I notice this morning that Dr North at the EU Referendum blog is having a bit of a gloat about we remainers. This is prompted by Nick Cohen's article in The Guardian where he worries that we will give up the fight. Cohen fears that Brexit's new inevitability, "the possibility that we are in for another decade of rightwing rule, is leading opponents of the status quo to retreat into private life, as the defeated so often do". North claims that, "Whatever else has been the result of the 2019 general election, the net effect has been to crush the "remainers" as an organised protest."
Mmmm... I think both men might have been surprised had they looked inside Central Hall, Westminster SW1H 9NH yesterday afternoon where 495 diehard remainers, fizzing with ideas for the future and fired up by an electrifying opening speech from Will Hutton, were demonstrating that there was an insatiable appetite to carry on the fight. We have not been "crushed" at all. Do not fear that we will "retreat into private life" or go quietly into the dark night.
Both men make the mistake, from opposite points of view mark you, of assuming that the public will actually like what they think they voted for by a narrow majority in 2016.
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| Will Hutton delivering a great keynote speech |
They may be right, who knows? It is in my opinion, an heroic assumption. And in Central Hall they would have seen men and women up an down the country who don't believe it for a second, and who are ready to keep going, however long it takes, to see this country rejoin the EU, to point out the failures and the broken promises along the way. Be in no doubt about that.
Johnson has said, "It is the time to look ahead with confidence to the global, trail-blazing country we will become over the next decade and heal past divisions."
If we believe everything we have been saying for the past four years Brexit Johnson's global, trail blazing country will turn out to be as popular as a gum boil.
When that happens, and we may be surprised how quickly all the bright dreams of leave voters are broken on the unforgiving anvil of reality, remainers will be ready to point to a better way. A week is still a long time in politics.
But back to yesterday. The conference was excellent, with everyone in high spirits and not in the least cowed that within five days we will be out of the EU. Cohen need have no fear of the "languid complacency that has infected the national mood is the collapse of any notion of solidarity."
There were a lot of wise contributions. The main takeaway was that we should see how things play out over the coming months and prepare ourselves for a long haul. Several contributors, especially Dominic Grieve and Steve Bray, were rewarded with standing ovations before and after their speeches. The organiser, Richard Wilson chair of Grassroots for Europe, was also given a warm ovation. It was all very good stuff.
Some interesting polling was presented together with the results of some focus group work was presented (I'll try to get copies so you can see them) showing the country still has a majority for remaining in the EU - confirming the latest poll of polls which suggests it's still around 53% - 47%.
I'll post something more complete about yesterday later.
Also noted yesterday, in the context of Northern Ireland and Brexit Johnson's breezy assertion last Wednesday in The Commons, that NI would have "unfettered access" to GB (and vice-versa), was the EU's publication of a document setting out the WA in more graphic form. Turning to page 45 one can see a map of NI-GB showing points of entry and exit and the EU import formalities (incl. entry summary declaration and customs declaration) and checks that the EU expect to be carried out. These are the checks that the PM has said will NOT be required.
I bet a lot of businesses in the province are studying it in detail - something the PM himself might be wise to do.
