Pro-EU campaigners will hold a national day of action on Saturday. (David Mirzoeff/PA)

Thousands of pro-EU activists to demonstrate on national action day BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Thousands of pro-European campaigners will take part in demonstrations across the country this weekend in what has been dubbed the groups’ largest ever joint grassroots national day of action. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/thousands-of-proeu-activists-to-demonstrate-on-national-action-day-36803123.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/article36803121.ece/a9fbc/AUTOCROP/h342/bpanews_ab236979-321c-4d36-b24e-710775cc2459_1

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Thousands of pro-European campaigners will take part in demonstrations across the country this weekend in what has been dubbed the groups’ largest ever joint grassroots national day of action.

Activists and supporters from Open Britain, the European Movement and Britain for Europe will take to the streets for 12 flagship events in every part of the UK on Saturday.

In all there will be more than 350 events taking place across the country, from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland to Falmouth in the south of Cornwall.

Thousands of pro-EU activists and supporters are expected to take part, with organisers saying 500,000 leaflets will be handed out and more than 100 street stalls set up in towns and cities across Britain, in areas that voted both Remain and Leave.

MUST-READ: This weekend, along with 8 other pro-European organisations, thousands of activists will take to the streets demanding a vote on final Brexit deal https://t.co/CvO6o3AJrK pic.twitter.com/BzMVOTT8rp — People's Vote HQ (@peoplesvote_hq) April 13, 2018

James McGrory, executive director of Open Britain, said: “Our largest ever national day of action is all about bringing together the various pro-European groups so that we can speak with one, unified, voice because we know that together we are stronger.”

The day of action will lead into the launch of a fresh campaign on Sunday calling for a referendum on the final Brexit deal.

Some 1,000 activists are set to attend the campaign’s launch event in London, which will include speeches from pro-Europe MPs such as Labour’s Chuka Umunna and Conservative Anna Soubry.

James MacCleary, campaign director of European Movement UK, said: “The pro-European movement is gaining in strength and momentum and that progress will be reflected this weekend with a huge demonstration of grassroots power in favour of a people’s vote on the Brexit deal.”

Anne Weyman, vice chair of Britain for Europe, added: “We may come from different political parties, different traditions and different groups, but we are united by our desire for the people to have their say on the Brexit deal and we are determined to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear.”

PA</s>Britain’s imperial past distorts the debate about our place in the world, but not in the way that is commonly assumed. It is often asserted that claims about this country’s international importance are a form of nostalgia. It would be more accurate to say that Britain tends to underestimate its power because it is no longer the global hegemon.

Britain might not be, in 1066 and All That terms, ‘top nation’ any more. On any objective reading, however, the United Kingdom is still an influential global player. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the sixth largest economy in the world, a nuclear weapons state, a member of the world’s most powerful intelligence agreement and a cultural superpower.

When it comes to acting on the world stage, British prime ministers can be damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If the UK joins the US in military action, it is dismissed as merely the Americans’ spear carrier. If it sits it out — or, even worse, is not invited to participate — then this country is branded an irrelevance. It is striking how concerned the Foreign Office has been this week about the possibility of France and the United States responding to Syria’s use of chemical weapons without Britain.

One of the questions that this country must begin to answer in the next few years is what its role in the world will be after Brexit. To many of those who backed Britain’s entry into the European project in the first place, the idea was that Britain would maintain its relevance by becoming one of the leading nations in the European endeavour. The fatal flaw was that this country was never keen on the idea of ‘ever closer union’. It clashed too strongly with the understanding of sovereignty that had developed here since 1532 and the Act in Restraint of Appeals to Rome.

The result was that Britain was in the European Union but not a participant in its most important project: the single currency. So it became impossible for Britain to lead, in the full sense of the word, in Europe. Roy Jenkins, the only Briton ever to have been president of the European Commission, was right when he said that there are only two coherent British attitudes to the European project: fully in or out. Indeed, Britain’s departure from the EU became close to inevitable from the moment that this country decided it would never join the euro.

Even outside the EU, however, Britain will remain heavily involved in European security. It is an irony of Brexit that Britain has actually become more important to the continent’s security since the referendum. The election of Donald Trump has raised real questions about America’s commitment to Nato. Trump might be an outlier, especially in how he expresses himself, but the frustration he is voicing about the United States protecting countries that aren’t prepared to spend even the Nato minimum of two per cent of their GDP on defence is by no means confined to him.

After Britain has left the EU, European Union nations will account for 72 per cent of Nato’s membership but only 20 per cent of its military expenditure. This is not a sustainable position. EU states will have to raise their defence spending considerably over the coming years. But even if that happens, Britain will have an important role to play in Europe’s defence against both Russian aggression and the Islamist terrorist threat.

Encouragingly, the UK and the EU do seem to be moving towards a sensible security partnership after Brexit. The EU’s stronger than expected support for the UK over the Salisbury attack was a clear sign that it wants a close relationship on these matters after Brexit. No attempt was made to show the British that the decision to leave had affected the level of EU support for them over this incident.

Britain is one of the two major military powers in Europe and it has been reported that the other power, France, wants the European intervention force that it is developing to operate outside of EU structures. This would make it much easier for Britain to participate and be another demonstration of this country’s continuing importance to European security.

The EU’s need for unanimity on most foreign and security matters limits its effectiveness in dealing with various threats. Take Russia: the influence of Russian money in Cyprus means it is unlikely to sign up to genuinely tough action against Moscow. In Italy and Austria, politics is structurally quite pro-Russian. In Germany, the reliance on Russian gas complicates the country’s attitude towards Moscow. It is to be hoped that the reservations Angela Merkel expressed this week about the proposed Nord Stream 2 pipeline mark the beginning of a broader rethink of this project: for Western Europe to increase its reliance on Russian gas at this moment would be an historic mistake.

There is an interesting question as to whether Britain will be able to play a role outside of the EU in pushing for tougher action against Russia. The response of the Russian stock market to the US freezing the assets of a handful of Kremlin-friendly oligarchs and various senior government officials shows how vulnerable Moscow is to targeted economic sanctions. But for Britain to do this, it would first have to decide to clamp down on the dubious Russian money that flows through the City of London.

After Brexit, there is not going to be just one answer to Britain’s role in the world. Continuing participation in European security will be part of it, as will a close relationship with the United States. Britain should also be an advocate for free trade around the globe. Odd as it may sound, it may well make sense for this country to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership as part of its post-Brexit trade policy.

If Britain is to continue influencing world affairs, it will have to invest in the mechanisms that allow it do so. That will mean spending more on diplomacy and defence. Britain will be a more valuable defender of the international rules-based order and a better ally to both the EU and the US if it can project force far beyond its borders when necessary.

Now listen to James Forsyth discuss the escalating situation in Syria with Paul Wood, BBC’s World Affairs correspondent:</s>Demonstrators calling for the public to be given a vote on the final Brexit deal will be out in Scotland’s capital.

Thousands of marchers are expected in Edinburgh on Saturday, with the city hosting one of the events planned as part of what organisers claim will be the largest ever pro European day of action.

It comes ahead of the launch of a People’s Vote campaign on Sunday, calling for Britain to hold a ballot on the final deal for the UK’s departure from the European Union.

The day of action is being organised by the European Movement, Open Britain and Britain for Europe, with more than 100 planned across the UK, from Aberdeen to Falmouth.

Thousands of activists will be taking part, with 500,000 leaflets being handed out and more than 100 street stalls set up.

Juuso Jarviniemi, president of the Young European Movement, said they were taking part in the Edinburgh demonstration with other groups “to persuade the Scottish people that we should all have a say on the final Brexit deal”.

The Edinburgh University student added: “Each day that passes shows Brexit is turning out to be much more complicated and costly than people were told during the referendum.

“Scotland voted clearly to remain and that’s why its people should get the chance to vote on the final Brexit deal. It would be fair and democratic.”

James McGrory, executive director of the Open Britain campaign group, said: “Our largest ever national day of action is all about bringing together the various pro-European groups so that we can speak with one, unified voice, because we know that together we are stronger.”

Meanwhile James MacCleary, the campaign director of European Movement UK, said: “The pro-European movement is gaining in strength and momentum and that progress will be reflected this weekend with a huge demonstration of grassroots power in favour of a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal.”

Anne Weyman, vice chair of Britain for Europe, stated: “We may come from different political parties, different traditions and different groups, but we are united by our desire for the people to have their say on the Brexit deal and we are determined to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear.”</s>Baku. 23 June. REPORT.AZ/ Today Great Britain starts voting in a referendum on withdrawal of the country from the European Union. Report informs referring to the BBC, polling stations opened at 7 am (10:00 Baku time) and will run until 10 pm.

Exit polls on the referendum will not exist. The final result should be known by 7 am on June 24.

To participate in this referendum registered nearly 46.5 million people - a record figure for the British elections.

They will put a cross in front of one of the two questions on the ballot: "Should the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union?" or "Should the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union?"

The result will be determined by a simple majority.</s>Report informs referring to the RIA Novosti, the Council of the EU, representing the member states of the European Union, last week received a formal notice from Switzerland on withdrawal filed application for membership in the institutions on the basis of which the European Union has been established.

Notably, in 1992, Switzerland has applied to join the EU. However, in the same year in a referendum the Swiss voted against joining the European Economic Area and the integration process has stopped.</s>Pro-European groups will be out in force on Saturday for a so-called National Day of Action, with hundreds of events taking place across the country.



Activists and supporters from pro-EU pressure groups Open Britain, the European Movement and Britain for Europe will stage events in every part of the UK, in areas that voted both Remain and Leave.



Big demonstrations will be held in large population centres including London, the West Midlands, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Belfast.



In addition, there will be more than 350 smaller events taking place up and down the UK, from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland, to Falmouth in Cornwall.

Organisers are hoping thousands of activists and supporters will be taking part, and are proposed to hand out 500,000 leaflets.



In addition, more than 100 street stalls will be set up in towns and cities across Britain, both in areas which voted Remain and those which voted to Leave.



Campaigners will then launch a new People’s Vote campaign off the back of the event, calling for the British people to get a fresh vote on the Brexit deal before we quit the EU.



Pro-EU MPs including Labour’s Chuka Umunna and Tory Anna Soubry will be among those addressing the London event.

James McGrory, executive director of Open Britain, said: “Our largest ever National Day of Action is all about bringing together the various pro-European groups so that we can speak with one, unified, voice because we know that together we are stronger.”



James MacCleary, campaign director of European Movement UK, added: “The pro-European movement is gaining in strength and momentum and that progress will be reflected this weekend with a huge demonstration of grassroots power in favour of a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal.”



And Anne Weyman, vice chairwoman of Britain for Europe, said: “We may come from different political parties, different traditions and different groups, but we are united by our desire for the people to have their say on the Brexit deal and we are determined to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear.”



The national events come two days after Best for Britain, a separate campaign group, unveiled plans to launch a lawsuit aimed at securing a second referendum.

The organisation argues that any future arrangements will amend or replace existing EU treaties, and should therefore be subject to the 2011 European Union Act, which introduced a “referendum lock” for laws with wide-ranging consequences.



In a statement, the group said: “Best for Britain believes that when David Cameron and hundreds of Conservative MPs voted for a referendum lock, they voted to give the people a say, through a public vote if there were fundamental changes in the treaties.



“Leaving the EU will be the most significant treaty change yet, and transition arrangements are likely to mean a big transfer of powers to Brussels.”



Best for Britain’s CEO Eloise Todd added: “This case is simply about having the right for people to make sure their voice matters on the biggest change in our country’s direction since the second World War.”</s>Germany Together with 190 Other UN Member States, Have No Intention of Attacking Syria. Why Has Britain?

Does the Conservative government of Theresa May imagine that Britain, in 2018, with just one tenth the armed forces of America, is still a global military power?

Does it imagine that the UK has millions to throwaway on a military adventure when our National Health Service is on the point of collapse through lack of funding? When the sick lie on trolleys in hospital through lack of beds? Where our cancer treatment record is still the worst in Europe?

Where our roads are so full of potholes that we are more like a banana republic?

Where the government has cut welfare payments for the sick and disabled?

Where crime and murder in our cities is rising due to cuts in police numbers?

Where knife attacks in London are at a record high?

Where public spending is at an all-time low due to massive government debt?

Yet this Prime Minister, with no military experience whatsoever is prepared to commit the United Kingdom to war? The electorate would not sanction it and neither must Parliament.

Britain has just one (1) outdated, Trident submarine at sea at any one time. Israel has a fleet of four (4) state-of-the-art, German built, Dolphin Class, nuclear-armed submarines with cruise missiles currently assumed active in the Mediterranean and the Gulf.

It is clear that the British Prime Minister is under the covert influence of a political lobby that acts not in British interests but of those whose agenda is to effect regime change, not in Syria but in Iran. And that puts the UK on a collision course with both the European Union and the UN Security Council.

Theresa May must not be allowed to take military action against Syria upon the request of the erratic Trump administration or under pressure from the unelected CFI Lobby or any other political pressure group. The consequences could prove disastrous for Britain, and for Europe.

Hans Stehling (pen name) is an analyst from the UK; a frequent contributor to Global Research.

Filed under: Boris Johnson, Britain, Theresa May, UK, US Foreign Policy, USA, War on Syria, Wars for Israel |</s>LONDON (Reuters) - Airbus <AIR.PA> wants Britain to provide more clarity over the country's future relationship with the European Union, or risk losing investment, the European planemaker's CEO said.

"We must have more clarity on the UK's long-term relationships, not just for the next 20 months," CEO Tom Enders said in an opinion piece in the Financial Times on Wednesday.

"Britain must recognize that future investments are not a given."

His comments come less than a month after Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May agreed a transition deal with European leaders to keep existing trade ties unchanged for 21 months after Brexit, a move seen by politicians as a way of providing businesses with certainty.

But Enders said Britain needed to go further. He called for Britain to remain part of the EU aviation safety certification agency, EASA, to allow Airbus's planes to gain the necessary approvals to let them fly, and said that its business depended on aircraft parts and people being able to move freely between its sites across the UK and Europe.

Airbus employs 15,000 in Britain where it makes all the wings for its commercial aircraft.

Enders also said that there needed to be an agreement covering security, defense and space programs between Britain and the EU, calling for deals to "cement this co-operation".

"It is no good making the right noises. We need a plan that comes from the UK but is also accepted by the EU27," Enders said. "Within these negotiations, the EU will need to offer some flexibility but the UK must also be realistic in its demands; pragmatism must trump pride."

The transition deal, secured by May in March, pushed back the risk of disruption for companies until the end of 2020. But London and Brussels must first agree on their long-term trade ties for the period after 2020 for the transition agreement to become effective.

Airbus, which has its headquarters in France, has 25 sites in Britain and spends more than 5 billion pounds ($7.10 billion) with suppliers in the country. It said that its activities in Britain support 117,000 jobs.</s>Baku. 9 November. REPORT.AZ/ The European Union and the United States will continue to work together, as Europe's ties with the United States deeper than any change in the policy.

Report informs referring to RIA Novosti, the Head of EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini said on Wednesday.

"EU and US relations are deeper than any change in the policy. We will continue to work together, rediscovering the strength of Europe”, F. Mogerini wrote on Twitter.</s>BELFAST (Reuters) - The leader of the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May's minority government said the province must leave the European Union on the same terms as the rest of the United Kingdom.

Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said there could be no regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

 "Northern Ireland must leave the European Union on the same terms as the rest of the United Kingdom," Foster said. 

 "We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland politically or economically from the rest of the UK. And the economic and constitutional integrity of the UK must not be compromised in any way."

 

 (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Kate Holton)
Thousands of pro-European Union supporters of Open Britain, the European Movement and Britain for Europe demonstrate across the United Kingdom calling for a referendum on the final terms of the UK's planned exit from the European Union.