Seriously, Call a General Election!

I'm still angry. I finally had to put my Vote Remain t-shirt in the wash because it was starting to grow its own ecosystem, but the anger still hasn't faded.

And, yes, I'm still angry about the future.

David Cameron still hasn't called a general election. We will end up with a prime minister we did not elect (the blah blah blah is here). And just like Boris the Clown and David Hameron, they won't leave until they've had the chance to personally defecate all over every single last one of us...

Let's look at the possibilities...

Theresa May
Education: BA in Geography from Oxford
Real-world experience: Worked in the financial services sector for 18 years, much of that as an International Affairs Advisor
Political experience: Local council for 8 years; MP for 19 years; Shadow Minister for This, That, and the Other; Home Secretary for 6 years
Notable talents: Able to kill a yak from 200 yards away — with mind bullets
Position on the EU: Quietly (and some might say not entirely convincingly) Remain
Pros: Economic background, broad experience of portfolios, dogged determination
Cons: Utterly unlikeable, doesn't believe humans should have rights, wants to kill all foreigners on sight, doesn't believe anyone other than herself should have any privacy, hates refugees, has no soul

Michael Gove 
Sarah Vine
Education: Some kind of degree in something from Oxford
Education: None
Real-world experience: So-called Journalist
Real-world experience: So-called Journalist
Political experience: MP for 11 years; Failed Secretary of State for Education; Secretary of State for Justice for 1 year
Political experience: None
Position on the EU: Remember that bus?
Position on the EU: Ardently, vocally Leave
Notable talents: Can pass for human (from a distance)
Notable talents: Highly skilled ventriloquist
Pros: Apparently not awful as Justice Secretary
Pros: None
Cons: War-monger, sworn enemy of the NHS, doesn't believe in education, doesn't see the value of experts, unable to do basic sums, proponent of capital punishment, must be manually operated, has no soul
Cons: Doesn't believe in privacy — especially her own, eats immigrants for breakfast, has no soul

Andrea Leadsom
Education: BA in Political Science from Warwick
Real-world experience: Worked in the financial services sector for 16 years
Political experience: Local council for 4 years; MP for either 6 or 11 years; Economic Secretary to the Treasury for 1 year, Minister of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change
Notable talents: Able to withstand overwhelming evidence of the realities of climate change in order to remain wilfully blind
Position on the EU: Ardently Leave
Pros: Economic background, ability to cut through mountains of red tape to uncover facts
Cons: Willingness to screw the little guy to suit herself, largely unknown, next to know experience, has no soul

Stephen Crabb
Education: BA in Politics from Bristol, MBA from LBS
Real-world experience: Worked in various volunteer an Tory party office jobs
Political experience: MP for 11 years; Junior Minister for Wales (which sounds like a take-your-kids-to-work thing); Secretary of State for Wales for 2 years, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for 3.5 minutes
Notable talents: Most likely to win an award for best David Brent impression
Position on the EU: Remain
Pros: Did you know he grew up on a council estate? (What the hell, right? It worked for Sadiq Khan.) May be able to relate to the non-political classes? May have a soul, but it's not exactly sparkling.
Cons: Dislikes disabled people and gays (Question: Do two strikes multiply or add? What would he make of a gay disabled person?)

Ugh.

I need a shower after writing that.


In the name of all that is holy, David Cameron, you shiny ham, CALL A GENERAL ELECTION!

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Call a General Election, Redux

I'm sitting here in my Vote Remain t-shirt and I'm angry. Yes, sure, I'm angry at how things went down — but that's faded to background noise at the moment, like a headache that won't quite go away. The past is gone. I can't change it and neither can anyone else.

Right now I'm angry about the future. I'm angry about things that haven't happened yet, but look like they will. I'm powerless to DO anything to prevent them. Anything, that is, except try and influence the outcome...

And, oh, I'm going to do that for all I'm worth.

David Cameron has resigned. Good. Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you in the arse on your way out.

But has he called a general election? Nope. No indication that there will be one any earlier than May 2020. And that means we will end up with a prime minister we did not elect.

Sure, you can argue that we elect the party not the person. It's true. But it's not the whole truth. The party leader is the face of the party. An MP is elected by a few thousand people who believe that he/she is well suited to deal with local issues. Party leaders have a very different mandate in addition to that. And the prime minister has the biggest mandate of all.

Two names are being Trumpeted louder than all the rest (if you'll pardon the rather disturbing pun): Boris 'What Happens if I Push This Button' Johnson and Theresa 'Humans Don't Deserve Rights' May.

Let's get one thing clear about Boris Johnson — he doesn't give a crap about the EU. He's not an 'outer'. He's said so repeatedly. In fact, he basically said as much in his first post-Brexit column. He chose to support the Leave campaign because he could. To see if he could actually pull it off… To show David Cameron up...

What will he do as PM? Who the hell knows… Anything he wants. He literally does not give two craps about anything or anyone. Maybe himself, but I'm not even sure about that.

And then there's Theresa May. She's got a bee in her bonnet — a bee named human rights. Ms May does not believe humans should have rights. She wants to read your emails. In fact, she's reading this right now. As I type it. Offline. I caught her going through my rubbish once. In my bathroom. Don't even get me started on what she wants to do to your little old nan!

What will she do as PM? Ban human rights (except her own). Ban privacy (except her own). Ban skilled immigration (bad luck, she's already here). Ban fun. Ban youth. Ban colour.

Seriously... I'm angry. I have every right to be and, what's more, I have every reason to be.

DAVID CAMERON, YOU CONTEMPTUOUS, DISINGENUOUS SHINY-FACED PRICK, CALL A GENERAL ELECTION!

Sent from my iPhone

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General Election Now!

Dear Mr Cameron,

I'm writing to you today because the UK is at a crossroads. What comes next will set our course for decades to come. We must define the terms of our relationship with the EU and obtain their agreement.

In the 4 days since the results of the referendum were announced the has world turned upside down. Following is a list of some of the consequences that have unfolded in that time.

• Nigel Farage admitted the Leave campaign's claims of freeing up £350 million a week to be spent on our own social services was erroneous.
• Daniel Hannan stated that this decision is unlikely to have an impact on EU migration rules.
• Sinn Fein called for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic of Ireland.
• The SNP indicated their intention to secede from the UK and remain a member of the EU. Furthermore, the EU indicated they would view such an application favourably.
• More than 175,000 people signed a petition calling for an independent London.
• Even after invalid signatures were removed, more than 3.5 million people across the UK signed a petition calling for a second referendum on leaving the EU.
• Both the Daily Mail and the Sun published articles advising their readers of the dire, devastating personal consequences of Brexit.
• Global equity markets lost US$3 trillion in the first two days days of trading following the announcement — the largest two-day drop ever recorded.
• The value of the pound reached a 31-year low. In fact, it was falling so rapidly that British tourists overseas were unable to exchange or withdraw cash.
• The Bank of England announced they had set aside £250 billion of additional liquidity as an emergency measure.
• Repeated, rampant, violent, vulgar incidents of public racism in broad daylight were reported all across the country.
• The EU began pressuring the UK to leave quickly.
• Voters across the UK have publicly expressed remorse at voting Leave, saying they did so purely as a protest against YOUR government.

The time to act is now. We are a nation in crisis. We cannot afford to wait days or weeks. The consequences of delaying will be devastating to our economy and our national identity.

We must not trigger article 50 and give formal notice to cede from the EU until and unless we have a plan in place on how we will proceed. There is no plan. Right now instead of developing a plan, your colleagues are arguing over whose responsibility it was to have developed one. 

We must engage with one another across intra-national borders to work together to resolve this. The rest of the UK stands to lose more from Scotland's separation than they do, but — make no mistake — we all lose. The same is true for Northern Ireland. This is Game Theory in action. Only by working together can we all win. 

You must call a general election. We cannot allow you to simply hand the premiership to Boris Johnson or Theresa May. We cannot permit this country to be ruled by an official unelected to the job at hand for 3.5 years. This must be done immediately.

We must work together now for the good of all our people.

Please act immediately.


Yours sincerely,
British by Chooce

London Borough of Lewisham

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United Left in a Post-Brexit World

An open letter to Leanne Wood, Gerry Adams, and Caroline Lucas 

Dear Ms Wood, Mr Adams, and Ms Lucas,

Firstly, I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment as party leaders. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you again for taking on such a thankless job.

David Cameron has resigned. George Osborne stuck his head above water for the first time this morning — and only to tell the markets they're right to panic. Having created this mess, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, and Michael Gove appear to have washed their hands of the entire situation. The Labour Party is imploding as Jeremy Corbyn refuses to step down as leader. 

I'm writing to you today because the UK is at a crossroads. What comes next will set our course for decades to come. We must define the terms of our relationship with the EU and obtain their agreement.

In the first 36 hours following the results of the referendum the world turned upside down. Following is a list of some of the consequences that unfolded in that time.

• David Cameron resigned as PM, effective October 2016.
• Nigel Farage admitted the Leave campaign's claims of freeing up £350 million a week to be spent on our own social services was erroneous.
• Daniel Hannan stated that this decision is unlikely to have an impact on EU migration rules.
• Sinn Fein called for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic of Ireland.
• The SNP indicated their intention to secede from the UK and remain a member of the EU. Furthermore, the EU indicated they would view such an application favourably.
• Almost 150,000 people signed a petition calling for an independent London.
• More than two million people across the UK signed a petition calling for a second referendum on leaving the EU.
• Both the Daily Mail and the Sun published articles advising their readers of the dire, devastating personal consequences of Brexit.
• The value of the FTSE 100 fell by £50 billion and the FTSE 250 fell by £25 billion.
• The value of the pound reached a 31-year low. In fact, it was falling so rapidly that British tourists overseas were unable to exchange or withdraw cash.
• The Bank of England announced they had set aside £250 billion of additional liquidity as an emergency measure.
• Rampant, vulgar incidents of public racism in broad daylight were reported all across the country.
• The EU began pressuring the UK to leave quickly.
• Voters across the UK have publicly expressed remorse at voting Leave, saying they did so purely as a protest against the current government.

The time to act is now. We are a nation in crisis. We cannot afford to wait days or weeks. The consequences of delaying will be devastating to our economy and our national identity.

We must not trigger article 50 and give formal notice to cede from the EU until we have a plan in place on how we will proceed. There is no plan. Right now instead of developing a plan, the Conservatives are arguing over whose responsibility it was to have developed one. 

We must engage with one another across intra-national borders to work together to resolve this. The rest of the UK stands to lose more from Scotland's separation than they do, but — make no mistake — we all lose. The same is true for Northern Ireland. This is Game Theory in action. Only by working together can we all win. 

Mr Cameron must call a general election. We cannot allow him to simply hand the premiership to Boris Johnson or Theresa May. We cannot permit this country to be ruled by an unelected official for 3.5 years. This must be done immediately and be enacted before Mr Cameron's resignation takes effect in October. Please urge him to do so now.

We need a united left to lead us back from the brink of the apocalypse. A planned coalition of parties united against the Right is the best defence to the madness that is threatening to hurl us all off a cliff. You can and should play a key role in that. I urge you all to work with your colleagues in Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems, Sinn Fein, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens to achieve this. The time for focusing on what separates us is past. We must work together now for the good of all our people.

Please act immediately.


Yours sincerely,
British by Choice

London Borough of Lewisham

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The Lib Dems and the United Left

An open letter to Tim Farron, Leader of the Lib Dems

Dear Mr Farron,

Firstly, I want to thank you for the clear and decisive leadership you have shown over the past few days. 

David Cameron has resigned. George Osborne stuck his head above water for the first time this morning — and only to tell the markets they're right to panic. Having created this mess, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, and Michael Gove appear to have washed their hands of the entire situation. The Labour Party is imploding as Jeremy Corbyn refuses to step down as leader. 

Your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you again for your voice of reason and sanity in these dark days.

Secondly, I want to thank you and your team for the passionate determination and effort you put into the Remain campaign in recent weeks and months. 

I'm writing to you today because the UK is at a crossroads. What comes next will set our course for decades to come. We must define the terms of our relationship with the EU and obtain their agreement.

In the first 36 hours following the results of the referendum the world turned upside down. Following is a list of some of the consequences that unfolded in that time.

• David Cameron resigned as PM, effective October 2016.
• Nigel Farage admitted the Leave campaign's claims of freeing up £350 million a week to be spent on our own social services was erroneous.
• Daniel Hannan stated that this decision is unlikely to have an impact on EU migration rules.
• Sinn Fein called for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic of Ireland.
• The SNP indicated their intention to secede from the UK and remain a member of the EU. Furthermore, the EU indicated they would view such an application favourably.
• Almost 150,000 people signed a petition calling for an independent London.
• More than two million people across the UK signed a petition calling for a second referendum on leaving the EU.
• Both the Daily Mail and the Sun published articles advising their readers of the dire, devastating personal consequences of Brexit.
• The value of the FTSE 100 fell by £50 billion and the FTSE 250 fell by £25 billion.
• The value of the pound reached a 31-year low. In fact, it was falling so rapidly that British tourists overseas were unable to exchange or withdraw cash.
• The Bank of England announced they had set aside £250 billion of additional liquidity as an emergency measure.
• Rampant, vulgar incidents of public racism in broad daylight were reported all across the country.
• The EU began pressuring the UK to leave quickly.
• Voters across the UK have publicly expressed remorse at voting Leave, saying they did so purely as a protest against the current government.

The time to act is now. We are a nation in crisis. We cannot afford to wait days or weeks. The consequences of delaying will be devastating to our economy and our national identity.

We must not trigger article 50 and give formal notice to cede from the EU until we have a plan in place on how we will proceed. There is no plan. Right now instead of developing a plan, the Conservatives are arguing over whose responsibility it was to have developed one. 

We must engage with one another across intra-national borders to work together to resolve this. The rest of the UK stands to lose more from Scotland's separation than they do, but — make no mistake — we all lose. This is Game Theory in action. Only by working together can we all win. 

Mr Cameron must call a general election. We cannot allow him to simply hand the premiership to Boris Johnson or Theresa May. We cannot permit this country to be ruled by an unelected official for 3.5 years. This must be done immediately and be enacted before Mr Cameron's resignation takes effect in October. Please urge him to do so now.

We need a united left to lead us back from the brink of the apocalypse. Whether rightly or wrongly, the British public distrust your party. As such, you cannot lead us into a new era alone. A planned coalition of parties united against the Right is the best defence to the madness that is threatening to hurl us all off a cliff. You can and should play a key role in that. I urge you to work with your colleagues in Labour, the SNP, Sinn Fein, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens to achieve this. The time for focusing on what separates us is past. We must work together now for the good of all our people.

Please act immediately.


Yours sincerely,
British by Choice

London Borough of Lewisham

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Thanks and Pleas

An open letter to Nicola Sturgeon, Leader of the SNP

Dear Ms Sturgeon,

Firstly, I want to thank you for the clear and decisive leadership you have shown over the past year, but especially over the past few days. 

David Cameron has resigned. George Osborne stuck his head above water for the first time this morning — and only to tell the markets they're right to panic. Having created this mess, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, and Michael Gove appear to have washed their hands of the entire situation. The Labour Party is imploding as Jeremy Corbyn refuses to step down as leader. Tim Farron has attempted to step up to the plate, but his party is still widely distrusted and dismissed.

You have shone as a beacon of light in this whole ugly mess. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you again for your voice of reason and sanity in these dark days.

Secondly, I want to thank you and your team for the passionate determination and effort you put into the Remain campaign in recent weeks and months. 

I'm writing to you today because the UK is at a crossroads. What comes next will set our course for decades to come. We must define the terms of our relationship with the EU and obtain their agreement.

In the first 36 hours following the results of the referendum the world turned upside down. Following is a list of some of the consequences that unfolded in that time.

• David Cameron resigned as PM, effective October 2016.
• Nigel Farage admitted the Leave campaign's claims of freeing up £350 million a week to be spent on our own social services was erroneous.
• Daniel Hannan stated that this decision is unlikely to have an impact on EU migration rules.
• Sinn Fein called for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic of Ireland.
• Almost 150,000 people signed a petition calling for an independent London.
• More than two million people across the UK signed a petition calling for a second referendum on leaving the EU.
• Both the Daily Mail and the Sun published articles advising their readers of the dire, devastating personal consequences of Brexit.
• The value of the FTSE 100 fell by £50 billion and the FTSE 250 fell by £25 billion.
• The value of the pound reached a 31-year low. In fact, it was falling so rapidly that British tourists overseas were unable to exchange or withdraw cash.
• The Bank of England announced they had set aside £250 billion of additional liquidity as an emergency measure.
• Rampant, vulgar incidents of public racism in broad daylight were reported all across the country.
• The EU began pressuring the UK to leave quickly.
• Voters across the UK have publicly expressed remorse at voting Leave, saying they did so purely as a protest against the current government.

The time to act is now. We are a nation in crisis. We cannot afford to wait days or weeks. The consequences of delaying will be devastating to our economy and our national identity.

We must not trigger article 50 and give formal notice to cede from the EU until we have a plan in place on how we will proceed. There is no plan. Right now instead of developing a plan, the Conservatives are arguing over whose responsibility it was to have developed one. Only you have the power to ensure we do not push the self-destruct button. 

We must engage with one another across intra-national borders to work together to resolve this. The rest of the UK stands to lose more from Scotland's separation than you do, but — make no mistake — we all lose. This is Game Theory in action. Only by working together can we all win. 

Mr Cameron must call a general election. We cannot allow him to simply hand the premiership to Boris Johnson or Theresa May. We cannot permit this country to be ruled by an unelected official for 3.5 years. This must be done immediately and be enacted before Mr Cameron's resignation takes effect in October. Please urge him to do so now.

We need a united left to lead us back from the brink of the apocalypse. You can and should play a starring role in that. A planned coalition of parties united against the Right is the best defence to the madness that is threatening to hurl us all off a cliff. I urge you to work with your colleagues in Labour, the Lib Dems, Sinn Fein, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens to achieve this. The time for focusing on what separates us is past. We must work together now for the good of all our people.



Please act immediately.


Yours sincerely,
British by Choice

London Borough of Lewisham

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Leadership & the United Left

Open letter to Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party, Leader of the Opposition, and MP for Islington North


Dear Mr Corbyn,

Firstly, I want to thank you for being an MP. The recent assassination of Jo Cox has served as a reminder as to what a thankless job it must be. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. I would be honoured to have you as my MP.

Secondly, I want to thank you and your team for the effort you put into the Remain campaign in recent weeks and months. I know there are those who would blame you for the outcome, but I won't point fingers at you.

I'm writing to you today because the UK is at a crossroads. What comes next will set our course for decades to come. We must define the terms of our relationship with the EU and obtain their agreement.

In the first 36 hours following the results of the referendum the world has turned upside down. Following is a list of some of the consequences that have unfolded so far.

• David Cameron has resigned as PM, effective October 2016.
• Nigel Farage has admitted the Leave campaign's claims of freeing up £350 million a week to be spent on our own social services was erroneous.
• Daniel Hannan has stated that this decision is unlikely to have an impact on EU migration rules.
• Sinn Fein have called for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic of Ireland.
• The SNP have indicated their intention to secede from the UK and remain a member of the EU. Furthermore, the EU has indicated they would view their application favourably.
• Almost 150,000 people have signed a petition calling for an independent London.
• More than two million people across the UK have signed a petition calling for a second referendum on leaving the EU.
• Both the Daily Mail and the Sun have published articles advising their readers of the dire, devastating personal consequences of Brexit.
• The value of the FTSE 100 fell by £50 billion and the FTSE 250 fell by £25 billion.
• The value of the pound reached a 31-year low. In fact, it was falling so rapidly that British tourists overseas were unable to exchange or withdraw cash.
• The Bank of England has set aside £250 billion of additional liquidity as an emergency measure.
• Rampant, vulgar incidents of public racism in broad daylight have been reported all across the country.
• The EU has begun pressuring the UK to leave quickly.
• Voters across the UK have publicly expressed remorse at voting Leave, saying they did so purely as a protest against the current government.

The time to act is now. We are a nation in crisis. We cannot afford to wait days or weeks. The consequences of delaying will be devastating to our economy and our national identity.

We need a strong, passionate, energetic, vocal, charismatic Labour leader right now. I know you know that's not you.I am truly sorry. You appear to be a highly principled, intelligent man. You must know this: today is not your time. Please step down.
We need quick, decisive action on this, not a long drawn-out leadership contest. You can facilitate that.

We need a united left to lead us back from the brink of the apocalypse. 

The people must have the opportunity to vote on the issues surrounding renegotiation. The Leave campaign was fought on a platform of 'take back control'; however, the leaders of that campaign have now revealed they do not have a plan for how to do so. They did not think this day would come. Now that it has, they have shown themselves to be completely unprepared. The only viable solution is to hold a general election with involvement by all parties to allow the people to choose who should lead our country through this pivotal time of change.


Please act immediately.


Yours sincerely,
British by Choice
London Borough of Lewisham

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#RuthforPM

I wrote this on Friday, less than 12 hours after the results of the referendum. I sincerely hope there will be a general election called soon. If not, I continue to believe this represents the best possible outcome. As she is currently an MSP, not an MP, she would need to stand in a by-election first. I don't believe that's an obstacle.


______________

Dear Ms Davidson,

Like you, I voted for the UK to remain a part of the EU. I assumed the facts, the research, the evidence, the studies, and the expert opinions would be enough to persuade others to do the same. I did everything I could to convince people. I thought it would be enough. I am deeply saddened by the outcome announced this morning.

We are at a crossroads. Collectively, our next steps will determine the health of our culture and our economy for decades to come.

David Cameron has resigned, effective October 2016. Where does this leave us?

The next general election is due to take place in May 2020. I believe it is unlikely one will be called much earlier.

Our country needs the right leader. We need someone with energy, passion, strength, conviction, persuasiveness, compassion, courage, resilience, and common sense. Our country needs someone who can unite people with competing interests. We need someone who can persuade Scotland that we are better together — because it is true. Separation would devastate the economies of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. If Scotland leaves, it would be decades before we could recover — if we ever did.

In short, we need YOU. You alone have the vision and the progressive attitude to move this country forward together. You alone can speak compellingly across party lines, socio-economic divides, and intra-national borders.

To paraphrase the immortal words of Princess Leia, 'Help us, Ruth Davidson; you're our only hope.'
Our next prime minister will be elected, not by the people, but by the party members. Until now I have not aligned myself with any particular political party. That ended today. I have registered as a Conservative party member so that I will have a voice in that decision.

I would very much like to vote for you. Please, I implore you, throw your hat into the ring.

Yours sincerely,
Shannon
London Borough of Lewisham, UK

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Plea for Assistance in This Time of Crisis

An open letter to Vicky Foxcroft, MP for Lewisham Deptford 

Dear Ms Foxcroft,

Firstly, I want to thank you for being an outstanding MP. The recent assassination of Jo Cox has served as a reminder as to what a thankless job it must be. Your hard work does not go unnoticed.

Secondly, I want to thank you and your team for the passion and effort you put into the Remain campaign in recent weeks and months. Lewisham voted 66% in favour of remaining in the EU.

I'm writing to you today because the UK is at a crossroads. What comes next will set our course for decades to come. We must define the terms of our relationship with the EU and obtain their agreement. 

In the 36 hours since the results were announced the world has turned upside down. Following is a list of some of the consequences that have unfolded so far.

• David Cameron has resigned as PM, effective October 2016.
• Nigel Farage has admitted the Leave campaign's claims of freeing up £350 million a week to be spent on our own social services was erroneous. 
• Daniel Hannan has stated that this decision is unlikely to have an impact on EU migration rules.
• Sinn Fein have called for Northern Ireland to leave the UK and reunite with the Republic of Ireland.
• The SNP have indicated their intention to secede from the UK and remain a member of the EU. Furthermore, the EU has indicated they would view their application favourably.
• Almost 150,000 people have signed a petition calling for an independent London.
• More than two million people across the UK have signed a petition calling for a second referendum on leaving the EU.
• Both the Daily Mail and the Sun have published articles advising their readers of the dire, devastating personal consequences of Brexit.
• The value of the FTSE 100 fell by £50 billion and the FTSE 250 fell by £25 billion.
• The value of the pound reached a 31-year low. In fact, it was falling so rapidly that British tourists overseas were unable to exchange or withdraw cash.
• The Bank of England has set aside £250 billion of additional liquidity as an emergency measure.
• Rampant, vulgar incidents of public racism in broad daylight have been reported all across the country — including in Brockley, part of your constituency.
• The EU has begun pressuring the UK to leave quickly.
• Voters across the UK have publicly expressed remorse at voting Leave, saying they did so purely as a protest against the current government.

The time to act is now. We are a nation in crisis. We cannot afford to wait days or weeks. The consequences of delaying will be devastating to our economy and our national identity.

We must not trigger article 50 and give formal notice to cede from the EU until we have a plan in place on how we will proceed. This will be a long and arduous negotiation process. It is vital that these negotiations happen expediently, but not hastily. David Cameron is not the right person to lead these negotiations — not because he campaigned for Remain, but because he has already resigned and because he has lost the faith of the public who elected him only 13 months ago.

We must engage with Scotland to ensure we work together on this. The rest of the UK stands to lose more from Scotland's separation than they do, but — make no mistake — we all lose. Ruth Davidson, as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, must play a key role in this. She alone can speak compellingly across party lines, socio-economic divides, and  intra-national borders. Please encourage Mr Cameron to engage strongly with her.

Mr Cameron must call a general election. We cannot allow him to simply hand the premiership to Boris Johnson or Theresa May. We cannot permit this country to be ruled by an unelected official for 3.5 years. This must be done immediately and be enacted before Mr Cameron's resignation takes effect in October. 

The people must have the opportunity to vote on the issues surrounding renegotiation. The Leave campaign was fought on a platform of 'take back control'; however, the leaders of that campaign have now revealed they do not have a plan for how to do so. They did not think this day would come. Now that it has, they have shown themselves to be completely unprepared. The only viable solution is to hold a general election with involvement by all parties to allow the people to choose who should lead our country through this pivotal time of change.

Please act immediately. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you in your efforts.

Yours sincerely, 

Shannon

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