In or Out – a question of courage

The EU Referendum COULD have been a fascinating, engaging, participative and educational debate about the relationships of people across Europe. So far, the political debate has been a two dimensional, shallow and emotive competition between two different kinds of fear.

Here’s how things stand.

On the Brexit side, the mantra is ‘control’, and the fear of outside forces is visceral. It’s a self-centred way of seeing things, continually causing tantrums of frustration in the refusal to accept we’re tiny and relatively uninfluential in relation to the world.   Take the argument to an extreme, and ultimate safety can only be found in complete mastery – that way lies despotism and tyranny.

On the Remain side, the mantra is ‘single market’, and the fear of diminished trade is visceral.  It’s a self-centred way of seeing things, continually causing cold sweats in its compulsive addiction to consumption for financial gain. Take the argument to an extreme, and ultimate safety can only be found in market domination – that way lies despotism and tyranny.

These battles to regulate the world around us are timeless – just a part of life. The comfort blankets of the Brexit and Remain mobs are an illusion. Brexit’s control blanket is disregarded with each new threat, and Remain’s trade blanket disintegrates with greed. A choice between one fear or another is no real choice – both are on the same side.

So how can we choose?

Many are disgusted, frustrated or despairing of the whole process of the EU Referendum. Typical refrains include the lack of information, the complexity (the EU has 33 Departments), or the extreme hubris of reducing the EU to a decision that it’s either a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ thing. Worst of all, they say, the debate is a smokescreen for the dismantling of welfare state and measures of environmental protection*.

The problem with naming the problems, is they don’t make it easier to choose what to do. When faced with challenges like this, I always look for the balancing force and work out how best to apply it.  This is natures way.

Viewed through this lens, I see two campaigns driven by fear, requiring some balance from courage. Courageous leadership embraces uncertainty, acknowledges dynamism and complexity, and vitally, offers constructive hope.

The courageous choice in the EU Referendum would be to vote to remain, but not for the reasons offered by the official Remain campaign.  A vote to leave is a vote for isolation, ignorance, and mutual distrust. Outsiders can never fully participate in the conversation. It’s a world of guaranteed conflict, short termism and deterioration.

A vote to remain in the EU, for all the potential pitfalls, at least offers the hope that we will be constructive, far-sighted and caring of each others needs. A vote to remain acknowledges Nature’s borders are not political, and that we are born into a world of inter-dependence.  We flourish as a species because we’re so good at working together – we create more than we destroy – it’s just not as ‘newsworthy’.   Finally, it’s worth remembering that human happiness is most deeply rooted in our sense of belonging.

So for me at least, the choice in the EU Referendum is an easy one to make. I’m in.

 

*A quick comparison of search terms under Google’s ‘News’ tab seems to confirm this last view

‘EU Referendum UK 2016’              – 1.5m results
‘Social Care cuts UK 2016                – 693k results
‘Green policy scrapped UK 2016’  – 195k results
‘Welfare cuts UK 2016’                     – 156k results
‘NHS Cuts UK 2016’                           – 122k results
‘Environmental cuts UK 2016’       – 80.9k results