Dear John,

Yesterday was my birthday (53, since you ask!). As always, the occasion prompted me to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. Some of that thinking related to me personally - diet starts tomorrow! - some of it to my wife and daughter, and some to the critical work Open Britain will do over the next five years.  I thought I’d share some of that with you today.

Looking Back Proudly

The first thing to say is that I am immensely proud of what our movement has done in recent years and excited about what we will achieve in the future.

Whether you look back to the olden days of the Brexit Referendum or to the mass street protests of the People’s Vote campaign, to our defiant ‘Stop the Rot’ noisy rally outside Downing Street or our cheeky giant leaving card for Boris Johnson, to all the petitions signed, or to the hundreds of thousands of emails sent to MPs and newspaper editors, Open Britain’s record is something we can all be proud of.

We may not always have achieved the outcomes we sought, but we brought democratic theory to life, gave ordinary people a voice, and took the fight to our adversaries. That is what we do best, and that is what we will continue to do in future.

How Big?!

As a movement of more than 250,000 people, we undoubtedly have the potential to be a powerful voice in the national debate. A friend of mine recently joked that Open Britain’s supporters could fill ALL the seats in Old Trafford, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Emirates Stadium, St James’ Park AND Wimbledon’s Centre Court…and still have enough people left over to mount a mass rally in Parliament Square!

While my friend’s point may have been a bit of statistical fun, it’s significant when considered in the context of the memberships of the major political parties (the Reform Party is reported to have about 35,000, the Green Party about 50,000, the SNP about 75,000, the Lib Dems about 100,000, the Conservative Party about 170,000, and Labour about 390,000). We have the size, experience and reach necessary to drive real social change.

Tractors in London

That size and experience was a key factor in the success of our recent ‘Westminster Tractor Demo’, mounted in partnership with Save British Farming.  That event saw more than 100 tractors parading around Parliament and past Downing St to highlight fundamental concerns with the security of our country’s food supply and the diminishing quality of some of the food in it.

The tractors brought thousands of people onto the streets - I lost count of the number of kids I saw along the route, elated at the spectacle. The good-natured demo was covered by all major UK news channels and attracted attention across the EU and around the world, illustrating the impact we can have on the national and international stage. It was hard work, but I am proud of what we achieved and look forward to the next event.

Old  Friends

I was also proud recently to rekindle our long-standing relationship with European Movement with an update from Lord Heseltine. It is imperative that our two organisations stay connected with each other as both have a role to play in fixing the Brexit disaster. There will come a time in the future when we need, once again, to stand shoulder to shoulder in a fight to move our country back towards our friends in the EU. We must be ready. In the meantime, we have plans for further joint events…I hope to be in a position to announce those soon.

Future Plans

I’ll close with a summary of the things Open Britain will continue to do in the run-up to the next election and beyond.

We will:

- highlight the myriad problems caused by Brexit and advocate for closer EU ties…not for ideology's sake, but because it makes political, economic and social sense for our country.


- call out the destructive and divisive far-right voices of Nigel Farage, Suella Braverman, Jacob Rees Mogg, Liz Truss and others who claim to represent Britain but do not.


- push for the implementation of our Functional Democracy Goals by 2030, working with fellow campaigners and Parliamentarians who can help make it happen.


- collaborate with allies like Fair Vote UK, Unlock Democracy, Compass, Electoral Reform Society, and many others to maximise our collective impact, especially in the critical fight for Proportional Representation.


- grow our movement, so we have enough people power to overcome our well-funded and well-connected opponents and enable a brighter, fairer future.

Thank You!

There is so much at stake in the next five years. With your continued passion and support, I know we can prevail and put Britain on a path to being a fairer, more democratic, and more European-minded country. I am deeply grateful to be in this fight together with you.

Onward!

All the best,

Mark Kieran

CEO, Open Britain

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