A Day Later..

I voted to Remain, I felt very strongly it was the right decision. I was extremely disappointed by the result, I was sad, I had a lot of the views people are expressing on facebook and twitter. And then I reflected on it for the day**

Here goes:

1. We voted for a party that promised us a referendum. We had a referendum. Maybe we shouldn’t have voted them in, but we did. Next time we know what a big deal that kind of promise is.
2. Ask yourself if you really would have preferred the Remain campaign to have had a narrow victory. Think through what that would have actually meant. The half of our society that normally have the least influence on politics, businesses, education etc would have lost today. The half of the country that are least globally mobile would have lost today. They would be feeling even more disillusioned with unfairness and inequality in our society. They would be feeling totally incapable of influencing their futures. They would most likely be feeling trapped and very angry. They would hate the EU even more. Now imagine what would happen if we went into a cyclical global downturn as we approach the 2020 general election. Imagine the type of party or leaders that would do well in an election like that.
3. We are not suddenly a racist country. We are not suddenly a stupid country. Older people’s futures are just as important as younger peoples. The shock of the result is over, now we need to stop this rhetoric.
4. This is not the end of the UK economy and the reaction of the markets was not total panic.
5. Nigel Farage is not the story here, he is just noise. Him and his party have just lost their main reason for being. Be thankful for that.
6. It doesn’t appear that we are going to immediately invoke Article 50. In all likelihood we are going to take 3–4 years to exit the EU. The leaders will be determined to win a general election that will happen at about the time we leave. We will have time to heavily influence the people who are putting these new rules in place. If our economy gets absolutely smashed (I don’t think it will do) we may actually be forced to re-think.
7. This does not have to be about restricting immigration. Those of us (Remainers and Leavers) who believe strongly in the benefits of immigration and a multi-cultural society need to work hard to make sure the immigration processes we put in place are open and balanced. If they are not, then we will have an opportunity to vote for a party that believes they should be.
8. We now desperately need strong, balanced, selfless leadership across the major parties.

We have given everyone a voice and we should listen. Now we work hard, be kind and keep an open mind. Losing this vote has given us an opportunity to lead the country away from fear. It will be the way we deal with this situation that defines us, not the situation itself.

**this is a copy of a facebook post I made on Friday night