the hokey-cokey
About a year ago, in the run up to the EU referendum, the most sensible voice was the one that quietly, rationally explained nothing was going to happen. Overnight. And so it has been. The economy continues to operate, dysfunctionally or otherwise. The NHS is still massively under the cosh. I remain rubbish at squash. The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. Same-old, same-old. Life goes on. However, with the agreement from both houses and article 50 about to be actioned, we are now set to find out more about the impact of Brexit. In about two years. And for many thereafter. For me, it’s these timescales that indicate the enormity of the decision we’ve just made. It’s taken us fifty years to get where we are today with our European neighbours and I’m going to predict that it’ll be another fifty before we again take stock.
Irrespective of what Tim Farron and Tony Blair are arguing for (that the first vote was really only consultative and it’s either up to parliament, or a second vote to truly decide), we now need to accept the (slim) outcome and prepare for what this way comes. I appreciate the belief that a dreadfully inaccurate and badly run campaign (from both sides) failed to properly deal with any of the real issues we’re now going to face, but it produced a result nonetheless. Referendums are black & white, yes or no, and they polarise opinion in the most blatant of manner. One side’s happy, one ain’t. And my side, the losing one for the record, are not justified in belligerently arguing that the others got it wrong and we are right.
However, I still find myself contemplating who voted which way, and why? The south voted to stay; the north voted to leave. The young voted to stay; the old voted to leave. White collars’ remained; blue collars’ headed for the exit. Tabloid readers opted to go; broadsheets’ clung-on. Tesco shoppers represented Brexiteers; Waitrose remain remoaners. A flat-white & almond croissant was synonymous with blue & yellow; the full-English an equivalent of John Bull & the Union Jack. Smokers puffed their way over the horizon; Vapers proudly proclaimed their Amsterdam allegiance.
Of course this is wrong and very tongue in cheek but you get the idea of how socially divisive the issue became. Yes, it was a close-run thing, closer than perhaps anyone could have predicted, but we’ve made our bed and now we need to lie-in it.
Love it 🙂