VOLUNTEERS from across the political spectrum took to Wokingham’s town centre once again on Saturday to canvass shoppers for their latest views on Brexit.
Members of Berkshire For Europe are encouraging a tactical voting campaign across the region, and have been offering leaflets with suggestions for a range of seats if the voter wants to back a candidate who would support remaining in the European Union.
Although they have been sharing leaflets throughout this week, their ‘Brexitometer’ event took place the day before Wokingham was revealed by leading pollster Peter Kellner as one of the 50 seats where Conservatives would be vulnerable to tactical voting.
It is believed to be the first time that Wokingham parliamentary constituency has featured in such a list, as the seat has always returned a Conservative member of parliament since its creation in 1950, and in its original incarnation between 1885 and 1918.
Writing in The Observer on Sunday, December 8, Mr Kellner noted: “On current trends, voters will deliver a contradictory verdict on Thursday night. The Conservatives are on course for an overall majority – but most voters will back parties that want to block an early Brexit. If turnout is similar to last time, the 14 to 15 million who will support the Conservatives or Brexit party will be outnumbered by the 16 to 17 million who will vote Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, SNP or Plaid Cymru.”
The 50 seats were listed in alphabetical order and the entry next to Wokingham read: “Arch-Brexiter John Redwood faces Phillip Lee who switched from the Tories to the Lib Dems in this Remain seat”.
Mr Kellner is the former president of polling organisation YouGov and said that the guide drew on detailed big-sample national polls and constituency surveys, local activity and past election results.
Vanessa Rogers, from Berkshire For Europe, said that Saturday’s event had been successful, despite the freezing weather.
“As usual, the majority of the Wokingham constituents who passed us by were more than willing to answer the questions on our Brexitometer – and the results speak for themselves. Virtually nobody who answered the questions on the Brexitometer, it seems, trusts Boris Johnson either on the future of our NHS, the future of the unity of the United Kingdom nor, indeed, his fatuous slogan ‘Get Brexit Done’ designed purely to hook those of us who are fed up to the back teeth with their Brexit lies and shenanigans and want to be done with the whole episode once and for all.
“However, getting ‘Brexit Done’ will take years of negotiation with our future trade talks with the EU – this ‘deal’ that Johnson has concocted is purely an exit mechanism. The threat of a no deal still hangs on us if the Tories win this election with a majority as they may well crash us out by design or by accident at the end of January. Those of us who believe in the Tories have been misled, lied to and deceived.”
She continued: “This is an election where we are literally fighting for our lives. In the hands of Johnson and the Tories, our NHS is under threat to be sold off piecemeal to the US under already ‘oven ready’ deals, Northern Ireland will be sliced off from the UK with Scotland swiftly following suit and our economy will slowly haemorrhage.
“To this end, we are urging Labour voters in Wokingham to donate their votes in a tactical voting measure to the Liberal Democrats who have a really good chance of challenging Redwood and removing him from office. Their success in the recent MEP elections in this area substantiates this.”
And she stressed that Berkshire For Europe is a “non-partisan organisation formed originally to campaign for the UK to remain in the UK”.
And added: “We are also passionate about removing the Tory government from office because, of course, of their hard Brexit stance but also of their hapless 10-year governing record which has brought our country to its knees, their lack of compassion for the vulnerable in our society and their hard right, populist policies.
“To this end we are supporting tactical voting throughout the Berkshire constituencies, promoting Labour candidates in other Berkshire constituencies where Labour has the best chance of ousting a Tory MP.
“With Dr Phillip Lee as the Lib Dem candidate for Wokingham, we believe we have the best opportunity to do this here in Wokingham. John Redwood is an arch Brexiter. How can he represent a Remain constituency such as Wokingham with a young, progressive, dynamic workforce?”
In a blog post yesterday, Sir John Redwood restated his desire for parliament to make Brexit happen.
He wrote: “I do want the next Parliament to complete our exit from the EU so we can move on. The uncertainty deliberately generated by the Remain majority in the last Parliament was harmful . Too many MPs pushed out negative views about the result of simply taking back control of our laws, our money and our borders. Too many MPs elected on a ticket of supporting Brexit spent the whole of the last Parliament trying to delay or stop it altogether.”
Sir John also wrote: “The public now have the opportunity to elect a new Parliament that will carry out their wish to leave the EU … The revised Political Declaration sets out how we will leave and base our future relationship on a Free Trade Agreement, not a customs partnership or surrogate single market membership.”
