Brexit can be reversed
Brexit is strangling our economy, destabilising our constitution and weakening our position in the world. Many politicians and commentators recognise the damage being done, but can see no way to reverse Brexit. The Federal Trust is working to show that reversing Brexit is not only desirable, but possible as well. However, we need your support to make it happen.
There is no time to lose
Loss of trade, loss of economic growth and loss of influence are the inevitable consequences of Brexit. The longer Brexit lasts, the more damage it will do to the UK and the more difficult it will be to remedy this damage. The situation is too urgent for half measures. Only a rapid reintegration of the UK into the European Union can avert catastrophe. This reintegration cannot be on the basis of cherry-picking. It will require full-hearted commitment from the UK to the process of European integration. The Federal Trust has a unique record of promoting this commitment in the UK.
Like any other democratic decision, Brexit is open to debate, criticism and repeal. The Federal Trust was part of the intellectual coalition calling for a second referendum on Brexit, a People’s Vote. This campaign came very near to success. The millions of ordinary people who supported the People’s Vote have not disappeared. They see the damage Brexit is causing and ask why their political leaders seem to ignore this damage. The Federal Trust will not be silent about this damage. Nor will it accept that this damage is irreversible.
Politically independent expertise
The Federal Trust is one of the few organisations capable of objective analysis of the Rejoin issue without becoming embroiled in the controversies of party politics. Because of its political independence the Federal Trust is well placed to develop the arguments about rejoining the EU. The Trust’s Chair and Director are John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly, both former MEPs. The Council of the Federal Trust includes among its distinguished members Sir Brian Unwin, former President of the European Investment Bank, Dr Hywel Ceri Jones, the founder of the ERASMUS programme, the former Member of the European Parliament Robert Moreland and the prominent financial commentator Graham Bishop.
A study on how Rejoin can happen
The Federal Trust is seeking £10000 to support its work on Brexit. This money will be used to finance a study group on ways of rejoining the EU, chaired by Professor Andrew Blick of Kings College London and Brendan Donnelly of the Federal Trust. This study and its accompanying publicity will provide the intellectual foundation for reversing Brexit. It will provide those leading the political debate with the tools required to make their case for Rejoin. The Federal Trust is not a political body. Its findings will be made available to members of all political parties and none.
The claim that Brexit cannot be reversed for many decades, and perhaps never, risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Federal Trust cannot ensure on its own that the UK will reenter the EU, but with your help it can however sustain and nourish an intellectual and political atmosphere in which such rejoining becomes possible.