Where Serpents Slither

                                          'Where Serpents Slither.'

                                                       Background

On 23rd June 2016, UK Prime Minister David Cameron placed the country's future on a political gaming wheel and called a Referendum on whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union.

For forty-three years the UK has been a member of the EU as it grew into a single market area without borders or restrictions on the movement of goods, people or capital. The membership has ensured the UK's prosperity and security in that time: all living by one set of common rules that apply throughout all 28-member states.

Confident of victory, he campaigned to 'Remain' and made no contingency plans for an adverse vote.

Why did he do it? Solely for political reasons.  Firstly, to heal the rift in his own Conservative party caused by a small number of MP's who prefer to be outside of the EU – an awkward rump that has existed for the 43 years of UK membership –and a larger number who wish to remain. It must be said that the disenchanted elements increased as a protest against the austerity policies implemented during the previous six-years as a result of the recession in 2008. They blamed Europe for the financial collapse, when it had little or nothing to do with Europe.

Secondly, he did it to stem the flow of votes leaching from his party into another, nationalist party - UKIP, a right-wing party formed for the sole purpose of extricating the UK from Europe.

People often enter politics with lofty ambitions of bettering life for others. Once in the job, career politics tend to take over. The Parliamentary seat with its salary, expenses and privileges can be lost at the next election and the incumbent replaced by another, to become instantly unemployed. Then there are long-serving members whose careers are on the decline and who wish to enjoy power again. Self-interest and self-preservation become imperatives over precedence for doing good works.

There are 1,100 rooms in the three miles of dark, dusty corridors of the Palace of Westminster where such politicians can slither like serpents to scheme and plot with others, always careful to leave a slime-less trail.

That is how we arrived at BREXIT. Self-interested  politicians promised Utopia outside of the EU to a gullible electorate, dispelling truths, half-truths and downright lies to secure its disregard of the government's advice to vote 'Remain', and instead to vote 'Leave' in the referendum.

And the impossible happened. With the exception of London, Scotland and Northern Ireland: the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. In a majority, collective vote, 17 million voted for out, against 16 million voting for in, leaving 12 millions of lost votes, abandoned  by those registered voters who failed to bother themselves to cast their vote on the day.

The UK will thus commit to leave Europe with no plan made or in the making for the future outside,it will cast aside the benefits and security of membership of a community of 500 millions for the unpredictable uncertainties of life as a little island group of nations alone in the world on the eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean: a weakened group that might no longer contain Scotland.

Politicians make these decisions on our behalf. But, they are incapable of implementing their decisions through their lack of ability, qualification and experience in particular fields.

Supporting every UK government department is a permanent civil service team headed by a Permanent Secretary – powerful men of enormous influence and euphemistically referred to as 'mandarins'. These teams are civil and not political appointments. They remain politically neutral, serving every government of whatever colour elected by the populace. They possess the expertise, malam and abilities to put government policies into action. The head of the Home Civil service is the Cabinet Secretary to whom they are all accountable.

Everything I have written above this line is factual.

All that I have written below this line is my take on the causes and events that took us to Brexit.

It is fiction.

Or is it?

In the light of subsequent history, You decide!