I arrived in London on the morning that the Brexit referendum went to the polls.
Thousands of faces blew past me, concern written into the wrinkles around their eyes, “I voted” stickers proudly stuck to the collar of their jackets. Volunteers pushed pamphlets into my hands every few steps along the walkway, singing the “Have you voted yet?” phrase with such fervor that any visitor would have supposed it was the national anthem; and for the day, it very well seemed to be.
As an ignorant American, I had no idea why the whole of the London population was in a frenzy. With our own political system in the dire state it is, I failed to recognize that the U.K. was in a state of upheaval at all. I was living in what will undoubtedly be one of the largest moments in the history of global politics, but I knew nothing about what was happening around me.
Allow me to explain now that I know.
Brexit began as the result of former British Prime Minister, David Cameron’s, plot to unite the U.K.’s conservative party, and at the onset, 60% of the population stood on neutral ground regarding the proposed referendum for the U.K. to leave the European Union. One primary problem: this plot to unite the conservatives posed a single question to an electorate which responded based on a multitude of issues. Promotional materials in favor of the United Kingdom’s leave from the E.U. largely relied on fear and intolerance to market their plan, remind you of any other specific conservative campaigns happening in the world?
In the end, the final vote stood at 51.9% of the population in favor of leaving and 48.1% in favor of staying in.The passage of this massive referendum comes with a massive set of issues of its own.
Brexit has caused division amongst generations, within families, throughout communities - by its very nature, the Brexit movement has divided the population it originally sought to reach through unification. The divide between generations is staggering: for those aged 18-24 years old the vote to stay in was 75% majority, however, for those aged 65 years and older the average population who voted to stay in was 40%. Furthermore, of those aged over 65 years old they represent nearly 90% of those who actually voted. While these statistics may seem merely overwhelming numbers, they represent a cultural moment based in large part on a system of fear and domination.
Much like that of the campaign being run in our own country.
Personally, I have yet to meet a Brexit supporter, just as I have yet to meet a person who actually supports Donald Trump’s misogynistic and racist lunacy.
Those who voted to leave the European Union were so preoccupied with fear and misunderstanding that they failed to recognize the further ramifications of the decision made while blinded by the desire for revenge.
It is no secret that our political system is in shambles in light of the recent race for the white house. Republican nominee, Donald Trump, is running a campaign entirely rooted in fear, and on a larger scale, I would argue that the entire political season has been rooted in fear.
Just as Brexit was.
Those who voted for Brexit didn’t actually believe that it would happen, recent polls suggest. When the population gathered to vote, it was their desire for revenge and self-preservation that led the country to call it quits on the world’s first major political experiment - the European Union, the first multinational entity in history to gather multiple countries together for a common purpose and good.
In the next few years, we can expect to hear of depreciation of the British Pound, a lack of understanding regarding foreign policy, and a country thrust deep into ethnic and ethical violence and uncertainty rooted in terror; but if there is one lesson that we must learn from the U.K.’s startling example, it is this: we need to take our politics seriously.
I hear so many people who say that they would rather just not vote than vote for one of the two candidates. I hear so many more who fail to care at all. If Brexit teaches us anything, it is the lesson that it is possible for fear mongering to lead a nation, and until we open our eyes, we may soon find ourselves as citizens of a nation that has exchanged our constitutional freedoms for fear.
**All statistics and information presented have been provided courtesy of the University of Cambridge’s summer plenary lecture series, Lord Smith addresses Brexit July 13, 2016.
