What is Brexit All About?
A short guide
Democracy is the rule of the majority
One fateful night in June 2016, the United Kingdom (UK) citizens voted to leave the European Union (EU). The Brexit Referendum split the country in half with 52% voting to leave. Brexit is about British sovereignty over the UK. For the past three years, a battle between “Remoaners” and Leavers engulfed the UK parliament. Britain is in a state of limbo between the EU and being a sovereign nation.
Chartists
Starting in 1838 the beginnings of democracy started in Britain. A group known as the Chartists circulated petitions for male suffrage. They requested six reforms to the political system:
- Men twenty-one and older could vote (except prisoners)
- Secret ballot
- No property requirement
- Equal size constituencies
- Annual elections
The Chartists began modern democracy. The Brexit vote was about the sovereignty of Britain. People felt Brussels technocrats made too many decisions for Britain. They wanted to protect British democracy.
What is Democracy?
Democracy is the “rule of the majority.” Also referred to as “mob rule.”
The Cambridge Dictionary defines democracy as “the belief that everyone in a country has the right to express their opinions, and that power should be held by people who are elected.”
Brexit became a choice between the technocratic EU and a sovereign democracy. Democracy does not give your government a place to hide.
The Establishment and European Union
The Establishment suffers from demosphobia. They are afraid of democracy because it is hard to control.
Brexit was a democratic revolt. It hit back at the technocratic Establishment. The Liberal Establishment went into denial. They attacked Leave voters as xenophobes and racists. The rise of the Far-Right is a democratic revolt against the technocratic EU.
The European Union is a massive bureaucracy. The EU Parliament is powerless and has ceremonial precedence over the European Union. However, the appointed EU Commission makes laws. How is that democratic?
People’s Vote
In 2017 General Election, 54% of people voted for platforms that excluded a no-deal Brexit. Once people realised Britain had a weak bargaining position and would receive a bad deal. A call for another referendum started, and that’s when the People’s Vote movement began.
Why have a People’s Vote? The 2016 Referendum only gave people the option to remain or leave. There were no details about how Britain will leave the EU. Most Brexiteers believed the UK would leave with a deal. Parts of Brexit even the Brexiteers do not want. Abusing their democratic vote. Demonstrations across the country have taken place to protest a no-deal Brexit.
Final Thoughts
Will the Chartists democratic demands fought for a century and a half ago survive? Nigel Farage summed the People’s Vote up perfectly:
“We already had a people’s vote, and the people voted to leave the European Union.”
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Christopher Oldcorn is a writer and journalist. He holds a BA in Psychology from Laurentian University, and a post-grad in Research Analysis from Georgian College. Christopher studied at The Centre for Investigative Journalism (Goldsmiths, University of London). Recognized as a Top Writer in Government, Politics, Books, Climate Change, Productivity, Creativity, & Writing.
