I can hardly speak for the rage I feel over that shower of NLF's in Parliament today and i personally don't give a crap how many were on the People's Vote march, even if it was a million it is still 16.4 million less than voted to leave!
Roll on the general election so we can be rid of these parasitic fascists!
Comments
Democracy Hurts
I also believe strongly that voting matters. And in any democracy when people have voted the result should be respected. That said... it's important to maintain balance and perspective. All voters should be respected. We don't expect politicians to represent and work for only those of a like-mind after all, we expect them to represent everyone in there constituency equally..
It's an undeniable fact that (give or take) those wishing to leave the EU won the referendum by 52% to 48%. They won! It also a fact that this was the desire (give or take) of some 17.4 million people - a not insignificant expression of public will.
It is, however, also an undeniable fact that the referendum was advisory and not binding. This is neither a moot nor politically or legally insignificant point. A very particular point complicated by the self same political class who made it factually 'advisory' then simultaneously (some might say somewhat duplicitously) also stating publicly that any result would be respected and acted upon.
In a representative democracy this makes it entirely legitimate that those we send to represent us are left free to act as they might personally might feel best serves their electorate and/or, by extension, the country and greater good - admittedly as they might perceive it. It not partisan, it's just politics in a representative democracy. Nothing more.
So back to facts...
It's fact that the 17.4 million or so people who voted to leave were (you guessed it... give or take) only 27% of the overall population at that point. It's a fact that the 17.4 million who voted were (you've got it) only 37% or thereabouts of the eligible voting poll. It's a fact that these 17.4 million people, however strongly they might have held there conviction, were a minority.
Given the above , it's not so surprising we find ourselves where we are today. We all have a voice and we all have have the right to expect our elected representatives take decisions and act in the collective interest - be that 'Leave' or 'Remain'.
New comment
When I voted I did not consider it advisory and I doubt if any Leave voters did.
We can take any election and break the figures down, in the Brexit Referendum the figures for Northern Ireland show that a 'majority' did not vote. The reality is that people can choose not to vote but election results are based on those who came out and voted and the system we have is that the majority vote decides
Politicians stand for election on a variety of issues usually as part of a manifesto from a political party and are there to represent the wishes of the people who put them in office and I have never heard anyone say after any election that we have to respect the votes of the minority. Politicians always say after a contentious election that they will work for everyone but it is the people that voted for them that they are there to represent.
Many times in life I have had to tolerate governments that I never had a vote on and live in a constituency that will always return a Sinn Fein candidate who won't even take their seat. I don't like it but there is nothing I can do about it. Leave won, certain people and other vested interests may not like it but that was the result and should be accepted and if there were any doubts, the votes of the council elections in England confirmed that is still the majority wish.