The real problem that we face today in this country post BREXIT is the lack of mature leadership able to unite the country by developing a pragmatic vision (please check link at the end of the post as an option) based on compromise/inclusiveness. Instead bigotry & partisanship seem to be the order of the day – no centre ground only left or right – a situation encouraged by the alt-right ideologues and deliberately or unwittingly being delivered by the genius politicians on both sides – a strategy we so often see in dictatorships the world over (divide & rule). What this has led to is that many of the Liberal party leaders/prominent figures in this country began the tried/tested politics as usual in these most unusual of times and instead of leading from the front they decided to follow the crowd; the EXIT BREXIT campaigns and the like. This approach in effect disqualified them from a great opportunity of playing a crucial uniting role and helping move the argument towards centre grounds. What’s even more astounding is the lack political shrewdness/foresight of these liberal politicians in finding ways to take on the government by developing an alternate vision and being able to take political action to promote/achieve it. Instead they choose to tweet their frustrations – or air them on TV – criticising the government on a piecemeal policy basis rather than challenging the government on Process which in my view is at the heart of the BREXIT debate. It also became a matter of personal ego for some whereby they seem to be brandishing their moments under the sun, counting their social media likes/number of followers, and contributing to social media noise through irrelevant tweets/posts. They are in every sense of the word an integral part of the BREXIT conundrum we face today.
Bottom line for me is that what we really need is a uniting/charismatic figure that people on all sides of the political spectrum can trust, one with firm views and a pragmatic vision forward. Unfortunately I see no one at this time that can help fill this role. It kind of reminds me of the Arab Spring where revolutions have come/gone without much success due to the lack of an inspiring leader able to champion the cause, unite the nation under a new inclusive vision and be the face of the revolution. At the end of the day that’s what politics should be about uniting the nation under an inclusive vision NOT about driving narrow ideological narratives that serves a few – not to mention the importance of a debate that affects our future for generations to come. The point we need to understand is that winning BREXIT will NOT heal this polarisation we currently see in the country but rather will exacerbate the problem if we continue to ignore the views of almost half the population; trying to unite the country after the fact won’t work either, so in a sense we have limited options and they all point to fixing the flaws of the current “BREXIT Process” not arguing on a policy-by-policy basis which normally happens when an inclusive/meaningful process has been agreed.
Finally let me end this post with a small plea to Brits wherever they may be – particularly the new generation; irrespective of BREXIT or any other political debate let’s challenge our inclination to follow our prejudices blind folded and instead follow the facts based on a deliberate effort to be critical thinkers – I can use this advice myself as well – though as far as I remember I am from a slightly, kind of oldish generation which says a lot about the state of my memory 🙂 More importantly let us consistently use centre ground on policy and NOT be swayed by arguments that are at the extreme ends of the political spectrum. This will help us maintain our objectivity when discussing difficult issues particularly that life has become ever more complex and we need to have the right mindset in place to navigate through them.
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BREXIT: A Pragmatic Vision Forward