'The country is divided!', 'Britain's fighting a culture war', 'People are stuck in their echo chambers!', 'I'm rather sick of the Brexit process!' These are phrases that I'm sure you're used to hearing proliferate the media. In an age of 24 hour news, presenters must feature politicians and commentators who can use the same soundbites we have all got used to hearing. They have airtime to fill. From this, it is easy to gather that huge divisions exist between individuals who voted to remain and leave the EU. After all, the broadcasters wouldn't want to be seen as partial to one side of the debate.
What this can do is present an illusion that remainers and Brexiteers respectively are united on ever issue. Because they have similar views about the European project, their whole philosophy politically must be aligned. This is not the case whatsoever and is slowly, but quietly, gradually emerging into the political arena. This has most clearly been seen on the 'remain' side of the argument. Within parliament, there are multiple parties that campaigned for staying in the European Union and, despite little changes in public opinion, still believe that to be the best outcome. Thus, parties like the Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, Change UK and Plaid Cymru are grouped as one homogeneous mass, even when there are clear policy disagreements. Yet, due to the number of parliamentary votes on Brexit, the other differences have managed to be hidden away. The policy differences were most clearly exposed when Change UK split following the 2019 European elections, with Heidi Allen being replaced by Anna Soubry as leader. When the 11 Conservative and Labour MPs formed The Independent Group in February, they were presented as wholly united in their opposition for Brexit and favouring a 'new type of politics.' That swiftly fell apart when voters realized they could opt for the Liberal Democrats, who were already an established party, explaining Change's dire EU elections performance. The divisions between Change UK and the Lib Dems appear similar to those between Blairites and, well, Lib Dems. While both supportive of the EU project and constitutional reform, major policy differences expose the gap between their parties. This is evident through the individuals who remain in Change UK. Mike Gapes is a big supporter of Trident and defender of the Iraq War, whereas the Lib Dems were undoubtedly opposed to both. All the remaining former Labour MPs within the group were supporters of Blair's authoritarianism in his 'War on Terror', unlike the Lib Dems. Generally, Change UK - like Blair - have weaker targets on the environment departing from the Liberal Democratic longstanding support for renewable energy. Brexit is therefore not everything. While both parties are able to agree on the benefits of pooling sovereignty to gain greater influence in a globalised world, there the direct similarities end. It demonstrates the broader impossibility of Conservative and Labour pro-Europeans joining together, when their views on other foreign policy and domestic areas are so wide apart. Indeed, all parties are coalitions. The same is the case for political movements too. One party that seems a wider coalition than most, strangely enough, is the Brexit Party. Led by Nigel Farage in opposition to his former home in UKIP, the party won the European elections with 29 seats. They viewed it as a mandate to leave, almost like a second referendum. But the support for leaving the EU was where the unity within the party ended. How an Earth can the party construct a manifesto for a general election? All kinds of here all kinds of domestic issues would need to be discussed. It appears impossible for the party to do this. Yes, they want to change politics and restore democracy to Westminster, but in reality, those are meaningless soundbites with no substantial policy behind them. How can a party containing Claire Fox, a former communist, and Ann Widdecombe, a staunch social conservative, possibly find policies of unity? I'm supportive of parties appealing to a broad range of voters but the difference in views, apart from Brexit, appears unsustainable. The political situation remains unclear. Despite our Brexit extension until October 31st, we will only have two months for any renegotiation, ratification and implementation. It is not a long time at all. Whether Brexit will continue to dominate the political hegemony beyond our eventual departure is unknown. But, sooner or later, both the remain and departing forces will have to confront the divisions within their ranks, yet alone with the other side. They will have to be ready to argue a united message, if that is possible, in a general election that could be just around the corner. And you know what they say...the public do not vote for divided parties.
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