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.
According to Google Trends, searches for “what is the EU?” and “what is Brexit?” began to surge across the UK only after polling stations had closed. Indeed, tweeting on June 24, Google Trends indicated that “‘What is the EU?’ had become the second top UK question on the EU since the #EURefResults were officially announced.”
Instead of rushing headlong into negotiations with Europe to expedite Britain’s decision to leave the EU, as Prime Minister Cameron has signalled, what the UK parliament needs to be doing is to take stock of what has just happened. However unpopular political leaders may be at the moment, these inquiries and deliberations cannot take place without substantial input from the people’s elected representatives, or qualified experts.
