Eighteen months ago, the British people were presented with a historic choice. They were given two choices and too little information. 17,410,742 people voted to leave the European Union. 16,141,241 people voted to remain in the European Union. Many of us are unsure about the choice that we made.
It has been 18 months since the vote and exactly one year since Prime Minister May filed Article 50. Our future is less clear than ever. Politicians are still playing games while millions of British voters are asking the most important question of post-war Britain: “When will we know what we voted for?”
It doesn’t matter if we voted Leave or Remain, or if we stayed home - We all deserve to know what Brexit means. It has become increasingly clear that our government doesn’t want to tell us. In fact, it is clear that they intend to avoid, fudge, and dodge the important issues for as long as they possibly can.
Why? Because so many of us are simply waiting for some real, honest, clear, non-partisan facts. Without the facts, British voters find it hard to justify collective action against Brexit. Despite our doubts, despite what we are seeing, despite our instincts—we fear that stopping Brexit would be undemocratic. Nobody wants to undermine the voice the people. The British character demands us to Keep Calm and Carry On. Let’s just see it through.
Like many other people that voted to stay in the EU, I understand this feeling. But, here’s the issue:
We know it doesn’t have to be this way- there is still a choice as to whether we stay in or leave the EU.
We were forced to vote on a thing called “Brexit” without being told what Brexit really means. This is the definition of undemocratic.
Colossal failures of leadership put British voters in an impossible position on referendum day. It’s become increasingly clear that massive discontent with UK politics goes much further back than David Cameron’s cowardly compromise with his back benchers. Every aspect of our political system deserves a healthy share of the blame.
For too many years, UK voters were never given a valid choice for real change. Then - all of a sudden - the nation was given a ridiculously stark choice: stay in the European Union or leave it. Change vs. status quo.
If your Leave vote was an expression of anti-Westminster rage, Westminster definitely got its wake-up call. If you have a vision for a new United Kingdom, I promise you the grassroots has been inspired and the status quo has been rendered thoroughly unacceptable.
Your vision for a new Britain can be realised—even if it requires a painful and necessary renewal of British politics. No matter what happens, the British political establishment has been turned upside down in the last 18 months.
The good news is that none of this momentous change requires making the drastic error of leaving the EU. Staying and leading in Europe will allow our politicians to focus on schools, hospitals and jobs again, instead of the endless negotiations and empty promises. It’s time for us to collectively demand our vote on the terms of Brexit, to give everyone a voice and make sure the people decide what is best for Britain.
Eloise Todd is CEO of Best for Britain