One of Britain’s finest actors has backed the Lib Dems in the European election.
Simon Callow, whose performances include Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA, Sir Edward Tilney in Shakespeare in Love and a role which will appeal to many Lib Dems – Charles Dickens in two episodes of Doctor Who – said:
The Liberal Democrats are the only party which has consistently and unequivocally supported remaining in the EU, and opposed leaving it. They are the only party to have offered leadership and clarity on this question. The positions of both Labour and Conservatives are uncertain, self-serving, procrastinatory and lacking in any kind of urgency; both have allowed themselves to be bullied by reactionary elements in their own parties. I have already voted postally for the Lib Dem candidates in the forthcoming election and I urge you to do so too, if you believe in a European future.
Simon’s welcome endorsement comes hot on the heels of Katy Brand and Emma Kennedy saying that they are voting for us last week.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
4 Comments
Jolly good. A sleb backer I’ve actually heard of!
With a picture of the esteemed actor beside a wine bottle, how did Caron resist the temptation of a pun on claret and clarity?
By any account an endorsement to welcome, a man of parts, all good, by personal and professional experience, a delightful man, who my wife has had dealings with on both fronts and feels similarly. Politically he must thus be !
The best thing about Simon Callow’s comment is that he understands and appreciates the Liberals sixty-four year official commitment to a united Europe including the UK. Where we fail time after time with “celebrity” endorsements is to get over the crucial point that we favour a particular policy because we are Liberals and not the other way round. For instance, did we really get across the crucial point that 100% of our MPs were present and voted against the Iraq invasion because it was contrary to international law? We need to say time after time that we are in favour of the UK being part of the EU because the party is viscerally internationalist and has always wished to diminish borders and the curious concept of the nation state, otherwise the supporters we currently are attracting will simply fade away.