Stop (talking about) Brexit

There was a time, years ago, when I (and many others) were actually interested in Brexit. I wrote about it here and here, and was even in London on the day it happened. But three years later, I’m not just bored, but newly committed to blocking any attempt to introduce it into conversation. Brexit: who knew it would become one of the most boring topics of conversation possible?

Democracy?

It has long been a key plank of progressives to speak about the virtues of democracy, and yet these days, when a vote is held, there’s discussion of an immediate re-run. I’m not talking about Norway’s 1972 and 1994 No votes to join the EU (53.5% and 52.2%, respectively — turns out referendums can be close-run, divisive things in countries other than the UK!). Nor am I talking about the Dutch and French rejections of the Lisbon Treaty (61.6% and 55%, respectively) which ended up being passed into law anyway. No, I’m talking about events like the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum (which I got to witness in person), the 2016 US Presidential Election (which I also witnessed in person and was amused to hear about “the problems of the electoral college” from European friends afterwards), and of course, 2016’s Brexit.

I’m often told that people “didn’t know what they voted for,” or were “stupid,” or are, “as everyone knows, racist.” Fascinatingly, as far as I…