Undoubtedly the ‘stickiest’, most tangible message of the EU Referendum campaign was the invocation that a vote to leave the EU was a vote to take back control, a message that resonated across social cleavages, from Canterbury to Carlisle, from Sunderland to Surrey Heath.
The truth of Brexit however could be underwhelming for anyone who is genuinely expecting a greater degree of control as a result of their vote. Leaving the EU will not unfortunately produce the new institutions, industries, homes, hospitals or schools that we all need to feel like we have some semblance of control over our collective future. That is down to what we do next.
If feeling out of control is what this was all about, then the first place to look to re-balance this situation is the state of global capitalism, which is more out of control than ever before. The financial crash of 2008 demonstrates the inter-connected nature of the world’s markets, and our ability to regulate this will only be lessened outside of the EU. That said, multi-national corporations have long-proven themselves adept at influencing and avoiding rules, whatever level of government has created them. As much as it is true that countries within the EU have contributed to corporate tax avoidance through loopholes and sweetheart deals, no country is more culpable than the United Kingdom, with its network of tax havens centred on the City of London.
