Democracy: a rolling affair
by Richard Hare
Vivienne Tincombe, clearly annoyed by those of us who call for a vote on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, asks the question ‘What next, a challenging of a general election result?’
The answer is that we routinely challenge every general election on a four to five year basis. Mrs May decided that just two years was sufficient before our most recent general election. Democracy is a rolling affair. It’s our opportunity to change our allegiances and our minds. So when folk like me call for an informed vote on the real situation that will be presented to us all at the end of the negotiations – as opposed to an exercise in virtual reality at the beginning of it – I ask Vivienne to consider that democracy does allow us to revisit issues and re-evaluate them in the light of fresh evidence.
Me? I reject the authoritarianism that says I cannot fight for what I believe is best and that I must acquiesce and ‘get behind’ something that I consider will damage my country. The good news is that by next spring, we will all be more informed on the impact of Brexit and what it will mean to us, hopefully anyway.
It was no lesser person than David Davis who said; “A democracy that cannot change its mind is no longer a democracy.” He’s right. Furthermore, if Leavers who want to leave on the any terms – and I’m not suggesting that Vivienne is one of them – are so sure that they speak for the majority, then what can they possibly fear from a re-affirmation of their view? We can then all put down our cudgels and move on.