The Petition for a Second Referendum
I nearly signed the 2nd Referendum ballot today. Nearly. Just to add a stone to the heap, so the scale of dissatisfaction can be seen from a distance. But I just can't bring myself to do it.
The time to push for this kind of contingency, for different thresholds for success, was before the Referendum. This just smacks of not liking the outcome and moving the goalposts. The turnout was as high as you could reasonably hope for. The result is valid.
Emotionally I can't bear this outcome, but I don't think another Referendum is the answer. If the result had gone the other way and Farage was pushing for this (which of course he did pre-emptively) I'd be angry. Looked at from the outside what does this petition prove? That millions who voted Remain are desperately unhappy. Nothing more.
I understand the argument that Leave sold lies that are now being hurriedly walked back. That was dishonest. But, horribly, that's politics. What makes this a special case? Even General Elections are increasingly won through lies, misleading statements and ultimately broken promises. I'd love politicians to be held to a higher standard, but they're not, and so the public has to pick the side whose arguments, policies, ideology and/or smarmy vitriolic intolerance appeals to them the most. In the EU Referendum I genuinely think an impartial view is that Leave not only lied more, but that they were more likely to double-down on those lies and continue to repeat them. But it's not like the opposing arguments weren't aired. Both sides had their say. At length. Over and over again. It was perfectly possible to make an informed decision. If some people choose emotion over fact well, frankly, that's their right. If they are smart or stupid, racist or progressive, they get to vote the way they want. Sometimes I wish that weren't the case, but what alternative is there?
The worst thing is that I think there's a reasonable chance the Referendum would go the other way if we restaged it now. The reality has sunk in a bit. Would it go 60/40 the other way? Nah. And so we'd need a third referendum surely? And a fourth.
And the very act of not honouring the first outcome would (rightly) incense those who voted Leave. There'd be social unrest. If we do, as some predict, have a General Election within the year then ignoring the first Referendum would mean Leave (and, yes, possibly UKIP) would clean up. Do we really want that? Everything has consequences.
Far better in my view to accept this outcome but implement it in the least bad way possible. Stay in the EEA. Try to hang on to the single market. Try to hang on to free movement. Find a reason to spare the Halkans and make it stick. (Sorry, nerd reference.) That's the best way forward.
This petition is not going to bring about another Referendum. It's the same liberal echo-chamber that predicted a Remain victory, and it just won't happen. I love that echo-chamber. It keeps me sane. But it doesn't reflect the whole country, and another referendum would offend more people than it buoyed. IMO.
[The above partly adapted from a Facebook conversation with Mark Bowyer]