Just another day on a long road

I suppose it would be remiss of me were I not to offer a final address before I head out to vote. By now, most of you know the nuances and complexities of my arguments. For those of you who do not, the time has now passed for me to explain them. Throughout, though, has been one word. Democracy. I will speak no more of that today. We have seen where the battle lines are drawn.

There are those who believe the presence of assemblies and voting rituals constitutes a democracy. And that somehow this transactional approach to decision making is superior to the flawed and whimsical system we have here in the UK. There is little I can do to make them understand.

The diluted ratios of representation should be be a clue, but ultimately it is a matter of where the power resides. We can, by means of a contrived selection process, appoint an individual to speak on our behalf, in trust that their ignorance and arrogance is no lesser or greater than our own. But if they by themselves and through their collective efforts cannot wield power on our behalf, then as much it is not democracy it is not even representative democracy.

But I have come to understand that this is a losing argument. For most, the illusion of democracy is sufficient. The people do not wish to be troubled with politics. They are not by nature interesting in how things works so long as they do work. Rather than dreaming of, or working toward, a better future they work within the parameters they are handed. That is their way. And perhaps this is the right way for things to be otherwise nothing would get done.

People are happy with remote technocracy so long as it does not intrude on their lives or interrupt their schemes. And so if we cannot stir them we must wait for reality to disturb them. As is usually the case. I cannot think of any time where an electorate has acted to pre-empt the cycle of history. Democratic engagement is universally reactive.

And so as I expect to be defeated, ill-served as we are by a campaign we did not want and tried to prevent, I will not shed a tear of sadness. Tomorrow is just another day on this long road. What matters is that Britain will leave the EU, because the people who have troubled themselves to learn what it is, and understand the true meaning of democracy will accept no other outcome. In conniving to rob Britain of its democracy our rulers have started something quite ugly. We will end it.