Bewildering Brexit

A bar in Dublin has specially made a Brexit beer for the results of the British EU Referendum called ‘Big Mistake’ – Reuters

Is vesting sovereignty in the people through a supposedly democratic process to decide matters of crucial and utmost national importance a smart idea? The result of a milestone referendum had elicited chaos and confusion in the UK. The tragicomedy of the entire saga is that Brits may have not even known what they had actually voted for. Is this design, deception or deliberate destruction? Only time will tell.

The widespread ignorance of the Brits was abundantly testified by search engine research. Google reported sharp upticks in searches not only related to the ballot measure but also about basic questions concerning the implications. Google had apparently reported that searches for “what happens if we leave the EU” had more than tripled.

The final analysis is that the British people had decided to leave the EU. The stakes are huge with tremendous underpinnings to the socio-economic progress not just for Britain but the entire European region. Ramifications are many and deep. Voters in Britain by virtue of their supposedly sacrosanct ballot had decided their fate. The decision heralds a milestone in European politics. The migraine and possibly the bizarre pathology is yet to unravel.

A pertinent question that had gained currency in the last couple of days, is this sanity or lunacy? Lachrymose to exultant behaviour had manifested itself in the streets of London and elsewhere in the close vote which deeply divided the British nation. Even those who voted to get out may have felt a trifle melancholic with the gradual unwinding of the true realities. The knock-on effect could be quite seismic. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned and apparent turmoil was felt in global markets.

There is something egregiously comical about the democratic process that’s inducing a great deal of humour, I for one am trying my best to repress my irresistible proclivity to laugh out loud. Democracy is becoming trifle farcical. People are being told to vote for matters they don’t fully comprehend. It seems the media and vested groups fill the absence of genuine and substantive dialogue. They mastermind to mislead and misrepresent. Not fully absolving the people, their naiveté of being in control of their destiny is put to a rude and unceremonious test. 

Contemporary man by virtue or bane of a super abundance of democracy has earned acquired a freakish psychological constitution. Easily malleable with the potential for maximum manipulation. He is startlingly capricious, inexplicably mutable and defiantly notional, qualities needed to make him act on things he does not fully understand.

The United Kingdom made its first application to join the EU in 1961 fearing political isolation within Western Europe. This application was vetoed by the French Government in 1963 with a second application vetoed by the French again in 1967. It was only in 1969 that the green light was given to negotiate for British membership. The United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community on 1 January 1973 with Denmark and Ireland. A referendum had to be held as to whether the United Kingdom should remain part of the Community. This referendum was held in 1975 with a 67% vote in favour of continued membership. 

After almost 40 years of nurturing and nourishing with trillions of dollars of investments for the very survival and prosperity of UK and the Union capricious man is asked again to vote, this time too to decide whether the marriage should continue or divorce. 

It’s too early to prognosticate the aftermath but tragedy looms ominously over UK. In cricketing parlance the episode could be described the following way. A well-flighted doosra is delivered tantalising in length. The batsman is drawn forward. Ball goes the other way and the batsman is left stranded in the middle quite comprehensively bamboozled.

A report published in 2000 by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research concluded that ‘detailed estimates from input-output tables suggest up to 3.2 million UK jobs are now associated directly with exports of goods and services to other EU countries’. Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had said the following in 2011: “There are three million of our fellow citizens, men and women, in this country whose jobs rely directly on our participation and role and place in what is after all the world’s largest borderless single market with 500 million consumers right on our doorstep.”

Does democracy contribute in any way to commit political suicide? We certainly have one in the making.

The ultimate loser in any democracy today whether it’s the United Kingdom, United States or Sri Lanka is the ordinary Joe or the ordinary voter. Ironically and disingenuously he is conferred regalia. In reality he has to face the brunt of all corruption, indiscretion, misrepresentation, arrogance and ignorance of his elected representatives by way of higher cost of living, higher taxes, draconian laws and huge amounts of politically distilled demagoguery.

The ordinary voter continues to adorn himself with the mantle only till another batch of rascals screw him in style and leave a putrid legacy for him experience more than mere respiratory problems.

It seems this cycle will continue till the second coming of Jesus, son of Mary. As for me I’ve had enough. I am running with a baseball bat towards the monkey cage.