Sign the petition that will make Old Joe bong an almighty 50 times

A petition on change.org has been created to ‘Make Old Joe Bong 50 Times Once Article 50 is Triggered’. The petition needs 1,000 signatures, and so far has just over 700 signatures.

Old Joe has been part of many different movements and political changes in its time. The Birmingham intranet allows the colour of Old Joe to be changed for between £50 and £100 for a special cause of your choice (blue for VK?). Since October, Old Joe has turned Red to celebrate our Olympic success, green for Black History Month, blue for World Antibiotics Week, red for World Aids Day, and blue again for Eating Disorders Awareness Week, so it’s only fitting that the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world should commemorate such a huge political change.

Old Joe is getting political

Article 50 is part of the Treaty of Lisbon, which became law in 2009 in order to make the EU “more democratic, more transparent and more efficient”. Article 50 will: give any EU member the right to quit unilaterally, and outlines how the procedure works. Before the Treaty, there was no legal way to leave the EU. The Brexit referendum did not automatically signal the country’s exit from the EU. Article 50 must be triggered by the UK in order for Britain to legally leave the European Union.

Prime Minister Theresa May is set to make her decision on triggering Article 50 on the 29th of March, leaving just 11 days for UoB to get Old Joe involved.

If you feel strongly about the triggering of Article 50, or just love Old Joe, sign the petition here.