Brexit: EU Supergirl Raging Against Leaving

She is the new poster girl of those opposed to Brexit and has variously been described as EU Supergirl and “just plain mad.”

But Madeleina Kay is now set to join the political high-flyers by appearing on the BBC radio show “Any Questions” alongside former Cabinet Secretary Owen Paterson, Shadow Education Minister Tracy Brabin and other guests.

The 23-year-old cartoonist and singer is a virtual one-woman protest movement who rages against Brexit and its impact on young Britons. She has been kicked out of a Brussels press conference for dressing as Supergirl and has led a musical protest outside Downing Street. Now she tells Felix Magazine that she will keep swinging when she takes her campaign to one of the most popular BBC platforms on Friday.

“I will be joining the establishment” Kay laughed. ”I am a bit nervous because everyone else on the panel, as far as I can see, is a Brexiteer. My biggest snub has got to be for Owen Patterson because he’s not only a Brexiteer but he’s also a climate change denier and I suspect I’ll have some big issues with him.”

The university graduate from Sheffield has gained prominence as a Brexit opponent by using social media to express her views. “I think that voice is important,” she told Felix. “There has been a really bad lack of coverage of the Remain campaign in the media and that’s because of the Right-wing dominated press and partly because of this business about the media having to be impartial, and it goes to the point of censoring what’s actually being reported.”

Not Always Welcome

Kay was booted out of a press conference at EU headquarters (left) in her Supergirl outfit even though she had press credentials as a blogger, and she now feels that vigorous campaigning is the only way to counter “the Right-wing media”.

Protesting at events from Newcastle to London, Kay has often used songs and poems to get her message across. “Over the last 15 months I have been writing, recording and performing a steadily improving catalogue of protest songs at marches, rallies and gigs up and down the country.” she said.

“The reason I have used the methods I have is because it works. I started doing it as an expression of my own outrage, my emotional reaction to Brexit. I didn’t, for instance, campaign during the referendum; I didn’t think people would vote Leave. It wasn’t on my radar, I wasn’t political, I am still not a member of a political party.”

“In the first election I could vote in I put a sign up outside my house saying ‘vote Monster Raving Loony’ because they are all as bad as each other.”

Young Anger

As an architectural garden graduate Kay said the natural way for her to protest is doing “something creative,” hence her performances and tendency to dress as Supergirl or some other eye-catching character, even when appearing with mainstream politicians like Labour’s Chuka Umunna (left). “I want to see this battle against Brexit through to the end.

I have become a sort of figurehead for the Remain movement and they are behind me, they support me and they want me to be their voice on these platforms that I have access to, so I will continue to represent them until whatever happens to Brexit happens.”

“And then when it happens, it will be time to re-think. The whole of British politics is up in the air at the moment. I could go to the EU, if Brexit happens, basically just leave. The first book I wrote was about refugees, then LGBT issues and a children’s book about environmental issues, so I think education for children about political and social subjects.. is what I’m interested in.”

“They can call me young, inexperienced, even mad. That happens a lot, even (from) people that would be on my side. They thought I was just a bit of a prat and to people who say that I say ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ and you are only showing your prejudice by judging the weight of argument by what I’m wearing. Hear me out!”

 

by Bob Graham

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