectively spot and seize upon the opportunity that now prevents itself. Millions of decent, honest people are looking for some politicians who can emulate them!
Welcome to the Lib Dems Richard Cooper. I have been a lib dem since the last general election and also a union member. I think now is the time that Lib Dems started unvailing policys on important parts of our society to fill the vacumn. Make Lib Dems look and sound serious with serious proposals
Catherine, thank you for continuing to represent us all in the EU Parliament. But there is one thing that worries me. We used to say (we British Lib Dems) that we wanted to reform the EU from within, but I never heard anyone say in what way it should be reformed, and Chris Davies didn’t tell me. Now, from my little knowledge of the EU, I gather that there is a real divide between those who want a federal Europe, and the Eastern Europe bloc who really want less centralisation, and more power for national parliaments. Isn’t the latter what we also want? (I heard that Gisela Stuart went over to the Brexiters in despair at not achieving that.) I think, whether we remain in the EU or whether we leave and later try to get back in – in years to come when hopefully it may have reformed itself or even split – we should be clear on what sort of changes we British Lib Dems want to see in the EU, and what we can advocate while we are in. Can you give us a lead on this? We need to tell the country what we think on the subject.
Three cheers for you, Catherine. You can hold your head up high.
Katherine you have put your finger on the reason we lost all our MEPs except Catherine.
We sparked an argument about exactly how many jobs were dependent on EU membership, and he extent of that dependency. We basically said “if you think the EU is great, vote for us”.
We should have said “if you vote for us our MEPs will try do this that and the other to improve the EU and make your life better ” ..
Catherine Bearder talking sense as usual !
Richard Cooper it is good that you have joined us !
D Howitt you are correct ! !