This article sets out four steps for how we, the people, can help to stop Brexit. I’m writing assuming you’re someone who would lime to stop Brexit, but I hope that this is interesting, regardless of your position on Brexit.
Step One - stop trying to win the argument
The first step might be the most difficult, but telling people that they are wrong won’t convince them of your argument. Labelling ourselves “remainers” and others “Brexiteers” creates a “them and us” environment that makes changing sides more difficult.
When we, as emotional human beings, are told directly that we are wrong, we instinctively react to double down emotionally.
On a base level humans are tribal. It is by our very nature to associate with people we think are like us and in our tribe. And we unite against things which are outside of our tribe. This is normal.
Being told we are wrong gets our backs up. We feel under attack, we become defensive. “If I’m wrong I’m stupid- I’m not stupid, you’re wrong.” We become emotional and irrational. We put the accuser into the “other” tribe.
To solve “Brexit” we will need to come together. Regardless of the outcome we want as individuals, the only way out of the current mess is an agreed compromise.
I don’t want to leave the European Union, but the truth is that some form of Brexit might be the only way forward. Then again- there may be a way forward that satisfies the needs of those who voted to leave while we remain in the European Union. I don’t know, but somewhere along the line, some compromises will need to be made and compromises can only be reached through rational discussion and debate.
Rational thought comes from cooperative problem solving. It is from the safety of our own tribe that we innovate, imagine new solutions and ideas. Humans are better when we work together. The sum is always greater than the parts. But we need the correct environment to behave rationally rather than emotionally. We need to feel that we are in the same tribe.
Fundamentally humans are messy and complicated. People voted for Brexit for whole range of reasons. It is lazy and quite frankly ignorant to label everyone who to leave as “Racist”, or “stupid”, or “gullible” or anything else. If you’re in the habit of labelling people who voted leave I’d strongly urge you to stop, and instead have a listen. You don’t have to agree with them but you will get a better understanding of their views than assuming you can sum up an entire other person, in your head, with a label.
Actually you’d be surprised how many of the reasons people voted to leave you would actually sympathise with. And we know from conflict resolution that it is by finding the things that we agree on that we can start to come together.
For example, I often find that a reason people voted to leave the European Union is because they are concerned about funding for the national health service. Sometimes people worry that immigrants (i.e people outside of their tribe) are using the health service which they, as taxpayers (inside the tribe) are contributing to.
Or they feel that our government is unable to contribute enough money to the national health service (I.e. to look after our tribe) because too much money is going to the European Union (I.e. outside our tribe).
The common ground here of course is that the national health service is good and should be properly funded.
Regardless of how you feel about possible factual flaws in those arguments to leave, they come from a normal human emotional place. Rather than argue with those people about the details behind those arguments, it is actually good enough to agree with those people that the national health service is amazing and that it needs to be adequately funded.
I then also gently introduce the truth that a significant proportion of national health service workers are actually immigrants, often doing lower paid difficult jobs, working really hard to care for British people. The idea is not to convince someone of my conclusions. The idea is to introduce the concept that maybe the people outside the tribe are helping our tribe. The idea is to allow that person to reach their own conclusion that maybe we’re in the same tribe?
I don’t demand that the person who voted to leave tell me that I’m right. It’s nearly impossible to change someone’s mind with one conversation. I just try to reach common ground and gently introduce ideas they will then hopefully think about later.
The other benefit of talking politely and calmly and listening to people who voted to leave, is that they come away less likely to feel that you are in the other “tribe”. Every potential argument, that instead is a civilised conversation as another step out of the current mess we find ourselves in. Little by little. Step by step. Conversation by conversation. With no quick wins.
In essence, winning is not winning an argument. Winning is having a conversation and not having an argument.
Step Two - tell a friend
Probably seems obvious but if we want to remain in the European Union we need a clear majority of people also to want to remain in the European Union. There are two groups of people who need engaging - those who voted leave and those who just don’t care anymore.
Lots of people voted to leave - engaging with people who voted to leave is important. To form a clear majority to remain some of those people will need to support, or at least not oppose, remaining in the European Union.
A huge number of people are still apathetic about Brexit. They might not understand the implications or they might just not care. And it’s not difficult to see why when you see ongoing immature arguments between politicians who often aren’t always saying what they believe but are saying what they think the public want to hear in order to try to be as popular as possible with their tribe of potential voters. All those politicians arguing to a back drop of not much actually happening.
For many people, the Brexit argument is drowned out by their actual life. Picking the kids up from school. Working out what to cook for dinner. Getting into the office. That big task to do at work.
Point being, to stop Brexit we need to reach both groups of people. We need to engage with people who voted to leave and we need to engage with people who have just tuned it all out.
What we need to tell those people is what’s happening, and what that means for their lives.
Reasons why Brexit would be bad are for another post (and can easily be found by googling “why is Brexit bad?”)
You can also find a compelling argument against Brexit made by Pindex (and narrated by Stephen Fry) talking about the motivations of big business for Brexit.
To get informed about what’s going on in terms of Brexit, the YouTube channel TLDR News provides fairly objective updates.
Also, I always recommend joining Rob Blackie’s email subscription and Mark Pack’s Liberal Democrat Newswire. Both Rob and Mark provide regular updates and information about Brexit, as well as lots of other related and interesting content.
Step Three - vote at every opportunity
Sounds obvious, but vote for what you believe in. The Liberal Democrats are squarely in favour of remain, so they should probably be your first consideration.
It is worth looking at who you are voting for in each election to identify candidates who also are in favour of remain. For example, the Green Party are also pro remain, and in some seats (like Brighton Pavilion) are most likely to win.
That said, I personally don’t vote tactically. I vote for what I believe in. For too long we have allowed ourselves to be bullied into voting for parties that we don’t actually want for fear of the other party that we reallydon’t want winning. It is much better in my view, to vote for what you believe in, and to encourage others to do the same.
At every possible democratic opportunity vote for remain. At the European elections, in general elections, in local elections.
Every time a remain candidate wins, there is more momentum for the whole remain movement.
Step Four - write letters and emails
It is always worth writing to your elected representatives. A general rule of thumb that a lot of members of parliament use is that for every one letter received roughly 1000 of their constituents also have the same opinion. If you believe in remain, and even better if you have direct examples of how you will be negatively affected by Brexit, then you should tell your Member of Parliament, member of the European Parliament, and even your local councillors.
Most politicians want to be re-elected and therefore regardless of political ideology, will take seriously the views of their constituents. Even ardent leave supporting politicians will take notice if they’re bombarded with letters from their constituents.
They work for you is a brilliant website that can help you find and contact your elected representatives.
Step Five - meet with like minded people
As stated above the Liberal Democrats are squarely in favour of remain. You will find like-minded remain supporters at the many Lib Dem social events. Your local area will likely have a Lib Dem Facebook page. You can also find heaps more information at the Liberal Democrat website.
The Liberal Democrat’s membership has now exceeded 100,000 members and is actually larger than the Conservative party membership.
Meeting like minded people is a great way to keep up momentum - almost everyone would agree that Brexit can be dry and depressing in equal measures. With some of the political antics going on I often don’t know whether to laugh or cry. When I’m with other people we usually laugh.
A second benefit of meeting other people who want to the UK to remain in the European Union is the free exchange of ideas. Humans are better when we work together. We specialise, divide tasks and act more efficiently. The more ideas that are shared the more strokes of genius that can be employed.
Thirdly - it’s just nice to meet nice people. The Liberal Democrats have a reputation for being friendly easy going types for a reason. In the many years of being a liberal political activist I can genuinely say that I’ve never disliked a Liberal Democrat I’ve met.