BREXIT 2!!!!!

Yes, the United Kingdom has left the (EU) building. No one expected it; the Brexiters hoped for it and the Bremainers were cautiously optimistic that it wouldn't happen.There seemed to be a perception that bigots, nationalists and racists were the only ones that would be voting to leave. Well, one thing is clear - it wasn't only bigoted racists who opted out because we all know that 52% of the British public are far from being either bigoted or racist.  It's not to say that a percentage of those who voted out are not bigoted racists, I am sure a few are, but the rest came to a decision - whether it is the right decision or not, only time will tell. It is a democratic referendum and the people have voted and it is time, disappointed or not, to come to terms with it, in my humble opinion. Also, I did say before the vote, that Brexit may win if some people said that they were voting to remain but would secretly vote 'out'. And who can blame them if the perception was that they were either bigots, racists or xenophobes if they did so.

Like most people, I assumed that the UK would vote to remain and since the next day was a working day, I decided to have an early night. I was gobsmacked to hear the news in the morning. Once I (and my gob) recovered,  I naturally expected that those who voted to remain would be bitterly disappointed and those who voted out would extremely elated. Unexpectedly, and much to my surprise, I didn't see too much gloating from the Brexiters.  In fact, other than a certain politician ('toad-face' is my nickname for him; quite unkind I know - I choose the people I insult quite carefully) grinning like a Cheshire cat, I think most Brexiters  have been quite gracious in victory. On the other hand, I didn't expect tolerant, liberal people (most Bremainers would describe themselves as such) declaring that they were 'gutted', 'crushed', 'scared witless', ' doomed'  and most of all, I didn't expect young people to call the older generation 'selfish and short sighted', declaring that 'those wrinklies are going to die soon anyway'. Immediately, a petition was set up for another referendum.  Two and a half million people have signed it. It gives rise to so many 'what if' scenarios. What if the next referendum favours the 'out' campaign yet again. Are the Remainers going to demand yet another vote just to be on the safe side?Alternatively, if enough of the younger generation bother to turn up this time around and Bremain win the second referendum, does anyone seriously expect Brexiters to shrug their shoulders and walk away wearing 'whatever' tees shirts? Unlike some countries, we are lucky enough to live in a country where no vote rigging or corruption took place and due democratic process was observed.

In my earlier post 'Brexit!!' I hoped that the scaremongering would stop. No such luck. Brexit came out with that shameful 'immigrants' poster and Bremain weren't much better.The morning after the vote, while the nation was coming to terms with the result of the referendum, someone on Radio 4 commented that the Remainers had over egged the pudding. I couldn't agree more. Instead of calmly refuting and counter attacking the claims made by Brexit, Bremain threw in a few nuggets of their own, even threatening the older generation with their pensions. It probably incensed the 'wrinklies'  enough to thump their walking sticks in rebellion and vote the other way!  Unfortunately, the over egging continues even now. I do hope it stops because I don't want this nation be an example of a self fulfilling prophecy. I hope somehow, enough ingredients get put in the pudding to balance it out and make it edible. And someone please keep it away from Nicola Sturgeon and her giant Ostrich egg,which she obviously has no qualms about cracking and delightedly flinging into the pudding.

In the meanwhile, Juncker and his cronies in Brussels demanded that we 'GET OUT NOW'. Oops, force of habit I guess, someone forgot to tell them that they can't dictate terms to Britain any longer. With their bulging salaries, bulging pensions and bulging egos, they are understandably furious and possibly scared about their own jobs. However, Angela Merkel is being conciliatory and one can only hope her calm attitude rubs off on the rest, as we forge ahead into unknown territory.

BREXIT!!!!!!!!!!

BREXIT!!!!!! Really?????  Mind you this is not an opinion about whether we should stay or go. This is an opinion on the word ‘Brexit.’ From the land of Shakespeare, at an important time, with an important decision to make, instead of being generous with our words and starting up important debates like ‘to go or not to go that is the question’ or ‘to stay or not to stay that is the other question’, we lazily fuse words together and come up with ‘Brexit’. Something that sounds like a bran remedy for constipation!

 Now I have used the word ‘we’ but really, who actually came up with it first? There is no doubt that we certainly turned into sheep and jumped on the baaaaandwagon. I can’t remember the last time that I actually heard someone say, ‘Britain’s exit from the European Union’ or ‘Britain’s exit from the EU’ or indeed just ‘Britain’s exit’. Since I do not know who came up with the word, I have a theory – it was a ‘smart’ phone (probably one named after a fruit). I have always smiled at the irony of a ‘smart’ phone that has sent a completely different and idiotic message to the one I intended, using words that don’t make sense and making me look anything but ‘smart’. Actually, I lie. I don’t always smile – I sometimes shout or use a cross word (to put it politely). I have this scenario where a hack was on his fifth whiskey, missed some keys on his laptop while typing about the referendum and the word ‘Brexit’ jumped out and he thought (in an exaggerated British accent that you hear in American shows) “That will do, couldn’t be ar*** to change it”. And created an unattractive word that no one will thank him for. Please remember, I am indulging my imagination here.

A couple of Sundays back, I watched Boris Johnson being interviewed by Andrew Marr. He was his usual blustery self (which is why his hair is permanently tousled – all that blustery air blowing upwards). He was very enthusiastically informing us about the exciting opportunities we could have if we were Brexiters (or Brexiteers as I recently read in a newspaper – heaven help us all, it keeps getting more ridiculous). A picture of pure Utopian proportions was being painted. It was Brexit this and Brexit that and then to my complete and utter horror, just when I couldn’t think of a more irritating word, BJ came up with one – ‘Bremainers’! He was so taken with himself and his use of ‘Bremainers’ that he appeared to forget the adage ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity’ and used it repeatedly. Fortunately for me, I didn’t forget that the TV has an ‘off’ button.

Seriously, I am finding it difficult to make a decision. It would be easier if both sides didn’t dramatically exaggerate the consequences, behaving as if they have access to a huge crystal ball and predicting extreme doom and gloom if you voted for the opposite side. Will this island really sink from the sheer weight of migrants, as the Brexit camp will have us believe? (Yes I know that I have jumped on the baaaaaandwagon but it’s only a joyride, I will be jumping off in a minute.) Will we have an ending that is opposite to Cinderella’s - ‘from riches to rags’ as the Bremainers will have us believe? I don’t know - as I type this, I am shrugging my shoulders the way they do in films about the Mafia – just painting a picture in case (and I flatter myself here) someone is actually reading this.

The best thing I have read recently on this topic is the referendum prayer that the Church of England has sanctioned – ‘God of truth give us the grace to debate the issues in this referendum with honesty and openness.’ Are you listening, all you Brexiters and Bremainers? No more scaremongering, just honesty and openness. If that happens (and pigs might fly but please send them in the opposite direction of David Cameron), we might actually listen, and if you are really honest and open, we might actually come to an informed decision. The God of truth might then prevail and Britain might carry on being Great.