*[Enwl-eng] Get the vote out
ENWLine
For some time now, this is how I’ve been feeling: The European Union is on the wrong path, walking away from its original values and making decisions which do not put the well-being of people and planet first.
And yet I believe that Europe is worth fighting for. When you think about it, the alternative to the European Union is unthinkable. How could we even begin to think about returning to a place of more exclusion, nationalism, stricter border controls, stark competition between nations and even conflict? The worst thing we can do right now is to sit back and allow Europe to fall apart.
I also believe we can win this fight. It is precisely the power of people living in Europe, people like us, that can get it back on track. This is not the kind of fight we are going to win in six months, and yet there is a very clear place to start. In May, people all across Europe will get the chance to vote for a whole new set of leaders in the European Parliament.
We can use our vote to start changing how decisions are made in Europe. Too many of our current batch of EU leaders – particularly our own heads of states – still make decisions based on an obsession with economic growth as the ultimate criteria for success. A new parliament could change that equation, depending on the kind of leaders we vote in there.
There is also far too much hate in decision making. Many EU leaders are hellbent on building higher walls, employing more security guards on Europe’s borders, locking out ‘illegal flows’ to whom they give the blame for Europe’s problems. Their vision is short-sighted. And those ‘illegal flows’ have another name. They are called humans, humans who are shouldering the impacts of climate change, conflict and poverty in their countries, a good part of which has its root causes in a problematic economic model, championed by Europe and much of the rich world.
And then there was Greta. One Swedish 16-year-old has helped kickstart a straight-talking, youthful revolution on climate change all across Europe. She knows, as do hundreds of thousands of Europeans of all ages, that the worst thing we can do right now is to close our eyes and wish it all went away. She knows that we have maximum 10-12 years before climate change leads to irreparable damage on a planetary level.
But Greta can’t vote yet.
We need to act, and that means getting people out to vote in May. In May, we need to vote for a different kind of leader in Europe: for leaders who will champion the fight against climate change, for women’s rights, for diversity, solidarity, for the original values of the EU.
We need to vote for those who join us in saying: "No to hate, yes to change!"
European elections have been taking place since the year of my birth, 1979. Over time, the turnout at those elections has been falling, to extremely worrying levels. Worrying because, as a general rule, when turnout falls extremists who want to divide us with their agendas of hate tend to gain ground.
The European Union is worth fighting for and the fight starts here. Will you join us?
Over the coming weeks, we will be sending you messages to share ways you can get involved. Today, decide to join us on 19 May, just before the election, as we join people across Europe to say “No to hate, Yes to change”. It takes less than 5 seconds!
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If you don’t like using online calendars, please save the date on your paper calendars!
On May 19th a huge and colourful collective of rallies, parties, picnics and days of action will be kicking off in various cities in Germany; Vienna, Austria; Paris, France; Genova, Italy; Amsterdam, Netherlands; various cities in Sweden; Madrid, Spain; various cities in Poland; Budapest, Hungary; Bucharest, Romania:, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Sofia, Bulgaria.
Save the date and we’ll send all the details of where to attend in the coming weeks!
Bring your banners, voices, and smiles to get the vote out. Save the date and join us as we say: No to hate, Yes to change!
With hope,
Laura (Executive Director) with the whole WeMove team
PS: I know many of you won’t be able to make it to one of these events. Please save the date anyway. We’ll have tons of ways you can join in from anywhere.
WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere. To unsubscribe from WeMove.EU, please click here.
WeMove.EU is funded by donations from our community across Europe. Can you chip in with a few euros a month and help make sure we can move fast to win the campaigns that matter to all of us? Donate
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