Thread by @uk_domain_names

Brexit: An "open letter" to MPs (PDF version at end of thread)
Brexit impacts EVERYTHING. If you care about austerity but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about austerity. 1/30
#bbcnews #BBCPolitics #C4News #itvnews #skynews #5news #bbcpapers #skypapers #peston #Newsnight

If you care about Universal Credit, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about Universal Credit. If you care about mental health, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about mental health. 2/30

Brexit will spread like a virus into every aspect of life, making us poorer, less competitive, more isolated in the world. Your heart can be so full of compassion it threatens to burst, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about your country. 3/30

If you care about disabled people, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about disabled people. If you care about the underfunding of the NHS, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about the underfunding of the NHS. 4/30

Brexit will upend whole industries, sending multinational companies and foreign investment fleeing, taking jobs with them. Your intentions may be purer than an angel's, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about your country. 5/30

If you care about food security, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about food security. If you care about children's services, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about children's services. 6/30

Brexit will fan the flames of intolerance and racism. It will "other" whole groups of people and sections of the community. You can wring your hands at the state of the world until they bleed, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about our country. 7/30

If you care about young people, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about young people. If you care about the treatment of migrants, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about the treatment of migrants. 8/30

Brexit will shred all our international trading arrangements (covering 60%+ of all our trade) and undo half a century of deal-making. You may desperately want to see businesses thrive, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about our country. 9/30

If you care about cuts to the police, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about cuts to the police. If you care about saving Post Offices, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about saving Post Offices. 10/30

Every flavour of Brexit will impoverish us, with the impact felt disproportionately by disadvantaged communities and the lowest-paid. You may be a paragon of virtue, committed to fighting inequality, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about the UK. 11/30

If you care about adult social care, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about adult social care. If you care about the threat of deportations, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about the threat of deportations. 12/30

The UK is an economic powerhouse, but it also runs its finances very close to the limit. Brexit will tip us over the edge, just like the financial crisis did. You may be a fervent patriot, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about the UK. 13/30

If you care about the hostile immigration environment, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about the hostile immigration environment. If you care about nursing bursaries, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about nursing bursaries. 14/30

We're so often awkward around money, embarrassed to talk about it. Maybe that's why so many people avoid the hard facts of Brexit. Scroll back through this thread. EVERYTHING depends on having adequate funding. Yet Brexit will impact our economy for decades to come. 15/30

If you care about equal pay, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about equal pay. If you care about the surge in violent crime, but not about Brexit, you don't truly care about the surge in violent crime. 16/30

Brexit sows division. It sets friend against friend, family against family, colleague against colleague, politician against politician. The referendum fired the starting pistol on a seething resentment that will run and run Will you dampen the flames, or fan them further? 17/30

If you take the time to look, to really dig, EVERYTHING points to Brexit being a disaster. The only question mark is over just how much of a disaster it will be. All the information you need to truly understand Brexit is already at your disposal. 18/30

You have ready access to HOC briefings, evidence to Select Committees, impact assessments, expert (shudder) testimony, warnings from industry, UK and EU preparedness notices, and a myriad other resources to find out the truth about Brexit. 19/30

Hauliers warn that Brexit could destroy their business. Farmers warn that fruit & vegetables could rot in the fields. The NHS warns of severe staffing shortages. Universities warn of loss of funding and collaboration. Car manufacturers warn they may have to move production. 20/30

UK citizens in Europe are left wondering what their lives will become. EU citizens in the UK - our friends and neighbours, often doing vital jobs or those we might not choose to do ourselves - are just as much in limbo, all awaiting the sword of Damocles that is Brexit. 21/30

Meanwhile, airlines warn they may not be able to fly. The Government is preparing for food and medicine shortages, converting motorways into car parks and requisitioning ships. Police are planning for civil unrest after Brexit. Take a step back, a really BIG step back. 22/30

Are any of these things the rational behaviour of a normal country in normal times? Isn't it extraordinary the lengths to which Brexit is forcing us to tear up the norms of everyday life? When did it become a burden, an obligation, something forced on us by circumstance? 23/30

Could now be the time to learn, understand, internalise and think again? Our future is not yet written. It can still be changed, if you have the wisdom to see Brexit for what it is. You came into politics to make a difference. Brexit is the biggest opportunity of your life. 24/30

The EU has its problems. Many of them - it's far from perfect. But you wouldn't tear down a tower block because you don't like the colour of the paint on the 7th floor, or the leaky drainpipe near the roof. You fix the issues, make things better, or learn to live with them. 25/30

Brexit is happening on 29 March 2019 at 11pm UK time. The only way to stop it is to rescind Article 50. The only way to delay it is to extend Article 50. Once we're out, we're OUT. We can bicker about the shape of the future relationship, but there will be no safety net. 26/30

A longer transition period merely extends our stay in purgatory a while. At the end of transition, the hell of a no-deal Brexit will be waiting for us, since we will have lost all our treaties and trade agreements on Brexit day. 27/30

Facts don't care about belief. They can't be trumped by patriotism, or hope, or courage, or sheer bloody-mindedness. They just ARE. And the facts of Brexit - if you choose to explore them - all point to it being a chaotic mess that will harm the UK for generations. 28/30

So when you're thinking about the NHS, social services, education, the plight of local constituents and local companies - all the myriad things that cross your desk - think about Brexit FIRST. Think about Brexit LAST. Think about Brexit ALL THE TIME. Think AGAIN. 29/30

I have just one voice amongst millions. But you, along with your 649 colleagues, hold the future of our country in your collective hands. You have the power to save us, or doom us, and on your heads be it. Please make the right choice. Thank you for reading this far. 30/30

If you agree with the above sentiment, please spread the word. Retweet, repost, write your MP, stand up before it's really too late.

NOTE: A slightly older version of this thread is available in PDF from the link below:
scribd.com/document/39186…

And here's a "handwritten" (font) version of the PDF, which may make for a more impactful printout if you're sharing it with others...
scribd.com/document/39189…

And here's a "large print" version of the PDF, with a larger font, wider line height, and more spacing between paragraphs.
scribd.com/document/39189…

Finally, if you feel inspired to learn more about Brexit, I spelled out a lot of the issues in the thread below (with plenty of sources to further information)

https://twitter.com/uk_domain_names/status/1051411763680473090

If you got all the way down to here (sorry, it's super-long I know) then I just wanted to draw your attention to a revised version of the original thread, with extra material. Not necessarily "better", but different anyway!

https://twitter.com/uk_domain_names/status/1057156089014378496