See the blog on a great day at the London Peoples Vote March (on Saturday 19 October 2019) from Margaret Lawrenson by clicking here
Blog
Saturday in Harrogate
Another fantastic day at Harrogate street stall with Yorks Remain Voice Choir. Lots of claps and cheers from smiling Remainers and loads of people took our new leaflets plugging Peoples Vote march. We even had group of passing German tourists joining in with choir for German language version of Ode to Joy!
Join Yorkshire for Europe Rally in support of our Parliament!
Yorkshire for Europe have booked a coach to Westminster for next Monday, Oct 7th – to show our unequivocal support for the courageous MPs working for our best interests.
Our unscrupulous, self-serving PM and his cabal of extreme ideologues are prepared to sacrifice everything for their calamitous No Deal Brexit with no mandate to do so … and Parliament is all that’s standing in their way. After the momentous events of the past week, it’s vital that we show solidarity with our democratically-elected representatives … voted in by 32.3 million people!
Book coach ticket for Westminster rally
As has been well documented, many MPs – including several from our region – have been threatened with death or violence by fanatical brexiteers. The inflammatory language used by the PM and his friends in the media can only make matters worse.
Yet this has not deterred those MPs working to avert the disaster of a cliff edge Brexit. They are portrayed as the enemies of the people but they are our friends and they deserve our support! Next Monday, October 7th – a week earlier than originally planned – supporters from across Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire will be travelling with the famous Yorkshire Remain Voice Choir, which attracted media coverage across the UK and around the world on our last trip several weeks ago.
Come and join us outside Parliament, support our MPs – and remind the world’s media that Yorkshire does not want a catastrophic No Deal Brexit … or any other sort of Brexit!
Tickets are just £25 rtn – and we’re picking up in Boroughbridge and Wetherby, as well as West and South Yorkshire. Find out more and book your tickets here
Johnson will suspend Parliament
Boris Johnson has confirmed that his Government will shut down Parliament today, Monday, 9 September. This move has caused outrage amongst opposition parties and the general public, with thousands of people protesting in towns and cities across the country when this plan was first announced.
There is a lack of support from many within his own party, with resignations increasing day by day. Amber Rudd MP is the latest cabinet minister to resign, claiming that she no longer believes that the Prime Minister is serious about getting a deal, citing no evidence of real negotiations taking place. She closely follows the Prime Minister’s brother, Joe Johnson MP, who resigned saying that he had to put the National Interest above family loyalty.
These are not the only prominent Conservatives appalled at Boris Johnson’s actions. Former Prime Minister, Sir John Major, said:
“I cannot imagine Mr Disraeli, Mr Gladstone, Mr Churchill or Mrs Thatcher even in their most difficult moments saying let us put parliament aside while I carry through this difficult policy that a part of my party disagrees with.”
Meanwhile, Lord Heseltine has come out with a statement condemning the current Prime Ministers actions.
“The government’s decision to suspend parliament in order to force through a No Deal Brexit is a constitutional outrage. A government which is frightened of parliament is frightened of democracy. I hope that every member of parliament in feeling this humiliation will use every legal and constitutional weapon to obstruct a government proposing to force on the British people a historic change for which they have long since lost any mandate.
“To abandon parliamentary scrutiny is a constitutional affront. My party, the one I have worked for all my life, told the British people about the new role that Britain could play in the world. Britain has helped to change Europe from Fascist and Communist dictatorships to Parliamentary democracies. And now I am told by the leader and the cabinet of that same party that we were all wrong – that we now must become some subordinate vassal state to the United States.
“This is outside anything I could ever have believed that the Conservative party would propose, and I hope that large numbers of Conservatives, as well as friends from other political traditions, will join together to resist it.”
Labour backs Remain!
After years of campaigning and internal pressure, Remain supporting members of the Labour party won a huge victory today with Jeremy Corbyn finally going on record to declare that Labour now demands a confirmatory vote on any deal or no-deal option, and that Labour would campaign to Remain.
Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour party said “Our members have been telling us for some time now that they want us to be a Remain party and that they want us to put the new deal to the people,”
“We’re now going to campaign for that and I’m very proud that the shadow cabinet have now listened to their concerns.”
Miriam Mirwitch, chair of Young Labour, welcomed the move, adding: “This vital shift shows that Labour is a party centred around democracy that has listened to what it’s members have wanted for some time: a People’s Vote in which Labour campaigns to Remain.”
The move is indeed a great victory for those within the Labour party that have worked so hard to keep opinion moving and whose work at the last Labour Conference and in Labour branches and CLP’s up and down the country has finally paid off. Groups such as Another Europe is Possible, Remain Labour, LabourSay, Open Labour and Labour for a Public Vote, amongst many others, can rightly be proud of what they have achieved today.
Whilst some might say that there is still some ambiguity in Labours stance, especially concerning a general election and what a future manifesto position might be, it is unarguable that the current position is that Labour backs a public vote on any deal in all circumstances. There is a slight possibility that IF a general election is called, and IF Labour win, that they may decide to try and renegotiate a deal, and IF they succeed, may call a vote on that Labour deal.
But regardless, a vote there will be, and, my friends, looking back to where we were just four months ago, I am happy with that. And, after the next three months of Labour members campaigning for a public vote and arguing the case for Remain – what odds that the Labour leadership can change tack once again and look towards a possible Lexit, without destroying any hopes of a GE win in the process? Slender, I think, and remote.
Today, Labour backs Remain, and we are that much closer to preventing the disaster that Brexit entails. Today, hope is winning.
Gearing up for an Autumn election or Peoples Vote
Appeal launched to help us sharpen our message
With the Tories still squabbling – and little chance of getting a deal or no deal through Parliament – either a General Election or People’s Vote this autumn is becoming ever more likely.
Which is why North Yorkshire for Europe plan to sharpen our appeal so we can mobilise Remain voters – and persuade floating voters that we’d all be better off staying in the EU!
One of our most visible and engaging campaign tactics are use of street stalls. We’re now regularly staging stalls in different parts of our vast region – and we aim to make all our stalls look smarter and more professional.
So today we’re appealing to all our supporters to contribute to our fighting fund.
Our target is £5,000. We plan to use the money raised to:
Buy new banners, tables, flags and merchandise – enough for three or more simultaneous street stallsStage public meetings and hustings
Boost our Social Media presence
Continue expanding our network across the region
Organise more rallies outside Parliament
One-off donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated.
Alternatively, you may want to consider committing to the price of of a cup of coffee – £2.50 – once a month (or, if you’re feeling generous, the price of a coffee once a week).
The button below allows you to set up regular donations of any amount. If we could generate a small regular income it would be a great help to our campaign planning – we are all volunteers and we are up against a slick, extremely well-funded Leave campaign!
(The Chuffed.org page does not charge us anything but does suggest an additional donation to fund its’ own running costs. Whilst we would urge you to consider donating something as without the platform we could not raise funds, we also want to highlight that this additional donation is completely voluntary and the amount can be changed to a lesser amount or to zero if you wish.)
Plan for big London Marches now!
March for Change, London – July 20th, 2019
With the Conservative Party seemingly posed to choose arch-Brexiter Boris Johnson to be our new Prime Minister, we now need to make our opposition louder and clearer than ever before. We have to stop Brexit before it is too late.
The March for Change is calling for a change of course for our country. We want to put Brexit behind us. We want to reunite with Europe. We want to fix Britain.
For information about the March for Change, click here
Book your coach ticket from York here
Book your coach ticket from Leeds here
(There are no plans for coaches from Harrogate for this event)
People’s Vote March, London – October 19th 2019
Message from the People’s Vote team:
This summer, the British people have the chance to force our way back into the final decision on Brexit. We are going on the offensive, with rallies in 15 towns and cities across the country, culminating with an enormous, historic march in London on October 19. Because it is now clear that this is a crisis that cannot be settled by a new prime minister or a deadlocked parliament. It can only be settled by us, the people.
Save the dates. And let’s save the country. Click here for more information
Yorkshire for Europe heading for Brussels
Our poster being distributed around Brussels
Getting ready to make our voices heard in Brussels!
Plans are coming together for our big trip to the European Parliament in Brussels.
- All 52 tickets for the coach/ ferry have sold out – and others are making their way independently*
- We’re being met by our three newly-elected Remain MEPs: Richard Corbett (Lab), Shaffaq Mohammed (Lib Dem) and Magid Magid (Greens)
- We’re being joined by EU Supergirl Madeleina Kay and supporters from Angels for Europe, Grassroots for Europe and Women for Europe, the Brussels Light Opera Company and Brussels-based pro EU groups
EU Supergirl Madeliena Kay
*Tickets have sold out – but if you want to be added to our waiting list in case of cancellations, please email. Alternatively, you could of course travel under your own steam and join us in Brussels! please email for more details
EU Elections 2019 Hustings
Book your free ticket here: Eventbrite Booking Page
The European Elections on 23 May were not expected to be fought here in the UK. For some this is a matter of deep disappointment and a failure of political leadership. Others are delighted and see it is a the first step towards a second referendum and the opportunity to stay in the EU.
Everyone is welcome – whatever your viewpoint
Whatever your point of view you are welcome to attend to hear what the parties have to say. There will also be an opportunity to get your voice heard.
Political parties from across the spectrum
We have invited both Remain and Leave parties to the event to ensure balance. This includes The Green Party, Liberal-Democrats, Change UK, the Yorkshire Party, Labour, Conservative, UKIP and the Brexit Party.
Eminent local Chair
The hustings will be chaired by Professor John C Adams MBE who so successfully chaired a similar cross party meeting in January. Professor Adams is the Vice President of the National Governance Association, Founder of the National Teaching Awards and Treasurer of Humanists UK. He was a Board member of the General Teaching Council, has given evidence to several Select Committees of the House of Commons and was awarded an MBE for services to education in 2013. He lives in Harrogate.
Book your ticket for the EU Election Hustings here: Booking Page
Yorkshire and Cornwall join together in Song
Last monday saw feisty Yorkshire and Cornish campaigners join together to give Parliament a musical serenade of anti-Brexit folk protest songs.
Read more below in the link to this fantastic blog from Margaret, one of the members of the Great Yorkshire Choir………
North Yorkshire for Europe 