We wish to thank the two York Members of Parliament for granting us scheduled meetings and listening to our concerns....
In accordance with suggestions from the European Movement to work more closely with MPs, York for Europe set up meetings with Luke Charters, MP for York Outer, and Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central. The small delegation presented the same concerns and aspirations to both politicians.
The conversations were rather different – York for Europe has worked with Ms Maskell since before the Referendum, while Mr Charters is a new MP. Both meetings were amiable and cooperative.
York for Europe related the frustration with the government most of its members are feeling about a number of issues. While the political expedience of not saying “we must rejoin tomorrow” can be understood, the obstinacy of the government on many issues left one-time Labour supporters saddened, angry and looking for other champions of their cause.
The reluctance to reset UK/EU relations is a failure by the government to respond to the will of the electorate (York in particular was overwhelmingly Remain.) The failure to move forward a Youth Mobility Scheme is spiteful: the failure to embrace Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, training, youth and sport, is frankly failing our young people.
We pointed to the new EU/Switzerland partnership under the terms of which Switzerland remains outside the Single Market and Customs Union.
We said that the government is being timorous; we made the case for taking the fight much more robustly to those who led the lying in pursuit of Brexit, making them accountable for the economic and social damage they have caused already. Not to do so will allow grifters like Farage and his Reform fifth column to continue to lie with consequences all too visible in the US. It appears that the government would rather appease the right than respond to the wishes of its long-term supporters.
In general our meetings were constructive and we look forward to working with both Members of Parliament in the future.
The York for Europe team.