Danny Bright
Without dwelling too much on historical detail, in the Middle Ages, England began a journey that influenced the development of representative government and a judicial system, the principles of which are still adhered to by much of the world today.
How ironic is it that in the 21st century, the country that laid the foundation stone for modern parliamentary democracy, is completely paralyzed and stalled: unable to carry out the democratically expressed will of the people.
In many ways, what’s happening in the UK with Brexit is just another example of the “derangement syndrome” we’ve seen undermining democratic decisions all over our civilized world.
Make no mistake about it, the very concept of democracy is at extreme risk and we’re all burbling away inside a pressure cooker that’s set to explode at any moment. The most basic principle of democracy is that everybody has the right to express their views through appropriate processes, after which there is a vote and majority determines the outcome. Majority rules.
It’s worked very effectively and efficiently for hundreds of years and although it’s not without flaws, it’s certainly much better than the alternatives, as history has repeatedly shown us.
Democracy doesn’t come with a caveat that says: “majority rules as long as I agree with the decision”. There are always going to be close calls, but you can’t ignore calls just because you don’t agree with them.
In June 2016, the question was put to the people: “Should the UK remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”
30 million people voted, which is a turnout of 72% and was higher than for the previous general election. 51.9% voted for “Leave”, 48.1% voted for “Stay”. It’s a small majority but the votes are counted: That’s the decision. That’s how democracy works. The politicians now have an obligation to carry out the will of the people.
Yet here we are three years later, and the House of Commons still hasn’t moved forward a single step and seems to be no closer to doing so than it was on day one. It looks very much as though “Remainer” MP’s are obstructing progress because they fundamentally never have and still don’t, agree with Brexit. This is preposterous and is no different from the fools in the USA who won’t accept the outcome of their last election.
You can’t just keep holding referendums until you get the outcome you want any more than you can keep running elections until you get the winner you want. In sporting terms – let’s just keep playing or replaying until the “right” team wins. Ludicrous.
The level of polarization over Brexit is arguably higher than most realize and if the push for another referendum is successful, it will drive a huge wedge right into the heart of UK democracy, driving high levels of anger and disruption. The lines of demarcation might well be drawn more vividly than anybody could ever have expected.