At the centre of the Leave camp’s message resides one crucial concept: sovereignty. Without it we cannot be autonomous and without autonomy we can never be truly free. If a nation, through its representatives, cannot make the decisions that have an impact on its destiny, “democracy” is a sham and those in secret corridors who really steer us are usurpers.
So far, so good. But it is here that the arguments of Brexit’s proponents – commendable as they may be in their instincts – unravel. For there is an assumption that ultimate power rests in Brussels, that Brussels is not subject to even greater forces and that our sovereignty has been grabbed from us, rather than our having surrendered it. Where, in short, is the real enemy?
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