There are some that are trying to spin the disastrous vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union as a victory for democracy. It is not.

The people behind the effort to leave the European Union used lies and deception to convince the most gullible Brits to support them. Expert opinions predicted the negative impact of leaving the European Union, but those experts were countered with a “No it won’t” argument that had no basis in human reality. 

The demographics of those who voted to leave the European Union was defined by three criteria. They tended to be 1) less educated, 2) older, and 3) rural. The demographics of those voting to leave indicate they were more easily persuaded by arguments without logical or factual information. This is the weakness of democracy. The unintelligent should not be the decision makers of a society.

Advocates of leaving the European Union, like Nigel Farage, suggested that Great Britain would be able to win its independence, which is a ridiculous argument. Great Britain was and is a self-governing nation. The European Union determined issues of trade requirements, which it will continue to do with or without Great Britain. If Great Britain wishes to obtain access to the European Union’s markets, they have to negotiate those terms, or not trade with other European Union countries. By leaving the European Union, Great Britain has put themselves in a weak position to negotiate, and will likely have to compromise more as a non-member, than the would have had to as a member.

Immigration was portrayed as a ‘keep-the-immigrants-out’ issue by the proponents of leaving the European Union; however, it is Britons who have taken advantage of the ‘no passports needed’ policy of the EU, that will now lose the right to work outside of Great Britain. It was the gullibility of the uneducated, older, rural citizen that allowed them to be lured into throwing England over the cliff. 

Democracy is always hailed as the best form of government; however, even the Roman ‘democracy’ did not allow everyone to vote. Only citizens were allowed to vote, and that excluded much of their population. While limiting the right to vote is not acceptable in a free society, allowing people to vote who are either unable, and/or unwilling to understand the issues they are voting for or against is a model of stupidity, not democracy.