9 reasons why a second referendum is a good democratic thing to do

To my MP,

9 reasons why a second referendum is a good democratic thing to do

I write to ask that you consider the reasons why holding a second referendum is the best way to hear the voice of the people.

It has been a tumultuous few days, and what has transpired, whilst many experts warned about such consequences, may be different to what many *thought* they were voting for.

I know you are busy, so here are the headline reasons why you should ask us “are we sure?” before pressing the button and before we pass the point of no return:

1. only 37% of the registered voters voted to leave (52% x 72% turnout) — is this really enough of our country to inflict such gargantuan change on us and potentially the world, without first checking if they all really meant it
2. we all have more knowledge now to make an informed decision on what we are voting for
3. from voter interviews, it seems many:

• voted in protest of the establishment not realising their vote would actually count and cause us to actually leave
• voted out of emotion, not realising what it would actually mean for them and their families day to day
• voted due to “promises” and “claims” made by the Leave Campaign, that were immediately clarified as “mistakes” and not accurate by those very leaders mere hours after the result; it is impossible to ever know how many voted because they thought £350m per week extra would go to the NHS
• voted because they believed it would stop immigration not realising that in order to still trade with the EU we would need to keep our borders open anyway or that the camps in Calais would move to our shores.
• voted because they had been coerced into not trusting “experts” who warned of consequences which they simply refused to believe, and which were denied as scaremongering and “fear” by the Leave campaign. (Seeing $2 trillion wiped off the world’s markets in just a day is now simply a fact we can all see and believe, irrelevant of whether one trusts or mistrusts experts.) Perhaps this puts that anti-expert rhetoric in new light and some may choose to think about what else experts said could happen in the coming months and years as a result of this.

4) many young people did not register to vote because they didn’t realise what the issues would mean for them and their futures and retrospectively claimed more could have been done to engage them and get their attention. They will certainly be more aware now.

5) a minor point, but the floods, bad weather and transport issues meant some travelled hours to get to the polling station, only to be turned away at 10.02pm or unable to make it there at all

6) many people say now they know more they wish they had voted the other way

7) many people say they didn’t realise they weren’t just voting about whether to stay in the EU but also about whether the UK would potentially split up into pieces. They say they would have voted differently if they had known

8) many didn’t realise that this wasn’t just about the UK but that it could destabilise Europe, particularly affecting smaller countries and increase vulnerability to threats from Russia, etc

9) the Leave Campaign vehemently said that if the margin was 52–48 to Remain they would campaign and fight for a 2nd referendum, because the result is too close to be a final judgement.

Below (in the footnote) is more detail and links to examples of these — many of us have read with open mouths at these shocking revelations.

Democratically, the people have had a chance to have their say. But it seems that many have now realised they did not choose the future they really wanted. It seems that under the unprecedented circumstances, and with so much at stake, the prudent thing to do is to ask us “are we sure?”.

This to me seems like the most democratic step we can all take, to double check that before we irreversibly change all of our lives forever, we are given the chance to give you, Parliament, our mandate that this is really what we want you to do for us.

Some of those who voted to Leave may feel that a second referendum is unfair to them, but it is important that all of us vote with as much information as possible, which we now all have more of. Those wanting to leave can still vote to leave the second time too.

If the second vote is to leave, then at least you will have the confidence to KNOW with conviction that this is what we the people want you to do. Can you honestly say you have that conviction yet, based on these events, with all this transpiring uncertainty?

Without a second confirmation, with so many factors leading to ever greater uncertainty around whether people voted for what they really want, surely it is a no brainer that we should all be double checking that the result is democratically what the people of the United Kingdom want for our future.

As I write this, 3 million people have signed a petition for a second referendum, with over 100,000 signatures being added every hour.

Many experts speaking on the issue of whether we should have a second referendum seem to be missing the point. The question is not whether the petition is valid, or whether the referendum is advisory or legally binding. The question is whether the outcome of the first referendum is really what the people actually want, now that we all have more knowledge on the issue.

A second referendum should also be soon, to minimise uncertainty in the markets and stem the damage to our economy, relationships with the rest of the world, and jobs in UK businesses. We need the second referendum as soon as possible so that we can move soon to begin healing the cracks that this divisive exercise has caused in our nation.

Who knows, perhaps even Boris would vote to remain this time now that he realises the consequences of his campaign.

Once Article 50 is triggered there is no turning back. Angela Merkel urges us to not rush into anything. Article 50 should only be enacted with an act of Parliament anyway. Please can we not be hasty, and please double check with us the people before marching stubbornly into a future so many of us do not want.

This matter is too important not to double check. No other area of life would not allow periods of consultation, reflection, and planning. Why would we remove these stages from an issue that will affect our lives for generations. Not just our lives, not just the people of the UK, but potentially all the people of Europe, and even perhaps the rest of the world.

We should act responsibly and democratically. And to do so, please ask us “are you sure?”. Please give us a second referendum and soon.