Let's all sit down, have a cup of tea and think. (EU Ref, Corbyn, Cameron and Boris).

I am unsure where to begin, It hasn't exactly been the quietest of weeks in British politics. Tomorrow, it’ll have been a week since the historical vote 51.9% of the 72% of people who voted decided that they wish to leave the European Union. Since then, we’ve heard a PM’s plan to resign in October, an opposition which has completely torn itself apart and from many can gather the collapse of the establishment. It has been unprecedented – while I can say individual events from this last week have happened before, for it all to be simultaneous is really quite shocking.  I remember last year in May, when three leaders resigned at once post-General Election. I thought it was remarkable. However, the EU Referendum has blown that completely out of the water. 

What I will say here may come across as 'right wing' and unpopular. Understand, friends, this is not my intent. I am lucky to know many radicals, anarcho-socialists and the like who have shown me an admirable albeit different perspective to my own.  I would say many of my friends are much more progressive than I ever will be and actually, it's been hugely beneficial in evolving my own views. Through having a different voice to my own shouting I've reaffirmed my own ideas as well as learnt a thing or two from them, and hopefully, vice-versa. 

For me, this was a surprising low turn out for something so momentous. In 2014, the Scottish Referendum had an average of 97% of people going out to vote. For the EU Ref, it was 72. If I'd had been Cameron, I'd had seat at least a 75% turnout with a two-thirds majority before anything can change. But, without this conditions, we have see free democracy in action. And it has been rather disappointing. Bother sides - leave and remain - campaigned sloppily.  The Leave Camp made themselves racists scaremongers without presenting fact while the Remain Camp was, at least, uninspired and dull a lot of the time. 

This isn’t a bash at Corbyn, or anyone, really. I’m disillusioned by the whole of them right now. Cameron and Corbyn couldn’t put partisanship aside to campaign together, Farron was a minuscule figure of no importance, Hilary Benn is a fine spokesperson who didn’t try hard enough, Corbyn could have led a convincing argument to people on-the-fence dure to his moderate Euroscepticist views and yet, all this didn’t happen. The best campaigner on the whole thing was Gordon Brown, former Chancellor and Prime Minister, who I think is about the only person who could save the Establishment right now in a grand, 2009-style.

One of the things that I've noticed during this campaign is both sides have lived up to their political stereotypes. The lefties were a bit of a wet drip, the right were scaremongering jackasses. And as much as I don’t agree with Cameron, he understood his failure and then resigned. Osborne, a man who I have very little respect for, is not standing for leadership, recognising the political reality. To me, it seems that progressive circles could learn. Last night’s vote against Corbyn was lost 172-40. When IDS had a confidence vote in 2001 as Opposition Leader, it was 90 against, 75 for him. He resigned shortly after, which I think Corbyn should seriously be considering, because essentially we've had a General Election. The EU Referendum decided the fate of our country and 2017’s Prime Minister - because anyone in the Remain camp who wants to be PM kinda of has just been shafted out of the opportunity. 

So what, does this mean I think the bearded bloke should take a step back to the back benches? I’m unsure. I like Corbyn; he is an honest man, who seems kind. I don’t agree with everything he says (there are few people who I think can say they agree with everything a politician does) and he has inspired young people in a way they haven’t been inspired since probably someone like Nick Clegg in 2010, who seemed at the time the saviour for sensible Progressivism. How times have changed (and how much, if one applies thought to it, Clegg has SO much to answer for).

However, do I think of him as electable? As someone who can run a government? But then, who else is there? It is difficult to determine. I’m a fan of Hilary Benn, the Eagle Sisters, Owen Smith, Keir Stamer and a few others but no one seems to stand out like Corbyn does. No one quite appeals to the working class, either, who have aligned themselves with a fake “populist” who I daren’t name, for I am tired of trying to pretend we’re not making him a politically legitimate threat by naming him. So the left’s in a pretty rotten borough, despite having good choices, no one wanted to compromise. Not once. Corbyn was forced to, in a pragmatic situation to keep the Party under control and now that’s been lost too. The Labour Party isn’t evil, nor do I believe anyone to the right of Corbyn is a Blairite (if this were true than *I’d* be a Blairite, which is well…bollocks).

There’s a fear amongst the PLP of ending up like the Thatcher days, perpetually trapped in opposition. “Corbynistas” answer me this; if he’s so successful, why did we lose the Ref? Why are not storming local elections? Are you voting, are you doing your bit? And when I meant your bit, listening to the other & not resorting to simply ‘strong rhetoric’ but making concrete arguments and making yourselves sound like you’re ready to govern, not ready for the next “Socialist Pub Meet Up Group”, in the same populists meet to for “Weekly Racist Time in the Pub”? I propose this not out of disrespect for Jeremy Corbyn, but so that his supporters perhaps can understand the fears. It is not necessarily ‘power grabbing’ – it is the act of trying to make sure they can get in government to help as many people as possible.

Meanwhile, the Tories are spicing up. There are basically two things about to happen – Boris is about to become PM or, we’re going to have a compromise candidate in the form of someone like Dominic Raab. The Remainers have nowhere near enough political capital after this defeat and well, Boris would annihilate the Labour party. I’ve spoken to locals in Swansea who have spoken fondly of him and of Leaving EU, without realising the implications of both events. 

Both sides have failed to educated and now, both sides are deteriorating. It is difficult to feel anything at all aside from despair. Why am I writing? Because I think it’s time I speak. I’ve not been as comfortably seriously talking about this, despite how political I am, because I find it all so bleak. I am usually quite forgiving of the establishment – I try to make sure I understand every side to an argument before I begin to actually decide my position on anything at all. At the moment, all I can discern is chaos. 

Hopefully, Chaos Theory is real and patterns which aren’t indicating that we’re heading towards danger will emerge. To end this post, I’ll attempt to offer some advice:

Write to your Labour MP about keeping Corbyn: If you want to keep Corbyn, then write to them, urging them to pledge support for him.

Stick with Labour should Corbyn leave: I know it seems a silly idea but decisions are made by those who turn up. If every grassroots member stopped by snobby and started thinking not only with their heart but a pragmatic head, we’d get a bit closer to governing with people like Corbyn. There are young, left voices. Find them. Research the Labour party in all its forms -see even the rightest wing elements have had benefits for people more than the Tories’ cuts.

Write to your Tory MP to ask them to express support for a compromise candidate: I know it seems silly but between the two major choices – May and Boris – it seems that it’d be better to have a candidate who could simply ease us across government. Right now, explosiveness isn’t really helping and so maybe someone who could have a sound head could go and make the tough calls in a post-Article 50 Britain.

Talk, discuss, listen: Don’t shut down, don’t operate in binaries of “Corbyn vs them” or “us vs Boris.” Ask people why they’re supporting what they support, not everyone has come from the same background/context. Some are uneducated, ignorant, unaware or simply have grown to have philosophical differences. This is okay but right now, we need rationale. We need people, campaigners, to be good. Let us be the beacon of light/hope in a world surrounded by chaos and darkness.

PS. It shouldn’t be Benn or Corbyn or Farage, or Gove or Boris or Cameron, leading these talks. It should be William Hague and Gordon Brown, and if he were alive, Charles Kennedy (perhaps P. Ashdown will do or even better, Shirley Williams). The greatest PMs we’ve never had.

P.P.S. If you’re interested in what sort of Labour member I am, look up “Blue/One Nation Labour”. I’m sort of that.