A weary resignation is beginning to settle over the U.K. We are tired of fighting. The problem of how to unite a divided country has now become more important than Brexit itself.
We all have so much in common. We have all come to despise governments of any political colour and of any nationality. Politicians we can just about tolerate, but all current leaders seem to be universally despised, even - or especially - by their own colleagues.
A man called Tom Shakespeare gave a 14 minute talk on a program called 'A Point of View' last Sunday, during which he described the positive benefits of being flexible enough to change your mind on very important issues. He quoted many well-respected and influential people, and by the end of it I thought he had provided a highly convincing and acceptable way for Brexit voters to save face should the decision to leave the E.U. ever be reversed.
Then it occurred to me that he could just as easily have been talking to devout Remainers.
Pragmatism is neutral.
Yes wonderful. I love it when someone presents an argument for considering all sides of the argument. It seems your UK troubles encapsulate a world wide phenomenon of tribalisation, polarisation. I'm suspicious of binaries despite also being an unrepentant leftie. Shakespeare's comments appear to be spot on.
ReplyDeleteI am a repentant leftie. I was a student protester in 1968, but experience of life taught me true values, or so I kid myself.
DeleteI now call myself a monarchist who prefers a benign king or queen to someone who would gladly watch his family disown him if it meant the acquisition of power. Ironically, the more left wing I become, the less I believe in democracy as we have been fooled into understanding what it is supposed to be. How can anyone be faithful to their party - right or wrong - in this situation?
I was chatting to someone this morning who had recently been on holiday with a Belgian couple who just couldn't understand our wish to leave Europe at all. I voted Remain and I must say I now live Under a Stone metaphorically speaking and shall not crawl our till it is all decided one way or another, or I am close to death - whichever comes first.
ReplyDeleteMy German friends - who I love dearly - wonder the same thing. I no longer discuss Brexit with good friends. I don't want to lose them.
DeleteI listened to him too. He spoke wise words with good examples such as my old favourite Wittgenstein, and Keynes, who were both brave enough to change their minds when their knowledge grew or circumstances changed on a given subject without fearing losing face. A useful lesson there.
ReplyDeleteThere is no shame in changing your mind. This is something I am trying to learn, but with our adversarial structure of political party government in The House, it is very difficult.
DeleteAnd I spent a year on a few pages of Wittgenstein and another on Neiztche. I leaned toward Neiztche. He was easier.
DeleteThe problem, if you believe the statistics, is that a fair proportion of those who voted to leave, and stand to lose the most because of it, believe only what the Daily Express and the like tells them. They won't change their minds unless the same publications tell them to.
ReplyDeleteWell yes, I agree with you, but I am trying to find some middle ground to cope with anything that might happen by October 31st. We have neighbours. Very close neighbours. Even closer than France and Germany.
DeleteIt's a mess and will be whatever happens. Friends all over the world are asking us "Why?"
ReplyDeleteIt cannot be anything else other than a damage-limitation exercise from now on, whatever happens.
DeleteHave another Vote and see what happens you never know.
ReplyDeleteMerle........
I think it would go 48 - 52% the other way. Big trouble.
DeleteI have just got highly fed up with the whole issue - leave or remain.
ReplyDeleteWe are staying in a castle, in a village just outside Florence. We found a quiet little place for a drink in the middle of nowhere and politely asked if we could sit at a table occupied, as it turned out, by a German couple. They asked what, as British, we though of our government and Brexit. Amanda studied political philosophy at the LSE and started to tell them. I got another drink, well...two. I won't say what or who I initially voted for, but after discussion and observation I have changed my stance on both completely. We must all be open to a change of opinion.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar conversation - via interpreter - about the Falklands/Malvinas with a couple of serving Argentinians in Canada. We ended up good friends.
DeleteBloody hell Tom. Don't you know how annoying it is when people don't have comment moderation on, and one can't change a comment before it's published ;-)
ReplyDeleteI know how much it is when they do.
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