As we head into yet another week of Brexit chaos there is literally one thing this nation can unite over: none of us are happy.
But I’d like to take this moment of unified exhaustion and frustration to talk about one of the biggest factors behind this whole situation, over which I’ve seen relatively little discussion. We are in this mess, fundamentally, because of a total lack of respect for Leave voters.
I can already feel my readership polarising rapidly – but hear me out.
When David Cameron called the referendum he was utterly convinced that Remain would win. He, along with many others, believed this so wholeheartedly that he didn’t even bother to give Leave voters the courtesy of a genuine, actionable option on the ballot paper.
A vote to remain was a vote for something clear, united, and utterly doable. It was completely evident what would happen if Remain were to win, and every single voter, on both sides, knew what this was.
Leave, however, were not afforded this same level of respect. They were instead given a loose concept, with a myriad of possible interpretations and outcomes. Nobody knew what the next steps were in the event of a Leave win - in fact the government didn’t even bother to make plans for this outcome.
This vagueness was obviously leapt upon by opportunists like Boris Johnson, seeing the improbability of a Leave victory as a chance to show ‘leadership’ and eventually hustle his way to the top job. And, as we were reminded again this week, those in charge of the Leave campaign manipulated this lack of clarity while flagrantly breaking electoral laws.
However, I’ve seen too many sneering, patronising comments towards Leave voters, often with a tinge of faux-sympathy, saying something along the lines of “oh but the poor fools didn’t know what they were voting for!” And I find this deeply uncomfortable.
While I’m sure there are people who didn’t know what they were voting for, I am equally certain that this was the case on both sides.
I truly believe the majority of Leavers knew exactly what they were voting for. The problem is that they were not all voting for the same thing.
Every Leaver I’ve spoken to had - and has - a slightly different conception of what leaving means. For one it’s purely about limiting freedom of movement, for another it’s something more akin to Norway, while for others it’s about a total disconnection from the EU – a hard Brexit, if you will.
And the government had, and still has, no real idea what people voted for. When I see Theresa May exclaiming in parliament that her deal “delivers the will of the British people” I’m amazed by her sheer blindness. Yes, it delivers the will of some Leavers, but absolutely doesn’t for many others. Equally, while a no-deal situation is the perfect solution for some, it is a nightmarish idea for plenty of other Leave voters.
We’ve all seen the tweets and banners and comments under every Brexit article ever published saying “Leave means leave!” - but what does ‘Leave’ actually look like?
You may be reading this as a Leave voter and feel that for you a no-deal is exactly what Brexit should be. Perhaps a lot of people you know feel the same way. But you have to also appreciate that there are plenty of Leavers who would rather leave with trade agreements in place, or while still remaining a part of the customs union. There simply isn’t consensus on what Leave looks like.
And that is absolutely not the fault of Leave voters. It’s the fault of the people who didn’t bother to consider this option before the first referendum - those in charge who failed to make what should have been the greatest democratic exercise in this country actually democratic. Because what kind of democracy only gives half an option to its electorate?
Now this is all well and good as an observation, but where on earth does it leave us now? Well, there’s really only one option in my eyes: a second referendum.
It’s not something I originally thought I would be clamouring for, and it’s nothing to do with changing the outcome of the first vote. But I believe everyone in this country should be given viable, tangible choices in any voting situation - options which could be actioned with no debate and no chances to be undercut.
And I don’t think a second referendum would necessarily be a Remain outcome. I know a good few sincere Eurosceptics who voted Remain purely because they didn’t want to cast a vote for uncertainty. So a second Leave outcome is fine by me, because I believe in real democracy.
Every single voter in this country should walk into a ballot box and be met by real options. The British electorate all deserve an actual, democratic referendum with real choices: it’s the only way out of this chaos.