In the aftermath of the historic British vote to leave the EU, openDemocracy is asking for our readers' thoughts on Brexit and what needs to happen next in 350 words. We've had an extraordinary response and you can read them all here.
Among other things, this referendum has revealed the chasm between political understanding of the people and the political reality of the world we inhabit. The fact that a Referendum was called is evidence of a split in the Establishment. Enough pressure was brought to bear on our soon to be ex-Prime Minister David Cameron by his Conservative colleagues to force him into calling a plebiscite. Here we see the mechanics of power; an issue will only be debated, will only be put to the people, if there is sufficient opposition among the elite. If calls to leave the EU had emanated from a fringe group, or even an Opposition party, we can be sure a Referendum would never have taken place.
The question was therefore put to the electorate; Remain or Leave. From the very beginning of the campaign, there was a sense of bewilderment that the people of Britain were being asked to vote about something they knew very little about.
