Category: Derby Events

Branch members leafleted in Belper last Saturday. The response was very positive overall, as most people who stopped were pro-EU and Rejoin. There was also a general feeling that as Farage is responsible for our current mess he has no business claiming he can fix it.

A group of us from the Derby branch did some leafleting on St Peter’s Street last Saturday (August 23rd). The plan was to provide some information to Derby residents about the March for Rejoin in London on October 18th. This produced a mainly positive response from residents, many of whom wished to speak of their negative experiences and disappointments since leaving the EU, and expressed a hope to rejoin.

There were, of course, those who took a negative view and did not wish to engage in conversation. Also, many were preoccupied with asylum seekers, and were not really interested in talking about anything else. That issue has really muddied the waters for discussion of our relationship with Europe, and the pro-Brexit camp are working hard to ensure the waters stay as muddy as possible. Its time the government made more effort to counter that misinformation.

Clearly its vital that we get out onto the street and talk to people face to face. I don’t know if we persuaded anyone on Saturday; but it was a useful reminder of what people ‘out there’ are thinking.

Currently, 16, 427 people have signed a recent petition calling on the UK Government to hold a referendum on re-joining the European.  The Cabinet Office yesterday issued a response and as one of the signatories, I’m disappointed, albeit not surprised.

The full text is copied below but essentially it’s the usual warm words about a focus on “strategic alliance with the EU” and strengthening “our relationship with our European friends” to “to address wider global challenges” and “to remove barriers to trade.”

While clearly this is a better place to be than we were under the previous Government, the statement contains a reminder that the Government was elected with a manifesto pledge not to rejoin the EU and a rather limiting commitment that “we will not return to freedom of movement, the Customs Union or the Single Market.”

Given the erratic behaviour of the Trump regime and clear polling evidence that Britons favour a European alliance over the ever less special looking US relationship, was it overly optimistic of me to have hoped that the Government’s statement might have been backed off such a definitive and limiting position?

Full text from the Cabinet Office below:

“The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Hold a referendum on re-joining the European Union”.

Government responded:

The Government was elected on a manifesto that made clear the UK would not rejoin the EU. We are focused on a strategic alliance with the EU to make the UK safer, more secure and more prosperous.

Since taking office, this Government has been working to strengthen the relationship with our European friends. A closer, more cooperative relationship with the EU is in the UK’s national interest. It will grow the economy, boost living standards, protect our borders and keep the UK safe.

This is about turning the page – reinvigorating alliances and forging new partnerships with our European friends, rather than reopening the divisions of the past. A stronger UK-EU relationship means a stronger Europe.

The Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework, and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement underpin relations between the EU and the UK. We are committed to the full and faithful implementation of these agreements, however we believe we can go further to strengthen that relationship. 

In particular, we want to work closely with the EU to address wider global challenges including economic headwinds, geopolitical competition, irregular migration, climate change, energy prices, and of course the security of our citizens, which pose fundamental challenges to the shared values of the UK and EU and provide the strategic driver for stronger cooperation. 

The manifesto upon which this Government was elected set out that we would seek to remove barriers to trade with the EU. Our markets are highly interconnected, so close cooperation can support growth and deliver investment. The Minister for European Union Relations is taking forward discussions on these areas with his counterpart Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.

The UK will welcome EU leaders to the UK for the first UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May. This will provide an opportunity to make further progress on areas which will deliver tangible benefits for the people of the UK.”

 There will be issues which are difficult to resolve, as well as areas on which we will stand firm. We have been clear we are not going back to the arguments of the past; we will not return to freedom of movement, the Customs Union or the Single Market. Although we voted to leave the EU, our role as key allies and trading partners remains, and this Government is ambitious, has clear priorities and wants to move forward.

Phil Harris

European Movement Derbyshire

We are writing to you to express our deep concern that the UK is rushing into a trade deal with the United States on purely economic grounds, ignoring the poor reflection this has on our values, both at home to citizens and to our international allies and partners.

We are concerned that mooted proposals to lower our digital safety laws and the digital service tax are an unjust reward for the very same social media companies whose poor online protections have impacted our children’s mental health, allowed online misinformation about multiple subjects, including Brexit and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the thriving of toxic masculinity and misogyny, and who have empowered populists, including the current US administration.

We also worry that this much trailed ‘almost oven-ready’ deal is anything but, and is merely designed to keep the UK separate from its allies and partners, and from expressing public support for the territorial integrity of allies such as Canada (who were never shy of coming forward to support us in the past, in 1939 for example, and are no doubt noticing now how we have failed to publicly support them).

And of course, we worry about lowered food regulations and quality, and another assault on British farmers and food, already hit hard by rushed, one-sided deals with Australia among others. On top of this, having opened our doors to lower quality US produce will make it harder for us to secure improved access to EU markets, to whose standards we are currently closer. And of course, the EU remains our largest trading partner, making it hard to understand why we should stab ourselves in the foot in this way.

We also worry that this potential deal fails to reiterate and reinforce our values of democracy, freedom, and human rights by endorsing a US administration whose president is prepared to ignore his own supreme court over a wrongly deported person to San Salvador.

There are even rumours Trump wants us to repeal hate speech laws.

We are also deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s assault on education and Harvard University in particular. Any democracy that still pretends to be one has to firewall institutions from political interference. Precedents in the past of what happens when educational and other establishments ‘obey in advance’ abound and we must not and cannot condone the same, especially when British politicians openly advocate for policies such as withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights. It’s always said that you can understand people by the company they choose (Putin, Orban, and Germany’s AfD) and those whom they denigrate (Canada, Greenland, Denmark, Democrats, Columbia & Harvard Universities, Zelensky and Ukraine, high ranking female officers in the American armed forces). We must choose more wisely than some short term trade deal.

And of course, in choosing wisely we stand with the large number of US citizens who are appalled at, and actively opposing, what their government is doing in their name, and who do share our values.

Our future does not lie in a special relationship that has never been more than fig leaf. If we must prioritise trade deals, let it be with reliable allies. By rushing into a US deal, the UK merely makes itself look as unreliable and immoral as the current US government, and sides with a country whose current president continues to blame Ukraine for Russia’s invasion.

There are already warnings a US trade deal will setback any EU-UK reset, and this could also affect our ability to arm ourselves independently of the US if we then cannot collaborate with EU based defence companies and funds.

Yours sincerely,

Please find your MP at Write to Them https://www.writetothem.com/ by entering your postcode and share this letter with them. Please feel free to add your own specific concerns and thoughts.

We also encourage you to share it with others, and via social media. Acknowledgement of European Movement Derbyshire greatly appreciated.

1This statement was written by European Movement Derbyshire, who are urging supporters in the country and beyond to share it with their MPs, representatives and local media.

2https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn05dge02vzo

3https://theweek.com/tech/what-trumps-tech-bros-want

4https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/toxic-tech-new-polling-exposes-widespread-online-misogyny-driving-gen-z-away-social

5https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jd-vance-uk-us-trade-deal-trump-tariffs-brexit-nhs-b2733592.html

6https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20250318/282230901473611

7https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp31qqlq29vo

8https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/free-trade-deal-brexit-reset-us-uk-3379146

9https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-defies-supreme-court-deported-man-el-salvador-prison-1235316677/

10https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trump-jd-vance-trade-deal-free-speech-b2733806.html

11https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz01y9gkdm3o

12https://www.donotobeyinadvance.com/portfolio/do-not-obey-in-advance/

13https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c981lr84013o

14https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-trump-dei-chatfield-nato-23df15b59766458d106567ba782d2f15

15https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-protests-53c6a993ee4892d4b5f9f90607f410e3

16https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5q0mev07lo

17https://www.ft.com/content/eb9e0ddc-8606-46f5-8758-a1b8beae14f1

Derby North General Election 2024 hustings at St Philip’s Church, Chaddesden: come and find out if “they are all the same”

St Philip Church, with local resident Simon Ferrigno, who sits on the board of Revive in Chaddesden, and chairs European Movement Derbyshire, are hosting a hustings with candidates for the July 4^th general election on June 20^th, 2024, at 730pm.

The hustings will focus on issues directly affecting residents, including the NHS and securing its future, education,jobs, and opportunities for young people. It will also focus on some international issues affecting us all, including how candidates and their parties would propose to improve trade, food imports and prices with the EU, and address security concerns on Europe’s borders (Ukraine, Georgia), and secure inwards investment for Derby if they enter parliament.

As part of the community, St Philip’s Church, and Simon as part of his activities, are aware of the many issues in the community and the struggles people face with the cost of living, bills, jobs, and so on. We need to show the community they matter to candidates, and that, in fact, “they are not all the same”, But Chaddesden feels neglected and often ignored, and that can lead to people disengaging from politics and not voting. 

Canon Julian said “We are really pleased to be hosting hustings for Chaddesden, helping our community engage in the General Election. We look forward to welcoming as many people as possible and I hope all the candidates will  see our community as a priority. The church is here to be of service to all and St Philip’s through its café and other activities is here for everyone.”

Simon Ferrigno said, “as a long-standing resident there is a great community here, but we need to help people reconnect with politics, and the impacts of policies and decisions on this area. Decisions in recent years such as on trade, or cutting taxes, impact directly on potholes, and our ability to see a GP or a dentist, as well as on investment in the city. I hope people come to find out who their candidates are, and ask their views on important matters”.

The Labour candidate, Catherine Atkinson, the Green Party candidate, Helen Hitchcock, and the Reform UK candidate, Tim Prosser, have all confirmed their participation. The Liberal democracts will be sending a representative as their candidate is unavailable. However, at the time of writing, Amanda Solloway for the Conservative Party has not responded to our invitations.

Chaddesden residents deserve to have the chance to ask questions of candidates for parliament who will represent us for the next 5 years.

Members of the public will be able to submit questions, from which the chair, Canon Julian Hollywell, will select to ask the candidates on the various topics.

The hustings will last around two hours.

Venue: St Philip Church, Taddington Road, Derby, DE21 4JF, United Kingdom https://stphilip.co.uk/

For more information please contact

Canon Julian Hollywell:

Simon Ferrigno: 07940462311 and simon@sustainableorganicfarmsystems.co.uk

The local European Movement will be represented at the ‘Belper Goes Green’ weekend festival June 7-9. We hope to have a stall or similar focal point 11am – 5pm Saturday 8th and 11am – 4pm Sunday 9th at the Meadows Cricket Ground, Belper. As usual there will be leaflets and membership recruitment. See Map.

May 11th is Europe Day. It’s the day when we celebrate the idea of Europe and the EU project. In the UK it’s a day to celebrate our European identity. And it’s also a day for pushback against Brexit.

Here in Derby the local branch of the European Movement plan a stall on St Peter’s Churchyard in the town centre, running from (approx) 11.00am till 2.00pm. Leaflets, recruitment, and maybe the famous Brexitometer. Come and join us!

A young Derby tourist carries the EU Flag to Italy’s famous volcano.

Dad Simon reports that she got a friendly reception. Local people and tourists from other EU countries all applauded the gesture.

They all want us back.