We are a group of local people who believe that this country's future lies closer to Europe, and that our corner of Essex ought to say so as plainly as anywhere else. In this by-election we are supporting John Stevens, who stands for Rejoin EU. Whichever way you have voted before, if you feel much as we do, you will find a welcome here.
Clacton pier. Ours is a coast that has always looked outward.
Clacton for Europe is back
There have always been people in this constituency who believe the country is better off keeping close to its European neighbours, and Clacton for Europe is simply where some of us gather. The group had fallen quiet for a good while, as small local groups will between times, until a few of us who are fond of this place, and who never stopped thinking as we do, decided lately to set it going again. There is an election on to give us the nudge; but the belief was here long before it, and it will be here long after.
What we are chiefly about is our neighbours. We would like more people hereabouts to feel able to say out loud what a good many of them quietly think, that leaving the European Union has done this country no good; and we would like the friendship of Europe spoken of as an ordinary, sensible thing rather than something to be whispered. That is the work, whether there is an election on or not.
We should be plain about one matter at the outset, since we would far rather you heard it from us than discovered it for yourselves. This website, and our campaigning at present, is run and paid for by John Stevens's campaign; he is the Rejoin EU candidate, and we support him openly. You will find as much stated at the foot of every page, partly because the law requires it and partly because it is the honest thing to say.
If you have a moment, we should be very glad to know your own views on Europe — a few short questions on what you make of it all, and what matters most to you here.
If you are new to us, you might read a little about who we are, or come straight to lending a hand.