An old friend reports that he is “feeling drained by all the hate” on social networks relating to Brexit. I know how he feels. My social network pages resemble more my own echo chamber than an environment where different views are expressed. I took steps long ago to remove much of the hate, the lies and, latterly, the gloating about what I still believe is an historic and catastrophic mistake by the British people to pull up the drawbridge to Europe. For all that, I’ve long been resigned to the fact that ‘remoaners’ like me have lost the arguments. The winner takes it all.
I’ve made a conscious effort to let tomorrow, the day on which we leave Europe, largely pass me by. To say it will be one of the saddest days of my life would, I’m sorry to say, would be an understatement. I am among the most pro European people who has ever been born and still see the European Union as the greatest movement for peace and freedom on our continent since World War 2. Therefore, I have steeled myself for a day of national gloating from the likes of Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, the woman who used to be on the Apprentice, Tommy Robinson, Mark Francois and every other far right nut job in the land. (I am not including friends who will raise a glass tomorrow night: just the nut jobs, of whom there are many!)
There’s no point in carrying on with the remain/leave debate, such as it was. What will be will be and I know, because I am not in the first flush of youth, the main negatives effects of Brexit will not be visited upon me. I won’t be looking to live, study, work and retire abroad and that’s just as well because come 2021 I won’t be able to. I just feel sorry for our young people who won’t able to, either.
The people who got us here must now own Brexit and what happens next. We can state our views but to the victors, the spoils. If Brexit is a runaway success, I shall be among the first to hold my hands up, but if it is a disaster, those of us who predicted it would be cannot be held responsible.
Those of us who prefer love and hope over lies and hate must now soothe our cuts and bruises and make the best of a bad job. Brexit now belongs to the illiberal elite, headed by Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, on whose privileged coat tails lies the future of our country. I wouldn’t trust him any further than I could throw him but that’s the future we have chosen.
Goodnight, Europe. It was nice knowing you. I’ll see you in my dreams.
