“Celebrating a Christmas round-up from your CIBUK ”

“Celebrating a Christmas round-up from your CIBUK ”

Newsletter ^24th December, 2023

Dear readers,

2023 has been a transformative year for CIBUK, and it is entirely appropriate that we should devote our Christmas letter by celebrating some of the significant achievements that have taken place on its watch over the past twelve months.

Particular thanks should go to our chairman Leigh Evans and his immediate team,  whose tireless energy and determination have helped raise CIBUK’s profile beyond recognition. What we describe below would simply not have happened without his drive and vision and all of us, including CIBUK members, supporters and donors, owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

‘Events, dear boy, Events’

So said Harold Macmillan when asked what was most likely to knock governments off course. CIBUK however are happy to appropriate the phrase for entirely different reasons.

Première of Independence Documentary

Chief among them was the première of CIBUK’s 40-minute filmed documentary on post-Brexit Britain which took place on the fringe at this year’s Tory Party Conference in Manchester.

The event was enhanced by a live Q&A at the end of the screening by a panel of distinguished guests who had taken part in the documentary and we are extremely grateful to all them for agreeing to attend the event and field questions afterwards.

Extended Interviews

The documentary itself provided only a foretaste of fifteen full interviews which we originally filmed.

We are therefore delighted to present extended, in-depth interviews with four political heavyweights who played such a crucial role in securing the referendum result in the first place and who have continued to campaign for a full and proper Brexit ever since.

• Nigel Farage – Up Close and Personal
• The John Redwood Interview – getting us back on track
• The Jacob Rees-Mogg Interview – unvarnished
• The Rt. Hon David Jones MP – Ex-Brexit Minister delivers tour-de-force

‘Fighting the good fight’

Funded on a shoe-string budget with a skeleton staff, it is no exaggeration to say that the production of The Independence Documentary represents a minor miracle when set against the enormous sums of money which have gone into funding the Rejoiner campaign.

In doing so, CIBUK have led the way in taking the fight to the enemy and we urge all our supporters, including our affiliates to get behind our endeavours and continue the fight-back by working closely with us.

‘Better together’

In return, CIBUK have been at pains to promote organisations and events whose principles and objectives coincide with our own.

With so many disparate groups now contesting the same political space, it surely makes sense to co-operate rather than compete against one another.

In that spirit we have been attending and promoting events whose objectives we support. Chief among them were The Battle of Ideas Festival in October and more recently the Bruges Group Conference which we covered in our last newsletter.

With so many other events now being staged throughout the calendar year, your CIBUK will continue to attend those which we believe are most relevant to our cause.

Affiliate attribute

Particular thanks should go to our principal research affiliate, Brexit Facts4EU.Org, whose daily reports have enabled us to remain ahead of the curve on so many issues from immigration and international trade, to pan-globalism and freedom of expression.

We continue to foster our relationships in the media in order to bring these vital issues to the attention of the wider public.

Looking Ahead – 2024 onwards

Brexit

There is still (regrettably) much else left to do in getting Brexit over the line. It remains our primary focus particularly when it comes to Northern Ireland, de-regulation and securing our own borders.

There is a palpable sense of betrayal in the country over these key-issues and we will continue to campaign as hard as we can to secure the policy-changes everyone wants to see.

Brexit and beyond

As our revised constitution points out, the EU is not the only body which threatens sovereign democracy. Increasingly we witness the dangers of supranational bodies (WHO and WEF) which are busily arrogating powers to themselves which ought properly to reside with nation states.

More alarmingly, as the migrant boats crisis has amply demonstrated, we have a plethora of unelected bodies within the United Kingdom itself which appear to be actively undermining the will of Parliament.

Suspicions abound as to the conduct of the civil service, the judiciary and countless other NGOs whose agenda appears increasingly hostile to the public interest.

Bridging the gap between the elected and unelected state has now become an urgent issue and one that we will pursue with renewed vigour next year.

And finally…

It just remains for me and the whole CIBUK team to thank you for your continued support and encouragement throughout this year as we continue to campaign on issues of vital national importance.

We are at a critical turning-point in our nation’s history with a worrying sense that much we have taken for granted for generations is now under threat.

The stakes could not be higher. But we cannot uphold and defend them cost-free. Mobilising any agenda is expensive, time-consuming and hard work.

As your Communications Director may I re-iterate the words of our chairman and encourage you all to give as generously as possible to our cause and to spread the word (and this letter) to those who share our values and have the means to support us.

Thank you all so much and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

With all best wishes

Ben Philips

Communications Director, CIBUK.org

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Main image: Montage © CIBUK.Org 2023