Thanks for your conceded reply. I know it must be difficult for you, but I won't make a point of it.
Hush..hush!
The thing I'm not so happy about is the assumption that the general public, or the 'people' are so degenerately thick that any opinions they hold must've have been implanted into them by an unscrupulous fiend for his own gains alone.
'Populism' has been transformed into an ugly word that carries the same misguided grace as the word 'racist'.
Why has the will of the people suddenly become seen as a desecration of democracy?
'Populism'
is an ugly political word, Longs, and it isn't democracy. It is an affront to democracy.
C'mon, you must know many people who have voted 'Leave'? Seriously now, are they are informed as
you are. Or PJ? Or that new cove?
Honestly, now, what reasons did most Leavers
you know in 'real life' give for them voting that way?
I can honestly say that I have not come across a SINGLE Leaver who has spoken with clarity, depth or reason on this issue - and, sadly, the vast majority of those I have spoken to
were Leavers.
They are not 'stupid' people at all. Most are/were 'professionals'. Many ex-forces. Some ex-businessmen. Some self-employed. Capable, articulate folk. I think most would even be considered 'middle-class', at least in a financial context (decent pensions, shiny new car, regular holidays, etc)
But, christ, the 'logic'...
The reasons included (I've mentioned some of this before):
"Human rights gone too far - that murderer who couldn't be deported because he owned a cat..."
"The EU wants to have its own army - so that's enough for me. Hah."
"We're giving too much money to the EU - we need that money here."
"We've got to look after ourselves first..."
"The country is going down the pan - we need to sort it out."
These are, indeed, all
reasons. But they all fail to make the leap as to WHY leaving the EU would FIX these issues. They had next to no comprehension as to what the EU actually is and what it's done for us. Or what the full consequences of leaving could be. 'Hard' and 'soft' were unheard of terms.
They were simply coming from a point of view that the EU was a big thing they treated with innate suspicion that kept on telling us Brits what to do; it was club we had joined and we could leave with no consequences if we wanted to.
That's it.
It was a simple YES/NO referendum, so it must
all be simple, yeah?
These comments were from competent and
otherwise clever folk. But they had no political 'grasp' other than to be cynical of politics in general, MPs, councils etc.
There wasn't a single thick or stupid person amongst that lot that I have spoken to. They are significantly more 'clever' than the average Leaver walking the street or being interviewed on TV (c'mon, Longs - you must
cringe when they do a vox-pop on the average street!)
By calling many/most Leavers 'ignorant', I mean exactly that - they are
truly ignorant of this HUGE issue and its implications.
