We know what we have lost, you don‘t know what you have won – we ain’t going anywhere – 12 February 2020 – Joel Baccas
The big Brexit day revealed why Remainers, or what are now Rejoiners, will not give up campaigning for the UK’s rightful place inside the EU.
A series of interviews were conducted with various Brexiters who were there to celebrate the UK’s departure from the EU, and the arrival into the transition period under the new treaty known as the Withdrawal Agreement. Not one of the interviewees were able to describe coherently or comprehensively what they had won. As far as I am aware, not even the famous slogans made an appearance.
Despite the many threats coming from Brexiters about heading to the streets or donning a rifle if there was not a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU, many of them, if not all, found themselves celebrating the commencement of a new treaty that largely keeps things the same, except the UK’s representation at the EU decision-making table. Basically, the only thing they were celebrating was keeping the benefits we always had as EU members.
Now that the UK has left the EU, we are constantly told that ‘we are not leaving Europe’, so we should not be angry and we need to stop moaning. However, not once has a pro-EU campaigner said that leaving the EU means the UK would physically leave Europe. The only people saying that are the Brexiters themselves, demonstrating a severe lack of understanding between the EU and the continent.
What we are angry about is losing a part of our identity: our EU citizenship. It gives us as British citizens a legally recognised status with associated rights, protections and representation, which we are all losing. Simply being European does not automatically make you an EU citizen, so do not expect Remainers or Rejoiners to be going anywhere.
If you at least want to build bridges with us, then you need to be able to answer these questions, coherently and comprehensively:
How was the EU oppressing or restricting your life?
What was your main reason for voting to leave the EU (with reference)?
How will the UK be better off outside the EU (with reference)?
How will you, as an individual, benefit without your EU citizenship?
How do you feel about young people and the future generation not being able to enjoy EU citizenship?
What EU laws are you looking forward to scrapping?
The problem is that these questions are never answered. How are we even supposed to move on if simple questions cannot be answered?
Leave.EU while writing released this image showing some kind victorious win. Blue passports! This is all they have and even that was debunked. Yet, we are still told to ‘get over’ leaving the EU.
We are told to accept the Brexit result, but unfortunately for us, to accept the result you will need to do a little better than celebrating blue passports, which we could already have. You will need to answer some of the basic questions we have been seeking answers to for so many years. And we will keep asking these questions.
The UK now has the largest pro-EU movement in Europe. We can name what we are losing. No one can name what we are gaining. We are not accepting anything and we are not going anywhere. We will use our democratic rights and campaign to be part of the EU family once again.
