For the past five months (and for a number of years before) people have been campaigning to save something that is very important to me.
They have been fighting to save workers’ rights. They have been fighting to save international cooperation. They have been fighting to save the European Union.
Yesterday, Thursday 23 June, people voted on whether we should stay a member of the EU or turn our back on the continent.
It was with great sadness I heard the campaign to leave the European Union has succeeded.
This has been a campaign of passion. It was, for me at least, one where David Cameron and George Osbourne, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage had little to contribute – though they tried. Debates were held at home, work and play. The unspoken rule that politics and all else should be kept separate was thrown out. Even the dinner table was not immune to talk of job losses, Germany and the possible loss of Danish bacon (apparently not the most important issue of the campaign – who knew?).
It did something amazing. It made politics the concern of normal people. Crossing a box on a ballot paper was no longer enough. Instead one had to work for the result desired. Previously apathetic voters started delivering leaflets and politicians changed from being the matter of debate to being just another person making their voice heard.
It brought politics to the forefront. Much like the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014 this campaign brought together people of all political beliefs. At an event I attended in the May of this year I spoke to a Liberal Democrat councillor who was to campaign alongside a Conservative MP later that week. I asked why, although I secretly knew what the answer was to be.
“For the next five weeks I will work with anyone who wants to stay.”
– Cllr. Ben Dowling
I say now what I said after the referendum in Scotland; I hope this collaboration and cooperation between parties may continue for the good of the British people. It didn’t happen then and I doubt it will now, but I can dream.
I would now like to thank all those who voted and campaigned to stay. It was a long, hard fight and although we may not have got the outcome we wanted we should be proud of what we have achieved.
It is the nature of democracy that one cannot always be on the winning side of an argument. Supporters of Britain Stronger in Europe will be disappointed with the result. Supporters of Vote Leave, Leave.EU and Grassroots Out on the other hand will be pleased.
No matter the lasting effects of the nation’s decision to vote to leave I will remain unashamedly pro-European, I will continue to call myself a European, and will champion at every opportunity the values, heritage, culture and people of the continent and union I love.
Political business will soon return to normal. Immigration will be replaced on the agenda by taxation and Europe by devolution. However, the passion evoked by the question ‘Should Britain remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?’ will not be forgotten as easily.
Perhaps the pro-Europeans among us will continue to talk of the wondrous economic, political and social union that was the EU. It will certainly be harder to campaign to rejoin or realign with Europe then it would for a new out campaign to kick off. I do however hope that we as a nation will continue to work with our European neighbours. Not to do so would be irresponsible and short sighted.
The campaign for the 2016 EU referendum (or neverendum as one of my Facebook friends called it) is over. Normal political service resumes shortly.
Peter Marcus 