Post Referendum Reflections

Reflections on the Referendum

Nothing has revealed the need for political reform more starkly than the outcome of this referendum, whose conduct by the 'winner' was based on an age old strategy perfected 80 years ago by Joseph Goebbels:

1) Have a simple, focused goal, e.g. Leaving the EU
2) Identify a grievance -- or preferably several.
3) Create a narrative in which 1) is presented as the means of fixing 2) despite lack of causality between them
4) Ensure that the media promulgate the narrative. Truthfulness is optional. Populist and nativist appeals are crucial.
5) Front the campaign with a 'personality' from the elite, masquerading as guardian of the interests of ordinary man, helping to feed the media with a constant stream of sound bites which play to populist and nativist prejudices and grievances
6) Repeat a few simple mantras at every opportunity together with statements of plausible deniability for extreme statements and acts of supporters
7) Prepare a range of convincing excuses for the inevitable chaos to follow a win and lack of competence to carry out withdrawal and realignment negotiations. (Just heard one from Daniel Hannan to the effect that "people aren't children and will understand that changes will take time". Another one: "we didn't promise that we would stop immigration". Yea, right.)

There is a disconcerting similarity between the strategy above and that employed by many mischievous and malign regimes, from Nazi Germany to North Korea to the Trump presidential campaign.  Meanwhile, the millions of voters who were duped will soon start to experience buyers' remorse -- too late.

Now there are two parallel Game of Thrones going on in the Conservative and Labour parties over their leaderships (both parties being well beyond their sell-by dates as revealed by the divisions and alignments in the referendum campaign).  These games will provide the media with much copy to divert attention from the problems that withdrawal from the EU is already showing up.  The less than helpful attitude of soon to be erstwhile EU partner nations in managing the withdrawal will be depicted as perfidious Europe attacking brave go-it-alone Blighty -- further 'evidence' to justify withdrawal from the EU.

Btw, do you remember that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end to the Cold War, and the Peace Dividend that this entailed, we were invited to rejoice in the end of history and entry to a sunny upland of continuing peace and prosperity?  So last century....