Ok, I have thought long and hard about this post. Firstly about if I should even post anything about the referendum and the result, and secondly about what exactly to say once I had decided to do so.
Let me start by saying that I voted to stay in the EU. I can honestly say that there are many things about the EU that I don't like and if we had never been in it and the referendum was about if we should join then I would have said "No", but we are a part of the EU (not removed ourselves yet) and as such leaving will have many consequences. Some of those will be economic, some will be political, and some will be social. As far as the economic and political consequences are concerned, they are things that we will have to cope with and will be more in the hands of those in charge of the country once they, and us, finally decide exactly who that will be and how they are going to manage things and what crap will be shovelled onto us. The social consequences are much more in our hands. There has already been a rise in racial hate crimes and attacks, both verbal and physical, since the result of the referendum came in, we as a society MUST not allow racist thugs to take control of the streets and make it so that non-white people and foreign born, or those born of a family that was originally foreign, people are scared to go out and live their lives. There seems to be a belief among some people that this vote to leave the EU gives them a right to abuse others and be openly racist, I for one WILL NOT accept that. The thing that gets me is that, if you look at the many cases reported, most of the people that these idiots are shouting at to get out of the country don't come from countries in Europe anyway. We must come together and make these people understand that this kind of racist bullshit is completely wrong and must stop.
Ok, let me go back a bit to the whole thing about leaving the EU (although thus is still caught up in the racism thing a bit). I have read a lot of things on Twitter about Leave voters complaining that we on the Remain side are "bad losers" and that we should just "suck it up" and "accept it" and just "get on with things", but I don't think they understand the way we, at least me and my wife (and I'm sure many more), feel about the whole thing. As far as I'm concerned, the people that voted to Leave have effectively killed the world I lived in. I honestly, and it seems naively, thought that we lived in a world where the idiots, racists, thugs, uncaring, and selfish people were in the minority but this vote shows me they are not. Now I know some people will not like me branding them as one of those because they voted to Leave but that is exactly what I think of the people that did and nothing is going to stop me feeling that way. You have killed my hope for the future and for the life I hoped for my children and grandchildren to have. I want to live in a caring world of acceptance and tolerance, where people are more important than profit, where hope is the order of the day, where sympathy and empathy for all are the norm and peace is not only achievable but what we all strive for. What this result seems to be ushering in is a world of hate and bigotry even worse than we already have to contend with, a world where banks and corporations will run the country even more than they do now, a world where the poor and less able will struggle and fall to the wayside and there will be no one to save them. Yes I know that some will say that I paint a bleak picture of the future but that IS the way I feel about it, I cannot see a single truly good thing coming from this result. You may say I'm wrong, but you CANNOT prove I am wrong, only time will do that. If you are right then all well and good, although it doesn't change the way I feel now, but what if I'm right? We can't then go back and set it right. I know there are risks in all choices, but I think this one was just too great to take.
As I have said, as far as I'm concerned those that voted to Leave the EU have killed my world and as such DON'T expect me to just carry on as if nothing has happened, I am in mourning for the future of our country and our children, and I have a right to feel upset about, dislike, disagree with and rage against this decision and those that voted for it.
That pretty much sums up how I feel too Andy. It is also annoying that leave put all the mechanisms in place for a 2nd referendum if remain got less than 60 % of the vote but are now saying it is not fair when remain want a 2 nd referendum because leave won with such a tiny majority. I dont know if I can forgive, I will try to, but I certainly won't forget. The whole thing has been so traumatic and appalling and bitter that there are people I will probably never really feel truly comfortable with again. X
ReplyDeleteI think it's the people I like and care about that voted out that I feel the worst about. I don'T want to loose them from my life but am finding it difficult to deal with. Hopefully time will heal the divide to some degree but I'm not sure it will ever heal completely.
DeleteFortunately most of the people that I know who voted out are just acquaintances really. I am saddened that they did it because they appeared to be ok, I had known some of them a very long time. I suppose I was surprised to see them backing the other side, I thought I knew them better so I feel let down by them. But as they keep telling us all, they knew what they were doing, they had some clever plan can't we see it, they aren't stupid, they don't regret it and we are stupid and ridiculous and wrong and that we should pull ourselves together. In some cases the malice and venom dircted towards the rest of us is quite shocking. It is as if they have beome poisoned by something, so I am afraid I don't feel much sense of loss, but on the whole they have lost my respect and my trust and it is unlikely that they will earn it back. I think if someone is determined to self destruct that is up to them, they don't have the right to destroy the rest of us. X
ReplyDeleteSadly some people I know well and have known for a long time, all of whom I count as friends, voted out, I think that is part of the reason I am finding it hard to deal with. I'm hoping my sense of loss and grief will subside over time but added to my current depressive mood it may take some time.
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