The Politics of Despair

So. It happened. A lot of people woke on Friday June 24th and realized the world had changed. While the sky had not fallen in, the decision by British voters to leave the European Union was seismic.

Initial reaction by the markets was dramatic and expected. During times of uncertainty speculators swoop in to profit from the distress of others. These same people will be earning large bonuses this Christmas while working class people will struggle to keep a roof over their head or clothe their children. One of the reasons some took the decision to support the Leave campaign was illustrated when the unbridled greed by a few was exploited at the cost to many.

Over the coming days we can expect to hear from an endless list of experts on what happened. We will soon have enough analysis to bore even the mandarins in Brussels. But none of it will make any difference. What we can say is the chasm between politicians and the general public is now so large it may never be fixed.

While British Prime Minister David Cameron is walking the plank for agreeing to a referendum he hoped he could use to end dissension within his Conservative Party, the aftershocks will be felt for decades. History should be very unkind to a man who was willing to risk the unity of his country to appease a handful of extremists.

In hindsight it is obvious Cameron should never have agreed to the referendum, his biggest crime was hubris over humility. As such he was just being a typical politician.

This period of political instability in Britain stretches back further than Cameron’s incompetence or even his mentor Margaret Thatcher. It can be traced back to the famous quote by then Tory Prime Minister Harold MacMillan that most Britons “never had it so good”. For too long politicians ruled with a mixture of benevolence and elitism failing to understand the world was changing.

It fueled combativeness in trade unions and decades of unrest. It culminated in the rise and the victory over the working class by Thatcher. The lineage from the Iron Lady to Duffer Dave leaves us where we are today.

The Conservative Party has always been populated by Little Englanders. Until now their self-centred spitefulness has never been allowed spread too far from the Home Counties and a few protest votes against the establishment in by-elections. This time it is wrecking havoc.

Central to the Brexit vote was immigration concerns. Yet this may not be the most disturbing issue. While anger towards foreigners was played shamefully by leaders of the Leave camp there is a larger problem now developing that could be a more destructive force. We saw its emergence in Northern parts of England…left unchecked it could rapidly spread.

The voting numbers in the North East of England took the experts by surprise. A 2:1 majority to get out in areas dominated by the Labour Party was not expected. This is a clear indicator of just how much the landscape is changing.

It should be remembered just after the polls closed the leader of UKIP Nigel Farage conceded, only to “unconcede” about an hour later. Initially the Leave camp seemed quite content to lose by a close majority and claim a moral victory. Few if any predicted what was about to happen as we started to see signs of a split across the country.

The days ahead are uncertain and fraught with problems.

Already some Leave voters have expressed second thoughts because of the uncertainty but this cannot mask the anger and frustration felt towards the people in charge. And that is not going to go away.

After decades of being ignored people feel lost and that sense of hopelessness can be dangerous. If people don’t care and are not invested in society all bets are off for Britain. This sense of alienation cannot be numbed by endless hours sitting in front of the television or on your mobile phone. It can be exploited.

Try to imagine whole communities who no longer feel any responsibilities to their neighbours or country. If their actions are outside the law, we know there will be a tough response by the authorities. Pretty soon we can descend into a cycle of illegal acts and anarchy.

Since Friday there has been a lot of finger pointing and frustration towards those who voted to Leave. While you can question the decision to hold a referendum, democracy demands a fair vote. One took place and some of those who are in the losing camp must understand why.

The majority of those who wanted to stay in the EU were university educated; those who wanted to Leave were not. The young favoured staying while seniors wanted out. Despite the importance of this vote to the younger generation they did not turn out in the same numbers as their elderly compatriots.

Most observers point out young people will feel the effects of the referendum for a much longer period. This vote was about them and yet they did not feel energized to help their own cause.

Traditionally young people do not feel the need to vote; so millennials were following in a trend that has always existed. But never has a generation put themselves more at risk by failing to take action. While it is true they only have themselves to blame, it does not help the present situation or offer any hope for the future.

Listening to a first time voter speaking on BBC Radio she said in principle she agrees with one person one vote but then added since this referendum has greater implications for her generation it is wrong they are being penalized just because more seniors decided to vote. It is such a silly argument it is too easy to laugh it off. But it does reflect the inability of young voters time after time, generation after generation to comprehend why the political process is important and cannot be left to others.

What has taken place goes way beyond a few immigrants being stopped at the UK borders. Great Britain was once running the world’s most influential empire, it has now become the sick man of Europe. If the politicians fail to heed what is going on and become fixated with party in-fighting they will be blind to where the country is heading.