Link4Change - Chris Ogle

With the Local Elections around the corner eyes are drawn away from Brexit for a moment.  These local elections are being earmarked as a barometer for how the electorate are responding to the fiasco in downtown Westminster at the moment. Except... as soon as the Brexit extension was agreed, the place was vacated; Easter holidays! Local elections have typically had a much lower turnout than General Elections. Seemingly less significant somehow and yet... it is the people on the ground locally who act as councillors that have the illusion of power in our own communities. But ... maybe times are changing? With central politics in real chaos, the party system failing miserably, what we are maybe witnessing is the collapse of a dinosaur... a prehistoric animal fighting for life as its world begins to disintegrate around it. The basics of the government world still persist as virtual armies of civil servants continue to keep the wheels turning, whilst the self serving (not all)

I didn't vote in the referendum about Brexit, and have oft been chastened about this as a result. The main reason I did not vote was because either outcome was likely to be filled with discontent amongst great swathes of people and the agenda behind the referendum being offered had nothing to do with the vote itself. We are in a right pickle and no mistake. 2 years later and the date to leave the EU long gone and we look no nearer to solving the puzzle than we did the day after the referendum results came in. This referendum has caused such a deep divide amongst the people of this country it might never get resolved in some quarters This referendum was actually designed to settle the EU debate once and for all and went horribly wrong when the expected result was not returned. It has since gone on to be a catalyst to question the very approach to politics in this country A result which the majority in 'the house' never expected and don't actually support anyway..