I voted Leave. But it was not for racist or nationalist reasons, as I am neither a racist, nor a nationalist.
Nor was it for reasons of being 'conned' by the Tories, right-wing press, or any other such facet.
My vote was not determined or affected by my personal circumstances. I don’t live in the UK (but I retain my right to vote in elections and referenda) so would not feel any personal impact of the outcome either way. MY vote was determined by a lengthy analysis of what the EU actually is, its origins and history, and its fundamental deep-lying foundational purpose as a protectionist establishment designed to ensure the survival of the French and German banks who first espoused it, and latterly, to protect the gravy-train of its undemocratic commission members. In my opinion, it is morally repugnant. And BECAUSE my life isn’t affected by it, I can take an objective view, and vote to leave said establishment - knowing that it won’t affect me. I recognise that many UK residents, will suffer as a result of the UK leaving the EU, and as such, on balance, would rather stay IN a rancid establishment, because it suits their personal circumstances. Absolutely understandable.
Whether the EU remains a solid establishment, one that benefits all of its members going forward, remains to be seen. I know of many who voted Remain who also sah about the EU that it “isn’t perfect”... i’d suggest that as a gross understatement. It is in drastic need of reform. Thus my vote for Brexit was not about the perceived benefits to the UK, nationalism, racism, jingoism, or anything else of that nature. It was, I guess, a protest vote, against the bureacratic shitshow that is the EU.
I AM an internationalist. I believe in a world without borders, with free trade, freedom of movement, and reduced bureaucracy. And in many ways, it seems like the EU embodies these characteristics. BUT IT DOES NOT. The EU created MORE borders, HARDER freedom of movement, and HIGHER tariffs, for those who are OUTSIDE of it, as you in Britain are now finding out. More deeply than that, however, is that the EU appears to embody these characteristics, but only when it suits it - only when it suits the financial institutions it champions, and the capitalist mentality it embodies and emboldens. As an establishment, it is fundamentally rotten - it needs huge reform, or it needs replacing, if it is to continue to be fit for purpose.
I am currency reading Varoufakis’s “Another Way” (I highly recomment it). A great take on the world that we COULD be living in. A shift away from the mutli-national ruled, capitalist society in which we currently live, and a move towards an international society with more socialist underpinnings. It’s a fascinating read, and one that may appear at first utopian, but when one can actually conceive that, perhaps, things CAN change, there is a future beyond capitalism, and that it is establishments like the EU, the European Central Bank, the IMF etc that are PREVENTING this “other way” from ever being accomplished, PERHAPS it can be seen that a vote against the EU, that undermines the EU, is a vote for the betterment of society as a whole.
Is it possible to perceive that there are OTHER reasons for voting Brexit, other than "you're a racist", or "you were conned"? Whenever I come across Brexit discussions on person, or in forums, it is always portrayed as a binary decision. But perhaps it is not two sides of the same coin, a binary decision, but rather, a different coin entirely - my perception of the EU, of Brexit, and of the consequences, is completely different to that which is usually espoused.
There IS an argument against the EU, and a future in the EU, if one removes oneself from the situation. (If one can). If one reads extensively on the origins of the EU, what it was, what it is, and what it may become. And to then decide that a long term prognosis for human society is a future outside of (or preferably WITHOUT altogether) establishments like the EU.
A Jack waving, Express reading, little Englander, I am not. And yet, I voted Brexit. How is this possible? Well, as I have explained, I think its all about about a sense of perspective.
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