The Battle to Remain In Starts Now!
It looks likely that the Referendum on EU Membership will be happening in the early part of this Summer, late June or early July. That does not leave us much time to get out there and make sure that not only do we (i.e. the "Remain In" side) win the Referendum but win it by enough of a margin to stop the Anti-EU brigade crying foul and wanting a re-run because they lost.
On Saturday we raise the standard for the "In" campaign in the East Midlands and the fight begins. So what can we, the members of the Liberal Democrats in the East Midlands, do to make sure we win this fight?
Well there are lots we can do, indeed lots that each and every one of us should be doing in the next 6 months because if we Lib Dems don't get up and make winning the Referendum our first priority, no one else will. I don't want to wake up the day after the Referendum only to find that we have lost the vote and realise that I should have done more & I hope you all feel the same.
If this sounds melodramatic or over the top, it isn't. Both Labour & the Tories are too concerned with internal divisions to make a real contribution, the Greens have no experience in running mass campaigns and do not have the organisation needed. This leaves us, the small party that is the Lib Dems, united on this issue like no other, battled hardened in waging campaigns and with the know how to make it work.
So to return to the question, what can & should we be doing?
Firstly, if there is an "In" group already in your Council Area or Constituency, join it. Get involved, give them some leadership if they need it to stop talking and get working. If there isn't a group in your area, start one & do the same. Contact local opinion makers, clergy (of all religions and denominations), business groups, politicians from other parties & invite them to join you.
Set up "In" social media pages to start getting the in message out there. Don't be afraid to hijack other pages like the local press or radio and post on them. Through Phil Knowles & our Regional Campaigns Group, we can feed you information & draft posts but it is better that you re-write them to give them your voice. Don't forget you are working with others who are not Lib Dems for a common goal so drop the Libby Symbol, and make sure you don't attack personalities. I am sure either you or someone you know can write blog posts, letters to the newspapers, etc. We can help by giving you templates and the messages to hammer.
We are putting together a team of media trained spokespeople (who can come to meetings, take part in hustings, give interviews) that you can call on in your area but you need to find out about the opportunities for these people, Phil, myself & the others in the campaign group can't be everywhere and find out about all the meetings. You are on the ground; you need to do this for us.
Get out on the streets, the same as for elections, leaflets, canvassing, stalls with non-party leaflets (again we can help you get hold of the material you need) to drive home the messages about why we need to be in.
Above all, talk with family members, friends, work colleagues and your mates in the pub or over coffee about the EU. Explode the myths about the EU (we will provide a Mythbuster sheet) and make sure that everyone knows that it is their future that is a stake. Now is not the time for British rectitude, there is so much misinformation & downright lies coming out of the Out Campaign for us to allow to go unchallenged, we need to counter this and be up frount about the reason why we must be In.
We are here to help and give you ammunition to fight with, we can advise and support you but a small committee of people cannot do everything across the region. To win this fight, and for the sake of our children & grandchildren we must win the fight, we need your help and your energy. If you have ideas or suggestions, then let us know, to only stupid ideas are the ones no-one tells us about.
So it is up to you, wherever you are in the East Midlands, to make sure of victory in Referendum. The fight has begun and we can win, but we need you to play your part.
Leon Duveen
