I have nothing to say (but i said it anyway)

[thisbluespirit]

We just left the EU. I didn't think it would really happen when it came to it. The thing is, regardless of what rational reasons there might be to vote Leave (because life and politics is always complex, regardless of where I stand in them), this campaign wasn't run on them; we didn't hear any of them - it was run from start to finish on pure hate for all 'foreigners'. And 72% of Britons came out and voted, 48% Remain, 52% Leave. And a good portion of the Remain vote was Scotland alone, so England (and sadly even Wales) is even more proportionally to blame.

My country is a xenophobic, racist country. It's official. We voted Leave because we have an island mentality and we hate the rest of Europe and all immigrants. It would be lovely to think it was at least for other reasons, but that's not what the Leave campaign was about, so I don't have the luxury of clinging to illusions . I'd really, really have liked to believe that the Leave people were a noisy unpleasant minority, but they're not. They're at least half of us and so we'd risk economic collapse, all for hate, misplaced blame and flag-waving. (But, Europe, nearly half of us don't hate you. What can we say?)

What the practical fall-out will be, who knows. It looks like we're set for more recession at least in the short term and possibly Boris Johnson as PM by October. I just hope, the political climate being what it is, none of the rest of these right-wingers in Europe feel inclined to follow our example. The world needs the other countries to at least try and be better than us. It shouldn't be too difficult right now.

Comments

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

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With you in that dreadful sense of shock and loss, darling. I’ll keep my fingers crossed so that you guys don’t suffer too heavily from the parting… and obviously, for the future of the whole of the EU itself.

If you want an outsider’s perspective though—I don’t fully agree with the way you’re perceiving the implications of this vote about the British people. What I mean is, I don’t believe it means the British are a xenophobic country at the core, and I don’t believe this is a British problem, either. Maybe people in your comments brought up Donald Trump as the most glaring example, but I’m having chills at how close the National Front will probably come to office in my country next year, and populism and nationalism are on the rise all throughout Europe. (Even Germany, deeply traumatized as it was by its history—although I’m not saying at all that the AfD are anything like the nazis, obviously! But only a few years back I was noticing that Germany seemed to be one of a few exceptions when it came to the rise of the extreme right. That doesn’t appear to be so clearly the case.)

We all have two major challenges on our hands—the economic crisis and the migrant crisis—and the EU is an easy target to blame for the two. Easy targets have always been hit hard, in all of human history. The EU also has its own shortcomings and difficulties, which makes it all the more difficult to argue its case. The UK went first, because your country is somewhat specific in its history and identity. It is an island, and without meaning to be too simplistic, the island feeling is something we clearly perceive from a mainland-Europe POV. You already had some distance with the EU (not being in the Eurozone and a few other things). You were one step back, and that was one step closer to getting out. Unfortunately, your politicians took that step. But again you are not alone; this very morning we hear the National Front coining the word “Frexit” and the very idea makes me want to scream. The anti-Europe feeling is everywhere and it’s up to every of its 28 (damn it, still counting you) people to fight it, because Europe is a wonderful idea that deserves so much better than what it’s getting.

And xenophobia… Xenophobia is an easy, ugly human reflex. Again, I’m not sure it means a whole country is rotten at the core. But it is a matter of atmosphere, an atmosphere that’s nourished that the wrong politicians and the wrong media narratives and disruptive, misleading voices. It all plays not on hatred, not for the majority, but on fear—fear that, in turn, breeds hostility. One doesn’t hate foreigners, or care nothing at all for the Syrian children—simply, they’re frightened about their job, their security, their everyday life, their concerns and uncertainties. It’s not something to be proud of. But it’s an inherent part of human nature, a part we can overcome only by getting together instead of letting ourselves become more and more divided… and for that we also need solid, ethical, inspiring politicians with a vision. Those are all too scarce, unfortunately :(

That comment is rather bittersweet, I’m aware—I’m pretty much arguing “You know, the UK isn’t alone! We’re all on the same boat and it appears to be taking water!”. I don’t want to think it means doom… or else we may as well give up already, right? I want to hope this will be a wake-up call for the EU to reform itself, to become something stronger, more united, more inspiring. As long as it keeps feeling so remote and every people is only concerned with keeping its own tight control, it can’t work right. And I hope that if this better version of the EU is born someday, you guys can find your place back within it. The journey will be hard… but maybe we can get there eventually!

(I’m not looking to launch into an in-depth debate here, so please don’t feel the slightest obligation to respond if you’re feeling too tired! I just thought you might be interested to hear a continental-Europe perspective, and I really wanted to raise those points when I read your post. The British are a brilliant, flawed, human people. Like all of us. And politics and society seem to get scarier every day… but let’s not let that kill all of our hopes.)

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[thisbluespirit]

Yes, it was my first shocked reaction this morning and while I think we cannot ignore that the campaign was run on xenophobia and what that has meant in terms of validating racism - and how much it was purely England (and, to some extent Wales) but not Britain, is highly sobering. But that xenophobia is always a reaction to something else - and I certainly don't think we're unique here. That's the really scary thing. I know that your right-wingers have been straight out wanting their own referendum now - and that's what we've helped to kick off. And the Leave campaign was so run on hate that we can't pretend that xenophobia and racism wasn't part of what happened and why. This country was broken in many ways before yesterday or this wouldn't have happened. People have to be angry and scared to do this.

So, yes, actually I agree with you. I was just disgusted initially - and I still think we have to take that in and work to discourage hate, but,no, I don't think we're specially awful, and no I don't think people weren't reacting out of fear and anger and worry over the situation as it was. But I didn't amend the post, because to a certain extent it is absolutely true and we can't pretend it isn't.

I am worried for all of us, with all this fascism on the rise everywhere! Us leaving the EU at any other time would probably still be terrible for us - but not shake up everyone else so much.

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Yes, I get what you mean—the hate isn't rooted at the core of the people themselves, but fear and hate are what is used to drive them. Such political messages are just disgusting and it can be just terrifying to feel they're actually effective in convincing people, so I'm not surprised the outcome is so very painful for you :( Again, I also dread the way things are shaping up in France and we haven't had such a major event yet… Ugh.

That disgust and shock are perfectly legitimate, so there was no reason whatsoever to amend anything! There is the distance one can take to analyse things, and there is the gut reaction—and it's painful. That's normal and healthy—people everywhere reacting with their hearts and their anger are the proof that a good part of the UK is attached to Europe and doesn't want to close itself off…

Yeah, I just don't know how the consequences are going to turn out, what with the uncertainties about the whole process, and the EU's political leaders talking a lot about having to change things but apparently not having a clue how. We can only hope… ♥

[thisbluespirit]

Indeed. ♥

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

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