Article from OurEU.UK

Publication date: 2018-08-29

Title: You are right to be angry  - so let's work together to make this a better country.

Subtitle: Let’s put the wasteful distraction of Brexit behind us and work together, not as Brexiteers or Remainers but as citizens of the United Kingdom to make this a better country.

Author: Cliff Mitchell



You are right to be angry!

Many people voted to leave the EU to record a protest vote against everything that’s wrong with this country, and there is plenty to be angry about:


	austerity politics hitting the poor harder than the better off
	being ignored by those in power and authority
	massive and growing wealth inequality
	the north-south divide where the south receives most government investment
	the NHS being starved of funds while private companies profit from lucrative health care contracts
	the lack of affordable housing, social housing, decent accommodation to rent
	food banks appearing in most towns and providing the only lifeline for many families and individuals, even those in work
	the massive cuts to social care forced on local authorities and hitting the most vulnerable in society
	wage stagnation leading to wage cuts in real terms for the majority, particularly in the public sector
	growth in poverty and homelessness
	drug fuelled crime
	a prison system at breaking point
	a legal system that is out of reach of those with modest means.


There is no doubt the protest vote worked - the establishment has been rocked to its core by the Brexit referendum result and politics will never be the same again - fortunately!

Those who voted remain are angry too. Many voted remain because they believe in this country and didn’t want to see all that’s great about it destroyed for their children and generations to come by a few morally corrupt politicians and rich media owners. They are angry for the same reasons those who voted leave are – the list of problems with the country is one all ordinary people can agree on. The only difference between us is how we saw the solution to these problems.

Politicians of all parties have been lying to us for decades. They have lazily blamed the EU for all the problems in the country instead of finding practical solutions to them. And then in the referendum many politicians and some in the media implied that leaving the EU would, at a stroke, solve all of our long-standing problems. They lied to us all. Leaving the EU solves none of our problems, it can only make them worse, and little by little this is becoming clear for us all to see. The evidence is mounting and is now too difficult to hide.

This is a great country and all of the wrongs and inequalities can be tackled provided we have the will to do it. History has shown that we are at our best when we pull together but it also tells us that populist politicians and those in power benefit most when we are divided. Make no mistake, there are those in positions of power who have created and then amplified divisions in this country and they are thriving on it. Don’t let them!

So you are right to be angry, but let’s focus that anger in a constructive way to make this country better. 


	Don’t believe the sweeping generalisations about the EU being the cause of all of problems – it isn’t. Think about what you think is wrong with our country and then look at how other EU countries have dealt with that issue while still being a member of the EU. Then, when someone blames the EU you can show them they are wrong.
	Demand a say on the final Brexit deal if, and when, it is known.  If we don’t like the deal because it doesn’t  solve our problems, and makes us worse off, reject it and demand we stay in the EU. That way we can avoid the enormous economic damage that Brexit will cause and instead work with like minded people across Europe to make us all more prosperous. 
	But we mustn’t be complacent. The EU is not perfect and we must work hard to make the EU more democratic and relevant, making sure our MEPs and MPs listen to us and drive real change across Europe.
	We must also work together to fundamentally change the way our country works, so it works for all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful. Brexit has already changed politics in the UK but we desperately need a new type of politician and new political parties to work for us instead of themselves.


There are now dreadful divisions in our society whipped up by some politicians, media and commentators for the own personal benefit. These are false divisions. We are at our best at times of adversity when we all come together for the common good. Right now we face the biggest self-inflicted disaster in the modern history of our country. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Let’s put the wasteful distraction of Brexit behind us and work together, not as Brexiteers or Remainers but as Brits to make this a better country, one where wealth and opportunity are shared fairly in a society where we all have a say and power truly rests with us, the people, and not just a small club of unprincipled, lying politicians and media barons.