Britain is divided. On Thursday, 17.4 million voted to Leave the European Union against 16.1 million on the side of Remain. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned immediately as a result, with majorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland – which both voted to Remain – calling for a second Scottish referendum and the first Northern Irish independence referendum since a de-facto vote in 1918.
Referenda in both countries provide a pathway to stay in the E.U. – in Northern Ireland's case, by uniting with the Republic. The Brexit vote doesn't mean Britain automatically leaves the E.U.; it was a non-binding referendum to advise Parliament to initiate a British exit from Brussels in three months. Like a painful divorce, separation talks are predicted to take over two years.
Britain’s Parliament could reject the vote. No less than 70 percent of its MPs are pro-European. Ironically, this would further substantiate the power of Westminster, one of the Leave campaign’s key points. Pre-referendum polls said half of Leave voters expected Parliament to ignore the vote.
To that end, a petition had reached 100,000 signatures, the afternoon after the referendum, which calls for a re-vote as the margins were so close. The six-figure threshold for petitions means Parliament should consider it for debate. Across social and news media there are also many stories of #Bregret: people who regret voting for Brexit.
Although an #EUref2 appears unlikely, an additional argument for a re-run asserts that the Leave campaign almost immediately U-turned on central pledges. One promise emblazoned on their electoral battle bus claimed that leaving the E.U. would mean £350 million more available for the National Health Service. The manner in which that promise was dropped, straight after the vote, echoed the promises made by the No camp in the lead-up to the Scottish independence referendum of 2014, which were also not honored.
Scotland Was Told That a Vote for British Unity Was the Only Way to Stay in the E.U. Now, the Opposite is True.
“As things stand, Scotland faces the prospect of being taken out of the E.U. against our will. I regard that as democratically unacceptable,” Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, said in a speech at Bute House (Scotland’s white house) the morning after the count.
She explained it represents a "material change" and enough of a trigger to start "indyref2." The next day the Scottish Cabinet met to announce it will open talks with the E.U. to Remain.
In Northern Ireland, the Brexit vote threatens to create the only potential Britain-E.U. land border, over which free movement of people is vital for communities on either side. Brexit could also remove E.U. funding that backs the peace process. Both are primary reasons that the Brexit vote has catalyzed calls for a referendum on the Republican side.
Within the rest of the U.K., there are clear divides by areas and demographics voting en masse for each option. London’s population voted to Remain. Joining the barrage of post-vote petitions, a London Remain petition has gone to six figures.
Age Also Divides Britain.
Most under-50s voted for Remain. Similarities have been drawn to 2014’s Scottish independence referendum, and Bernie Sanders's race for the Democratic presidential nomination: In both these cases, a large youth turnout was overwhelmed by the gray vote.
Sixteen- and 17-year-olds have held protests of their own against the Brexit decision, as they had no say in the voting process though they'll be living longest with the outcome.
At the Same Time, the Xenophobic, Racist Overtone from the Leave Campaign has Torn Apart Britain, Echoing Donald Trump’s Impact on the U.S.
These fault lines gained global attention after Jo Cox MP was gunned down by an extremist on June 16. Cox was murdered the same day an anti-immigrant poster was published echoing 1930s Nazi propaganda – which spoke a great deal of the Leave campaign’s message.
Leave was not only implicated in creating the hatred that killed Cox MP. On the final day of campaigning it flew a “Take Control #VoteLeave” over her memorial. Further insult was added to insult after the Leave vote was declared. Nigel Farage, leader of right-wing U.K. Independence Party, said their side had we won without a single bullet being fired. Cox was, of course, shot multiple times one week prior.
The Vindictive Campaign Has Profoundly Split both the Conservative and Labour Parties.
For the Conservatives it will mean a new leadership campaign in the next three months, fought between factions that have openly called each other liars and worse. On the Labour side, two Blairite Labour MPs are trying to use the vote to attack leader Jeremy Corbyn, although this led to an outpouring of grassroots support, like on the hashtag #KeepCorbyn.
The E.U. referendum has created a distraction from the multiple crises facing Britain. These include the escalating housing crisis, the battle between the NHS and the government over medical privatization, the fight against the government removing disabled people’s rights, and the decision whether to renew the Trident nuclear program. To a great extent, Brexit could intensify these crises, as it has already intensified financial instability.
Many have said that with both sides of the referendum bankrolled by the corporate establishment, the campaign echoed a Roman imperial tactic of "bread and circuses," distracting the working class from poverty with gladiator fights, chariot races and free bread.
But in the long-term, the referendum and its narrative could leave a legacy that backfires on the establishment, beyond the likely division of Britain. The English and Welsh have been force-fed a media barrage of fear and hateful anti-Europe and anti-migrant stories. But the campaign has also been cloaked in the language of democracy, sovereignty and freedom. These are ideas that could potentially change the country, forever. Will a referendum over the monarchy be next?
3 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
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