Is Voting Enough?

In days of yore, when we had elections and referenda, the people voted and the winning vote won the days and the outcome was enacted. Either the party that won most votes got into power, or the winning majority in a referendum had their side of the argument enacted.

But not now it seems.

These days, it seems that everything is fluid.

On referenda: Brexit didn't carry the day, the voters didn't know what they were voting for, it's only advisory... etc.

On general elections: elected MPs can change parties with impunity even to a party with a manifesto in complete opposition to the one they were voted into office on and still stay as an MP without triggering a bye-election.

It seems the ordinary people doing the voting don't count. The votes don't matter.

So is voting enough? Do we have to do something besides voting in order to underpin our democratic decision?

Are Parliament forcing the hand of the people by ignoring the will of the people?

I  leave it to you dear reader as to what that "something else" is besides voting. Whether it's activism, protesting or direct violence against those that deny democracy, I can't say.

But, it seems that something in addition to voting is now necessary in order to enforce the result of a public vote.

We truly do live in unprecedented times. Very certainly post-democratic ones.

Unless we do more than "just" vote.....

Project Fear Releases the Hammer of Yellow...

It seems this weekend there was a serious leak in Government. The most loosely guarded secret is who actually leaked the "Project Yellowhammer" documents. The why is obvious: to cause panic and add fuel to the remainer fire.

In the end, all it does is describe a few worst case scenarios. Good. So we all know the worst that could happen. Now produce a plan that prevents the worst case scenario from occurring.

All it is, is good project management: expect the worst and plan to avoid it.

But of course all the remoaners are now saying "I told you so" and predicting even more dire consequences of a no deal Brexit that the best minds of Yellowhammer could come up with.

Mass suicides, Sinkholes, Armageddon, nuclear war, the return of the Devil incarnate: all could appear because we leave the EU according to the hysterical media. (I must remember to check Nigel Farage for evidence of cloven hooves the next time I meet him).

In the end, fuck all is going to happen. If the Frogs want to close the channel ports, let them. If the Dutch do the same under EU orders, so what?

We have links to Norway if necessary and if the EU strongarm them into blockading our products too, them we will turn our backs on Europe and cut them loose.

I always thought that freedom from the anti-democratic EU would come at a price. I understood that price was worth paying. In times gone by that would have meant pulling on a uniform, grabbing a rifle and if necessary paying the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and democracy.

Brexit means we go without French wine and cheese for a while until they come to their senses. Hardly a national crisis (unless you live in Chelsea).

If the worst comes to the worst, we start buying British produce. Those firms that export will have to quickly reconfigure and start to export to everyone except the EU. Those that are unable to do so may just be the weakest of the bunch and may deserve to wither.

The company that I work for imports from the European mainland, but we also import the bulk of our products from outside the EU. So our customers may go without some parts from Germany for a while until trade routines can be re-established. We get a delivery a month and hopefully it won't take longer than 4 weeks for the EU to come to terms with the lack of UK money paying for EU products.

We need to grow a spine Britain, we need some testicular fortitude and as long as we know the pitfalls, we can plan for them and mitigate the effects of a closed EU border.

Fuck 'Em.

And Fuck the spineless bastard that released the Yellowhammer documents in an attempt to create panic.