I can remember the promise David Cameron made on the Conservative party manifesto, which was a result of his January 2013 speech at Bloomberg event that promised, should the Conservative Party win a parliamentary majority at the coming general election in 2015, that government would negotiate more favourable arrangements for continuing British membership of the EU and hold a referendum on this question.  So the stage was set, he won and he was bound by the promise.  Mr Cameron made his request to the EU for changes to the UK membership, some changes that would placate his party but the EU was in no mood to make the requested changes for the UK.  The European Union Referendum Act was passed and gained Royal Ascent on 11th December 2015, pathing the way for the referendum to be called.  So the date was set for a referendum on Thursday 23^rd June 2016. 

I can remember visiting the UK several times in the run up to the vote, listening to the news, various discussions, reading various articles and obviously speaking with friends.  The opinions were of course divided, as the end result, pretty much down the middle.  I do though remember coming back to my family in Italy and saying to my wife, the vote will go the way of an out vote, I am sure of it. And so, with that the vote ended 52% -48% to leave.  It then took over 4½ years to actually leave the EU’s rules but here we are.  It consumed almost 3 years of my life from 2017 to the end of 2019.  The drama, the subterfuge in Parliament to try and thwart the vote, but finally the UK is out.

Was it all worth it?  For me, if you believe in democracy than yes, loser’s consent is very important, without it, a democracy cannot function.  Something I hope the next generations are willing to understand but my experience with the Brexit vote and all the shenanigans after, with various bodies try to block it, I feel this is a rough road ahead. Debate is essential and agreeing to disagree is a corner stone.

I do not see a smooth path for the EU going forward.  It has problems and its unwillingness to reform and change is worrying.  It’s path to a federal super state, a United States of Europe is evermore apparent.  The recent admission that the EU needs to keep its ‘ambassadors’ to the UK, which the UK has so far refused, has ignited a new discussion.  If the EU can have ambassadors, as it states is it’s right, just like the USA has ambassadors, then surely France, Germany, Italy etc. need not send an ambassador to the UK.  After all, do Texas or California send ambassadors to other countries?