What does it mean now for the UK?

Today the UK voted to leave the EU. Clever Bird must admit to feeling rather surprised when Baggy woke up to this news this morning. Baggy isn't terribly political generally, probably because she tends to live on her own little planet most of the time, but her biggest shock today is how people are reacting to the news. The "official" arguments for leaving and staying, were quite often diametrically opposed. The "shares" and comments on social media and in person, were frequently personal and emotive. But from all of this, we mere mortals were asked to make a decision that even the experts from within the same political parties and the leaders of industry and financial institutions, couldn't agree on. But over 70% of the UK did their best to make a decision and went out and voted. The votes were counted (and for once every vote did count) and that's it, that's the result.

Listening to the news today, you could conclude that a third World War had been declared if you didn't know what had actually happened. Our country "is now vulnerable and under threat". The pound is crashing. The markets are crashing. The Prime Minister who wanted this vote is resigning and letting someone else try to sort out the mess it's left. The Governor of the Bank of England's reassurances seemed to have exactly the opposite effect on many mere mortals. A state of total panic seems to be the order of the day, fuelled by the media and seemingly everyone who voted to "stay". Anyone who voted to leave seems now to be a target for accusations of racism, small-mindedness, bigotry and the cause of the "end of the world as we know it". Well Clever Bird is sick of it. The mistake (if there was a mistake) was asking ordinary people to vote on something that (in the main) they are completely unequipped to make a decision about. But they were asked and the majority of them did their best to make an informed choice on the information that was available to them. Now the country needs to reunite and get on with being the wonderful country that it is. Half the population has not suddenly grown horns and become the enemy of the rest of the population; everyone is the same person that they were yesterday, good, bad or indifferent. Clever Bird is getting upset that people are being so judgemental suddenly and that the media seem to be fuelling the way for our wonderful country's collapse. It is really not going to help.

Sorry bloggees, rant over and if you no longer wish to hear another word from Baggy that is your choice; you are welcome to stop following her, to unfriend her on Facebook, un-follow her on Twitter, or to never speak to her again in person. But to fall out with friends and family over a free vote where people have tried to make their best decision, or because you don't like their decision, or because they didn't vote, that is not what being British is all about in Clever Bird's view...........