I have been asked to stand as a candidate for the Council of Grassroots for Europe. This is part of a wider initiative to bring together the many organisations that supported Remaining in the EU and is a welcome development.

I therefore ask for your vote. Voting takes place from TODAY Monday 1st Feb 00.01 until Sunday 7th Feb 23.59. Here’s my video pitch. You will find all the details of how to vote on the You Tube description and the list of eligible groups at the bottom of this post.

I presented at the hustings on Friday 29 Jane. You can find all the lovely candidate presentations at HUSTINGS

My presentation begins at just over two hours in. The first 30 minutes of the video is empty so please jump ahead on the link.

JOIN US TO RE-BOOT BRITAIN

My candidate statement is attached below. I am not a continuity candidate but in our 4.5 years, continuity has not exactly got us where we need to be in terms of Brexit, democracy and our place in the world. However I am an extremely skilled person with considerable experience and someone who works to get the best out of others, sometimes against the odds. Grassroots for Europe has emerged as one of the main players in the post Brexit fight to rejoin and re-boot our democracy.

Peter Cook – Grassroots for Europe

I am an unusual mix of scientist, business academic and musician. I have led a variety of grassroots activities from street stalls to writing three albums of political protest songs and got one of them to Number One on the Amazon chart. Aside from that I’ve organised dozens of activities and events both in the street and online, e.g. interviews with MEPs and celebrities about Brexit, restoring democracy and ending populism. Working with a wide variety of groups e.g. EU Flag Mafia, European Movement. I am both a strategist and exceptional mentor / coach and a pragmatist, turning ideas into events with impact across national and international media.

On terms of my work over the last five years, I have led the Rage Against The Brexit Machine project, having written three albums of anti-Brexit protest songs and got one of them to Number One on the Amazon chart.  “Brexorcist in Chief” for Mid Kent 4 EU, I wrote a book on the subject of having difficult conversations  with Leave voters from many thousands of hours of activity on the street, in cafes and bars.  Out of all this time, on one occasion I gained two black eyes for misjudging an interaction with angry leave voters.   I was also arrested by Essex Police for driving a Mini Cooper with “B*llocks to Brexit” on the side.   They asked me to remove the signage on the hard shoulder of the M25.  Sadly for Essex Police I called 999 to have the officer arrested.  250 000 Tweets later, Essex Police had to retreat with an apology for putting their lives and ours at risk.  I should emphasise that the vast majority of our dealings with the Police and public have been cordial and uneventful.

I stood a stuffed cat in the 2019 General Election.  Although the cat was only there to create tactical voting, to my surprise, Stan the Cat  did not come last in the ratings, beating the Christian People’s Alliance who had been campaigning for 15 years with a budget !!  Aside from the above sensationalism, I’ve managed to get our cause into the BBC, ITV, Sky, LBC and all major print media from The Guardian to The Express without ANY media agency or budget, just by using a professional approach.  Whilst some Remainers consider me “underground”, my approach is much more effective than the blowhards in committees who simply watch things happen.

For nearly 5 years I have acted to dispel the illusions of Brexit.  At 62 I am at some risk from Corona and consider that a fitting epitaph for my life would be the destruction of Brexit populism for the sake of future generations.  I wrote a requiem for Brexit on 31 January 2020.   This explains why Re-Booting Britain matters better than words can manage:

You may vote if you are members of the following groups. Please contact your group leader to express your views.

• Bremain in Spain
• Oxford For Europe
• Brighton & Hove for EU
• Leeds for Europe
• Liverpool for Europe
• Hope for Europe
• Merseyside for Europe
• EMM European Movement Merseyside
• London4Europe
• Sevenoaks Swanley and Tonbridge in Europe
• Glasgow Loves EU
• MoVEM Mole Valley European Movement
• NES4EU North East Surrey for Europe
• EUnitySeahaven
• North Somerset 4 Europe
• Berkshire for Europe
• Cambridge for Europe
• Sixteen Million Rising
• EU in Brum
• Lewisham East for Europe/Lewisham Together in Europe
• Northern Devon for Europe
• Ipswich With Europe
• Open Britain Reading and Berkshire
• Fife4Europe
• Highland4EU
• Edinburgh 4 Europe
• Preston For Europe
• Waltham Forest
• EMGreenwich for Europe
• Lancaster For Europe
• Witney for Europe (formally known as Peoples’ Vote, Witney)
• Maidenhead for EU
• Warwick District 4 Europe
• East Kent European Movement
• Ashford for Europe
• Hull and East Yorkshire for Europe
• Veterans For Europe
• Suffolk EU Alliance
• York for Europe
• Swindon for Europe
• Norfolk for Europe
• Bromley4Europe
• South Bucks for Europe
• EM South West Surrey
• Lambeth for Europe
• EM Portsmouth-Chichester
• European Movement Mendip Branch
• Hampshire European Movement
• Devon for Europe
• Devizes for Europe
• Islanders for Europe, The Isle of Wight Branch of the European Movement UK
• Cheltenham for Europe
• Wales for Europe
• Harrow and Hillingdon European Movement
• European Movement Sussex
• SW Scotland for Europe
• EM Mid Kent
• Re-Boot Britain
• Herefordshire for Europe
• Dorset for Europe
• Coventry4Europe
• Lincolnshire European Movement
• Gwynedd dros Ewrop [Welsh]/Gwynedd for Europe [English]
• Swansea for Europe
• Cheshire Europeans
• Ceredigion4EU
• Weaver Vale For Europe
• Wrexham for Europe
• Watford for Europe
• Pro Europa