This centrist dad marched for a people’s vote – but that’s only the first step | Andrew Adonis

As important as it was, Saturday’s march must be followed up with intense pressure on our MPs to vote for a second referendumOn Saturday I joined 700,000 people on the streets of London to demand a people’s vote on Brexit. The atmosphere was vibrant, friendly and politely furious. From all over the country people came, anxious to make their anger, despair and incredulity known. It was fun and important. The mainstream has been abandoned on Brexit by our political class and there is a catharsis to taking to the streets and demanding that our politicians listen.I have to confess, street politics are not my usual style. I have been called many things in public life, but the cap that best fits is that of the centrist dad. In my career and in my jobs in government I have tended to look for the solution and to try to avoid the ideology. I began the academies programme because I wanted to do what worked for disadvantaged kids, not cling to models that looked good and delivered little. I drove HS2 through parliament and worked for cross-party support because I knew that productivity and inequality in this country could only be tackled by massive long-term infrastructure investment. Despite my deep misgivings about austerity and the harm it would do, I agreed to chair the national infrastructure commission under a Tory government, because I believed that delivering infrastructure investment could help build a brighter future for businesses and families. I am a pragmatist. I do what works. Continue reading…
Via: This centrist dad marched for a people’s vote – but that’s only the first step | Andrew Adonis