Nigel Farage and Brexit

British politicians had been feeling sidelined by European politics for a long time, when they were a part of the European Union.  In particular, Nigel Farage, and Boris Johnson, and a few other members of Parliament, whose fortes were local politics, were eager to remove Britain from the big pond of Europe.  They pushed for a referendum on the question of breaking with the Europeans in 2016.  David Cameron, the British prime minister at the time, eventually resigned, probably sensing that complete withdrawal from the European union would be painful for Britain. 

The referendum indicated 'Leave', much to Farage's satisfaction.  Boris Johnson became the prime minister, and by 2020, Britain was out of the Union, and there began a painful sequence of economic hardships for the island nation, only vaguely anticipated, or not at all.  British governments since then have struggled to cut taxes—a priority for the conservative government left behind by Cameron, headed by Johnson, and a sequence of other prime ministers—and handle the economic chaos brought on from the separation of the British economy. 

I assumed that Farage and the other leaders of the Leave wave would be remorseful, once the full impact of Brexit became clear, but following the political developments in Britain was so annoying (not any more annoying than following American politics must be for Brits, I'm sure) that I'm not aware of what Farage has said about his role in the fiasco.  I get the impression that it was a 'miscalculation' on his part, and lack of information on the part of the population.

In calling for a referendum on Brexit, or anything even remotely as complex, a thorough information initiative would be a no-brainer.  The people could never anticipate the huge repercussions of Brexit without a great deal of help.  But the detailed anticipation of the disaster would have looked like propaganda.  Cameron, and other intellectuals who were leading the conservatives, cautiously distanced themselves from the analyses of the situation, and allowed Johnson to soak himself in the clown show. 

Big decisions, like Brexit, supported by marginal politicians, are almost certain to have unintended consequences.  That's why incremental change is advisable.  Excited, relatively thoughtless Congressmen espouse dramatic legislation, for the way in which it gets them notoriety.  It's left to voters to discern whether it's glamour that the proponents crave, or genuine, positive, life-improving change. 

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