Stars

By

Jan Cole

The stars in the eyes of Europe are shining less brightly today as Britain votes “Out”. No one expected this monumental outcome, which resulted from a badly-timed gamble by David Cameron trying as he was, to silence the deadly UKIP stirrings. My friends in England are devastated; not by a change in the monetary unknowns, but in the “We’re all right”, attitude displayed by 52% of the voting population. The young people feel cheated out of a freedom offered to previous generations and many of the “Out” voters have been left wondering just what on earth they have done.

What will happen now, nobody can guess. Some say that it will take ten years for Britain to extricate itself from Europe but listening to the rhetoric spewing from the mouths of the initiators of the Leave campaign; it is going to be a contentious time. I feel extremely sad that this unnecessary and crazy referendum has rocked the country of my birth and thrown it into disarray, stirring up racial hatred the like of which, we have not seen since the days of the national front (no capitals for them!).

Watching a programme called “The Irresistible Rise of Boris Johnson”, gave me some insight into the Old Boys Club and the competition between Boris and David Cameron. Friends and rivals since Eton one could be forgiven for wondering whether Boris only took this stance in order to take the leadership away from his old school adversary.

So the golden stars of Europe are dimmer today; and England’s own star is smaller and more muted than before. I can only hope that the spirit of the British people will overcome this tragedy, as it has so many tough times before, and rise above the exclusivity and xenophobia lurking in a few of the population. Good luck to whomever tries to steer her out of the rapids of this Exit vote.