In the EU referendum of 2016 one
choice was a reality: remaining a member of the EU (though constantly misrepresented by
those who control 80 per cent of the national press by readership). The other – leaving or Brexit – was a fantasy – a great empty screen onto which everyone could project
their fantasy: an extra £350m a week for the NHS, less immigration, no
immigration, keeping all the advantages of EU membership without having to obey
any of the rules, signing up trade deals with major countries all over the
world in the blink of an eye, etc, etc.
No wonder many people were frustrated
by a debate from which reality seemed generally absent.
If we were to have a referendum on
any agreement Theresa May manages to negotiate with the EU, or on her failure
to reach one, that would be a very different matter. Yes, the extreme right
wing press would continue its distortion, but it would be a choice between two
realities – accepting the Leave terms negotiated or withdrawing Article 50 and
staying in the EU.
It would be a ‘second
referendum’ only if the Brexit deal fulfils all the promises made by the Leave
campaign, and even the Brexiters themselves are now admitting this will not
happen. We should stop talking about a ‘second referendum’. We haven't had the first one yet, unless you count the one that produced a two-to-one majority for staying in the EU.
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