How to be in a slim minority

I voted Remain and lost along with 48% of my fellow citizens. Whilst it may appear tempting to block the outcome of democracy by calling for more referenda until we get the outcome we want or to interfere with the will of the electorate in Parliament or to tear our country apart so that portions can remain, such approaches are ultimately toxic and erode the integrity of our democracy. If Leave had lost and they were attempting to undermine the result in the ways many of us are now engaged in, we would be crying foul and telling them that they had their referendum and now it’s over. This double standard is ugly, wrong, and mean-spirited. It is also tempting to get caught up in the drama of the individuals grasping at political power in the aftermath of this upheaval. Whilst entertaining, boiling this event down to battles for party leadership is a wasteful distraction that we can ill afford.

As unpleasant as this event is for those of us who voted to remain, it is an opportunity. Rather than putting our energy into obstructing democracy and creating division, we should instead embrace the opportunity to build a better UK that we all want. We can start by holding the next government accountable to the promises repeatedly touted to us by the Leave campaign including replacing funding lost from our leaving the EU and a significant increase in funding to the NHS. We all heard the promises, and every presenter that repeatedly broadcast Leave's promises of millions of pounds for ‘other priorities like the NHS’ on their shows to the millions of voters is responsible for making sure those promises are kept.

Now it is our responsibility to hold our presenters and our government accountable to what we were told. There is much to be done: our MPs need to be focused on bills in Parliament that will codify and specify in detail how the promises we all heard will be delivered. We do not have time for power squabbles. If we all work together, maybe we can actually accomplish these things and more. We certainly are not going to accomplish anything with obstruction and division, however emotionally satisfying.

Photo Credits

Brexit Result: Wikipedia

Battle Bus: DailyMail via ixquick

Dual citizenship: like being a son and a husband

It is interesting how a view changes with perspective. As a citizen of the country I was born in, I imagined that taking on a new citizenship was like remarrying. But after living here for a while as a dual citizen, I understand it differently. It is much more like having a mother and having a wife. Born of one and living with the other, the love for my wife in no way diminishes the love for my mother. I love them both, not in the same way, not one more than another, but both very intensely and loyally.

Photo Credits

Sky from city street: ugallery

Sky from aeroplane: pexels