The Democracy Movement

Founded 1998. Working together on campaigns to defend & improve democracy.
#Elections | #Parliament | #Democracy
Tweets: @StuartCoster

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

Brexit restored one of the biggest freedoms of all; the freedom to hold our lawmakers to account. The power of our votes. The ability, peacefully through the ballot box, to remove those who make our laws and induce change. In essence, democracy.
#Brexit #democracy

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

The EU Commission is unelected but has the sole power to propose EU laws; its Council of Ministers can over-rule member govts now in almost all policy areas; its parliament isn't underpinned by a demos (half the actual word "democracy"); yet, together, these institutions hold legal supremacy over elected govts. The EU is dangerously undemocratic & the inevitable political effects are worsening.
#EuropeanUnion #democracy

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

David Cameron, former Prime Minister and leader of the Remain campaign:

"If you look at the economic problems we have today, I don’t really think they’ve got anything to do with Brexit at all."

#BrexitReality #Brexit

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

***EXCLUSIVE by @MishalHusain***

David Cameron says Britain should NOT rejoin the EU

The former prime minister warns Andy Burnham that starting a conversation about rejoining would be “very long and painful”

Speaking in a Bloomberg interview, Cameron urges Burnham not to trigger another “decade-long debate about whether should be in or out.” He also says the UK should not enter a customs union with the EU

As the PM who led the Remain campaign in 2016, Cameron’s intervention will be seen as significant. He says Britain’s economic problems aren’t due to Brexit

“Today, instead of launching an argument about rejoining, which I think would be a very long and painful argument, and who knows where it would end up, instead of that, focus on how do we be the best friend, best neighbour, best partner,” Cameron says

The former PM also warns Burnham that talking about Britain rejoining could hamper future negotiations

“If you start endlessly producing this idea that we’re actually on a path to rejoining, I think you’re in danger of getting a less good partnership deal because of course the EU countries will just think: well, these guys are gonna rejoin anyway, so what’s the point in giving them a good partnership deal… If you’re not going to, you know, commit to trying to make the partnership stronger because you’re flirting with rejoining, I think there’s some dangers there,” Cameron says

“I don’t think actually necessarily joining a customs union is the right answer. If you look at the economic problems we have today, I don’t really think they’ve got anything to do with Brexit at all. I mean, our economic problems are we are overspending, over-borrowing, over-taxing, over-regulated, and far too much being spent on working age welfare. Those are a set of problems that have nothing to do with Brexit. We need a government that actually gets spending under control, gets taxes down, helps entrepreneurs, deals with our borrowing problem, reforms the welfare, and massively deregulates so we can build houses, build infrastructure. None of those have got anything to do with Europe. So that’s sort of, in a way, that’s my point. Do we really want to go into another decade-long debate about whether we should be in or out, when actually we should deal with our own problems while making the partnership model work?”

“I fought the campaign to stay in on an amended basis, and I obviously wanted to win that campaign. I was desperately disappointed that we lost that campaign. But I’m a democrat, a believer in democracy. We voted to leave, and I think the right thing now is to try and become, you know, not just neighbors, partners, and friends of the EU, but the best friends, the best neighbors, the best partners. And I think we can make that work”

Story by @ChaplainChloe: https://t.co/gKPvWA9LAu

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

Yes, NATO involves a big commitment, but in very narrow circumstances. Completely unlike the wide-ranging reach of the EU into the day-to-day laws and governance of its members, way beyond just market or trade rules of course.

Quite an obvious difference, surely? But such dissembling is often seen in the Brexit debate from EU advocates, unfortunately.

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

Jonathan Hinder, Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe:

"Voters in Labour’s heartlands are clear that they do not support signing up to rules we have no say over and enforced by courts we do not control.

"They want UK governments to be free to decide these policies for ourselves."

[Dominic Penna @DominicPenna]

Andy Burnham’s own voters in Makerfield oppose the compromises at the heart of his EU reset, polling shows

https://t.co/8WCiBm5OWq

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

@RichardBentall Have you not heard of NATO?

Letting the EU, with its long record of incompetence, take charge of our security would be truly bonkers, yes.

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

The inanity of making a security-based case to ditch Brexit, just as the EU isn't even invited to participate in peace talks towards halting a war on its own continent, is quite staggering.

An actual MP and senior advisor, too.

Rejoiners are floundering with increasing desperation, as economic stats show the UK's growing successes outside the EU. The window is closing on them and they know it.

@BBCNewsnight @IainDale @NickFerrariLBC @JackElsom @martinabettt @hoffman_noa @ShippersUnbound

[Chris Ward MP @chriswardmp]

Brexit’s back! Some thoughts for @guardian on how we can avoid the circular arguments of 2016, move past the red-lines of 2020 and seize the political space that’s opened up.

https://t.co/QvlVHt0Eto

[Catherine McBride OBE @CeeMacBee]

Forget Rejoining, the EU would gain nothing from that. Burnham is about to give them everything they want on a plate.

Under the Reset the EU can:
1. force all UK food and agriculture companies to obey EU rules, with no vote and no say;
2. prevent the UK from importing food from non EU countries;
3. force the UK to pay the EU for their 'policy works' and pay for the development of poorer EU countries;
4. force UK manufacturers to pay the same ETS costs as EU companies;
5. force the UK to add carbon taxes to important input materials that the UK no longer makes.

The EU will control UK money, UK laws, and even UK borders again, without giving the UK a vote.

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

The inanity of making a security-based case to ditch Brexit, just as the EU isn't even invited to participate in peace talks towards halting a war on its own continent, is quite staggering and, frankly, laughable.

An actual MP and senior advisor, too.

Rejoiners are floundering with increasing desperation, as economic stats show the UK's growing successes outside the EU.

@kateferguson4 @StigAbell @FraserNelson

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

The inanity of making a security-based case to ditch Brexit, just as the EU isn't even invited to participate in peace talks towards halting a war on its own continent, is quite staggering.

An actual MP and senior advisor, too.

Rejoiners are floundering with increasing desperation, as economic stats show the UK's growing successes outside the EU.

@bbclaurak @afneil

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

The inanity of making a security-based case to ditch Brexit, just as the EU isn't even invited to participate in peace talks towards halting a war on its own continent, is quite staggering and, frankly, laughable.

Rejoiners are floundering with increasing desperation, as economic stats show the UK's growing successes outside the EU.

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

@RichardBentall Inane comment and comparison. Is there a NATO court that enforces the minutae of food regulations, "professor"?

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

Nice try, but transparent deflection from the fact that real GDP stats, showing UK growth outpacing similar economies still in the EU single market, suggest that Brexit is boosting our economy, while of course also restoring democracy.

In fact, detail in latest GDP stats show that growth is coming increasingly from Brexit regulatory freedoms, such as in AI.

Certainly, the cooked-up 'counterfactual' studies anti-democrats tend to rely on, claiming to show Brexit damage, are neither proof nor even credible evidence.

You're losing the argument.

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

Striking polling on EU membership terms, from More in Common. Rejoin hype is little more than vibes from those weirdly fixated with receiving undemocratic laws from Brussels.
#Brexit #democracy

[Gully Foyle @TerraOrBust]

Even more polling out tonight from More in Common, showing joining the EU would be wholly unacceptable to the British public.

- Having to adopt the Euro - 79% Unacceptable
- Having to pay £20bn+ a year - 73% Unacceptable
- Removing immigration limits - 59% Unacceptable

[Stuart Coster @StuartCoster]

Cabinet splits on Burnham's re-litigation of Brexit are exposed once again.

Why is @andyburnham destabilising his "last chance" government, by pushing exactly what he promised not to do? Is it simply ...

@afneil @SophyRidgeSky @vicderbyshire @nicholaswatt @bbcnickrobinson

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

This is a major statement by the Burnham government about the realities of rolling back Brexit. Financial services are so important to Britain that being a rule taker is extremely undesirable. The govt accepting this would appear to significantly narrow the available options.

[James Holland @James7Holland]

When UK was debating whether EU was best governance structure for its people to confront the challenges of the 21st century, it was said time again that we needed the EU to survive on the international stage.

Today, the future of Europe’s security architecture could be drawn up in Abu Dhabi, and it looks very likely that the EU won’t even get a seat at the table.

Never ceases to amaze how wrong all the “experts” turned out to be.

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

It's nothing less than a massive embarrassment for the European Union, as the entity it claims to be, to not even be invited to participate in peace talks concerning a European conflict.

If events like this don't skywrite for national leaders the pointlessness and failure of today's EU institutions, what ever will?

The EU is very obviously not delivering the role, respect and influence even in the affairs of their own continent that its members might erroneously expect it to. There's simply no avoiding that hard truth.

Feels at every level like an Emperor's New Clothes moment.

#Europe #Ukraine #democracy #EuropeanUnion #EU #UE

[Wolfgang Munchau @EuroBriefing]

It is symptomatic that the European are complaining not to have been invited to sit around the table in the Abu Dhabi peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Sitting around tables is a big thing for Europeans. What they should be asking instead is what they can bring to the table.
https://t.co/xhrTyJS1Hq

[Richard Johnson @richardmarcj]

'Separately, private polling reportedly showing growing support for closer EU ties, even in traditionally Leave-voting constituencies, is expected to strengthen Burnham’s hand and help persuade those ministers who represent Leave-voting areas they are safe electorally to change their minds.'

I am happy to share with Number 10 the polling I did with Survation in Makerfield this past week. 80% of the PM's constituents believe the UK alone should decide regional development funds. 78% say UK alone should set VAT rates. 74% believe the UK government alone should set UK food standards.

The devil is in the detail, and the PM is at risk of conceding powers to the EU that his constituents do not want to give away.

https://t.co/VvXguIKFEa

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

The financial services sector campaigned against Brexit but now, having experienced the benefits, they don't want to align with EU rules - preferring policy that can be "tailored to domestic conditions". Andy Burnham will have to contradict the sector, if pushing for rejoin.

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

EXCLUSIVE:

Andy Burnham won’t accept dynamic alignment of financial services regulations with the EU, backing the City of London’s independence from Brussels but nonetheless showing the limits of his ambitions for a much closer relationship

The Burnham administration does not want dynamic alignment of financial services regulations, UK government officials told Bloomberg

British officials have indicated to EU counterparts that this remains a red line they are unwilling to cross, according to people familiar with the matter

The development will be welcomed by some in the City of London who have lobbied Labour not to pursue dynamic alignment for financial services, but it demonstrates the complications of Burnham’s Brexit push

If the PM wants to take Britain back into the EU in future, as he has implied is possible, or if he wants the UK to join the single market, he would very likely have to sign up to its rules governing financial services

Put simply, rejecting alignment of financial services regulations makes it very difficult to rejoin the EU or the single market

While British banks took a hit after Brexit, divergence over the last decade means much of the sector now opposes alignment with the EU

TheCityUK, which represents the financial services industry, said in July that automatic dynamic alignment “is not appropriate for the UK’s financial and related professional services industry”

And UK Finance said in June: “We do not support wholesale UK alignment or dynamic alignment with the EU in financial services,” arguing Britain’s post-Brexit divergence meant it can now respond more swiftly to risks and market developments, and that its rules should be “tailored to domestic conditions”

Story with @AlbertoNardelli: https://t.co/ma2BHhsgIh

[The Democracy Movement @DemocracyMovemt]

** EU's Emissions Trading Scheme **

🗺 Ten EU countries are in revolt against the EU's ETS scheme, for destroying their domestic industries and putting up energy bills. They say its targets go too far, too fast;

🏭 Major European industries are critical of proposed ETS reforms, saying they will lead to more factory closures;

🚗 ETS2 will expand the permits system to road transport and home heating, further putting up energy bills - the UK government is already making similar plans, to align;

📜 ETS reforms won't be agreed until after the 20 Nov UK-EU summit, with the EU Parliament leaning towards stricter, faster carbon limits in defiance of economic harms.

@andyburnham must see the EU's internal strife over its ETS scheme and its costs, must see that reforms to the EU regime are as yet unknown, but still thinks 'sign us up!'; planning to link Britain's scheme regardless.

The PM is either making decisions while grossly under-informed, or is simply acting regardless.

Why would he sign up to link to a scheme when its reformed terms will remain unclear until at least December?

The UK should keep control of its own cheaper, more flexible emissions trading regime.

https://t.co/GwBalKECWK @DominicPenna @SophyRidgeSky @afneil @vicderbyshire @BBCNewsnight

[UxbEconomist 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇱 @UxbEconomist07]

@CeeMacBee @DemocracyMovemt It’s like he’s completely missed this ⬇️⬇️

[Catherine McBride OBE @CeeMacBee]

For a company to export goods, they myst first make those goods at an internationally competitive price.

The #Reset will increase the cost of UK manufacturing by increasing UK energy and import material costs, it won't increase UK exports.

98.7% of UK exports are NOT subject to EU SPS rules. But they will all suffer from higher #Reset energy and input costs.