Brexit and the Joy of Democracy

Abstract

A majority of the UK electorate voted to leave the EU in a Referendum where the choice was clearly set out.
History suggests that the UK’s ‘Contest’ cultural values should have enabled a straightforward Brexit.
Instead, a relatively new normative Oligarchy, that now controls most of the main levers of power in the UK, disagreed with the Referendum result and worked to undermine it. They may yet succeed.
An electoral shock (ironically in the EU parliamentary elections) may (may) put the UK back on track for Brexit. But what has happened since the Referendum has highlighted some long running weaknesses in the way the UK is run.
Traditional British Contest democratic values may be unable to reassert themselves.