There has been a lot of consternation about @JamesMelville's advice to embrace different perspectives on Brexit. A couple of points about the debate: /1

"Be friends with Brexiteers" - I am, or course, already and given how many people voted for it, I'd be surprised if any Remainer didn't have some Leaver friends. So that's not the real point. /2

"Accept the result" - Again, that is not the real point. The result is inescapable. We're a third country nearing the end of the transition period. The result, if you mean the referendum result, is now part of history /3

But "accepting the result" does not conjure into existence reasons for the impending self-harm or alchemically transform bad reasons into good. Whilst the result is historic, much of the pointless harm is yet to come /4

"Pointing out the downsides doesn't help". I can see why, if you voted for this disaster, you might not want to be confronted with the reality of its impacts. But I don't believe those who tried to avert them have an obligation to pretend it is all fine. /5

Still less do I think "democracy" requires that. I believe strongly that the opposite is true. If we want to avoid the worst of the harm it has never been more important to examine what is done in our name closely and critically and to speak clearly about what one sees. /6

Brexit was a mistake and polls suggest most people have thought so for quite a while. That, it seems to me, is the reality to which people will need to accommodate themselves. They cannot reasonably expect reality to accommodate itself to them. /end