We all know a no-deal Brexit will be damaging, so here is what can you do to stop it
We all know that a no-deal Brexit is bad and we all know that some form of cross-party parliamentary cooperation will be needed to stop it.
We also all know that various campaign groups exist to whom you can give your money (including us), who will valiantly battle Leavers across the airwaves, social media and newspaper pages on a daily basis.
But what else can you do, right now, to stop no-deal happening? It’s easy to feel powerless, but there are in fact some things. Power, after all, is always in the streets (wow, I always wanted to write something like that. I’m going to retire now).
Here are some ideas:
1. Write to your MP
Having worked in an MP’s office, I can tell you two things with absolute certainty: One you will annoy every single member of staff by doing this and two, whilst it would be ridiculous to think that any MP reads correspondence with which they disagree and instantly changes their mind, doing this does have some impact.
This is both in terms of at least exposing them to your argument (and, particularly, that argument as spoken by a constituent), and in combination with other correspondence on this issue. A fairly standard question that came up whenever we discussed the constituency’s opinion of something was to discuss the correspondence, and the quantity of it for and against.
You can write to your MP asking them to help stop no-deal here.
2. Pass a conference motion
If you’re a Labour member with a CLP that hasn’t yet decided what it’s taking to conference—if you’re unsure on the latter point contact the CLP contact on your membership card—you could pass a conference motion.
The pro-EU Labour groups all have motions committing the Party against no-deal, and the more CLPs take this to conference the greater a chance it has of ending up on the Conference floor. That’ll—hopefully—kick start the process of getting Labour firmly committed to stopping no-deal, and taking actions necessary to do that.
You can find Labour for a Public Vote’s conference motion here, along with instructions on how to get it passed.
3. Talk to your friends and family
You should do this anyway (honestly), but more precisely I mean about this topic.
Conversations with family and friends are one of the very few times people engage in political debate without roles, meaning that people won’t account for whichever agenda might come with that role and therefore are usually at least somewhat more likely to listen to what you’re saying with an open mind.
4. Go on marches
Seriously! They work. Not for the reasons you might think, but they do work.
A 2017 Harvard University study found that protests had a direct effect in terms of motivating attendees; if you attend a protest you’re more likely to take further, more directly effective political change. So go ahead. Activate yourself, like a hibernating animal awakening.
You can find details of all of the upcoming Let Us Be Heard march here.
5. Sign our petition, asking Labour to oppose Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings and back Remain in any circumstance
Similarly to writing to your MP, this won’t change anyone’s mind as soon as they read it. But it will mean that the mass of opinion becomes clearer, both in the media and directly to leadership figures.
So there you have it! Don’t despair. Or do, but make sure you do all of the above first.
Ben Duncan-Duggal is the public affairs officer for Labour for a Public Vote.
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
8 Responses to “What can you do to help stop a no-deal Brexit?”
John Pearson
Yes, we all know the EU is a bit of a capitalist club but at the ripe old age of 65, I’ve decided that it’s far better to work alongside fellow centrist Europeans than to fall into the trap of hoping for a Socialist alternative that far too few people actually want for us ever to achieve it democratically.
I can’t indulge my political, “head in the sand”, Left wing preferences at the expense of my grandchildren’s future… The real enemy – I genuinely believe it, Tom – is growing nationalism and untrammelled, unregulated capitalism. It’s time for some political realism. We need to ensure that we achieve what can genuinely be achieved in modern day Europe and fight determinedly to make that that system works for the good of ordinary people. I’m sorry but you’re indulging in utopian dreams.
Gary
The REAL problem here is that there is no solution. Everyone knows what they DON’T want, but no one knows how to achieve Brexit, with a deal that will pass through parliament.
The alternative to that is to simply cancel Brexit or ask the public to vote on it again. But this solution has the very real problem of being anti-democratic. “Democracy is the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people” Just because you think (I’m not saying you’re wrong BTW) that Brexit is the stupidest thing EVER doesn’t mean that democracy is not allowed to run it’s course. Doing otherwise IS anti-democratic and at the very least is calling the majority of the voting public stupid. People are rightly concerned that they will have to vote ‘until they get it right’ according to some political thinking.
In short, there IS no solution STILL three years on. Until ANY political leader can come up with ANY answer that will get political backing we will be no further forward.
Either we leave without a deal in October or we find ourselves right back where we are now kicking the can yet further down the road…
john percival
There is no democratic authority in a corrupted (illegal) advisory exercise. Changing the constitution of the country with such a small majority considering the millions of British tax paying voters disenfranchised by the Tory Government, is quite simply wrong. The Governments own Briefing paper advised that a super majority would be necessary to change the constitution. This criminality, Leave, VoteLeave, Banks, AIQ, Cambridge Analytica, Bannen, Russia, Trump, Cummings et al will never go away until it is resolved in an open and fair manner. It will continue to tear the country apart. This is not democracy.