What are the misunderstandings which led to an unsuccessful, draining referendum and Brexit?

1. We joined late. The rules had already been set (e.g. supporting French small farmers).

2. The EU was always political: about pooling the things used to make war, as a way of avoiding war. But, the UK joined (primarily) for economic reasons.

3. Symbolism matters. Our politicians (and Media) love to knock the EU, to blame things on the EU, to make cheap political capital by emphasising differences; us and them. There were never enough UK politicians standing up for the benefits of membership.

4. Brexiters were right. It was complicated. But then it was also never going to be simple.

If you were the person who thought: “I'm happy to be a member of common Market, but nothing more”, then you were quite right in wanting to be out.

But you shouldn't have expected it to be easy.

That's wanting to have your cake and eat it. Or, as they say in France, to have the butter and the money for the butter.

If you (correctly) claim that the EU influences every aspect of our lives, then you also have to accept that there is no way that extricating yourself from something that complicated was ever going to be easy.

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Citizen Government

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