Thread by @BostonLincs4EU

I've been intended to do a thread on reasons why people change their mind and becoming #RemainerNow. Turns out @JamieWoodhouse had done all the legwork for me so here's his article and I'm going to quote each reason in a tweet of its own as well jamiewoodhouse.com/remainernow-re…

@JamieWoodhouse "I just want it to be over (remaining is the only way)"
This is true, if we leave with a deal or no deal, we'll be negotiating our trade agreement for years. If you want it over (and who doesn't?) then revoking A50, which we can do unilaterally and at any time, is the only way.

@JamieWoodhouse "The Brexits on offer in 2019 are so different from 2016 promises (sunlit uplands, easiest deal ever)"

@JamieWoodhouse "Disgust with the people pushing Brexit – they don’t share my values / I don’t trust their motives"

@JamieWoodhouse "I’m shocked at the way our government is willing to even undermine democracy and the rule of law to make a no-deal Brexit happen. This isn’t my Brexit"

@JamieWoodhouse "I’ve talked to my kids and grandkids – didn’t realise how they felt about Brexit’s impact on jobs / rights / public services"

@JamieWoodhouse "I didn’t realise how complex Brexit was going to be and how badly our government would mess it up. Even if we still want to leave we need to revoke Article 50 now and have another think"

@JamieWoodhouse "Didn’t think about UK people losing our freedom of movement rights (live, work, retire in 31 countries)"

@JamieWoodhouse "Our government has already wasted 3 years on Brexit when so much needs fixing in the UK. If we go ahead with Brexit – government will be doing nothing else for another decade or more"

@JamieWoodhouse "Protecting The Union (Scotland + Northern Ireland) – I didn’t even think about Ireland in 2016"

@JamieWoodhouse "Our politicians and press only ever talked about the negatives of the EU. The benefits were hidden or claimed by UK politicians as their own. I’ve learned so much more about the benefits of trade, international co-operation, freedom of movement"

@JamieWoodhouse "Fears over job losses – “project fear” seems to be coming true"

@JamieWoodhouse "The Leave campaign lied (NHS, Turkey, trade deals)"
Sometimes people say that both sides lied. Even if true then that is even more reason why the first referendum was illegitimate - two wrong don't make a right, they make an even worse wrong.

@JamieWoodhouse "The Vote Leave campaign broke electoral law"

@JamieWoodhouse "Worried about NHS staffing + funding"

@JamieWoodhouse "Concerned about availability of critical drug / medical supplies for me and my family"
I'm thankfully not in this situation but I'm concerned for everyone else who is.

@JamieWoodhouse "Worried trade will impact public services funding / tax take"

@JamieWoodhouse "I’ve heard stories about the impact of Brexit on millions of EU people in the UK (e.g. stress of the settled status process) and UK people in the EU"

@JamieWoodhouse "I’d lost touch with the EU as couldn’t really afford to travel – it just didn’t feel relevant. I’ve since visited EU countries with my family – it’s helped me feel more of a connection"

@JamieWoodhouse "Was told the EU was falling apart – now it seems stronger than ever"

@JamieWoodhouse "I’m nervous about the UK standing alone given behaviour of the US, Russia, China – re: trade and security issues"

@JamieWoodhouse "I voted leave partly to free the UK to invest more in the regions. Now I’ve realised the EU care more about UK regions than Westminster does"

Check out @UKESIF for more information on this one.

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I felt as though the benefits of EU membership all helped London, but didn’t do much for the regions. Now I see that Brexit will cause most damage to the regions"

Similar to the previous tweet - check out @ukesif for more information.

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "Brexit has made us an international embarrassment – staying in the EU is the best way of starting to rebuild our reputation"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I didn’t like the idea of EU regulations being imposed on the UK – but then I realised we’re part of making those rules and none of them negatively impact my life at all"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I believed we could get a deal that included all the benefits of EU membership without the constraints. I now know that was never realistic"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "Protest vote gone wrong – just wanted to give Cameron and the government / establishment a kicking – I didn’t want this"
and
"I never thought leave could win – so was comfortable voting as a protest"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I still have criticisms of the EU, but the damage to the UK from leaving isn’t worth it – we should stay and help make things better"

Best attitude to have over any body with power, keep a sceptical eye on them, hold them accountable and work to make them better.

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I voted to leave because I wanted the EU to be more directly democratic – to actually take some power away from nation states and give it back to the European people. Instead, Brexit now seems to be driven by the nationalism I despise"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I thought we could strike trade deals with the US, China and Commonwealth countries that would more than offset what we lose in EU trade – that just doesn’t seem realistic now"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "Vote Leave promised we’d have a deal negotiated before triggering the legal process to leave. Now they’re claiming we voted for a no-deal!"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "Given how global politics has shifted in the US, India, China, Turkey and Russia – feels like the EU is the only powerful hope for liberal democracy – we need to stay part of that"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I voted to leave because I thought we could pursue a more socialist agenda outside the EU. Now Brexit feels like a hard-right Tory project + I don’t see the EU constraining other left-wing governments"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I wanted an EFTA / Norway / Soft Brexit. Given those aren’t on offer I’d prefer to remain. My vote seems to be being co-opted for ever harder versions of Brexit"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "I felt like we should respect the result of the 2016 referendum – but it promised something we now know is impossible"

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif "Brexit seems to have emboldened the far-right – I want no part of that."

@JamieWoodhouse @ukesif As we can see the reasons for becoming a #RemainerNow are many and varied. Perhaps if you voted leave, some of these reasons resonate with you?