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Who were the real patriots in London on 13 September – the day of both the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ protest rally and the Last Night of the Proms?
It wasn’t the supporters of far-right convicted criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (‘Tommy Robinson’) flooding central London, but those waving flags just a short distance away at the Royal Albert Hall – not just British flags, but those of the European Union, and of other nations too.
And yet it was the violence that grabbed the front pages, wall-to-wall broadcast coverage, and thousands of column inches that day.
There were no arrests and no broken teeth at the Royal Albert Hall, but it was dubbed a “major Brussels love-in” by one TV channel that also reported the contents of an open letter sent to the Prime Minister by campaign group, ‘Thank Eu for the Music’, which is behind the distribution of thousands of EU flags and berets at the BBC Proms every year.
In the letter to Keir Starmer, the group argued that the presence of the EU flags at the event “drowned out the politics of division” and were “symbols of solidarity and internationalism”.
“During the Last Night of the Proms, the Royal Albert Hall is a sea of blue and gold flags, flying alongside our British flag”, it read. “That is the patriotism of integrity and hope. That is Britain at its best.
“Our freely taken EU flags carry a louder truth: millions of us will not be silenced. We want a Britain that looks outward, not inward. A Britain that builds bridges, not borders. A Britain that leads with courage and principle, not ‘realpolitik’ and racist dog-whistle”.
While the UK needs to have a conversation about Englishness, we also need to talk about the elephant in the room: Brexit.
Many in the Last Night of the Proms audience carrying the EU flags will likely be aware that freedom of movement for musicians has been eroded by the hard Brexit implemented by the Conservative Governments, with artists’ ability to earn a living in the UK hugely impacted. The EU flag-waving was a show of solidarity. Is this unpatriotic? Tommy Robinson, Reform UK, and the Conservatives would probably all say it is.
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Starmer has recognised that musicians and artists from the UK are still finding it too difficult to work in the EU. As an industry that makes a huge contribution to the economy, we believe that the Chancellor would approve of improving the situation. Rachel Reeves’ recent Labour Party Conference speech was encouraging on the benefits of a youth mobility scheme with the EU as part of a wider reset of relations with the European Union. This will be hugely welcomed by the younger generations.
A 2024 survey by the Musicians’ Union highlighted the urgency of the issue more widely:
- 75% of respondents who had previously worked in the EU prior to the UK’s departure said their bookings had declined
- 79% said they had been unable to make up for the loss of that work by touring elsewhere in the world
- 59% said touring the EU was no longer financially viable
- 72% said their income from work in the EU had decreased
“Bands at the top of the pyramid can overcome the obstacles, but for musicians further down the pyramid, the additional costs are making tours unviable for many musicians”, according to David Martin, chief executive of the Featured Artists Coalition. “The number of shows played by UK artists in Europe fell by 74% between 2019 and 2022”.
While Oasis could easily have employed an army of people to deal with all the red tape for a European leg of its recent comeback tour, it is interesting that it has chosen not to tour on the continent. Liam Gallagher previously joined Ed Sheeran and 100 other music artists in signing a letter saying that performers had been “shamefully failed” by the post-Brexit travel rules. Sir Elton John has warned that Brexit has caused a logistical nightmare and placed “leg irons” on travelling musicians.
One must wonder if those four young lads from Liverpool, still celebrated all around the world, would have managed to have a career if they were starting now.
Recent YouGov surveys highlight growing support for a closer trading relationship with the EU, with 41% of Reform voters now wanting to unpick parts of our hard Brexit and move the UK closer to the EU. This is in stark contrast to the rhetoric coming from politicians, if they mention Brexit at all.
And why not? Economic growth has been slower by 4%, taxation is higher, and immigration has become uncontrollable.
We are extinguishing the musical talents of our young performers even before they start on their careers. Real decisive leadership is overdue but it is time now for the huge benefits of an EU reset to be realised.
One of them will be for the musicians in every corner of this country desperate to jump on a plane or a ferry and play gigs in other EU nations uninhibited.