Back and Leaving

It is a long time since I wrote anything for this blog. Not because I don't have anything to say but because there is too much to say.

Like most people who care about what is happening around us I am full of thoughts about what is happening to the west, and the elements that are seeking its decline and even collapse -- and my thoughts are anything but kind towards towards those people and systems and ideologies and cults who are working so tirelessly (and so misguidedly) towards our end. But there are so many aspects to it all that there is neither the time to cover them all nor perhaps any point.

For reasons that any sane person cannot fathom, those elements that want to see everything we have built and nurtured being replaced by something corrupt, unworkable and unworthy are having their way. Common sense was probably always in short supply, but it does not even make a showing any more. A succession of bizarre demands have replaced any semblance of normality.

Take, as an example, the Brexit vote. The question, in pretty plain language in June of 2016, was put to the people of these islands. A simple choice on membership of the European Union was offered to those eligible to vote by the terms of our laws and the majority of those voting could see it clearly. Does this seem obvious? Well, you can look at a referendum like the one in Australia a few years ago that was a pitch for independence, such as to stop having our monarch as their head of state. But it was apparently so confusing that few people could work out what they were actually voting for, or so one Australian told me. I wasn't involved, so I can't say as a fact, but that was the view of someone living -- and voting -- in Sydney. Mind you, this person voted to leave Britain's 'control' so was disappointed the outcome wasn't going the way they wanted, and perhaps we have to accept that whatever was asked the majority were in favour of staying with the UK.

My point is the question has to be clear, and then people can be in no doubt.

It is of course entirely possible that despite the welter of political and media pressure to tell us all to remain in the EU, the vote to leave was done for a variety of reasons. these however weren't itemised on the referendum.  Speculation may abound what a lot of people wanted, or feared, but in any event the question was yes or no, in or out, or more accurately leave or stay?

I had reason for my vote, which I will state at the end of this blog.*

The majority was as we now know in favour of leaving. I was one of them. True as of yet the actual process of departing a failing and corrupt organisation that has wrought so much havoc on the nations of Europe (which incidentally we are still very much connected to by common culture and aims) hasn't started, but an answer was clearly given.

Now I do not put much faith in democracy as such: making a choice once every five years for a local parliamentary representative does not have any influence on a government, and even less on what they do thereafter while in power. If I want Joe Bloggs to represent me in parliament and Joe Bloggs wants to affiliate with a political doctrine and the party of that doctrine gains a majority of seats and accepts the offer by the monarch to form a government (and they can refuse, unlikely thought that may be) I can have no say in that process or what this collection of people do once their chosen head person has moved his or her sofa into Number 10.

My democratic moment lasted two seconds while I made an X on a piece of paper. I certainly was not voting for peace, a prime minister, a relaxation of border controls, the building of nuclear power plants or even the new colour of the wallpaper in Downing Street. I voted to relinquish any such say when I slipped the folded paper into the ballot box, trusting only that someone would add the votes up properly -- and that is a whole separate issue these days.

So the June vote came out for leaving the EU. Not by a landslide, but a sufficiently large margin to leave no doubt that this was what the majority wanted. Fifty-two per cent to 48 constitutes enough of a win to make the job of a recount pointless.

At once however the enemies of Britain, by which I mean people who live in these islands but cling to all sorts of weird ideas and ways that run counter to the welfare of this nation, began whining and moaning. The Remainers rapidly became the Remoaners, saying it just wasn't fair, that the people who wanted us all to Leave were old and stupid and racist and had no vision of the security and prospects that open borders and increasing legislation from foreign interests would bring to our islands. There were predictions of doom and economic collapse, that war would break out in Europe, Fears that innocent Poles and Romanians would be rounded up and shipped home in containers. There were calls for a second referendum, with among many reasons cited being that the vote for a change in the status quo should be something like at least 75 per cent of the electorate. So to Leave it had to be a clear 50 per cent of the people wanting out. Anyone not voting of course would be assumed as wanting to stay, rather than perhaps not caring either way.

There was talk that London, which voted in favour of staying put, had been cruelly ignored by the rest of the country. Let down, even. It was argued that the uneducated bumpkins, peasants and crass northerners had ruined it for Londoners, who of course were the only ones empowered by their exalted location to see what was good and pure and lovely. There were Remainers who argued, on state television (which naturally is centred in London and handy for the Channel Tunnel) were being denied unrestricted, no-visa travel to Europe.

One woman who voted to stay even said to me that the most important aspect of all of this was being able to have holidays in France without the inconvenience of having a passport checked.

Well, each to their own. Given the events recently in Paris and other towns and cities of France I am not sure I am all that keen on going there myself, but we each have our views of what constitutes local bother and what is terrorism bordering on armed insurrection.

We are told that the process of leaving the EU will begin in 2017, and while that seems disappointing to the Leavers like me at least it is promised to happen. In the meantime we continue to operate EU laws, follow their court rulings, pay our fees and any fines imposed, and accept for now we don't have much say in our state of being. We are after all considered a region of Europe and not a nation and generally no one expects a region to have their own ideas and separate needs.

No matter, this is immaterial to the Remoaners, who haven't finished even though the referendum is done. Indeed the recent long drawn out leadership election farce of the Labour party was peppered with loud claims that if Labour's new leader was this bloke or the other chap then we would indeed vote again on this issue, that we would ignore any vote to Leave, that we would immerse ourselves even more in Europe to the point of throwing out Sterling in favour of the Euro.

I would imagine then that unrestricted travel to French holiday resorts would be even easier with the Euro as the only currency. Yes, it makes sense. To some.

*My reason for voting Leave was a matter of laws. I simply want us to make our own laws, governed by the issues affecting this country, rather than meekly adopting perhaps unrealistic laws imposed by Belgians and the like who have no concern about the nations of these islands. It wasn't racism, it wasn't denying access, it wasn't fearing Johnny -- or Ahmed -- Foreigner on our shores. It was the simple desire of having a parliament of our own people on our lands which has to consider what we need to grow and thrive.

When I make a mark in an election, my only concern is that the person I am voting for ably represents me and my family in parliament with the added bonus that he or she will argue for or against laws affecting me and mine. Selfish some may say, but there we are. In the end the only thing that counts is who we are and what we have and what we want to build. Letting some one else make those choices for us without caring is, frankly, bizarre.

(Oh, and in case you're wondering, I don't rate the EU parliament at all as they seem to have very little say in what the unelected Belgian civil servants and various grubby self-interest groups want.)