Maybe its foolish, but as the days go by, there seems to be a growing sense of opportunity glimmering in the unexpected destruction of the referendum vote. Not because it suddenly seems that a more inward, insular, xenophobic Britain is going to pull off awesome trade deals with China, or because the vilely spiteful Andrea Leadsom seems like a good exchange for the piggy fiddler Cameron. But because it increasingly seems that the only way forward has to involve a much greater change than just whether we are in the EU or not.
Quite clearly, Parliament as it is, does not have either the answers or the will to make the necessary changes. And having done so much to create the situation we are now in, Parliament as it is, should probably not be trusted to come up with the solution. That would be like coming home to find your drunk teenage kids have smashed the place up, then make them clear up while they’re still wasted, insisting that they also decorate your bedroom whilst they’re at it.
Famously, Blair came into office saying there were three things to focus on. Education, Education, Education. He is a contemptible man but as soundbites go, it could’ve worked. The thing that was utterly missing (obviously apart from all that well-documented stuff like integrity, honesty, decency) was that education is a two-way street. The ignorance that politicians almost universally have about the lives of the people they represent is clearer now than ever.
Nobody wants to have their livelihoods taken away, not even if the government or the EU then build a museum or enterprise centre in their home town, it doesn’t matter how many plazas with cantilevered shelters or how many colours of smart glass go into it. What people want is decent work, warm communities, a modicum of freedom with their responsibility and not to be ruled by arseholes. The prospect of a country where only a Tory/Ukip alliance can play the system and win is too frightening for words. The way to build a parliament that can deliver what works for a hugely diverse set of circumstances and people is to reflect the diversity. The way for forward-thinking left ideas to find their place for long enough for people to see how it will benefit all of us is to change the system. It has to be the time for proportional representation.
Democracy seems to have had a kick up the jacksy, and its indignant bellow has to be a prelude to more that just more of the same.
Here are some informative and thoughtful links that say it better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5RPpq1j-LE&sns=fb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AkvcukJlP4
Lou Allison
