Brexit and the death of the British sense of fair play | Coffee House

Brexit and the death of the British sense of fair play | Coffee House

Konstantin Kisin writes:

"The vote in 2016 was the product of decades of brewing discontent. One of the biggest drivers of the decision to leave was the complete unwillingness of the political class to acknowledge people's concerns about the pace and scale of immigration. Instead, half of the country was smeared as thick, bigoted racists in order to shut them up.

"As a comedian, I have travelled the length and breadth of this country. I have lived as far north as Edinburgh and as far south as Hastings. I can say unequivocally: there are very few places in the world I'd rather be an immigrant.

"When I came here in 1995, just three per cent of the British public thought immigration was a major issue. Why? Because it wasn't a major issue. But by the peak of the Blair immigration boom, during which time more people came to this country than had come from 1066 to 1950, almost 50 per cent of the British public thought immigration was a major issue. Why? Because it was.

"Ignoring people doesn't work. Democracy is not about elections and referendums. Democracy is when the people who lose those elections and referendums accept the outcome. If we try to sabotage the 2016 result we will end up with a harder Brexit than anyone, including many Leavers, originally wanted. Worse still, if we succeed in sabotaging Brexit, the impact of destroying people's faith in democracy will reverberate for generations."