Can EU See Me

On Remembrance Sunday, I remember my great-grandfather, who was among the 1.4 million people from British India who served in the British war effort during the First World War. I've chosen this yellow Iceland poppy, rather than the traditional red poppy of Flanders Fields, as my own symbol of remembrance, to honour his contribution to the freedoms we enjoy today. Sadly, beyond a passing mention in our family's history, very little of his story has survived. My grandfather passed away when I was a child, taking with him the memories of who his father was, what he experienced, and the sacrifices he made. I often wonder how many millions of other families have similar gaps in their histories, stories of courage, suffering and sacrifice that have quietly disappeared with the passing of generations. We may never recover those lost memories, but we can honour the people behind them. Whatever our colour, faith or nationality, remembrance should unite us in our shared humanity, not divide us. May we remember the past with gratitude, treat one another with kindness and compassion, and work towards a future in which peace, love and understanding triumph over hatred and war. Lest we forget.

Michel Barnier says the 'door is open' to the UK rejoining the EU. That the UK could join the EU without adopting the Euro, just as we did before. But what is not negotiable is the EU Single Market - no cherry picking. Your reminder that in 2015 former Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan said "Absolutely nobody is talking about threatening our place in the single market" - since, the UK has left the EU Single Market and Hannan now sits in the House of Lords. In 2015 Conservative MP and Environment Secretary Owen Patterson said of leaving the EU, "only a madman would actually leave the market." - After resigning because of a lobbying scandal he ran the Centre for Brexit Policy for three years, basically advocating for the thing he said only a madman would do. He also appealed to the ECHR for help, that's the same ECHR the Conservative party says it would leave. Nigel Farage used to say the UK could be like Norway, which is outside the EU, but inside the EU Single Market saying, "They are rich, they’re happy and they’re self-governing countries" - so even according to Farage, being in the EU Single Market makes the UK a sovereign self-governing country. And Boris Johnson first said, "I’d vote to stay in the single market. I’m in favour of the single market," but three days after referendum changed his tune, "There will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market." Being in the EU Single Market is something that Brexiters either specifically said we would retain, or implied that we would. So rejoining the EU Single Market is actually in line with what they said would happen leading up to the 2016 Brexit referendum. The sooner the UK rejoins the EU Single Market, the better.

The American people have spoken: Democrats now control both houses of Congress. Renee Good and Alex Pretti deserve justice. Their deaths must not be met with silence or excuses. Congress must demand answers, hold those responsible to account and stand against abuse of power.

Mehdi Hasan on President Trump, "We are governed by an ignoramus. He's also a racist. He's also toxic to his own parties brand. Does he even car ehe's losing Congress today? He's a lame duck president today" My view: Putting aside Prem's extremely long tie 😆 Trump has spent his time in office turning public trust into a loyalty test and treating accountability as an enemy. That may energise his base, but it also gives voters plenty of reasons to push back. Now Congress has a chance to act as a check on him. The real test is whether Democrats use that power to defend people’s rights and improve their lives.

BBC #PoliticsLive "Here in Havering, more than 70% of people voted to leave the EU. Ten years on, how do they feel about Brexit?" Gent in cap, "It's been a disaster economically, it's caused so much bad feeling and anger" Lady with pink hair, "Brexit has not been carried forward as it should have done, Boris Johnson put a block on it. We leant him our votes and he betrayed us. I don't want to go back into the EU" My view: This exchange gets to the heart of Brexit: people were asked to vote for “Leave” without agreeing on what leaving would mean. Some believed Britain could leave the EU’s political institutions while keeping close economic ties, including the single market. Boris Johnson had previously backed staying in the single market and, during the campaign, talked about retaining access to it. But Johnson didn’t block Brexit. His government chose a version that took the UK out of both the single market and the customs union. If you expected a different kind of Brexit, that can feel like betrayal. That’s the consequence of selling one word as if it meant the same thing to everyone.