WED 16TH & THURSDAY 17TH JAN – Very late report! Was not there very much on THURSDAY as I spent most of the day in a Police station giving a statement about an incident involving a far-right disruptor, but cannot give details here at present.
However, Treuwaz seems to have covered THURSDAY sufficiently with Bob Geldof’s positive comment, and the only thing to add was that Dave had spent the day ‘trying to be normal’ so Simon and I commented that this was going to be an uphill struggle.
Also had long chat with a Police Officer from South East Asia about thermal underwear, which was most illuminating about how the police cuts have resulted in officers on the street freezing their arses off in the cold weather. Prepare for next week!
So much quieter on WEDNESDAY after a tumultuous day Tuesday. On the way to Old Palace Yard, we spied a lone Leaver with his Union Jack and I recognised him from the day before when he was shouting ‘traitors’ at us. He had positioned himself right in front of Churchill’s statue and I was tempted to talk to him (but resisted) to inform him of Churchill’s view of closer ties with Europe just after WW2 when peace and stability was so crucial for rebuilding Europe. Churchill was always attracted to the idea of a ‘United States of Europe’ which goes further than any current push for closer union. He was a staunch proponent of a united Europe.
He said about sovereignty:
‘We are prepared to consider and, if convinced, to accept the abrogation of national sovereignty, provided that we are satisfied with the conditions and the safeguards… national sovereignty is not inviolable, and it may be resolutely diminished for the sake of all men in all the lands finding their way home together.’
Yet, Brexiteers are still trying to claim that Churchill would have voted Leave. Go figure.
It was a very peaceful day with few of us and fewer Leavers with none in our sight and only a handful outside the House of Commons.
Several of them were holding ‘Go WTO’ placards and we discussed how much they really knew about the consequences of WTO rules on our economy?
There are many serious negative effects for the UK of trading on WTO terms alone. It is clear that this is a ‘third league’ approach to trade that does not cover any issues around non-tariff barriers and standards of goods.
According to an ex-head of WTO, the ‘first league’ is an internal market, the ‘second league’ is a free trade agreement, with WTO being the worst option as it has set tariffs with little representation or say by its constituent members.
Even if we lowered tariffs to zero, firstly we would have to extend that same level to all countries under WTO rules and secondly we would flood the country with cheap imports which would have a disastrous impact on areas of our trade, particularly farming and car manufacturing both of which would be devastated.
Moreover, over 26 countries currently in WTO have strongly objected to the UK trying to rollover of current EU trade deals and the quotas agreed through the EU. It is estimated that it will take decades before our trade recovers from this hit. So much for the unicorn ‘managed no-deal’ which should have died along with the Maybot’s Plan A.
Had a great discussion with a supporter from South Wales who knew a lot about the Rhondda Valley and about how Wales voted Leave overall, especially the more deprived areas.
I had worked in social work in this area in the 1980’s so I know the region well.
He felt that the tide has turned now and that more people would vote remain, especially as there has been much more work done to inform people of how much EU funding has gone into Welsh infrastructure and that Wales gets far more cash benefits from the EU than they put in. People had voted Leave as they felt that they were inexorably sinking into poverty, unfairly treated, being ignored and not being listened to.
I went down to the Green and saw that the Jesus ‘Repent’ man had decided that the most heinous sinners were the politicians being interviewed and he was shouting at them ‘Jesus loves you’ and ‘He will forgive you’, which is just as well as no-one else will.
We had a few oddballs going past today such as rather strange young man who approached talking into his phone and trying to engage in ‘a little bit controversial’ discussion.
He had obviously seen Goddard on some video and was basically aping him, but he came across as a rather manic Adrian Mole with his exaggerated hubris only to have his pretensions dashed.
This was followed by an older man who barely paused for breath and was delighted to find a captive audience and so we were treated to a kaleidoscopic view of history which was hard to make sense of what he was saying.
He covered the history of several European countries and ended his thesis by concluding that Europe always seeks a ‘despotic leader’ and was authoritarian – so look out for the new Charlemagne in the upcoming European elections!
We also had a more positive passer-by when a person who voted Leave told us that he is now a firm Remainer, as he had believed the negative propaganda about the EU, and had since found out a lot more about all the positive things that have been achieved in the UK through the EU.
He now bitterly regrets his decision in 2016 and we pointed him towards the ‘Remainer Now’ initiative. Hang on to these people, they are the gold of the next People’s Vote Campaign if we can better understand what changed their minds.
Another passer-by sparked a discussion about Jeremy Corbyn and how he has handled the whole sorry Brexit process. His ridiculous push for a General Election, which he would almost certainly lose, and his cynical fence-sitting which should give him plenty of splinters in rather sensitive areas.
We all agreed that Labour must come out unequivocally for a People’s Vote whatever happens and that Article 50 needs to be extended or revoked immediately – amendment soon please !
We had a long relaxed chat with the two lovely Police Liaison Officers that regularly patrol our area. We talked about free speech and legitimate protest which the Officer thought was fine unless people engage in blocking roads or abusive behaviour.
She recounted how, at Hyde Park, Speaker’s Corner had changed and that it was like dealing with a bunch of 5 year olds.
We could only agree with her and sympathise with their plight at having to constantly sort out disputes about who should stand in a particular part of the pavement.
I did make the point that their job was so important in protecting free speech and democracy. The thuggish behaviour of a few people, wishing to bully and harass, was a real threat to our democratic process in this country and it was only going to get worse soon unless clear boundaries are set through policing.
Public disorder is on the increase and it is being driven by far-right activists; politicians and police have to review how they respond to this challenge.
Great to have this dialogue with the Police and we are so lucky to generally have a decent bunch of people in the Force with very few going over to the Dark Side.
People being arrested on Tuesday was at least a step forward through more proactive policing though it is a fine line for the Police in terms of civil liberties.
We had our last conversation about how Leavers were hankering for the Great Britain of old, before it joined the EU.
Apart from the overt racism I mentioned in my last report, there were endless strikes in the 1970’s resulting in shortages and power cuts, the three-day working week, bins not being collected, we had the troubles in Northern Ireland, which had spilled over into the rest of Britain with frequent bombings and deaths.
We were called the ‘sick of man of Europe’ (a term that was originally used about the Ottoman Empire in 1916) and we had very poor economic performance compared to other European countries.
We have done extremely well out of EU membership which people seem to ignore.
As one supporter put it from something she has heard – ‘When you are on the edge of a cliff be careful about taking a step forward’ – which sums up well where we are at now with Parliament. Take care and may the Force be with you.