The perspective of an “out” voter who seeks positive change for the future
In all of the concerns about Brexit, let’s remember that there has been substantial opposition to the EU for a long time. The founding nations continue to dominate, new nations are allowed in to benefit the EU (even if convergence criteria are not properly met) and struggling economies are propped up to maintain trade and stability for the core nations, not out of a genuine belief on European solidarity.
Most of all, we see politicians disengaged from citizens – where were the messages about what the EU delivers during the campaign to balance the easy criticisms of cost and regulation? Perhaps it is because the Commission is not accountable to an electorate and because those within the system are quite content with their lifestyles, expenses and belief in the EU project. From the outside, it appears that this collective belief leads EU representatives to deny or oppose rising Euroscpeticism instead of listening to criticisms.
Therefore, we are now at a moment in history where the next steps are vitally important. The UK needs leadership that is inclusive of many political views. The role of Scottish and Irish representatives will be especially important as the UK needs their voices to be heard in shaping the new political landscape. The Referendum was not a mandate for a “Brexit government” and to that end I have been very pleased to hear Boris Johnson re-stating his position that Britain must continue to be an important nation within the continent of Europe – just not one that approves of the EU Parliament and Commission in their current form.
I would not extend that inclusivity to Nigel Farage though. His gloating speech in the EU parliament was a national embarrassment. He won the platform to say something positive about the need for the EU to listen to the citizens and contemplate reform but his attitude overshadowed anything constructive that he might have intended. He has let down his own voters. Such attitudes are also fuelling a minority of xenophobic Brexit voters and I applaud everyone for standing up against any such intolerance or abuse – although I think it is worth pointing out that a “remain” vote could also have sparked similar reactions among some nationalist factions.
For UK politics, this vote has told us two things. Firstly, politicians should make these complex decisions and not rely on publicity campaigns (of dubious veracity on both sides) to influence an under-informed electorate to make historic decisions. Secondly, this is proof that a large swathe of the UK population has lost representation in Westminster as well as Brussels, and the referendum offered a 2-for-1 protest vote. Arguably, ever since Tony Blair courted middle England to win the election in 1997, traditional Labour voters have had nowhere to turn. In Scotland, the SNP have capitalised very effectively on this, as did the Liberal Democrats prior to the Coalition. And then UKIP’s win in the 2014 European elections still did nothing to change politics, only to deliver us a referendum that Westminster insiders were confident that they could “win” and the thus the whole issue could be swept under the carpet. The political elite must listen to these votes – it cannot be blamed on a handful of extremists but this is part of a longer term trend of dissatisfaction with politics today.