The new head of the European Movement in the UK (EMUK) will on Saturday mark the seventh anniversary of the disastrous vote for Brexit by urging Scots to boost the campaign to Rejoin the European Union.
Scotland voted 62-38 to Remain on 23rd June 2016, with current polls showing an even bigger majority – more than 70% – in favour of rejoining the EU and viewing Brexit in the words of Nigel Farage as “a disaster.”
Dr Mike Galsworthy, EMUK’s new chair, will urge a public meeting in Glasgow organised by the European Movement in Scotland to join in a “society-wide, cross-party campaign to propel Scotland towards its European future.”
Dr Galsworthy, founder of Scientists for EU and a leading grassroots campaigner, is spearheading a EMUK drive to expand its membership base, including in Scotland, as the scale of the economic and political damage wrought by Brexit visibly grows with each passing day.
“As European Movement grows at pace, I’m keen that we start building up local groups and membership all over the UK.
“Scotland has always been passionately pro-European and I am delighted to be visiting European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) to meet its team and promote its campaigning across an array of EU-related issues.
“Scotland has its own society-wide cross-party campaign to drive the country forward towards its European future. I’ll be talking about how we can extend and expand that.”
Dr Galsworthy’s visit comes in the immediate aftermath of MPs’ overwhelming vote – 354-7 – to back the privileges committee findings that Boris Johnson, Brexit’s architect, deliberately misled (lied to) the House of Commons – showing utter contempt for the body whose sovereignty he claimed to be restoring.
It also follows the publication by the Scottish Government of a new paper showing the scale of damage seven years on from the Brexit referendum.
These include:
· An expected loss of £3 billion every year in public revenues for Scotland.
· Food price inflation at a 45 year high with Brexit responsible for an estimated one third of it.
· Damaged trade with 44% of businesses in Scotland naming Brexit as the main cause of difficulties trading overseas.
· Staff shortages reported by 45% of tourism businesses in the Highland and Islands, as a result of the loss of freedom of movement.
The European Movement is growing. Membership has tripled in the last four years, reaching almost 20,000 and growing every day.
The EMiS meeting is at Strathclyde Business School, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow G4 0QU, at 6pm.
Further details, including for registration, can be found here.