Thread by @uk_domain_names

A BREXIT OPEN LETTER TO POLITICIANS (PDF version at end)
Brexit impacts everything. It looms like a black hole, sucking all other considerations into its gravitational field.

Do you truly care about austerity or Universal Credit, if you don't also care about Brexit? 1/32

Brexit will spread like a cancer through every aspect of life in the UK, making us poorer, less competitive, more isolated in the world. The damage has already begun, be it the £4 billion spent by Government on Brexit preparations, or the £500 million a week in lost growth. 2/32

Your heart may be so full of compassion that it threatens to burst, but can you truly say you care about disabled people, mental health, food security, or the provision of children's services unless you also care about Brexit? 3/32

Brexit fans the flames of intolerance and racism, threatens to “other” whole sections of the community. We see this already in the rise of hate crime. You can wring your hands at the state of the world until they bleed, but if you don't care about Brexit, it's irrelevant. 4/32

Your intentions may be purer than an angel's, but can you truly say you care about the plight of young people, cuts to the police, or saving Post Offices, if you don't also care about Brexit? 5/32

Brexit will upend our economy and send multinational companies fleeing, taking jobs and foreign investment with them. Some firm have already executed their contingency plans. The majority are waiting for clarity. They cannot and will not wait much longer. 6/32

You may care about the hostile immigration environment, the plight of migrants, the threat of deportations. You may care about adult social care, nursing bursaries, or the underfunding of the NHS. You can't truly tackle any of these issues without also caring about Brexit. 7/32

Brexit will shred all our international trade agreements (which cover 60% of all our trade) and undo half a century of deal-making. You may desperately want to see businesses thrive, but that counts for nothing unless you also care about Brexit. 8/32

Every flavour of Brexit will impoverish us, with the harshest impact falling on disadvantaged communities and the lowest-paid. You may be committed to fighting inequality, but if you don't care about Brexit, you don't truly care about our country's future. 9/32

We're rubbish at talking about money. It leaves us embarrassed, awkward, tongue-tied. That may be why so many people avoid the hard facts of Brexit. Every good intention in this thread hinges on securing adequate funding, yet Brexit will impact our economy for decades. 10/32

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. It risks heralding an era of renewed austerity, with no clear end in sight. 11/32

The UK has been brilliant at attracting foreign companies and inward investment, generating millions of jobs. Firms come for our educated workforce and English language business environment, but mainly because we're a fantastic "gateway to Europe". 12/32

Through Brexit, we're effectively walling up that gateway. We're severing the frictionless borders that allow for just-in-time production, swapping them for customs delays and queues, a mountain of red tape, and additional costs for companies to shoulder. 13/32

Hauliers warn that Brexit could destroy their business. Farmers warn about fruit and vegetables rotting. The NHS warns of severe staff shortages. Universities warn of the loss of funding and shared research. Car manufacturers warn they may be forced to move production. 14/32

Nobel laureates warn that scientific collaboration will be damaged. Airlines warn that planes may not be able to fly. All these warnings add up: if enough people report smelling smoke, or seeing the flicker of flame, maybe – just maybe – the house really IS on fire. 15/32

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 equally in limbo, waiting for the Brexit Sword of Damocles to fall. 16/32

All this is but scratching the surface. We haven't even begun to talk about the Irish border, Gibraltar, the loss of passporting rights by the City, or the evisceration of service industries that depend on exports. 17/32

Meanwhile, the Government is turning motorways into car parks, requisitioning ships, planning for food and medicine shortages. The police are planning for civil unrest after Brexit. Are any of these things the behaviour of a normal country in normal times? 18/32

Take a step back. A really BIG step back. Isn't it extraordinary the extent 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? Brexit feels like a doomed march. 19/32

The Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament states that Members have a general duty to act in the interests of the nation as a whole, and a special duty to their constituents. Members should act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in them. 20/32

How is any of that compatible with Brexit? The nation may have voted to Leave in the referendum, but the best interests of the UK cannot be served by damaging our economy, leaving people poorer and businesses in limbo, cutting us off from the world. 21/32

One of the key General Principles of Conduct is that of objectivity. It states that holders of public office should make choices on merit. If you take the time to look properly, to really dig, EVERYTHING points to Brexit being a disaster rather than a meritocratic choice. 22/32

All the information you need to find out the truth about Brexit is readily at your disposal, including HOC briefings, evidence to Select Committees, impact assessments, expert testimony, warnings from industry, UK and EU preparedness notices, and a myriad other resources. 23/32

Our future is not yet written. Could this be the time to learn, understand, internalise, think again? Do 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. 24/32

Brexit sows division, sets friend against friend, colleague against colleague, family against family, politician against politician. The referendum fired up a seething a resentment that threatens to run and run. Will you dampen the flames, or fan them further? 25/32

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. 26/32

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 A50. Once we're out, we're OUT. After that, we can bicker about the shape of the future relationship, but there's no safety net. 27/32

A transition period, even an extended one, merely extends our stay in purgatory a while. At the end of the transition period, the hell of a no-deal Brexit will still be waiting for us, since we will have lost all our treaties and trade agreements on Brexit Day. 28/32

Facts don't care about belief. They can't be trumped by patriotism, hope, courage, force of will or sheer bloody-mindedness. They just ARE. And the facts of Brexit all point to it being a colossal, chaotic mess that will harm the UK for generations. 29/32

If you're unable or unwilling to stop Brexit, even after informing yourself, then at the very least you have an obligation to minimise the damage. To channel Sir Humphrey: "If you're going to do this damn silly thing, don't do it in this damn silly way." 30/32

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. Then think again. 31/32

I have but one voice amongst millions. But you and 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 head be it. For all our sakes, please make the right choice. THE END. 32/32

Thank you for reading this far. If you agree with the sentiments in this letter, please help to spread the word. Consider retweeting this thread or the PDFs below, repost this material, write to your MP or local paper. With just 5 months until Brexit, time is NOT on our side.

PDF and screen reader version of this thread:
scribd.com/document/39194…

PDF and screen reader version of this thread, in a "handwriting" font:
scribd.com/document/39194…

PDF and screen reader version of this thread, in large print (bigger font, more whitespace around paragraphs):
scribd.com/document/39194…

And finally, if you want to learn more about the issues surrounding Brexit, I've dug into them in detail in the thread below (including plenty of sources to further information)

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