I am English. I am British. I am European.
When I woke up at 6am on Friday 24th June, I wept. I wept for the country I have called home for my entire life no longer feels my own. I wept because my voice had not been heard, had been drowned out. I tried to make the arguments for unity, and against intolerance, but they simply were not strong enough.
I am part of the 48%.
I am a Yorkshire lass. I am a Northerner. I am Human.
I am deeply concerned about the future of England, of the United Kingdom, and of the European Union. I also worry about our transatlantic friends, but I can’t do anything about that right now.
But democracy has spoken. There may be a few people who failed to understand that, this time, their voice would be heard. There may be many people who believed the lies told by the Leave campaign. There are certainly a few hard right fascists who are using this to spread their own brand of hateful rhetoric.
However, the turn out was massive. They are part of the 52%.
They are part of the majority of eligible citizens who decided to get up, get dressed, go out and vote. They are not satisfied with the way the country is being run. They are not satisfied with how their lives are turning out. ‘Vote leave and take back control’ is what they were sold, and ‘Vote Leave’ they have done, because control is something they crave and do not have.
We are all part of the 100%.
We are all human. On June 23rd, we all ate, we all drank. We all thought, most of us spoke. Hopefully the vast majority loved. We all lived on this planet. We all have the right to know friendship, compassion, a sense of belonging. A place to call home. An education, a job, a purpose in life. A voice.
The voice of democracy has spoken.
Sometimes in life there are no second chances, no second bites at the same cherry. But in this life, there is always tomorrow. There are more than cherries, there’s a whole fruit farm out there. I don’t believe, as things stand, we can justifiably demand a second referendum. I do believe we have to address the reasons that led 52% of the nation to want to leave the European Union. I’m excited by the prospect that as a party, we could lead them back towards it.
I believe we have to listen to everyone, and to welcome them all. We need to be an inclusive party, regardless of age, race, creed, colour, gender, sexual orientation, or Brexit vote choice. We need to learn, and to show people, that we have more in common, and that we are all better together, striving for a better, more prosperous, peaceful country, continent, and world.
* Clare Kane is a member in Cleckheaton, Kirklees, and I am an active campaigner, particularly on the issue of the EU referendum. She joined the Lib Dems after the general election last year.
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11 Comments
I think we really do need a second referendum. For democracy to work, people need to be able to trust the honesty and integrity of politcians and campaigners. In elections we are voting for a philosophy, so exact details of proposed actions are not so sure important, but in a referendum the situation is very different: people are voting for direct action and so it is essential that they understand the full consequences of their choice. Clearly this was not the case in the first referendum: again and again partisan political interests and personal agendas trumped honesty. A vote for lies carries no validity and is not democracy in action.
We need the second referendum urgently. If it results in a second Leave vote, we should trigger Article 50 immediately; the will of the people will have been clearly and honestly determined. If the new vote is for remain, I have high hopes that this will settle the debate for ever. In either case this will result in the fastest possible resolution of the situation, to the best interests of both the UK and the EU.
I was talking with a friend in the pub on Saturday night and oddly enough the subject of the recent referendum cropped up. On observation I made was that I know that there are individuals, and at the other end of the spectrum there is the world. As far as I can tell all of the intermediate divisions of people are somewhat arbitrary. It would appear that most people in one arbitrary group (the UK) have said that membership of another arbitrary group (the EU) is not for them. It also seems as if there is a shift in the Scottish group that remaining in the UK group is less preferable than being in the EU group.
I wonder whether it is the UK that needs a rethink. The English and the Scots don’t appear to be on the same page. Do London and Sunderland have different agendas? I am obviously no nationalist, indeed the appeal of the LibDems to me is it has a more internationalist, cosmopolitan outlook. I wonder whether the out vote is a precursor of a much greater change, to reshape the UK to meet the needs of individuals in the modern world.
Kim, what happens if the 2nd referendum is 52% 48% for remain. Will we have a 3rd referendum as what is good for one side is good for the other. I think a 2nd referendum is sadly a non-starter for this reason. It will result in a 3rd 4th 5th 6th or 7th referendum!!!
With you all the way Claire. I also joined after 2015 GE result. Thanks for your heartfelt and honest article. Keep up the great work.
Clare – Think of the referendum result not as a vote against the 20% of the world which is the EU but a vote in favour of the whole world.
No longer will the UK discriminate against people from non EU countries.
No longer will we be compelled by the EU to have trade barriers against the non EU countries.
Alongside being more outward looking to the world, we will have local control over our own laws once again.
Kim Spence-Jones
“A vote for lies carries no validity and is not democracy in action.”
Pity we couldn’t re-run the 2010 General Election then,… after finding out about Clegg’s lies over tuition fees.?
`We need to be an inclusive party, regardless of age, race, creed, colour, gender, sexual orientation, or Brexit vote choice.` How does that square with a party policy of rejoining the EU?
J Dunn>Pity we couldn’t re-run the 2010 General Election then,
We did. Everyone got their say in May 2015. They chose the Tories with a standalone majority.
David Evershed: If it ever gets to a stage where a teenage girl in Muff, Co. Donegal needs a work permit to work in a sandwich shop in Londonderry, five miles away, your words will ring very hollow indeed. We haven’t even began to deal with the consequences of voters from marginal areas in the UK being lied to about the lollipops and unicorns that would follow on foot of an exit, let alone the consequences for Ireland and the continuing existence of the United Kingdom itself.
“We need to be an inclusive party, regardless of…Brexit vote choice”
It appears Mr. Farron does not agree. Such a pity.
I struggled, I really did, when I first heard about Tim Farron’s EU policy. But on the other hand – people have been free to vote for UKIP for years, why shouldn’t we be free to vote for someone who will represent our views? The referendum has happened, and whilst I wish I could wake up tomorrow and find out it’s been a bad dream, I know it won’t. But I will vote for someone who represents my interests, regardless of how others may feel.