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1. The online abuse I’ve received in recent years has been quite phenomenal. It’s easy to block some of it out but it does get a bit wearing after a while. Nevertheless I want to help correct some of the deliberate disinformation perpetuated about Freedom of Movement and Europe.
2. Freedom of Movement of people isn’t the same as “uncontrolled immigration”. It matters to people all over Europe and it gives them freedom from abusive employment where visas are conditional on jobs.
3. Freedom of Movement ended purely because of UK government choices. Not because Brits voted for that. Not because UK left the EU and not even because UK left the EEA.
4. But Freedom of Movement can be replace with something similar whenever politicians choose to do it.
5. Even if politicians decided to prevent settlement without a visa they could allow work rights or generous visit rights.
6. There are so many possibilities limited only by the extent of politicians’ imaginations.
7. I won’t make any apologies for wishing Brexit had never happened but we need change now and urgently.
8. This cannot wait 15 or 20 years. So either politicians need to pull their finger out and rejoin right away or we need to find alternative ways of allowing the mobility people need.
9. I do not believe that allowing all Europeans to be fully mobile in Europe will “damage the Schengen zone” or “weaken the EU”. Quite the opposite actually. Only isolation for 20 years promises to do that.
10. A youth mobility scheme for 18-30 year olds would be fab. But what happens to people when they turn 31? Life is too short to be unhappy where you live or work.
11. So please block the trolls, realise that most Brits are not racist xenophobes, and realise that the majority of leave voters did not even want a system of visas.
12. Take heart that more than 88% of the UK population support restoration of fully reciprocal Freedom of Movement.
13. And now all that remains is to say….
14. Over to you @euromove @UKLabour @labour4europe @LibDems @TheGreenParty @UkVolt @VoteTrueAndFair. We want and need a better future than this. #BrexitInquiry #SaveFOM
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