At the start of this week I deactivated my Facebook account.
As someone who loves Facebook for keeping in touch and for sharing my writing,
pictures and adventures with friends and loved ones, this was a big deal for
me. It was the curse of the referendum. I campaigned in my own little corner of
the world for Brexit. I have explained my reasons many times and believe,
wholeheartedly, that if you want something to happen then you do something to
influence it. In my heart I didn’t expect a leave result. I cried when I read the result on
the morning of 24th June. The emotion came as a surprise, even to me. I did
not realise what months of debate and hope, resulting in this outcome, would
mean to me. Democracy won. I am thrilled about the result and excited for the
new future that our country can now carve for itself. I do, however, understand
those who have legitimate concerns and do not feel as I do about the result. I
have never made this personal. I try to make my arguments as compelling as I
can, to always talk from the heart and to welcome those who come along with me.
What followed the referendum result was the polar opposite of what I describe.
The last few years have seen a rise in the numbers of far-Right extremist parties and movements across
Europe. The National Front in France, the Platform for Catalonia in Spain, the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands,
Golden Dawn in Greece, the list goes on. One has to ask why this is happening?
It is my firm belief that this movement is in direct response to the inability
that the people have to vote out those residing in the corridors of power in
Brussels. If the people can’t be heard, the extremists rise up and they will
shout loudly. The erosion of democracy is the erosion of society as we know it.
Now, here’s the thing. Just because I believe in
sovereignty, democracy, freedom and taking our place on the world stage, I am
not far-Right, small-minded, uneducated nor am I a racist. I have been called
all of those things along with being told that I have destroyed a man’s life.
Me, with my one vote in 17 million. I understand the depth of feeling, really I
do, but the personal nature of the retaliations from people around me just got
a bit overwhelming. The comments underneath mine on threads stating that the leave campaign was only about
immigration, that leave campaigners know nothing and that our grasp of history, politics, the inner workings of the EU and
economics is somehow less valid than those voting to remain. The supposed moral
high ground became rather overpopulated and nasty in the aftermath of the vote.
I will return to Facebook when I have the strength to re-enter the debate. Many
avoid politics to protect themselves against what I have experienced. I will never do that
(although Facebook is still a terrifying battleground right now!) This is the
game. People coming together to debate and to try to influence the outcomes
which they believe are in the best interests of our society. We’re not so
different. Left and Right are two sides of the same being. We all want to
defend against tyranny and we all need, desperately, to dilute the extremes of
both the far-Left and Right.
I understand that the EU’s founding fathers had dreams of
peace and harmony after World War II and I don’t deny that the EU was
instrumental in achieving this, back then. Today’s reality is very different.
Instead of extending a hand to those countries who have been economically
destroyed by the single currency the political elite are pressing ahead with an
ever closer union and a European superstate in the face of bitter opposition
from the people. Keep a close watch on Italy......
So, amidst the hysteria, I am encouraged by talk of fresh
hope for India, now able to see the possibility of a trade deal with the UK.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister has offered us the use of their top trade
negotiators to assist with our post-Brexit negotiations whilst also floating
the possibility of a fast and “symbolic” free trade agreement with New Zealand.
The early discussions about the ability for people to move more freely between
the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand is a beacon of hope and opportunity
for so many. This hope will continue. There will be trade deals. We should have
faith that we are strong and that our freedom will enable us to truly help those countries who need it,
rather than having a blind faith that the EU’s political elite will do it for
us. But, above all of this, let's first learn how to respect each other. We really all do want the same thing, a bright future for our country and, for that, we need unity and positivity.
"Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population." ~ Albert Einstein
