You cannot defeat us

Thank you Andrew Neill.

"Yes, you have the power to hurt us. Sometimes the hurt is more than we can bear. But you cannot defeat us" says @afneil opening #bbctw pic.twitter.com/VXGWb51kfL

— BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) March 24, 2017

Plan for Britain 17th March 2017

Dear Geoff,

The EU referendum result was an instruction to change the way our country works, and the people for whom it works, forever. It was a call to make Britain a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

That’s why today I set out our Plan for Britain.

1. A Global Britain that is outward looking
2. A stronger economy where everyone plays by the same rules
3. A fairer society where success is based on merit, not privilege
4. A united nation that our children and grandchildren are proud to call home

You can support our Plan for Britain today.

Our Plan for Britain will deliver a country that is stronger, fairer, more united and more outward looking than ever before. It’s a plan to get the right deal for Britain abroad and a better deal for ordinary working people at home.

So support our plan and together let’s deliver a stronger, fairer, and better Britain.

Thank you for your support.

 

Theresa MayPrime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party

The Governments 12 Principles for Brexit - 17th January 2017

Dear Geoff, Today I set out the Government’s 12 negotiating objectives for leaving the European Union - part of our plan for Britain, which aims to get the right deal abroad while ensuring a better deal for ordinary working people here at home – and I wanted you to be one of the first to know about it. The referendum last June was a vote to leave the European Union. But it was also a vote for change – to shape a brighter future for our country, to make it stronger and fairer, and to embrace the world. And it is the job of this Conservative Government to deliver it and to get the right deal for Britain as we do. We seek a new and equal partnership – between an independent, self-governing Global Britain and our friends and allies in the European Union. We are leaving the EU, not Europe. Tell me what you think about our plan. That means taking the opportunity of this great moment of national change to step back and ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be. To pursue 12 objectives that amount to one goal: a new, positive and constructive partnership between Britain and the European Union.  1. Certainty: whenever we can, we will provide it. And we can confirm today that the Government will put the final deal that is agreed between the UK and EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament.  2. Control of our own laws: we will bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in Britain. Because we will not have truly left the European Union if we are not in control of our own laws. 3. Strengthen the Union: we must strengthen the precious Union between the four nations of the United Kingdom. We will work very carefully to ensure that – as powers are repatriated back to Britain – the right powers are returned to Westminster and the right powers are passed to the devolved administrations. We will make sure that no new barriers to living and doing business within our Union are created. 4. Maintain the Common Travel Area with Ireland: we will work to deliver a practical solution that allows the maintenance of the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland, while protecting the integrity of the United Kingdom’s immigration system. 5. Control of immigration: the message from the public before and during the referendum campaign was clear: Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe. We will continue to attract the brightest and the best to work or study in Britain but there must be control.  6. Rights for EU nationals in Britain, and British nationals in the EU: we want to guarantee these rights as early as we can. We have told other EU leaders that we can offer EU nationals here this certainty, as long as this is reciprocated for British citizens in EU countries. 7. Protect workers’ rights: as we translate the body of European law into our domestic regulations, we will ensure that workers’ rights are fully protected and maintained. 8. Free trade with European markets: as a priority we will pursue a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. This agreement should allow for the freest possible trade in goods and services between Britain and EU member states. It cannot mean membership of the EU’s Single Market. That would mean complying with European Court of Justice rulings, free movement and other EU rules and regulations without having a vote on what those rules and regulations are. And because we will no longer be members of the Single Market, we will not be required to contribute huge sums to the EU budget. If we contribute to some specific EU programmes that we wish to participate in, it will be for us to decide.  9. New trade agreements with other countries: it is time for Britain to become a global trading nation, striking trade agreements around the world. Through the Common Commercial Policy and the Common External Tariff, full Customs Union membership prevents us from doing this – but we do want to have a customs agreement with the EU and have an open mind on how we achieve this end.  10. The best place for science and innovation: we will continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research and technology initiatives. 11. Co-operation in the fight against crime and terrorism: we want our future relationship with the EU to include practical arrangements on matters of law enforcement and intelligence.  12. A smooth, orderly Brexit: we want to have reached an agreement about our future partnership by the time the two year Article 50 process has concluded. From that point onwards, we expect a phased process of implementation. We will work to avoid a disruptive cliff-edge. These are our objectives for Brexit. A truly Global Britain - the best friend and neighbour to our European partners, but also a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe and embraces the world. A country that gets out into the world to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike – a great, global trading nation that is respected around the world and strong, confident and united at home. Please share your views on our plan for Britain. Take the survey now. So let’s work hard and together let’s make Brexit a success.  Thank you for your support, Theresa May Prime Minister facebook.com/theresamayofficial If you don't want to receive any more messages from Theresa May and the Conservatives, click here to unsubscribePromoted by Alan Mabbutt on behalf of the Conservative Party, both at 4 Matthew Parker Street, London, SW1H 9HQ

New in from CWF - CWF Chairman Sir Gerald Howarth MP: Join us to campaign for Brexit

You may remember people asking if they could really have a referendum on this and the simple truth.




As one of the grey haired individuals who as a mere youth voted back in 1975 for what I thought was a common market, I have seen what has evolved into the European Union which is progressively reducing us to a satellite with an ever reducing say in what goes on.

I acknowledge that the Prime Minister pledged that we would get a referendum and that is being delivered. I am startled at the tone of alarm coming from Downing Street and various members of the Westminster Bubble who risk losing a convenient scapegoat excuse (we cannot because of the EU).

If this is so dangerous for us why propose the referendum in the first place?

I guess that I have sat on the fence in recent weeks and months as I saught information that could help me make my own decision and have met a good number of people who shared my uncertainty.

I received this email from Gerald Howarth and feel that it sums up key elements that are important for me.

What do you say? Are you thinking what I am thinking? The final quote from Winston Churchill pretty clearly serves to remind us of our own thread of history. Time to add some further chapters outside the EU a sovereign state linked but not combined with our Europe.

I am for out.

Cheers

Geoff

Recvd 16:18   10-5-2016 Dear Geoff, Conservative Way Forward will be campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union because we want to: return control to our Parliament, answerable to the British people, not European bureaucrats; regain control of our borders to stem the flow of EU immigration; and, save the taxpayer £350 million per week which the UK currently pays to Brussels. Whilst in 1975 the British people thought they were voting for a common market in goods and services, and overwhelmingly now feel they were deceived, some of us foresaw the dangers.  We saw the European Economic Community had a president, a flag, an anthem, and a court.  Today, the EEC has now become the European Union, and it has added a currency, a parliament, a foreign minister and a defence identity with publicly-declared ambitions for a Euro-army.  These are the attributes of a sovereign nation state, worse still, a super-state. The Remain camp’s latest panic outburst, suggesting that World War III will break out if we leave, would be laughable were it not so serious.  NATO, not the EU, is the cornerstone of the UK’s, and the continent’s, security, and the continent managed to remain at peace throughout the 28 years before the UK joined the EEC in 1973. As a former Defence Minister, I believe that far from enhancing the UK’s security it is likely to be put at risk by our continued membership of the European Union.  Only last week it emerged that the German government is preparing to publish a white paper calling for a European Union Army with an EU operational HQ which would seriously undermine NATO, undermine the vital transatlantic security cooperation between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and in effect establish a military capability without national democratic oversight. If the British people vote to remain, they will not be voting for the status quo, or for ‘a safe option’; they will be voting for further integration and further change.  The EU’s Eurozone members are poised to undertake massive further integration, i.e. surrender of national sovereignty, which will create further tensions of the kind already experienced in Greece.  Not being a Eurozone member, the UK will be side lined. Furthermore, the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights will confer ever-greater powers on the European Court of Justice to override laws passed by our Parliament. I look forward to working together with Conservative Way Forward activists to ensure that we seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new and exciting future for our country outside the EU. As Sir Winston Churchill said on 11 May 1953, “We have our own dream and our own task.  We are with Europe, but not of it.  We are linked but not combined.  We are interested and associated but not absorbed.  If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea”.Yours sincerely, Sir Gerald Howarth MP Chairman, Conservative Way Forward PS - Conservative Way Forward is supporting the campaign to Vote Leave and Take Control on June 23rd. Click here to sign up to the campaign, and here to check out their events. Forward http://www.conwayfor.org/

Thank you!

Good afternoon folks, 

Thanks ever so much to all of you who took a hand in the campaign over the last four weeks.

Lots of effort by many (worn out a pair of trainers and acquired some interesting blisters in the process).  Sadly whilst we polled 1669 who were thinking what we were thinking and voted. On the day Labour kept the seat with a 248 vote majority and 1917 votes with a turnout of 34.9%.

Can I take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our other candidates for your work in other wards across the constituency and wish you all success in future campaigns.

Kind regards

Geoff

Today is Polling Day

Out and about in Pontefract South today is polling day. If you see me say hello.

 Action for Pontefract use your vote today.@ChrisHyomes for Pontefract North, Me for Pontefract South and Allan Doherty for West Yorkshire PCC. Polling stations open until 10pm.

Voting is a right please vote today and help give Pontefract its voice back.

Cheers

Geoff