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Thread: I voted remain, but I've never been a huge fan of the EU. It's just I thought it better to be inside the tent, so to speak. It's all well and good saying "we told you so", but not only is it unhelpful it's also unfair on a certain group of moderate Brexit supporters. 1/
While I may disagree with them on things, it wasn't unreasonable to think the 2016 Conservative party, which had been tearing itself apart over Europe for decades, would focus on traditional Conservative values of "fiscal responsibility" and protection of a rules based order. 2/
Even I didn't think they would sacrifice the economy. Don't get me wrong I always thought they would throw workers rights out the window, which was one of reasons I campaigned for Remain before the referendum not just afterwards, but not trash the economy totally. 3/
Now we have them quite merrily saying that they are going to break international law and set a precedent which could open the door for other countries to do so, thereby undermining the international rules based order. 4/
You can claim you "knew what would happen", but really, hand on heart, did you? Because at the time of the referendum there was little to no evidence to suggest this is where we would be on a political level four years on. 5/
You can say you thought it would be bad. That you knew workers rights would be threatened. That you strongly suspected it would trash trade, but you can't say you "knew" that we would see government trying to pass a bill to ostensibly allow it to violate international law. 6/
I have no time for those who voted Brexit to deny people rights. I do for those who voted with the honest belief that further integration with the EU was dangerous and inevitable. I do for those looking at what's happening and despairing, because it isn't what they voted for. 7/
For four years I have seen too many people in Remain claim "no-one could give them a good reason for Brexit", calling Brexiters "idiots and racists". Some are, many aren't. A failure to listen lost us any chance of minimising damage. Don't make that mistake again. 8/
Lots of people are looking at what is happening in horror and despair. Again, I am not talking about those who campaigned to "get foreigners out" or far-right. I am talking about people who honestly believed being out was better than in for serious and understandable reasons. 9/
We need to work together against the frothing at the mouth "live free or die, anti-migrants" brigade who will willingly crash the economy and international order to achieve their small-minded aims. There's no point shouting "I told you so" as everything burns around us. 10/ends
Let's save some time here shall we? If you are claiming you knew this government would do all of this when no-one knew who would being running this government during ref, or rehashing same old tropes I have just said are unhelpful I'm not really going to be inclined to respond.
