Throughout this time my hope has always been to lift the discussions and debates around the referendum high above the fears, threats, and pros and cons of both the Leave and the Remain campaigns. Both sides of the campaign have elements of the truth and there are leaders and campaigners on both sides campaigning from a heart of genuine compassion for others. Many of us cared deeply about this referendum; we didn't want a narrow victory for either side, nor triumphalism from the winning campaign leading to a divided nation, more hatred and civil unrest.
On the EU History page you can read in more detail as to how and why the European Union was designed to remove the authority of national governments from the countries of Europe and supplant it with its own federal authority. I do not believe that the nation state is the problem; the thoughts, beliefs and actions of fallen humanity are the problem. Every nation has a choice whether to work for peace with its neighbours; go to war or engage in financial and trading conflict.
I believe nations are, for better or for worse, a building block of society in the same way as marriage, the family, the workplace and recreation. In all these areas we must love others regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality. All nations have the right to govern themselves. All nations, regardless of how they were formed, have a responsibility to turn away from the wrongs of their past and to take forward into the future that from their heritage which is good.
Of course, like all nations the United Kingdom is not perfect but we need to recover a rightful view of the good in our nation. We have a rich heritage of government, business and community leaders whose compassion and conviction have brought in to being many admirable initiatives and institutions, for example:
The Magna Carta; Schools; the National Health Service; the welfare system; the Armed Forces and Emergency Services; the Freedom of Information Act; the Arts Council; the National Youth Agency; the Invictus Games; Gift Aid; Free School Meals; Overseas Aid; Riding for the Disabled; the British Legion; SportsAid; the Guiding & Scouting movements; the RSPCA; the Prince's Trust; the NSPCC; Children in Need; Age Concern; Cancer Research; Guide Dogs for the Blind; Food Banks; The National Trust, and the list goes on.
The United Kingdom has the right to be a nation with our own government without being governed from outside. We can govern well. Under our government workers do not need to suffer, the poor can be provided for, refugees can be housed and protected, men and women can be released into leadership, and wealth can be distributed more equitably. The sick, ill and infirm can be cared for with dignity, the land, animals and the environment can be stewarded well and there can be secure jobs, successful businesses and industry. There are young men and women in the United Kingdom who know, even now, that they have a destiny to bring this about, to be elected and to govern our nation one day.
Many of us were concerned that Leave campaigners wanted to put up a wall between us and the rest of Europe. We heard at times they were emphasising that we should put ourselves first, look inward and hold tight to our country and finances. Many people, including me, were uncomfortable with that attitude. Similarly, many of us were also uncomfortable with the bigger wall that the European Union has put up between us and the rest of the world, particularly developing countries. It was of serious concern to me that the Leave vote became a right wing vote and it was very hard for many compassionate British people to vote Leave as they believed it would mean aligning themselves with people with dreadful mindsets and they feared an out breaking of xenophobia post the referendum should there be a Leave majority. I believed the Leave vote to be the compassionate vote.
I have also heard it said many times that 'we are better together'. That is true, we are better together and we should work with other nations for the common good. However, we do not need to amalgamate with other nations in order to achieve this.
Most of us who were engaged in the referendum debate had to conclude that the facts regarding the impact of either outcome were very difficult to predict. We saw repeatedly how when one side of the campaign produced a statistic the other side countered this with a different statistic, or we found later that the statistics were half-truths or even lies in the first place. We seemed to be listening to two campaigns going round in circles. In the light of that it was almost impossible to make a decision based on what may or may not happen had we remained or left.
I thought it was imperative that we did not make our decision on whether we liked or trusted public figures or government bodies who supported a particular view. We could and should have made our decision based on principles. I believed we should have made a decision based on a principle and vision for the high value of the state of the nation for the United Kingdom and all the other European nations.
We all had a choice, regardless of the side we had been campaigning from to make a decision to Remain or Leave not on a foundation of fear but on a foundation of hope. Whatever the outcome I have believed there must not be any triumph, jubilation, mockery or humiliation, although I dared to hope the nation would hear this message and unite before the referendum so there was simply joy that the right decision has been made. That didn't happen but I believe that this is to come soon.
The nation state is a good principle and a vital building block of our society and it must be above the European Union. We can retain our good relationship with the other European nations and regain our full democratic government of the United Kingdom. I am bold enough to write here that we need to hold onto that of the European Union which is good and return to all the European nations their nation state and currency. It won't happen immediately but I believe with good leadership, wisdom, and with good judgement, our current European governmental and business leaders have the skills and abilities to bring this about peacefully.
I believe nations are, for better or for worse, a building block of society in the same way as marriage, the family, the workplace and recreation. In all these areas we must love others regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality. All nations have the right to govern themselves. All nations, regardless of how they were formed, have a responsibility to turn away from the wrongs of their past and to take forward into the future that from their heritage which is good.
Of course, like all nations the United Kingdom is not perfect but we need to recover a rightful view of the good in our nation. We have a rich heritage of government, business and community leaders whose compassion and conviction have brought in to being many admirable initiatives and institutions, for example:
The Magna Carta; Schools; the National Health Service; the welfare system; the Armed Forces and Emergency Services; the Freedom of Information Act; the Arts Council; the National Youth Agency; the Invictus Games; Gift Aid; Free School Meals; Overseas Aid; Riding for the Disabled; the British Legion; SportsAid; the Guiding & Scouting movements; the RSPCA; the Prince's Trust; the NSPCC; Children in Need; Age Concern; Cancer Research; Guide Dogs for the Blind; Food Banks; The National Trust, and the list goes on.
The United Kingdom has the right to be a nation with our own government without being governed from outside. We can govern well. Under our government workers do not need to suffer, the poor can be provided for, refugees can be housed and protected, men and women can be released into leadership, and wealth can be distributed more equitably. The sick, ill and infirm can be cared for with dignity, the land, animals and the environment can be stewarded well and there can be secure jobs, successful businesses and industry. There are young men and women in the United Kingdom who know, even now, that they have a destiny to bring this about, to be elected and to govern our nation one day.
Many of us were concerned that Leave campaigners wanted to put up a wall between us and the rest of Europe. We heard at times they were emphasising that we should put ourselves first, look inward and hold tight to our country and finances. Many people, including me, were uncomfortable with that attitude. Similarly, many of us were also uncomfortable with the bigger wall that the European Union has put up between us and the rest of the world, particularly developing countries. It was of serious concern to me that the Leave vote became a right wing vote and it was very hard for many compassionate British people to vote Leave as they believed it would mean aligning themselves with people with dreadful mindsets and they feared an out breaking of xenophobia post the referendum should there be a Leave majority. I believed the Leave vote to be the compassionate vote.
I have also heard it said many times that 'we are better together'. That is true, we are better together and we should work with other nations for the common good. However, we do not need to amalgamate with other nations in order to achieve this.
Most of us who were engaged in the referendum debate had to conclude that the facts regarding the impact of either outcome were very difficult to predict. We saw repeatedly how when one side of the campaign produced a statistic the other side countered this with a different statistic, or we found later that the statistics were half-truths or even lies in the first place. We seemed to be listening to two campaigns going round in circles. In the light of that it was almost impossible to make a decision based on what may or may not happen had we remained or left.
I thought it was imperative that we did not make our decision on whether we liked or trusted public figures or government bodies who supported a particular view. We could and should have made our decision based on principles. I believed we should have made a decision based on a principle and vision for the high value of the state of the nation for the United Kingdom and all the other European nations.
We all had a choice, regardless of the side we had been campaigning from to make a decision to Remain or Leave not on a foundation of fear but on a foundation of hope. Whatever the outcome I have believed there must not be any triumph, jubilation, mockery or humiliation, although I dared to hope the nation would hear this message and unite before the referendum so there was simply joy that the right decision has been made. That didn't happen but I believe that this is to come soon.
The nation state is a good principle and a vital building block of our society and it must be above the European Union. We can retain our good relationship with the other European nations and regain our full democratic government of the United Kingdom. I am bold enough to write here that we need to hold onto that of the European Union which is good and return to all the European nations their nation state and currency. It won't happen immediately but I believe with good leadership, wisdom, and with good judgement, our current European governmental and business leaders have the skills and abilities to bring this about peacefully.