I have rarely been more jealous of Jo Swinson than I was when she tweeted this on Friday:
Very excited to be in Berlin for this amazing event tomorrow! 👇🏼
If you had the chance, what would you ask Barack Obama? https://t.co/38BvzOMa2A
— Jo Swinson (@joswinson) April 5, 2019
It is worth taking a couple of hours out of your life to watch Obama talk about investing in the next generation of leaders to work on securing action to combat gender inequality and climate change.
“Change happens because citizens are mobilised and force change” he said – an inspiration to those of us who are fighting the right and trying to create that “greater sense of hope.”
The first question was about consensus and compromise. He talked about being a community organiser and going to politicians and asking for stuff and they would say well, we can only do so much and how angry that made him. Then he talked about being President and having angry community organisers come to him and demand stuff that he couldn’t give. He understood stuff form both sides.
He knew when he signed off the Paris Climate accord that it wasn’t enough – he felt that it was worth doing it because if you could get every country signed up to doing something, then that becomes the “architecture” in place. We can then build on that.
He also says it’s important not to compromise on everything – you have to be clear what your principles are and where you are not prepared to compromise. This should inform our decision making at all levels – and I’m thinking about the fotthcoming Brexit votes. If it isn’t going to get us a People’s Vote or a revocation of Article 50, don’t vote for it. It’s that simple.
He talks about helping people to find their better selves – a great phrase.
Enjoy.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
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5 Comments
“If it isn’t going to get us a People’s Vote or a revocation of Article 50, don’t vote for it.”
If that is the attitude, then I hope they have the spine to vote against everything that doesn’t lead to one of those two outcomes.
Did the Obama administration target 41 SUSPECTED terrorists with drones and kill 1,147 people, including children, in the process?
Did the unemployment figure for African-Americans rise from 12.1% under Mr Bush to 16.8 during Mr Obama’s time in office?
Did the poverty figures for African-Americans similarly rise from 25% to 28%?
Did Mr Obama’s administration allocate $75 billion on mortgage relief for the people of Main Street and $23.7 trillion to bailout the people of Wall Street?
https://www.globalresearch.ca/obama-s-big-sellout/16488
What a great shame that Michelle Obama has chosen not to enter politics.
What an impressive potus she would make.
“If it isn’t going to get us a People’s Vote or a revocation of Article 50, don’t vote for it. It’s that simple.”
Provided that you can be confident that this does not result in a catastrophic crash-out with no withdrawal agreement.
It cannot be a coincidence that along with Jo Swinson,
*) Rob Jetten MP, D66 (Dutch Libdem-like party) party leader,
*)sitting D66 MEP Marietje Schaake,
*) D66 Europarliament candidate Samira Rafaela (no. 3 on our party list) and
*) D66 ex-Eindhoven city councillor Mpanzu Bamenga
were also present at this gathering.
They were just as thrilled about Obama and the whole meeting; and they too were selected by the Obama Foundation as “Upcoming leaders” in EU and European politics.
Compare that with the patchy response Italian Lega Nord Leader Salvini got this same weekend when he (in line with Steve Bannons plans) tried to gather all right-wing Populists fom the EU; not even Marine le Pen or Geert Wilders showed up.
Puopulists are just too jingoist to gather for anything politically binding, transmational. We’re not.