Why don’t we stay, for now?

WHY DON’T WE stay in the EU, for now? Wait for it … howls of derision and aggression and roars of approval and support burst out with equal energy. 

Oh my, there are interesting positions out there, aren’t there. We have ‘remain’, then there’s ‘brexit’. What about Scottish Independence or ‘remain’ in the Union? All positions accompanied by welters of emotion.

What am I saying?

I’M NOT SUGGESTING WE SHOULD REMAIN. Nor do I propose we leave, either. The Daily Politics show on BBC programme at lunch time today (11th December) crystallized it for me. We’d be insane to do anything more, just now, than pull Article 50 and start again.

How irritated are we?

ARE WE LUCKY TO HAVE such diverse and divided opinion? Does it enrich the debate?

Today, the composition o the experts included:  

• A right wing, I-don’t-care-about-the-Irish-border Conservative MP who kind of likes the idea of the EU getting a ‘bloody-nose’
• An I’m-for-Theresa-May’s-plan (but not maybe the PM any more), Conservative MP
• A senior Labour MP, towing the party line, until the ‘right moment‘ to act
• A right wing (Brexit favouring) journalist
• A former LibDem MP, (remain favouring) journalist
• A recent Cabinet resigner, Conservative MP
• An SNP MP whose wants Labour to call a vote of no confidence in the government

TALK ABOUT herding cats.

Anger, contention, posturing, annoyance, polarisation, dispute, cagey laughter, contempt … all fomenting a debate where the only certainty is… nothing is certain. Above all, no politician really knows what they are talking about, but still express their views with authoritative, faux-expertise and passion.

All agreed the PM has kicked the can down the road again. Some feared she aims to get the UK to the cliff-edge and make it my way or a we-die-way … Mrs May didn’t come out of the chat well.

Angry or what?

FROM TIME TO TIME the risk of public rage in the streets was used as a rationale for: no deal, Norway, Theresa’s pact, killing the backstop, reinforcing the backstop, keeping the £39 billion, doing what is right, finagling a general election …

CAN CITIZENS QUELL their justified anger and irritation for a moment and consider reality? I believe so. Our people are much more sensible than our politicians care to believe … hopefully we’ll see a constructive use of citizen power before too long. Perhaps some extremist gangs will riot after such an ignorant invitation from some politicians.

Abyss awaits

HERE WE ARE, teetering on the brink of an abyss of unknown depth. Our leaders in their kamikaze-like rush to conflict and division are an embarrassment.

Reality?

FACE THE FACTS, our politicians don’t know what we’re going to get. Brexit is about Brexit, not about better lives, prosperity or an ever more secure future, they just-don’t-know.

ME? I SAY: no hungry children, great educational and training opportunities for all, no food-banks, no ‘hostile’ action against anyone, prosperity, plenty of police, plenty of NHS … a land of human decency, where greed doesn’t trump everything else.

CAN YOU ACCEPT that, no one really knows what’ll happen, no government minister, no opposition dignitary, no angry citizen, no SNP, no Unionist, no Bankers and none of the get-on-with-it brigade.

And the biggie …

DO AGGRESSIVE, knee-jerking factions, baying at each other and, in some cases, wallowing in the prejudices and fantasy of a bygone empire really take us forward. 

ARE WE SERVED by a formidable and competent leadership at Westminster? Are they self or citizen-serving? Do they always tell the truth?

Choice

IF YOUR ANSWERS MAKE you unhappy, there is only one thing to do: stay in the EU for now, get our act together (aspirations, thinking, truthfulness, government, etc…). Then take our time making sure our EU in-or-out thinking helps us become what we want to be and builds a legacy fit for our children.

© Mac Logan