Is It A Stupid Government Who Gives It’s People Choice?
The opinion I’m about to give is personal. It is about the state of confusion that the government and the people of the United Kingdom find themselves in. It is my belief that any country giving the people choice in a referendum may find they get the result they don’t want, but must obey the choice of the people.
June 2016, David Cameron leader of the Conservative party in the UK promised in his election manifesto that the country would have a choice whether to remain part of the European Union. It is not my intention here to say what the purpose or use of the EU is. My question is, in a referendum, why people vote the way they do. Expectations, in other words. Many of the pundits and the pollsters, for this referendum forecast that the result would be to remain part of the EU. But 52% of those who voted said leave. The government had to stand by their manifesto promise and the will of the people. But as Donald Tusk, President of the EU, later said, ‘There is a place in hell for those who pose the question but don’t have an answer prepared.’ Or words to that affect. That was what he meant. The UK didn’t know how to leave. Mr Cameron resigned, the responsibility of Prime Minister was passed over to Mrs May who after nearly three years failed and the task is now in the hands of Mr Johnson.
But why did the UK vote leave? Mr Cameron and many other politicians said remain. At the time I wrote to every single politician representing a variety of political views. All said, remain.
There were politicians and political parties within the country whose message was leave! Nigel Farage of the Brexit party was one of these. Son of a stockbroker he was privately educated and became a stockbroker before entering politics. My point being he was not a working-class guy. But he appealed to a certain class of man and woman in the UK. Seen with a pint of beer at his local pub his message would be, ‘Britain for the British. Keep our borders secure. Control immigration.’
I’m using Mr Farage as an example. There were other politicians giving similar messages, such as the present Prime-Minister of the UK who said that leaving the EU would give £59M per week to the NHS. A promise later found to be nonsense.
It is now accepted amongst many political commentators that those who swung the vote to leave did so because they wanted to take back control. Send a clear message to government and opposition parties, ‘This is what we want to happen. Get on and obey the will of the people.’
Three years on, there is still chaos politically and a lot of real government has fallen by the wayside. The question is, will the UK leave on October 31st? By the time KWEE publishes this article we will know whether:
1. The UK is still in a state of chaos.
2. The UK will have left without a deal.
3. The UK will have left with a deal.
4. There is a general election.
5. Article 50 has been extended.
6. Article 50 has been revoked.
For me, I hope it is number 6!
The novel ‘The Cut’ by Anthony Cartwright takes this idea and using Brexit has written an excellent novel.
c. John Eliot
26th August 2019.
John Eliot is a writer, commentator and reviewer. He has three collection of poems published by Mosaique press. He shares his time between Wales and France.'