Dear Friends and Supporters,
Something rather extraordinary is happening at Great British PAC.
What started as a determination to stand up for our country, its people and its future is growing into something much bigger.
We are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with, and that is thanks to YOU. Every single one of you.
Your generosity, determination and willingness to get involved are making a real difference. From the corridors of Westminster to villages across Britain, we are demonstrating what can happen when ordinary people refuse to be ignored.
And the most exciting part?
We are only just getting started!
CHAGOS: OUR FIGHT FOR BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY
Most people know us best for our work on Chagos, where we are fighting to protect British sovereignty and stand alongside Chagossians who want their homeland to remain British.
And what a journey it has been!
From helping fund legal challenges and lobbying in Westminster and across the Atlantic, to commissioning polling and research, helping establish the Chagossian Government-in-Exile and working with parliamentarians across the political spectrum, we have thrown everything we can into this extraordinary campaign.
We have helped prepare parliamentary interventions, supported amendments and worked tirelessly to ensure the Chagossian people are not forgotten when decisions are being made about their own future.
And on Thursday 5 November, we face another crucial moment.
The Chagossian claimants are due to return to court for an important hearing on whether their Judicial Review can proceed. Thanks to our incredibly generous donors, Great British PAC has once again helped fund this legal battle.
This is about far more than a collection of islands thousands of miles away.
It is about British sovereignty. It is about democracy. It is about the fundamental principle that people should have a meaningful say in the future of their homeland.
And it is about whether Britain should surrender sovereignty over territory that has been British for generations, against the wishes of Chagossians who want to remain British.
We will continue to oppose the proposed transfer of sovereignty over Chagos to Mauritius, and we will continue standing alongside those Chagossians fighting to preserve their British identity and heritage.
We are not giving up. Not now. Not ever.
If you can join us in London on Thursday, we would absolutely love to see you there. Your presence would mean a great deal to the Chagossian community and everyone involved in this fight.
We will share the final arrangements on our website and social media early next week once timings are confirmed by the court.
PEOPLE POWER REALLY DOES WORK!
But Chagos is only one part of what Great British PAC is doing.
Our work is now expanding across the country. For example, this week we celebrated a tremendous victory in Worcestershire.
Plans for an enormous 400MW battery energy storage development on beautiful Green Belt countryside near Feckenham were unanimously rejected by the Council's Planning Committee.
Seven votes against. Not one in favour!
These enormous battery developments are often presented as unquestionably good for the environment. But look a little closer and some very serious questions emerge.
Who really owns the companies behind them? What happens when developers sell their interests or planning permissions change hands? Who ultimately controls our energy infrastructure? And who is accountable for the long-term consequences?
These are questions that deserve proper answers, particularly when developments could permanently change the character of our countryside.
In Feckenham, local residents worked tirelessly to scrutinise the proposals and make their voices heard. Great British PAC was proud to support their efforts.
Our experts examined the plans, our magnificent Email Warriors got involved, and we got local newspaper coverage which helped bring the issues to wider public attention.
And what a result!
I was absolutely delighted, not simply because of the decision itself, but because of what it represented.
Ordinary people, armed with facts, determination and a refusal to be brushed aside, really can make a difference.
And we are not stopping at Feckenham.
We now have teams developing across the country to examine similar proposals, support local residents and help communities ask the difficult questions that too often go unanswered.
What we learnt in Feckenham is becoming a model for action elsewhere.
Our beautiful British countryside is precious. Once it is lost, we cannot simply wish it back.
And the people who live in these communities deserve to be heard.
TELL THEM AGAIN: OUR EXCITING NEW BREXIT CAMPAIGN
We also have something new that I am hugely excited about! We are preparing to launch a major new campaign called Tell Them Again.
Can you believe it has been more than ten years since 17.4 million people voted to leave the European Union? Think about that for a moment. Someone who was just eight years old when Britain voted for Brexit is now eighteen and old enough to vote.
An entire generation is coming of age without having experienced the extraordinary national debate that changed the course of our country's history.
How many young people really understand what the Customs Union is? Or the Single Market? Or Schengen?
How many understand the arguments about our currency, our laws, our borders and the right of the British people to elect and remove those who make decisions on their behalf?
And how many have ever properly heard the arguments for Brexit, for sovereignty, democracy and national self-government?
We believe those arguments deserve to be heard again. Loudly, clearly and with confidence. Because with a Prime Minister seemingly determined to draw Britain ever closer to Brussels, the case for Brexit, democracy and British sovereignty has never been more important.
That is what Tell Them Again is all about.
Not apologising for Brexit. Not allowing one of the most significant democratic decisions in our history to be dismissed or forgotten.
But revisiting the arguments, explaining the institutions and reminding people why millions of us believed that Britain's future should be decided by the British people.
We recorded our first new podcast this week with the brilliant Steve Wright, author of 75 Benefits of Brexit and our Great British PAC Brexit Director, alongside Richard Thompson, our Great British PAC National Director and former SAS soldier.
It went down a storm! I'm seriously thinking we should send those two on tour.
There is an enormous amount of knowledge, talent and experience within Great British PAC, and I want us to make the most of every bit of it.
Over the coming weeks, you will hear much more about Tell Them Again, our plans for new content and how you can get involved.
The arguments for democracy and sovereignty did not expire on 23 June 2016. They matter just as much today.
Find out about Tell Them Again
THE BIGGEST LESSON I HAVE LEARNT SO FAR IN OUR PAC JOURNEY
One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt from leading Great British PAC is just how extraordinarily powerful cross-party cooperation can be.
Westminster becomes a very different place when a campaign brings people together from across the political divide.
Bring a Conservative MP, a Labour MP, a Liberal Democrat and a crossbench peer together around a principle they all believe in, and something rather extraordinary happens.
Doors that were previously closed begin to open. Conversations that might never have taken place suddenly become possible. Parliamentary questions are asked, amendments are explored, motions gather support and, before you know it, real progress is being made.
I have seen it happen first-hand. And sometimes, quite frankly, it feels like magic!
But it has also taught me one of the most important lessons of all: if you genuinely want to get things done in Parliament, you cannot spend your time talking only to people who already agree with you.
You have to build bridges, find common ground and recognise that some principles are simply too important to be confined to party politics.
Brexit itself was never just a Conservative cause. People from all political traditions voted Leave, often for very different reasons, but united by a belief that the United Kingdom should govern itself.
There are still Labour parliamentarians and peers with longstanding Eurosceptic views, and we are already working to build those relationships. Watch this space!
As we develop Tell Them Again, we want to bring together people from across the political spectrum who believe in democracy, sovereignty and the right of the British people to determine their own future.
Because here is something I have come to believe more strongly than ever:
You do not have to agree on everything to stand together for something that matters.
That principle has been invaluable to our work on Chagos, and it will remain central to the way Great British PAC operates.
We are not interested in building walls between people who share our values.
We want to build bridges, find common ground and turn that shared determination into meaningful action.
AND FINALLY, TO OUR WONDERFUL SUPPORTERS...
I want to finish with something that comes straight from the heart.
Thank you.
To our donors, researchers, volunteers, campaigners and our magnificent team and Email Warriors, thank you for everything you do.
Every email you send, every phone call you make, every piece of research you uncover and every contribution you give matters.
Sometimes it is easy to underestimate the power of one person getting involved.
But movements are built exactly that way. One person becomes ten. Ten become a hundred. A hundred become thousands.
And suddenly, people who thought nobody was listening discover that they have a voice.
Not every battle will be won overnight. Some will take months, others years. There will be setbacks and disappointments along the way.
But just look at what we are already achieving together.
From the villages of Worcestershire to Westminster, and from Washington to the world, our reach is growing. And so is our ambition.
I want Great British PAC to become an organisation that people across the United Kingdom can turn to when they feel their voices are being ignored. Please encourage your friends to join, and let us know if you have a campaign you need help with, whether in your area geographically or in your area of expertise.
We are an organisation that brings people together, challenges decisions, asks difficult questions and refuses to accept that ordinary citizens are powerless.
We are an organisation that stands up for our countryside, our communities, our democratic rights and the sovereignty of our wonderful country.
Above all, we are an organisation that never forgets who it exists to serve.
You. The British people.
Because this is not about any one of us. It is about all of us.
And every single one of you is helping to build it.
We have found our voice. We are making a difference. And believe me, we are only just getting started!
I do hope to see as many of you as possible at the High Court on Thursday.
Let's stand together, let's keep fighting and let's save Chagos!
With heartfelt thanks and warmest wishes,
Claire Bullivant
Chief Executive Officer
Claire.Bullivant@GreatBritishPAC.com
HELP US KEEP FIGHTING FOR BRITAIN!
Great British PAC relies on the generosity of people like you to keep doing what we do. As our campaigns grow, so does our team. We now have a full-time journalist, dedicated researchers and an expanding network of campaigners working tirelessly to defend British sovereignty, democracy and the interests of the British people.
But none of this happens without your support. Every donation, large or small, helps us investigate, challenge, campaign and make sure the voices of ordinary British people are heard where it matters most.
If you believe in what we are building, please consider making a donation today. Together, we can achieve extraordinary things.