Brexit Referendum Pop Quiz

Brextremists repeatedly complain that Remainers say that those who voted for Leave didn't know what they were voting for, or worse that the accuse Leave voters of being a bit thick.  Journalists also follow this narrative, in questioning proponents of a second vote, or opponents of Brexit, or when they are doing vox pops with voters in Leave voting areas.  At a time when politicians have become rather spineless in being prepared to nail their colours to the mast, or challenge voters views and decisions, for fear of causing offence, its perhaps understandable that politicians do not stand up and face those claims down, by stating openly that yes, many voters didn't understand the issues on which they were being asked to cast a vote, and yes, frankly, some of them do base their decisions without having the necessary understanding and intellectual tools to make a rational decision.

Surveys of Leave voters, for example, showed a very strong correlation between them and those who hold a series of bigoted views in relation to race, gender equality, the environment, sexual orientation and so on, where views are based not upon any rational consideration of facts, but upon long held prejudices.  The vox pop done by Sophie Ridge, in Goole, which had all of the weaknesses of every such vox pop, of being unrepresentative, talking to a mere handful of people, whereas a normal opinion poll would be required to survey at least around 1,000 people, and concentrated on talking to very small business people, and what appeared to be mostly retired people, and no one from an organised workplace, demonstrated that quite clearly.  It was typified by the elderly male Brexit voter, who told her that Theresa May should not be Prime Minister, because "women should never be in high places, because they are controlled by their hormones".  No sign of an opinion being based upon prejudice rather than a cool appraisal of facts there then!

Perhaps, the next time journalists are out doing such a vox pop amongst Leave Voters, therefore, it would be useful if rather than accepting or rejecting the notion that Leave Voters didn't understand the issues, or might be a bit thick, they should give those voters a quick pop quiz on the fundamental issues on which they were voting, and which they claim to have full understanding, in taking such a momentous decision.  Here are some of the simple questions they should ask.

• Can you explain what the single market is?
  
• Can you explain what the Customs Union is?
  
• Can you explain what the ECJ is, and what it does?
  
• Do you know what all of the 40 or so EU bodies of which Britain is a part, as part of EU membership, such as Euratom, the EMEA etc. do, and what their significance is?
  
• Can you explain what the Council of Ministers is, what it does, how it makes decisions, and how it is made up?
  
• Can you explain what the European Commission is, how Commissioners are appointed, what they do, and how it relates to the other EU institutions?
  
• Can you explain what the European Parliament is, how its elected, what its powers and functions are, and how it relates to the other EU institutions?

There are, of course, many more questions that would need to be asked to determine whether someone really understands the EU, and what they were voting for, when it comes to a decision on whether to leave or remain, but I think these are the very minimum of information that someone should be able to explain in order to make an informed decision on Brexit.  The truth is, of course, that there are plenty of MP's, political pundits, and journalists that could not correctly answer all of these minimal questions required to understand the EU, and the issue of Brexit.  There are some, and plenty of voters, who could not answer a series of similar questions about the institutions of the British state too, but that's a different matter.