Three years ago, while I was in Solihull Town Centre,
somebody came up to me and told me what was happening in Meriden. I immediately
drove up here, and I saw what was happening and I saw the dismay on people’s
faces.
I didn’t know any of you at that point, but I could see the
hurt on your faces. I felt that hurt as well.
And in those three years, I’ve got to know many of you very
well and I’m proud to list you among my friends. We have, through adversity,
come through this and I pay tribute to you.
There were difficult times. There were times where it looked
like everything was going wrong, as if those that usurp the law were going to
win through. But we kept our steely
determination, well it was you that did!
You came to Strasbourg and you put in a petition. You made
that determination that you were never going to give up. You may be Middle
England geographically, but you show what Middle England can do. When ordinary
people stand up for their rights, they can succeed.
My gratitude to David and Dougie who have done an amazing
job in these three years. But most of all, my gratitude to all of you. You are
absolutely fantastic. Thank you very much.
