Some thoughts on the UK EU referendum

As a strong advocate for Remain I am of course hugely disappointed with the outcome of the referendum. But despite the grief of those that backed Remain - as well as regret from some who voted Leave - the electoral map looks, and is, hugely divided. I am going to say "I told you so" (not you personally, mind!!), but this referendum should never have been called. It was David Cameron's attempt to placate some in his party, and counter the threat from UKIP, but he failed monumentally. And unfortunately that will be his legacy (like Iraq was Blair's).

You could also point the blame at the Labour Party (or specifically Corbyn) for his tepid campaigning but again that deflects somewhat from what generally people who voted for Brexit in the heartlands really feel. 

Some have said it was a protest vote against the establishment, some have regretted their actions, others have blamed older people for screwing the younger generation; it's also probably true that the Out vote may not even be constitutional (as also, would a narrow In vote have been!!). But I don't think the genie can be put back in the bottle (despite me having signed all the petitions circulating currently). 

Regarding the toxic nature of the campaign (and I look at both sides as neither were bathed in glory) yes people were lied to; but as an informed person I made an informed decision as best I could. By the nature of democracy we allow uninformed people to vote, and as much as my liberalism demands I respect that, it's a failure of the Remain side, and by extension a failure of liberalism, to provide not only coherent arguments in campaigning, but also real solutions to peoples genuine concerns and fears. 

There may be attempts to roll this one back - to put the genie back in the bottle - but I doubt it'll work. I think there are some good suggestions of how we can make this decision work for everyone, but fundamentally politics needs to start addressing how the inequalities people genuinely feel, whether it's about immigration or economics.

It may not "feel" like we are prosperous or secure, but over the course of human history we have never been more prosperous or more secure. Globalisation may not have benefitted everyone and people have genuine gripes about that, but we are a globalised world, connected by a shared humanity. Our politics genuinely needs to continue with that in mind, whether it's on climate change, migration of peoples, or economic wellbeing. 

So yes, write an email, debate with colleagues and engage with those that hold different views, and try and effect change on a local level, national level or international level. There are tectonic shifts taking place and what seems to many like darker forces on the fringes of politics (left and right, but mostly on the right) are rearing their ugly heads (in Europe as well as USA). But extremism breeds from poverty, fear its host, so deeper questions need to provide answers to deeper problems. Canada, for what's it's worth, is a good exemplar of the roadmap to creating a just society, of how a liberal polity can address inequalities. It may sound idealistic but despite the decimation of liberalism across the world, we have never been in more need of it.