Comment by Larry Hampton (an American offering his strictly personal comments on the Brexit vote).
Every part of that headline is correct. “Little England” – it was England, not Britain, that voted “out”, in the process diminishing the country. “Strike out” is correct, both in its literal and figurative (American baseball) senses. And “on its own” is starkly self evident.
England has never felt itself part of continental Europe, in spite of the very large number of English folk owning property and living there (almost all of whom would have voted “in” if they could have voted).
Shame on David Cameron, for calling a totally unnecessary referendum for strictly political reasons. He has paid for this awful decision with his job (how many other British people will have to do likewise?) and his legacy, such as it might have been, has been unalterably shattered.
Shame on the Brexit “leaders”, who conned the English voters with reassurances about the “strength” of England, with outright misinformation about the “rosy” future of “independence” and with jingoistic appeals to the many Colonel Blimps who have never wanted to admit that the Empire no longer exists and that, alone, England is a weakling commanding little respect.
Shame on the English voters, who will now pay a terrible price for “getting their country back”. They seem to want to turn the clock back to the 60s and early 70s, before Britain joined Europe – have they forgotten what a complete mess Britain was in those days?
Shame on the EU bureaucrats and politicians, for not recognising, and responding to, the several manifest EU problems (the financial crisis, the refugee crisis, the wasteful inefficiency of their bloated infrastructure, etc) in a more positive and constructive manner. Their challenge now is to make the fundamental changes necessary to restore confidence in their grand coalition and, in the process, to make it work in a much more effective manner.
Who is to run Little England now? Boris (the clown) Johnson? Nigel (the facist) Farage? Jeremy (the proto-Communist) Corbyn? Some other delusional Brexiteer? I have purposefully said “England” rather than “Britain” because I think the next PM may well preside over the loss of Scotland and perhaps followed by Northern Ireland.
Speaking of NI, what will now happen to the Ulster Unionists, who will not be happy if NI decides to quit the UK and probably (heaven forbid) join the ROI? Are we in for a repeat of the “Troubles” but perhaps without a British force to try to hold the line?
Friday, June 24, 2016 (should have been the 13th). A sad day indeed for all those who love “this sceptred isle” but who now really fear for its future as it retreats behind “the silver sea which serves it in the office of a wall”).
