Brexit

The truly historic decision of the U.K. to leave the European Union, called "Brexit," was actually a referendum on the failure of political, academic, and media elites on both sides of the political spectrum. Brexit posed many complex issues. Liberal elites became agitated because the success of Brexit might raise serious questions about their dream of a 'world society' with centralized control, a broadly multi-cultural ethic, a milieu where the irresponsible actions of one element of the society (e.g., over-spending by one country or entity) would be compensated for by members of other elements of the society), where open borders would allow significant flows of immigrants, touted as a singularly positive because of "diversity." Conservative elites lobbied against leaving the EU because of the impact on business, money flows, trade agreements, employee status of non U.K nations, among many business and economic issues.

For the U.K electorate as a whole, the economic issues that concerned conservatives were far too arcane and abstract. It appears that the general electorate recognized that economic risks did exist. But the majority of voters (the elites would refer to them derisively as "emotionally-driven" voters) opted to "Leave" because the risks associated with the liberal agenda were deemed to be even more significant.

Tim Stanley writes this in the U.K Telegraph:

It’s impossible to overstate how remarkable this victory is. Twenty years ago, Euroscepticism was a backbench Tory rebellion and a political cult. It was a dispute located firmly on the Right with little appeal to Labour voters. It took Ukip to drag it into the centre of political life – given momentum by the issue of immigration – and slowly it has emerged as a lightning rod for anti-establishment activism.

Even so, the circumstances of the referendum were not ripe for victory. David Cameron only called it to hold his own party together; and once it was called, he decided to turn the British and global establishment against it. Out came the Treasury, the IMF, even the President of the United States to argue that Britain had to stay. This was textbook politics, how things used to be done – and it worked back in 1975 when the UK voted overwhelmingly on good advice to stay in the Common Market.

But this time the establishment consensus coincided with a historic loss of faith in the experts. These were the people who failed to predict the Credit Crunch, who missed the greatest economic disaster to hit us since the Great Depression. And we were supposed to believe them? Slowly the consensus came to resemble not just a conspiracy but, worse, a confederacy of dunces.

The key phrase is "a historic loss of faith in the experts." The use of the term "experts" is a stretch, in that most politicians are expert at nothing. The proper word is "elites"—the opinion leaders who until now could bend voters to their will.

No more.

If Brexit indicates anything, it indicates that the people are exerting their right to say "enough!" Tim Stanley writes:

People wanted to have their say and they did. Up and down the country they defied the experts and went with their conscience. Labour voters most of all: the northeast rebelled against a century of Labour leadership. I am astonished. Staggered. Humbled. I should never have lost faith in my countrymen. Those bold, brave, beautiful British voters.

The elites will fidget a bit over the next few months, but if past history serves, they will learn nothing—they never do. Instead they will continue to push an agenda that indicates just how virtuous they are, while setting in motion events that impact the 'little people' in ways that the elites cannot understand or even imagine.

Brexit = enough! Regardless of any negative consequences, that's a good thing.