Ecotricity founder hangs massive EU flag from HQ in ‘up yours’ message to Brexiteers

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince outside the company's European HQ. Photograph: Dale Vince/Facebook. - Credit: Archant

The founder of Stroud firm Ecotricity has replaced a union flag outside his office with a 10-metre tall EU flag in a protest against Brexit.

Entrepreneur Dale Vince said the measure was an ‘up yours’ to politicians that have been trying to drag the United Kingdom out of the European Union, and that have been distracted British politics from the issue of climate change.

The move – which saw a green union flag replaced with a blue and yellow European flag – has been praised by Remainers after Ecotricity posted a video about it on social media.

Vince proudly proclaimed: ‘We’ve dodged a bullet, twice in the last week or so, when we nearly left the EU, or were ‘supposed to’ but we haven’t.

‘So today, we’ve put a huge EU flag up on the front of Ecotricity’s HQ in Gloucestershire.


MORE: Subscribe to our newspaper for £13 and get a FREE Bollocks to Brexit mug
MORE: Brexiteer demands second vote on PM because the facts changed
MORE: 'Remain comes out stronger!' - Duncan-Smith corrected after claiming no-deal Brexit support

‘We’re saying a couple of things by putting this flag up – one is we’re glad to still be in the EU.

‘It’s a small celebration of a stay of execution that might lead to something bigger.

‘Second is to say we’re proud to be European – to be part of Europe.

‘Europe has been a force of incredible good at home, and around the world – probably the most progressive collection of states anywhere in the world.

‘We’re not afraid to say this, and never should be.

‘We are Europeans and that’s something to be proud of.’

He continued: ‘I believe Brexit is a mistake – a close vote based on guesswork, supposition and deceit (with actual electoral fraud thrown in).

‘It happened almost three years ago, and so much has changed since then.

‘We all know now much more about the actual impact of leaving the EU – and there are no versions that make us better off.

‘There is no £350m weekly bung to the NHS – we don’t get to have our cake and eat it.

‘We should get to vote again on this now the facts have been exposed.

‘It’s undemocratic not to give us the final say on such a big decision.

‘Anyone opposing that is afraid of the result, afraid of the electorate.

‘This is also, channelling a bit of hard Brexit rhetoric – a cheeky ‘up yours’ to Boris, Farage and Rees-Mogg.’

The green champion said that the Brexit process was distracting the government from the key issues facing our country – and the world.

He explained: ‘Climate change is this massive threat looming in the background – we have 10 years to solve it.

‘That focus on Brexit – we need that on climate change right now.’

Jo-Anne Danièle said: ‘Well done ecotricity! We need more businesses like yours telling it like it is.’

Jenny Baddeley responded: ‘Love the new decor.’

David Erwee commented: ‘Thank you! Great to see people getting out and doing things for their country! 1 000 000 of us marched against Brexit, and many of us will converge on London today to express our concerns about the governments inactivity on climate change.’