Brexit Mandate: What Is It?

A minority of voters, perhaps 20%, voted to leave the EU because they dislike foreigners, they distrust the continent and they wanted to cut adrift from the European family no matter what the cost and disadvantage to Britain. In their eyes to be poor is a price worth paying to be pure.

But they provide no democratic mandate for Brexit. That came from a larger minority who took on board promises of lower immigration leading to more prosperity, jobs and money for public services, as offered with abandon and scarce reference to truth by the Leave campaign. Combined with the haters this hopeful minority became a majority.

Now May has to deliver not to a mandate of Brexit at any cost, but Brexit which makes life better for all. Nothing less will do, because to fail would be to shatter all semblance of trust in politicians. Or she has to come clean, declare it impossible and call the whole thing off. But the days of rhetoric and fluffy articles in the Sunday papers, not one but two, while her Foreign Secretary writes the opposite in a third, are well and truly over. She says she will get on with the job. Agree. As defined above. If she cannot get on with that it is time to get out.