I can't say to have been shocked by the outcome of the referendum. Despite recent optimism the polls were around 50/50 for a long time. I feel sorry for all the Brits wanting to stay in the EU but in the end it might be better to make a painful break than drawing out the agony. The only good outcome would have been a large majority (at least two thirds,better three fourths) for staying and that wasn't realistically possible. It's simply too tedious to deal with a country that isn't really in but is (not yet) out either for a longer period. For part of the conservatives and UKIP would have gone on and on in the same fashion if they would have been defeated by the same margin they did win now. At some point it's really love it or leave it.
I hope the EU will be strengthened by all of this mess. All right wing movements and their voters throughout the EU will be shown what's waiting at the end of the road: Severed ties and economic decline or implementing EU legislation (including those about migration) without having any influence on it. To reach this goal as early as possible, the new government will be pressured to send their letter of intent as soon as possible. Whoever thinks the UK will get to enjoy the benefits of the common market for free will be in for quite a shock.
Personally I can't comprehend how anyone could fall for the right wing pied pipers but apparently there were more than enogh who did. This is not solely a British problem but I did have a bigger esteem for their constituency than for that of other, less firm democracies. The only mildly interesting thing to note is, how soon after the referendum they started to back away from their bullshit (350m for the NHS per week, anyone?).
A few lessons that I hope will be learned by this mess:
- You can't go around bitching about the EU for years and then expect people to suddenly vote remain
- It's a gamble to build your career on populist promises, you might have to deliver at some point
- If there's no EU around anymore to blame for everything that's gone wrong, the people will realize who's really responsible
- If you are asked to vote on a certain topic, it's really a vote on that topic and not on anything else
- Be careful what you vote for for you might actually get it
I'm optimistic that in one or two decades the UK (or England and Wales by then) will be back in after a new generation will have taken over the country and both politicians and their constituencies will hold the things the EU stands for in higher regard. The fact that younger people even now voted in favour of staying raises my hope in that direction.
If you want to shorten that period don't despair, hold your politicians accountable for what they promised, ask yourself and others who really is responsible for a given political decision (is it really Brussels or rather Westminster?), fight the vitriolic public opinion about the EU and stay open minded towards people from other countries.
To quote Genesis:
This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in
