When did you first attend the SODEM protest outside Parliament and why did you come? 

Autumn 2018. I was fed up with the media and government treating Remainers as “enemies of the people”, and other lovely names. 

Roughly how old are you? 

Early 40s 

How frequently did you come and when was the last time you attended? 

It varied with my job. Some weeks I made it every day, then sometimes I couldn’t make it for a couple of weeks. I last made it sometime around November/December 2019, just before the Tory election win. 

How far from Westminster do you live and what was your travelling time? 

Near Petersfield in Hampshire. Just under 2 hours from leaving my front door to arriving at Old Palace Yard. 

What’s your favourite memory?

I have so many, it is difficult to pick just one. Standing in front of the Leave Means Leave bus…… being on the night shift with Rachel and lots of blue & yellow LEDs lighting up the flags…. meeting several MPs and other politicians, and lots of laughter and fun with the SODEM stalwarts like Elspeth, Duncan, Sue, Polly, David, and of course Steve. One funny story was standing with everyone on Westminster Bridge, shouting STOP BREXIT at the MPs on the House of Commons terrace, and Elspeth next to me said “We’ll be standing there one day, when we’ve stopped all this”, when my black humour kicked in and I responded “Well yes, unless it goes completely the other way and we end up with just our heads on those spikes” pointing at the fence along the terrace. Elspeth fell about in stitches, despite my horrible humour. 

Tell me your story

I’ve never been particularly politically active before but having lived in Belgium and married a lady with Irish heritage, I was increasingly aware of how the popular narrative of “Britishness” that is told by our media and even our schools has huge gaps in it, even glaring lies. The Brexit vote was the biggest con in years, and I was damned if I wasn’t going to fight it in some way. SODEM gave me a platform that I could join and add my voice to those already there.

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