A People’s Vote is not an excuse. It’s a fundamental democratic right
Reflecting back on the 2016 referendum for exiting the EU, I now find myself torn and anxious to what next year will bring.
The Brexit saga brought the nation to a halt. It dominated news headlines, polarised politicians and riled up the frustrations of the electorate. The result was surprising, but exposed how split the U.K was on EU membership. The almost 50/50 vote means the negotiations for leaving would always be anarchic rather than civil. An unfortunate Theresa May inherited a nation in peril. Her party were at war, and so were her opponents.
It is hard to justify the referendum result as credible when a number of factors contributed to the Leave vote being victorious. Lies were fed to swing voters, specifically when the Leave campaign pledged to pump £350 million extra a week into the NHS from money we paid to Brussels. This was a damned fabrication with intent in swaying the vote.
The House of Commons has become the scene of an exhaustive and seemingly endless battle. MPs do not align with their parties anymore but instead with whether they are Leave or Remain supporters. The Labour MPs, Frank Field and Kate Hoey, disregarded the party whip by voting for May’s Chequers proposal for a soft Brexit. Furthermore, the Tories have seen high-profile resignations and a splinter group of hardcore Brexiteers who have defied their own party in the exit negotiations.
I was a hardline Remainer when I voted in the referendum two years ago. Now, I am as anti-Brexit as possible due to the debacle that shows no signs of ending. It’s as if May is running a lawless government, with her grip weakening and her approval ratings plummeting. Now the prospect of a no-deal Brexit is not an absurd thought, we really are in the most daunting political era.
The only way to somehow alleviate this barbarity is with a People’s Vote. Heralded by some MP’s as the best solution for the divided nation, it is in the best interests of our democracy.
The People’s Vote isn’t a ploy to revert the 2016 referendum vote. Two years ago, we couldn’t vision this mess ever happening. Brexit has been a case of the blind leading the blind. Negotiations give no reassurance to the electorate. The People’s Vote would allow the nation to decide on a hard Brexit, a soft one or to completely abolish the idea entirely.
From what we know now, with the dangers of a no-deal looming, it is vital that the public are heard once more. It is clear that the parliamentarians we elect are incompetent in doing their utmost to protect the country. A final say on the Brexit negotiations from the public would show democracy at its finest.
The only way the country could recover from this unrest is by taking a vote once more . It is fundamental that Brexit runs smoothly. I have more faith in the voter, rather than the government, to make that possible.
