From the 48% to Theresa May: In less than one week, over 3,280 people have funded a Crowdfunder.co.uk campaign that will give a voice to the silenced millions who do not support the government’s Brexit plans. Having smashed their original £25,000 target in under 12 hours, campaign founders, Remain Strategic, now expect to raise more than £75,000 to deliver a strong message to parliament through national advertising ahead of the amendments to the Government’s Brexit bill, announced last week. The campaign has currently raised just over £61,950.
“This billboard crowdfunding campaign is a great example of what can be achieved when people come together. Within four days, over 1800 people donated to get their voices heard via this prolific and far-reaching project, and now there are more than 3000 supporters which just goes to show the true power of the crowd,” commented Phil Geraghty, MD of Crowdfunder.co.uk, impressed by the reaction to the raise.
Martin Evans, whose Facebook post kickstarted the project, garnering over 1500 likes in a few hours, explained,
“The amazing extent of support for the campaign reveals the level of dismay across the country amongst the ignored electorate at Theresa May’s increasingly heartless Brexit. This campaign will finally take their frustration out of their homes, pubs and internet groups, and into the spotlight, on the streets of the United Kingdom. If people feel silenced, they should contribute to this campaign, use their voice, write to their MPs, and most importantly, stop accepting the myth that they are part of an irrelevant minority…We are not the liberal elite. We are not the privileged few. We are the suppressed many. The ordinary people who did not vote for this. We are still here and we are not going away. We love our country and believe it deserves better than this.”
Many were on hand to comment on the campaign and its success including Liz Ferretti, spokesperson for Remain Strategic:
“The number of households concerned about Brexit jumped by 20% in the last three months of 2016. Now price hikes are starting to bite, and the hardest hit are those least able to cope, with nearly 60% of households worried about food costs. Trebling inflation and the collapse in the value of sterling mean it’s only going to get worse. This is reality for the ordinary people of the United Kingdom who are scared by what they are hearing in the news every day. The Government is not listening, and from the level of support for our campaign across social media, it is clear that our voices need to be heard. Since June the 23rd, the government has propagated the fantasies of a clear mandate and the will of the people to silence dissenters. Crowdfund backers largely perceive that the government is using these mantras as a smokescreen behind which to railroad the country into a Brexit more brutal than all but the most right-wing leave voters might have imagined.”
The campaign was launched on Crowdfunder UK as the UK Government pushes its controversial Brexit bill through Parliament: “If they get their way, then no one, not parliament, not the people, will be able to have a say – what if they have negotiated a disastrous deal, one that plunges us into recession for years by bringing us out of the world’s richest and most stable single market? We need a get-out clause. Our voices will help support MPs working hard to build that safety net into the bill, and will put pressure on those who are wavering – they own’t be able to ignore us if our words are staring them in the face.”
Additional commentary about the politically focused raise:
“Indicators point to the fact that the government’s current position is supported by 33% of the electorate at best and quite probably a lot less. This makes it even more crucial that the government provides further opportunities for the public to be consulted,” Sue Ellar of Represent Us highlighted.
“People’s individual rights were absent from the debate about EU membership. These issues are important to ordinary people on a day-to-day basis. It is possible for individuals to get their voices heard when they work together,” stated Grahame Pigney, of The Second People’s Challenge. “Crowdfunding demonstrates commitment and validates the need for people to have their say.”
For more campaign updates and details, click here.