along with many countries around the continent, commemorate the 8th May 1945;

it is a day when many Europeans not only benefit from a Public Holiday in honour of those momentous events, but it is also a day marked by solemn ceremony.

Today I was fortunate to have been invited to such an event in France, on the day after Emmanuel Macron was duly elected as President of France. The ceremony was one that was repeated throughout many Cities, Towns and Villages and consisted of a remembrance of that fateful day in 1945, an invocation of the dead and a remembrance of all wars and conflicts followed by recognition of the peace and prosperity created from the ashes of war through the European Union.

In the UK however, I could find no reference to any National Commemoration to mark this important event, now 72 years after the cessation of hostilities in Europe. Whatever about any smaller private commemorations, it is in my view, a National shame that we cannot simply be bothered as a Country to formally mark such an important event and our role in securing the peace. But the UK was not to be outdone, following the news that Macron had secured the presidency, one of the main leaver groupings produced an offensive tweet which demonstrated to the world the nature of our ‘new’ liberated character.

It is I think a symptom of our decline, a moral bankruptcy, that we experience no leadership on such matters, whereby as a Nation, we could demonstrate the truthfulness of the political words, that we will continue to remain part of Europe. What better way could the British government demonstrate those objectives than by simply offering a solidarity to our neighbours and friends, particularly at this critical moment when all our countries are blighted with the rise of a fascist/right-wing ideology; but then we are preoccupied with a misery of our own making?

The day after MP’s voted en-masse for a General Election, I found myself in London doing my usual round of Consumer duties. I have been to Westminster regularly, principally to attend and listen to various analyses of life after Brexit from a Consumer Rights perspective. Meetings have been very well attended and I suspect peppered with an equal number of so-called ‘leave’ and ‘remain’ voters. It was interesting to witness just how close some Consumer/Industry bodies are to some politicians who espouse nothing else but the exciting prospects that await us when we exit the European Union; never underestimate the power of political patronage! 

The meetings however revealed the real problems stemming from such a simple vote, of how to disentangle the political and legal union of a country and a continent. Attendees from all parts of the UK were left reeling at the simplicity of politics versus the national reality and the reality within their regions. I sat and listened to some very heartfelt and passionate commentaries about how this impending exit is going to affect their already struggling regions with some offering a valiant plan to rebuild their communities from the bottom up; there was however the quiet realisation these initiatives will take decades to achieve.

Later that day, in the early warm spring sunshine, I walked through the streets of London, where you could be forgiven for feeling that everything in life felt good. I reflected on the notion that throughout the country, there is an almost palpable disdain for London; this view appears to suggest that life in the Capital is privileged and cut off from the dire circumstances of the lives of those living outside the M25 - there is a deep impression that it is an enclave for the Metropolitan Elite, whomever they may prove to be?

As I travel through London, I can assure you that it always reveals the lives of the haves and the have-nots and no doubt that now famous demographic, the just about managing.

From the City, marked by its gleaming offices and chic bistro-bars to the mansions of West London, they hold together the filling of this multi-national Capital sandwich. Cramped, poor and overpriced housing carries a mix of students, migrants, refugees and professionals. Students suffer huge amounts of debt, all for the opportunity to obtain that world-class degree; almost guaranteed to make them Citizens of the World. The City is poisoned by nitrous-oxide and aviation fumes, thereby creating a growing health and environmental crisis. Despite its many contradictions, it offers its face towards the International stage; it demonstrates that our countries are now formed around competing mega-cities; London is no exception. 

Whilst it appears fashionable outside London to sneer at its position, I think regular visitors would agree with me that London is a microcosm of life in the UK today. Throughout the land there are rich and poor areas, vibrant commercial centres, pressures on young people, aspirational-pockets, environment and health crises; there is little to separate the rest of the country from its principal City, except perhaps for one reason - politics.

Whether we like it or not, London is the centre of our political life, populated by our democratic choices, bringing a part of us, our community, to the heart of our decision-making. And so this leads me to the decision to call a General Election.

We are living through tumultuous times and I have no doubt that what we are witnessing has been planned for a very long time. My first sense that something was amiss was around 2010/11, when through my dealings in Brussels, I detected an edginess in dealing with any representation from the UK, fashioned it seemed by the rhetoric being offered by our own government. Over time, this lack of engagement became clearer, with some EU Civil Servants brazenly stating to me around 2012, that they did not think the UK would be in Europe for much longer!

In the meantime, in the UK, Westminster politicians were wary of dealing with any form of challenge; it was easier to pass through the eye of a needle than to get in and see a Tory MP, never mind a Minister of State. Opposition parties tended to be more open to meetings, but again, I was often left with the feeling that you know more about the problems of Consumers and the law than they do; one member of the House of Lords actually told me not to bother a Government Department about saving lives through Public Information Films because they were too busy with matters of State!

Whilst I remain robust in the face of this apparent consensual door-slamming politic, others fall away, exhausted by the lack of interest in their particular problems or complaints. It is however disheartening to see victims and their families, presenting themselves with dignity, only to be offered as the latest course in the Westminster victim-fest! Many ordinary people come to Westminster with great hope that action will be taken on their problems, but they often realise that the effort they are required to invest is just too much for them to bear. I refer to this as the Westminster shuffle; lots of foot scraping but no actual progress on anything.

Is it any wonder why I am sceptical about this glorious return of power to Westminster, when in fact, Westminster has been fully engaged in law-making through Brussels; uniquely, the UK was listened to on many occasions and achieved balance to the many pan-European Laws that have been made?

So, we have lived through almost 12 months of roller-coaster politics, challenges in the courts and mass demonstrations on the streets, but has the Westminster elite actually listened to the mood of the country; hell no!

We currently appear to be engaged in a beatification process, a coronation by any other name that all will be well if only you would put that cross in the right place! But let’s consider the position of our Dear Leader and her acolytes; is it really the case that she is a newly converted brexiteer - was Cameron really pro-Europe? 

I think that Mrs May is not actually fully influenced by the three principal brexiteers in her Cabinet; we should look to her rising political stars, the authors of Britannia Unchained, who in my view provide that influence! This was a book written by, Kwasi Kwarteng MP (currently PPS to the Leader of the House of Lords), Priti Patel MP (currently Secretary of State for International Development), Dominic Raab MP (he was Parliamentary Secretary of State for Human Rights until Mrs May’s reshuffle), Christopher Skidmore MP (currently Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office - Minister for the Constitution) and Elizabeth Truss MP (currently Secretary of State for Justice - Lord Chancellor).

Britannia Unchained was published in 2012 and was designed to offer an alternative view of Britain’s place in the world, offering the belief that the UK should learn from business practices elsewhere and become like the ‘tiger’ economies of the Far East. It offers the view that:

“We are convinced that Britain’s best days are not behind us. We cannot afford to listen to the siren voices of the statists who are happy for Britain to become a second rate power in Europe, and a third rate power in the world. Decline is not inevitable”.

Controversially they state that:

“The British are among the worst idlers in the world. We work among the lowest hours, we retire early and our productivity is poor. Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music”.

Can you see the political agenda; do you understand what is now being nurtured within the May nursery?

We are now embarked on a sham of an election which involves meeting the public/not meeting the public, being assured about strength and stability, questioning trust and foreigners, tax-bombs to no-bombs with some politicians either not talking about Europe or demanding a mandate for Europe after telling the electorate that the Referendum had already given them a clear mandate and now, we have witnessed the morphing of UKIP to BlueKip.

All the while, we exist in a perpetual crisis of absolutism and a lack of investment within key areas in our lives. We were lied to in 2016 and I suspect we are being lied to in 2017, but all the while the media personality trumps any kind of strategy.

In this maelstrom, we cannot escape the complexity of the world around us, because we are Consumers of employment, health, security, the quality of the air that we breathe, to what we buy in shops or online.

Many millions of Consumers are quite unaware that this network of consumerism is dependent upon the complex structure around it, fashioned by European Law; a Law to which successive British Ministers and Politicians crafted.

We are now being asked to forgo this structure of stability for one that will be decided in the chaos of The Great Repeal Bill. Only this week, a High Court Judge has offered his opinion that Westminster is about to suffer a law-making calamity following ‘B-Day’. Lord Judge describes the coming of a ‘legislative-tsunami’  where “MPs and peers will have effectively given away their powers to pass laws”; so much for the new-found sovereignty of parliament or is this by the design of those from the nursery?

But are the MP’s who voted for this General Election actually ringing these alarm bells; should they not have stayed in situe and took the government to task over the major changes to come instead of voting for this General Election? Whilst it’s difficult to fathom the logic of the opposition it does seem that this General Election is seeking to build on the small majority secured by the Referendum; clearly it was just not enough to carry out a greater agenda or project.

Be under no illusion, whilst others may argue, perhaps with good motives, that the elements of our lives are broken and need fixing and that we need an election, there is in my view a stronger agenda at play whereby the very fabric of government, our laws, our liberty are being changed under the mask of ‘Strong & Stable Leadership’; this is a Referendum on our future, either in or out of the European Union; the vote, in the safety of a General Election is being replayed to ensure that the ‘right’ answer is given this time!

Whatever the polls say, the sense of unease in the country will not be abated by this vote. If as predicted, the Tories win a large working majority, our lives as Consumers will change, moving to a more demanding ‘ Britannia Unchained’ deregulated environment; if we have a sense of injustice now, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

What I wonder, on VE Day, would the young men who have lain peacefully in Normandy think of our progress? Would they marvel at what has been achieved in Europe; the quality of our lives, the range of products available to us, our social systems, our protections, human rights and the prosperity and peace it has delivered? I think that they would show us how to deliver today, that same spirit of refusing to give in, to challenge the truth of power; to reject, as many French people did yesterday, the false prophets of power - the question is, how will you live up to these courageous actions?

(First Published on 8 May 2017)