I've been quite disillusioned since the EU Referendum. Since before it, really. And since it too. I have always tried to have faith that those in positions of power have our best interests at heart. Even though some of the things they do suck, I know they have to make hard decisions and always tried to convince myself that they were doing the best they can for the country as a whole.
And then comes along Boris and his big bus of lies to wipe away my faith in a few words.
We knew it was all lies at the time. But still they peddled it because not everyone will realise they are lies.
It was admitted shortly after the result was announced that they knew they were lies. And yet nothing has happened. It seems that you are able to openly lie in an election campaign, admit that you openly lied and suffer no repercussions.
Regardless of which way you voted, this is unacceptable behaviour. This has made me disillusioned.
Prior to the vote, both sides were getting into unacceptable personal and vitriolic attacks on the other side. These have continued ever since. The tweet below from one of my favourite comedians earlier today got a lot of abusive responses.
Yet it makes an important point. Several important points, even, in under 140 characters. The idea that a democratic majority can be ignored would lead me to be more disillusioned in the electoral system.
Even though it's not what I want. Even though I think people may have been misled into voting to leave. Even though I think it will be worse for the country to go with the majority vote, we can't ignore the fact that the majority voted to leave.
Yet the size of the opposition to it is immense. 16.1 million people is not insignificant in any way. If it had been a more significant divide, then I think it would be easier to accept. 16 million people is just such a staggeringly large number that I think everyone's views should be taken into account in some way. But then I think we should have proportional representation as well. The system just isn't what I want it to be.
Another reason I think we need to be more careful around this issue is that some people don't know what they voted for. The guy on the radio who couldn't name a single law that he wants repealed is perhaps an extreme example. Even if we assume that everyone who voted to leave knew all the ins and outs of EU laws and regulations, the problem is that we still don't actually know what leaving the EU looks like.
If there had been a clear plan of exactly what leaving would be then we would have been able to vote on two options for which we had full information. We knew what remaining looked like, but leave was a lot of vague promises of a brighter future when the reality is that there is no way that they will all be able to be fulfilled.
This abusiveness and the fact that we are being dragged into something without our eyes open has made me disillusioned.
The fallout from the vote has been getting worse and worse as time goes on. The pound dropping to record lows means that people will be unable to afford to go on holiday. The announcement today about Marmite shortages might seem comical at the moment.
The tweet above made me almost chuckle. I don't LOL much at the internet but this almost managed it. People have been making jokes about hoarding Marmite or putting it on eBay for £500. The problem is that this is likely to be the first of a number of products that will become unaffordable or no longer stocked in Britain when companies start pulling out or raising prices. It might be luxuries or something you don't need or want at first, but I'm worried it will start to get to more essential items over time. This has made me disillusioned.
One thing that has upset me is that the percentage of the electorate who voted to leave the EU (52% of a 72% turnout = 37% of the total electorate) is less than a trade union needs to hold a legitimate strike under the latest legislation that the Conservative government enacted (requiring 40% of the total electorate to vote in favour). This therefore makes it easier to leave the European Union than to have legal strike action. This discrepancy, and the attack on workers rights, has made me disillusioned.
The fact that they left immediately fell into infighting and a leadership contest, rather than banding together to try to stand up for workers rights, to get the best possible outcome in the negotiations and to form a coalition that could unseat the tories at the next election has made me disillusioned.
I like to think that people are trying to do the best thing but it is sometimes difficult to keep telling myself that.
Something to Believe In
The Offspring
I believe that reality's gone
Disillusion's real
I believe that morality's gone
And there's nothing to feel
If you take the sacred things
The things that we hold dear
Empty promise is all you'll find
So give me something
Something to believe in [x4]
I believe in a changing of the guard
Put our feet on the ground
See it happen in your own backyard
Everything breaks down
Do you accept what you are told
Without even thinking
Throw it all and make your own
And give me something
Something to believe in [x4]
Where they lead
You will follow
Well I guess that's just the way it goes
And if you look away
You'll be doing what they say
And if you look alive
You'll be singled out and tried
If you take home anything
Let it be your will to think
The more cynical you become
The better off you'll be
Something to believe in [x8]
No comments:
Post a Comment