Reflections of a referendum fence-sitter

"This referendum matters more for the shifting contours of British politics than it does for our relationship with the EU"

by David Goodhart / June 23, 2016 / Leave a comment

People arrive at a polling station in Harpenden, Britain, on June 23, 2016 ©Xinhua/SIPA USA/PA Images

People arrive at a polling station to cast their vote in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, Harpenden, 23rd June, 2016 ©Xinhua/SIPA USA/PA Images

I remain stuck on the fence staring at my polling card knowing that a decision has to be taken in the next few hours. Can I abstain? No, that is cowardly. Can I vote one way and hope that a small majority of my fellow citizens vote the other way? That would be weird and self-regarding, voting not for a narrowly preferred outcome but in order to tell people afterwards that I had voted a particular way because it felt better (and that I am not therefore responsible for the mess we are in!).

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Comments

Demosthenes
June 28, 2016 at 20:01
Thought I didn't have a vote (I live in Europe and haven't lived in the UK in more than 15 years), this piece speaks to me - even now, several days later - more than anything else I've read. I feel exactly the same.
Reply
David Warden
July 2, 2016 at 10:51
Which way did you vote?!
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David Goodhart is Director of the Integration Hub at the Policy Exchange think tank and editor at large, Prospect Magazine