“Taking Back Control” has been the winning line for the Vote Leave campaign and we have to acknowledge that this has resonated with vast numbers of people.
People voted for something other than the status quo.
When people feel their communities are fragmenting, their services are being stretched and their opportunities for jobs and homes restricted, it should be no surprise that they would vote for change….
As Greens, we more than almost any other party recognize that the current political, financial, economic and social systems are not fit for purpose.
While we were campaigning to remain within the European Union, we were doing so in the knowledge that things needed to change, we were sceptical and critical Europeans. But we believe that the change needed would be more likely to succeed by working together, within the European Union.
Right now it feels nothing like “Taking Back Control”.
Throughout this campaign one important word has been missing – Trust.
Trust: a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something
We must fight to rebuild trust within our increasingly fractured societies. Only by trusting each other, and each other’s motives, can we begin the process of working together for a better future.
We need to listen to what people are saying. Not just listen, but hear them. And not just hear them… but understand and empathise with their concerns.
We can agree that what we have now is broken. The problems of climate change, technological revolutions, financialization, global migration, ecological destruction, ageing societies and global corporatism require radical solutions.
Brexit is not the answer, but neither would Remain have been. Remain may have provided a better framework within which to address these issues together, but the challenges would still have been many.
What we should learn from this is that many people want something different. And so do we.
And finally we can do far worse than simply echo the sentiments of our friends in Landkreis Göttingen:
Let us continue to build our shared house together, as Europeans with diverse national identities in open and respectful dialogue.
– Martyn Cutcher