I remember when the 2016 referendum took place and the result had been declared. Nowadays we are constantly reminded of the embarrassment Brexit has become.
I also remember an acquaintance chortling about the result, saying how pleased she was with the result meaning we were to leave Europe. I also remember commenting how we, in local Government, received European money and how Brexit would cause us some difficulty in the future.
”Oh” she said “I never knew we ever had any European money in Bedfordshire”
Well that said it all. She had seemingly voted for Brexit based on the false assumptions, bent cucumbers and lies. It sums up how most knew little about the complicated relationship we have with the EU, how many so facets of modern life are intertwined with Europe.
Now Brexit draws ever closer and the UK politics seem to be increasingly bizarre with its unexpected twists and turns, I wonder what else will happen. How much of this would David Cameron have anticipated when he offered a referendum to appease his supporters who were defecting to UKIP? Probably very little, it is hard or perhaps impossible for any Government to manage now. Sure we will almost certainly leave Europe and our new relationship will then start.
Relationship? An expensive divorce more like it. We will have offended, cut ourselves off in many ways from Europe and none of us know how destabilising that will be, either for ourselves or for Europe itself.
And yet this chaos is what the Brexit Party seems to be revelling in. It is frightening. Frightening how the Brexit Party could rise from nowhere, have no manifesto, no policies and only a ragtag of candidates and yet quickly gather so much support. And these are “only” the European elections. What happens when the next general election comes along? Imagine the support which could quickly gather momentum. Imagine the way people might be fooled into supporting the Brexit Party as a way of solving the mess which Brexit has become?
Perhaps we should also be mindful of the 1930s when Hitler quickly rose in popularity. He quickly gained support and power, urged on by loyal supporters who were swept up into a frenzied brainwashed movement. We all know what followed.
I truly fear for the future. Not that Farage is becoming a modern day Hitler but we have opened the door to needless uncertainty, fear, lies (propaganda) and testing the patience of a very decent Europe.
While I say “a very decent Europe” that’s not to say all is perfect. But isn’t it better to be in Europe, to have our say in steering things along in a civilised manner? Instead we have elected the Brexit Party to be our main representatives in the European Parliament and as they take up their office, who knows what appallingly bad attitudes they will have as they settle into their mischief making roles.
Where there is hope…. and I think the EU election results have given us that. Also, whilst the Brexit MEPs, like UKippers before them, may be a thorn in the side in Brussels (when some of them bother to turn up), Cameron’s potentially more difficult European Conservatives and Reformists group have had their British membership depleted and at the same time we’ve helped boost that Green vote across Europe and the liberal centrist group. Promising steps by an electorate that only 3 years ago voted to leave. Whether the MEPs get to sit in their seats and, if so, for how long is the next issue.
You are being quite generous there! And yes, having a good Green representation across the EU is positive together with the sensible centre ground.