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

[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]

♥♥♥