20 October March For the Future in Photos

A great day was had.  CT4EU were liberally scattered at different parts of the march. Estimated numbers of people marching ranged from 760k to 1 million.  Here are some of the  the photos

 

30 October Peoples Vote March for the future

Join Us on 20 October !

Travelling up to London will be by train.  and you can meet up with others who are travelling on the trains published below.

If you wish to travel independently and meet up with us, you’ll find CT4EU and other Kent groups meeting up at Green Park, by the fountain from 12:00. 

 

Lord Adonis in Conversation with Gavin Esler at the University of Kent at the Gulbenkian

Season four of In Conversation with Gavin Esler begins this autumn, with the first talk featuring Lord Adonis

Thu 20 Sep, 6:30pm. Tickets £5.00.  Runtime: 60 mins. Venue: Theatre

Make sure to join the conversation beforehand; you can submit questions on Twitter using #GavinAsks or by email via events@kent.ac.uk. You can keep the conversation going by joining a High Table dinner in Darwin Conference Suite after the talk for £35.

Book tickets for dinner – once you have booked tickets for the In Conversation, you will automatically be offered to join the dinner

Full info and booking here : http://bit.ly/2MNEUX1

Postcards from the 48% at the Gulbenkian, Canterbury

On the 3rd of August,  Director David Wilkinson documentary is being screened at the Gulbenkian theatre, Canterbury.  This is a documentary film made by and featuring those who voted Remain, the 48%, to show the other 27 EU Member States that it was far from a landslide victory and just why we are fighting to stay part of the EU.  Click here for more information, film review and ticket availability

FilmTalk: Followed by Q&A with film director David Wilkinson

C4E @ The Peoples Vote march June 2018

Canterbury for Europe attended the 23 June March. 

Good deal or bad deal, it’s definitely a big deal – and that’s why it should be put to a People’s Vote.

Sign the Petition here

If you have any photos to share please email in full resolution images for review. Thanks.

EuroQuuiz 2018

As part of the 14 April day of action, Canterbury for Europe (C4E) held a very successful Euroquiz at Tyler Hill Memorial Hall. Around 100 people attended the event, and we raised some £1,000 for our fighting fund.  Special thanks to Mary, Sibyl, Julia and Bill for organising this.

“Parliament’s vote on the Brexit deal must include an option to remain in the EU”

C/O Britain for Europe
Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

April 2018

Rosie Duffied MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Rosie,

We write to you, as constituents of Canterbury, Whitstable and the villages. We are concerned citizens and residents of the United Kingdom. On 30th April Parliament will be debating the petition:

“Parliament’s vote on the Brexit deal must include an option to remain in the EU”

A lesser of two evils choice between a bad deal and no deal is not acceptable. Our country deserves better than Hobson’s choice.

We believe that parliament should have a free and meaningful vote on the final deal for exiting the EU.

Our MPs should be allowed to vote with their conscience to deliver what they believe is best for the country.

There must be an option to remain in the EU as part of the parliamentary vote on the final deal.

If you are within Rosie Duffield constituency, we urge you to support this petition by signing below when it is debated on 11 June.

 

Britain has the legal power to withdraw Article 50—it should use it

Photo: NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images

The Brexit mood is turning to optimism. Last December, Britain and the European Union agreed on the issues of citizens’ rights and of money. Last week, a possible transition period was agreed. It would allow Brexit to happen legally on 29th March 2019, but its economic effects to be delayed until January 2021. For Britain, this is much needed.

But there are problems. This transition can happen only if a Withdrawal Agreement (WA) enters into force before 29th March 2019. This is by no means easy. The WA must be ratified by the British and EU Parliaments, and thus be signed by around October 2018. The most difficult issues—the Irish border and the framework for future trade relations—must thus be solved within the next seven months. Whether this will happen is doubtful.

Britain has refused both the European Economic Area (Norway) model or a straight free trade agreement (Canada). It hopes for bespoke access to the EU single market.

Yet for the EU only member states can benefit from the single market. They are bound by the four freedoms (including for people), by all EU law without choosing between different sectors or “baskets,” by the interpretation of these rules by the Court of Justice of the European Union, by the primacy of these rules over national laws, by sanctions for incorrect implementation, and so on.

These elements are sine qua non conditions for the single market to be credible for companies and investors, both in the EU and around the world. The 23rd March negotiation guidelines of the European Council are therefore clear.

First, a proper solution must be found for the Irish issue. Second, the British decision to leave the customs union and single market will have consequences. Non-EU members cannot have same rights as EU members. “A balanced, ambitious and wide ranging FTA” is the only solution. It “cannot however amount to participation in the SM or parts thereof.”

“The EU will not have the legal power to extend the transition period after Brexit”

This will have negative effects for Britain: in trade of goods, due to necessary checks and controls; in trade in services, due to the fact that “the Union and the UK will no longer share a common regulatory, supervisory, enforcement and judiciary framework”; in law enforcement and judicial cooperation; in participation in EU programmes; in cooperation on foreign and security policy, to cite just some examples.

The British and EU positions are far apart. Negotiations will be difficult. Success is far from certain. The Article 50 period cannot be extended: 29th March is fixed in the EU Treaty. It could be delayed by common agreement, but the parties will not go beyond a few weeks. They want to avoid a weird British participation in the May 2019 European elections.

A failure of the negotiations would entail a cliff edge on 30th March 2019, with very bad economic consequences, especially for the UK. There is no reason for optimism. But let us be as optimistic as possible. Let us now imagine that a WA could somehow be concluded on time. What could it contain?

First, the WA might contain unclear provisions on the Irish issue. It could refer to a soft Irish border which would not be sufficiently “waterproof” to avoid fraud, and also not be fully compatible with the Good Friday Agreement. This would carry risks. Second, for trade, the political declaration accompanying and referred to in the WA would probably not be clear enough. The WA cannot contain precise provisions on future relations between the UK and the EU, neither on trade nor on other matters. This is for the FTA. The 23rd March European Council recalled that the FTA “will be finalized and concluded once the UK is no longer a Member State.”

“The UK could remain an EU member State, with its current opt outs”

Experts in negotiations of similar agreements think that the 21 month transition, even after informal discussions from now until March 2019, will not be enough for this. Their advice is to extend the 21 month period by at least two years, or make it renewable. However, this is not legally possible. The agreed transition period does not provide for any renewal. Article 50 is a single-barrelled gun. The EU will not have the legal power to extend the transition period after Brexit.

A failure to have an FTA agreed and signed in such a short time, necessary to permit its provisional application, would thus not be surprising. This would entail a cliff edge on 1st January 2021. Again, there is no reason for optimism. The economic consequences would be severe. Political effects could be graver still and long-lasting. As written recently by a Danish diplomat “Britain’s global role depends on being a European power. This could be coming to an end—fast.”

Is there a way out? Yes. The British Parliament could find a way. Legally, on 29th March 2017, Britain decided to “notify the European Council of its intention” to leave the EU. Legally, nothing prevents Britain, in accordance with its constitutional requirements, from changing its intention and withdrawing Article 50. The current situation would prevail. The UK would remain an EU member State, with its current opt outs.

Is that unrealistic? It is up to the British Parliament and people to decide. They are better informed today on what Brexit means than they were in June 2016.

June 23 London March

Big London March 23 June

We want to join this march in force. It will be two years since the divisive referendum.

We need to make some noise 📣

➡ Action now ! ⬅

Book this in your diaries. Make a budget and make plans to be there. We are looking at group travel discounts from the rail operator, so keep a watch for more information.


EuroQuiz

Canterbury for Europe is letting its hair down!

Join us in the extravaganza Euroquiz. Get a team together!

 

Tables of 6-8 or join others ! Bring a dish to share, bring your own booze and soft drinks for drivers.
Tickets £10.00/head and going fast, but are still available from Julia Zoettl or by signing up below.

As well as having an evening of fun, we are also raising funds through this event. There is no single ‘church steeple’ appeal, but rather we are building our war chest.
This is going to be a very important year in the fight against Brexit. We need to be ready and agile to launch activities at short notice.
Building our reserves will help us do this. So even if you cannot make this event, please consider making a raffle prize or cash donation towards the cost of this event if you can. Contact Sibyl Darrington for information on how to do this.

Tyler Village Hall offers plenty of parking. For more info & directions you can visit the website here.

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