I write to you en route to Vienna to speak at the European Agency on Fundamental Rights. This too on the day of the Referendum Vote.
The irony of it. On Referendum day I'll be speaking in Vienna to the European Union Agency on Fundamental Rights - with the President of Austria - to talk about how we ensure greater inclusion of the socially excluded in europe and the fundamental human rights of our community including refugees.
What am I supposed to say "not my problem...my country has just voted a big f^&k you EU, so take the poor, the destitute, the soon to be radicalised and shove it."
Or am I to say we are a nation which developed and fought for these fundamental rights, we not only have a seat at the table we will shape the agenda and participate to the fullest in the most important issues of our age.
We are part of your community, it is our community too and together we will make ourselves the best hope for humanity and a beacon to the rest of the world, that principles borne from this continent, from democracy to the fundamental rights of equality shall not die when the going gets tough but principles are only worthwhile when tested.
And we shall never shy away from our share of any burden for surely we have always reaped most the benefits from economic growth of this continent. My country has paid too high a price in forging peace on this contintent to now remove itself from Union with it; paid too high a price to ensure fundamental rights for all citizens of this continent, to now stand by muted.
Our greatness shall be measured not by our past but our voice here, now, in the rooms where decisions are made shaping the history of a continent as we once did shape the whole world - and just because we are not the only or no longer the loudest voice, we shall not go quietly into the night.
The message from the President of Austria is "I would like to congratulate the Fundamental Rights Agency on its initiative to establish a Fundamental Rights Forum in Vienna, providing a unique possibility to bring together European and international human rights decision-makers, activists and rights holders.
Not least in view of the extraordinary challenges of the current migration crisis we need to keep a strong focus on the basic values and principles our societies are based on: human rights, equality and intercultural understanding.
In order to further develop a comprehensive and strong human rights culture in our societies we need more than the mere knowledge of a set of rules and principles. Above all, we need to develop the corresponding attitude and behaviour. Human rights exist to the degree that they are respected by people in their relations with each other, and by governments with regard to their citizens."
