Well then, was I wrong to vote to leave the European Union? Once again that depends on your point of view.
For those of the younger generation, and by that I mean those born after around 1990, life outside the EU is a frightening concept as they have been born into and bought up in a welfare state that, under the government of Tony Blair from 1997 onwards, increased the spread of government intervention in society. This, coupled with the rollout of the Single Market born out of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty and the “ever closer union” of the EU member states, has meant that those under 30 have never known a country where, if one failed in any way as a member of society, then there was not a government safety net to catch you. The result of this I have discussed in an earlier post but suffice to say that, as a generalisation, the people who are now becoming responsible for the country are almost totally EU orientated. For them, my vote to leave was undoubtedly wrong.
For those of an older generation, it is different. They can remember a time when parliament was paramount and passed its own laws rather than endorsing “directives “ handed down from Brussels. A time when the welfare state was regarded as the last resort rather than a system for topping up one’s wages should they be less than ideal. For those people my vote was correct.
So on balance I have to say that for me, my vote to leave was the right one. For the coming generation, it was probably wrong.
So let’s move on from there for a moment. This country, as do all countries, belongs to those who come after us, not to us. The coming generation, those referred to above, firmly believe in the institution of the EU, even if they cannot see, or choose to ignore, its faults. It is their future that will be affected by this decision and they want to be part of a union of European countries. They may not have learned the lessons of history but nonetheless, it is their decision to make. In that context, my decision was undoubtedly wrong.
Would I vote again to leave – yes, simply because I think that the younger generation is absolutely and fundamentally wrong. But then it is their right to be wrong if they so wish and many have died or been cruelly injured to maintain that right and it is a freedom we should cherish.
I wish you well in the future …..
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