Three years in and no way out
These anniversaries of the 2016 referendum always seem to creep up on me. Has it really been already three years since this whole thing started? It seems at least part of the reason for this odd perspective on the time that has passed is that the actual date of the referendum itself seems to hold less and less meaning. Relative to the events of today, what do events of June 2016 even matter? Many of the debates and positions have been twisted beyond all recognition. Acceptable compromises have become outrageous transgressions, while key arguments (when is Turkey supposedly joining the EU again?) have been simply dropped by the wayside. It is not only Remain voters who feel less bound by the referendum result, Leave voters too only seem to use the final result of the referendum, preferring instead to use the 2017 general election manifestos as the key justification for many of their current positions (a subtle but real admission that the democratic legitimacy of the referendum is not eternal and can be superseded by other events).
And yet it is not only this radical change in the terms of the debate. If it is hard to imagine that three years have passed already, it is also because this whole process never seems to stop. From the day of the referendum through to now, Brexit is a constant event, blasting from every radio, TV station and social media post. Wherever you go, whatever you do, it seems that Brexit is there, waiting to remind you about the constant crisis this country finds itself in. What difference does it even make whether it is June 2016, June 2017, June 2018 or June 2019? It’s all the same cacophony of ill-informed politicians and pundits, declaring they will save the country from ‘unelected bureaucrats’ while the EU proceeds to steam-roller them in every forum of negotiation possible (an entirely unsurprising outcome for anyone who considers that structural power relations actually exist). Though the details have changed, the interference in our daily lives remain essentially the same, becoming so predictable as to be dull and frustrating.
Far from the liberating and empowering democratic exercise that was promised, Brexit has become an interminable source of stress and worry for many. It is emotionally tiring and, as with all fatigue, people are increasingly on edge about the whole subject. ‘Just make it stop’ is a phrase that could come just as easily from a Leave voter as from a Remain voter. If only we could agree on how to do so.
And that is the problem. For as long as we can’t agree on what to do and where to go, this argument will keep on and on and on. Even if the UK does leave the EU, that will simply start a whole new set of debates on trade, immigration and participation in European integration.
If you’re feeling tired at this point, don’t worry, I am too. I am more political and engaged in politics than the average, but it is still not the only thing I wish to attend to in my life. Yet the simple reality is that sometimes the world and the circumstances of our lives require something more from us. It is less a question of political preference and more a sense of duty. We have to keep fighting for what we believe, for the future of a united Europe, because it is what we owe to those who have come before and to those who will come after. The motivating power of fiery passion is good, but it is exhausting to reignite that fire over and over during a course of years. As this fight looks set to continue, just as valuable will be the steady discipline of a thousand small acts, the billion raindrops that can flatten a mountain. Attend the marches, sign the petitions, write to your MPs, talk to your neighbours, friends and colleagues. Whatever acts you can find the time and energy for are valuable so long as you are doing something. It is tiring but the reward will be there in the end.
And yet it is not only this radical change in the terms of the debate. If it is hard to imagine that three years have passed already, it is also because this whole process never seems to stop. From the day of the referendum through to now, Brexit is a constant event, blasting from every radio, TV station and social media post. Wherever you go, whatever you do, it seems that Brexit is there, waiting to remind you about the constant crisis this country finds itself in. What difference does it even make whether it is June 2016, June 2017, June 2018 or June 2019? It’s all the same cacophony of ill-informed politicians and pundits, declaring they will save the country from ‘unelected bureaucrats’ while the EU proceeds to steam-roller them in every forum of negotiation possible (an entirely unsurprising outcome for anyone who considers that structural power relations actually exist). Though the details have changed, the interference in our daily lives remain essentially the same, becoming so predictable as to be dull and frustrating.
Far from the liberating and empowering democratic exercise that was promised, Brexit has become an interminable source of stress and worry for many. It is emotionally tiring and, as with all fatigue, people are increasingly on edge about the whole subject. ‘Just make it stop’ is a phrase that could come just as easily from a Leave voter as from a Remain voter. If only we could agree on how to do so.
And that is the problem. For as long as we can’t agree on what to do and where to go, this argument will keep on and on and on. Even if the UK does leave the EU, that will simply start a whole new set of debates on trade, immigration and participation in European integration.
If you’re feeling tired at this point, don’t worry, I am too. I am more political and engaged in politics than the average, but it is still not the only thing I wish to attend to in my life. Yet the simple reality is that sometimes the world and the circumstances of our lives require something more from us. It is less a question of political preference and more a sense of duty. We have to keep fighting for what we believe, for the future of a united Europe, because it is what we owe to those who have come before and to those who will come after. The motivating power of fiery passion is good, but it is exhausting to reignite that fire over and over during a course of years. As this fight looks set to continue, just as valuable will be the steady discipline of a thousand small acts, the billion raindrops that can flatten a mountain. Attend the marches, sign the petitions, write to your MPs, talk to your neighbours, friends and colleagues. Whatever acts you can find the time and energy for are valuable so long as you are doing something. It is tiring but the reward will be there in the end.
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