Brexit: My 5 step plan for personal action

I’ve heard many opinions about what the country needs now, and what our politicians should do next. I’ve read insightful analysis of what’s happened and how we’ve got to where we are. I’ve peered into the crystal balls of experts who were right all along, and some who can convincingly explain why they weren’t.

But so far, nobody has offered me — individual, ordinary, powerless me — a plan of what to do now. So I’ve stopped leaving it to other people and come up with my own.

1. Join a political party

Really? With all those liars and cheats? After all that’s happened?

Yes, really. Because of all those liars and cheats. Because of what’s happened.

Our political system is broken. Traditional political structures are not giving enough people a voice, two party systems can’t represent the complexity of modern society. And people without a voice will revolt however they can — it’s why so many have turned to UKIP here, or Trump in the US.

But the system won’t be fixed by opting out and leaving it to the cynics, the self-serving and the short-sighted. And who can blame the political elites for ignoring the rest of us, when we’ve so completely turned our backs on them?

So I’m going to opt in. Sign up and get my voice heard from the inside. It doesn’t even matter which party, I’m not going to wait any longer for my political soulmate. This doesn’t have to be a choice for life — it’s that old tribalism that’s turned away so many, that’s encouraged the major parties to take for granted their core supporters and always chase the swing voter instead.

But I will make sure it’s a party already committed to fixing the system. That means proportional representation, and working actively for a coalition of progressive forces. When Labour can stomach that and join the modern world, they’ll be welcome back on my shortlist too.

2. Support a campaigning organisation

Isn’t that a bit old fashioned now? Surely all we need today is to start that online petition and tell our friends about it? Won’t that make everything better?

Well it can certainly help, and there are plenty of petitions already to click on. But the campaigning organisations that have been around a few decades still know a thing or two about how the system works. Right now, they’re possibly the best bridge we have between all this online noise and those distant corridors of power.

If you’re worried about how leaving the EU will hit our environment, our working rights, equality, poverty or social justice, then find an organisation that’s done the hard work and understands the details. And support them, so they can carry on. I’ve spent some time with these groups, and I can tell you they’re stuffed full of amazingly clever people who work tirelessly for what they passionately care about. If you think perhaps we should start listening to the experts again, these are the experts in progress and change.

3. Choose my media carefully, and support it.

Apparently Brexit is all the older generations’ fault. And it just so happens these are the people who still pay for their media — actual paper copies of the Daily Mail and The Sun that sell by the millions.

Younger people have deserted the paid-for press. But if we want quality journalism we can trust, that isn’t a loss leader for the power ambitions of its owners, or puts shareholder profit above telling the truth to its readers, then we’re going to have to pay for it.

I’m going to give money to The Guardian. Every month, even though they’ll let me read their journalism for free. Quality journalism needs a business model that will support it, and The Guardian is one of the few outlets that are not just chasing clicks.

But one media outlet should never be enough. I still want to do my own fact checking on the issues that count, I still want to hear different voices from a range of sources. It means sometimes putting in more time, but to spot and counter misinformation and misdirection we might need to know more than the headlines. Three weeks ago I knew far, far less about the democratic, economic, social and environmental value of the EU than I do now. I wish I hadn’t.

4. Get out more

Steps one to three I can do on my phone. I don’t even need to leave the house, and already I can help along the change I want to see.

But I don’t want to seal even tighter my own echo chamber of opinions, separate myself even more from those who don’t share my values and views. So I’m going to have to get offline sometimes too.

One of the few good things to come from this referendum has been having political conversations with the people I might never have expected to — whatever their opinion. We need to capture this, remember it and keep it going. I’ll listen to others with interest, and ask why they believe what they do. I’ll be open about my own values and opinions, but try hard for it not to be preaching.

But we need to always call out bigotry and prejudice. And next time there’s a major referendum, not wait for the day after to air our view.

5. Do something real

Big problems with bigger solutions make us small people feel even smaller, even when we work together. I’m not going to be running away from these, but we all need to find the way to make our own small difference too.

I’ll do something locally to help what I care about, however small. An actual thing, not a virtual thing, or words or thoughts or clicks or policies.

There are so many things any of us could do. Support actual refugees. Start a community garden. Pick up plastic from the beach. It might not change the world, but it could improve a small part of it.

And individual, ordinary me won’t need to feel so powerless anymore.