Over the past four years, liberals and progressives across the UK and the USA seem to have been trapped in a cycle of perpetual outrage. The attacks on liberties and cherished values, which have been won over lifetimes, are in a seeming state of never-ending assault. Since Trump and Brexit, hardly a day goes by without something so outrageous that we simply cannot let it go unchallenged. There is always something to shout about. So much to be furious about. So little time to defend the onslaught on our core beliefs. It always seems to get worse, not better.
The past four years have been exhausting. There has been no let-up!
For those not providing essential services, the upside to lockdown has been an abundance of enforced quality time; time to stop, reflect and to explore new perspectives. During this quiet time, it’s become apparent just how much time, money and emotional input we’ve invested doing absolutely everything we could do to stop Brexit and the rise of Johnson and the Jingoistic right. I am one of the countless thousands who spent a fortune getting to marches and rallies, who spent weekends at conferences and on street stalls, who bought t-shirts, flags etc. etc. Opposing Brexit was an almost full-time occupation. It has been emotionally and financially draining.