Cry ‘havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war
Peter Bridgman writes:
‘Brexit started out complex, but the injection of race, immigration and British nativism and false notions of independence made it worse.
‘Both campaigns were built on lies and ambition: “Leave” on myths, emotion and hyperbole; “Remain” on weak pleas to reason and shouty politics. The folly of the plebiscite let slip the dogs of war. The regrets tell us a lot about the folly that people are somehow spontaneously wise and thoughtful.
‘All this gives us a chance to reflect on a plebiscite of our own, the one promised by Tony Abbott to delay and defer a political decision, and adopted by Malcolm Turnbull to manage internal constituencies: another complex, vexed and divisive issue: same sex marriage.’
- Plebiscite follies – Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war »
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- Mark Kenny: Plebiscite could be a disaster for Turnbull »
- Australia doesn’t need a plebiscite on same-sex marriage – Ireland’s experience shows why »
- How s the UK Brexit different from an Australian referendum? »
- Take the politics out of same sex marriage: plebiscite a recipe for disaster »
- Letting the people decide: should Australia hold more referendums? »