In this series, professionals
discuss how the EU referendum affects the business community. See the
stories here, then write your own (use #Brexit in the body of the post).
“Wait a minute
Russell? What sort of question is that? Is this some pathetic attempt at
clickbait to jump onto the #Brexit bandwagon?”
Well, no, I don’t
write about politics lightly, and especially about an issue which will have
such wide-ranging implications for our future, but I simply want to ask a
question….
If we elect
politicians and leaders to make choices for the good of our country, why are
they giving the British people the free choice to decide our destiny – without
TRULY giving us the ammunition to make the decision?
You, see when you work
in government, you understand the realities of working with Brussels. You see
the political challenges on the horizon, and you have a fair idea of what the
next ten years in Europe will look like and what the implications will be for
our country. You are informed, in every way, and if you do your duty to your
electorate, you will be able to make an informed decision.
Now, with the current
levels of inflammatory rhetoric and political games increasing with every day,
the great British public might be able to choose “remain” or “leave” on the
ballot paper on the 23rd June, but is it entirely ethical to give us the
decision to potentially change the historical direction of our country without
being a lot more specific about the details and the potential consequences?
The political
arguments are heavy on fear and low on facts. We have all made emotional
decisions in the past, and many of us will have lived to regret them. If we
vote to leave, will our country get a huge post-Brexit hangover recession? If
we vote to remain, will the EU squeeze our country dry of every possible thing
that has made us great? The vast majority of the UK won’t have solid reasons
for voting one way or the other, it will simply be a gut feeling that has been
fuelled by the media, and there is every chance that no matter how we vote, the
vast majority of the country will feel like passengers rather than participants
in this whole debate. Why didn’t we see normal people debating each other on
television? That would have been far more interesting than the political mud
slinging.
Ah, listen, of course
we should have our say, but it is tragic that our opinions are not more
informed. Maybe this will change over the next week or so, with the information
war ramping up to new heights, but something tells me that when we get to
polling day, I would rather have 1000 informed (and impartial) politicians
making the decision than tens of millions of partially-informed (and terrified)
voters.
After all, if
politicians make the wrong choice, we vote them out. That is politics, but at
the moment, the responsibility is being utterly shifted onto our shoulders.
Let’s hope we make the
right choice.