Counterpoint

I’ve been taking some time to think about the counterpoint to all I’ve been thinking and writing about regarding the surge of nationalism and the Leave vote.

It wouldn’t be honest of me to continue without seriously considering the whole picture; seriously and genuinely considering it.

People supporting the Leave campaign are not stupid.  They feel genuinely aggrieved for good reasons.  I’m putting myself into the position where I might even swing my own opinion.  There’s no point in doing this otherwise.

Nationalism / secessionism from the EU and from Westminster has been a building reality for some time.  Let’s get real, Irish nationalism has been a reality in mainstream politics for hundreds of years.

It’s fair to say that UKIP took the idea of leaving the EU mainstream in response to the continuing silence from Westminster.  It’s a kind of coming together of sleeping conservatives and English nationalists that has struck a chord with the general population – something that can’t be denied.

This growing nationalist / secessionist feeling is an indicator that a large number of voters have lost faith in the system: speaking here of both the supranational democratic and national democratic systems. They feel they are not being represented – that their vote counts for nothing.

None of this is surprising.  Politicians have been manipulating the system to their own ends for decades.  Much of this is borrowed from the United States where “technocrats” have been staffing think-tanks, parties and the White House since the 1950s, at least.  In the UK, it can be traced back to Margaret Thatcher’s Press Secretary, Sir Bernard Ingham; advertising and communications specialists Saatchi & Saatchi, and, of course, Alistair Campbell, who visibly controlled the media space between Government and the public for Tony Blair.

No wonder people have lost faith.  All of this amounts to the manipulation of people and their hard-won democracy.  At least that’s how it feels.  People talk a lot about something called “Democratic Deficit”.  There seems to be a significant gap between politicians and the ordinary people who are asked to elect them.  There also seems to be little opportunity for genuine engagement.  Television, radio and, latterly social media is all there is. Mainly, people see panel shows, such as Question Time, and televised debates during election campaigns.  None of this allows ordinary people to stand up and make their point in an argument with the people they elect.  Perhaps their point will be heard or maybe, through argument, their concerns will be addressed.  That’s what arguments are for.

People have real concerns.  Immigration: the perception that foreigners are walking in and taking jobs, houses, education and health resources, welfare (defined as monetary benefits) and probably more besides.  They perceive immigrants from low-wage economies arriving in large numbers (which, in fairness, they are) and they are worried.  They see the prospect of countries joining from the south and east of Europe and into Asia Minor.  They have concerns that no one is really working out what that might mean and they have lost faith in statistics.  In fairness, even the Remain campaign is fielding the forecast that immigration will keep wages down, supporting the argument that staying in is strategically better for the economy, a plentiful supply of cheap labour stimulating growth.  You can see how ordinary people might be concerned.  In simple terms, what matters my job and my family.  Where can they raise these concerns?

The political class is too remote.  Even viewed through a TV screen, Westminster and Brussels are a long way away.

People are not daft.  They are very aware that the technocrats and spin-doctors cheat them and keep politics out of their grasp.  They are ready to give the politicians a bloody nose – to embarrass them on the world stage and in Europe. 

Blair bought himself time on EU deepening (ever closer union), spurred-on by the US to press for widening instead.  More fingers in the pie.  Widening was as much about holding back Russian interests in Eastern Europe as it was about strengthening the EU.  Once again, ordinary people were taken for granted by politicians and used as pawns in the great game of statesmanship and the carving of names in History.  People are not daft.  The Machiavellian politics of Blair are likely to come home to roost on 23 June.

Let’s hope it was worth it.