Voting to Leave

Boris Johnson has insisted the UK is not “turning its back” on Europe. He said the decision would not make the UK any less tolerant or outward looking and would not reduce opportunities for young people. There is a petition with over two million signatures asking for a rerun of the referendum- I signed it. I also signed this one to make it illegal for any UK political figure to knowingly lie or mislead. Mine was the 33rd signature: as if we do not imagine it possible. They would all be in gaol. If advertisers are not allowed to lie, why politicians? “Legal, decent, honest and truthful” said the Advertising Standards Authority- if it has not been privatised yet.

Boris Johnson, lying. Never forget:

My facebook feed was full of people in mourning. I could not believe it. I cycled into Swanston in the sun to meet R for lunch, and the world felt different, though the street was so familiar: we had turned away from modern life in anger and despair, to demand walls.
All changed, changed utterly:
a terrible meanness is born.

I lay awake around four, so heard Farridge’s victory speech. He was shouting without a microphone, so of course his voice sounded harsh, but- it sounded really harsh. He was speaking for decent, ordinary people.

They are not all racists. The Guardian said the working class Leavers were in a protest vote about austerity, poor public services, uncertainty for their children- all the Left causes- but that is not what they were asked, and last year it seems they did not believe Labour could do any better. They voted to leave the EU. Some did not think that side would win, apparently, so they could protest with impunity, but others were turning away from integration. There will be many reasons and rationalisations for voting leave. We need to convince people we have better ideas. We need to give them hope: an angry protest for UKIP is a vote without hope. This post from the Political Economy Research Centre of Goldsmiths’, University of London, is worth a read.

Then again, my former Green candidate shared, Great Britain, a historic vote for people, believe in Britain – Brexit: UK votes to leave EU in historic referendum. Another Green Leaver wrote, what arprise, labour MP’s are having a strop because doing what the voters want is optional.

We want to see ourselves as nice, good people. They want to see themselves as realists. Perhaps these self-images have some relation to reality. I have a few fbfnds on the other side: one wrote, THE BRITISH KNOW BEST!! 🇬🇧 A Prime Minister resigned. The £ plummeted. The FTSE 100 lost significant ground. But then the £ rallied past February levels, and the FTSE closed on a weekly high: 2.4% up on last Friday, its best performance in 4 months. President Obama decided we wouldn’t be at the ‘back of the queue’ after all and that our ‘special relationship’ was still strong. The French President confirmed the Le Touquet agreement would stay in place. The President of the European Commission stated Brexit negotiations would be ‘orderly’ and stressed the UK would continue to be a ‘close partner’ of the EU. A big bank denied reports it would shift 2,000 staff overseas. The CBI, vehemently anti-Brexit during the referendum campaign, stated British business was resilient and would adapt. Several countries outside the EU stated they wished to begin bi-lateral trade talks with the UK immediately. If this was the predicted apocalypse, well, it was a very British one. It was all over by teatime. Not a bad first day of freedom. I need to hear other voices. Some of them delusional: Other countries need us more than we need them!!.. all scaremongering… we will become GREAT Britain again!!!.

Mmm. That word “Great”. “Leftie cry-baby traitors!” he fulminated. Meme: “I believe in democracy- until I don’t get my own way, then I have tantrums all over facebook!” Mick shared that meme too, after an animation of a boy with a puppy, and an article on “The genocide of the peoples of Europe”: Mass immigration is a phenomenon, the causes of which are still cleverly concealed by the system, and the multicultural propaganda is trying to falsely portray it as inevitable.

“People are throwing their toys out of the pram” shared Hetty. She dared Remainists to unfriend her, so I did.

On the Swanston LGBT page, someone posted, May i thank the LGBT Alliance for Organising the Wonderful Vigil on Tuesday evening. I was moved not only by the sensitivity with which all contributors spoke but that [Swanston] – as we all know- is a sassy, tollerant and accepting place. His profile picture is a Vote Leave meme.

The Leader of the House of Commons wants some major legislative changes before 2020, including taking real steps to limit immigration, to abolish VAT on fuel and tampons, and to end the situation where an international court can tell us who we can and cannot deport. Cheaper fuel, and hang climate change. Human Rights for the Nice people! And if you need human rights and cannot assert them, perhaps you were never Nice.