Welcome to 2022: Reasons to be optimistic, a thread.

Due to the length this comes thread in 2 parts.

It is necessarily a personal view, and I'm sure lots of people will disagree.

1. I found myself on 1 Jan feeling more optimistic than I might have expected. This thread sets out why. Some of you who follow me will recognise elements, but this is the first time I have brought them together.

2. Since the referendum in 2016, many of us have lived with a sense of loss. It has been clear from immediately after the referendum that the policy of the Tory govt, starting with Theresa May, has been to crush opposition rather than open a dialogue to seek unity.

3. Those who voted to remain were to be cast as “out of touch” with public mood, and if they continued to hold to their beliefs, "nutty" and “Anti-democratic”. I have reason to believe this was a deliberate policy decision taken at the highest level in the Tory party.

4. The policy was adopted because the outcome of the referendum was so close it was questionable whether it could be a sound basis for a massive constitutional change. If opposition continued, or grew, it would become a serious threat.

1. Oh shit, he’s done a thread
Yes, and it won’t be the last. Put them all together, and they might make a roadmap. You can guess what the destination is. Just start reading it, don't worry about how long it is. It's not that long.

2. So here’s step One on the journey I think we should take. If you want to take a different route, fine, but naturally, I think mine is the best, and I will tell you why.

3. Lots of people hurting right now, and emotional reactions to events are normal and natural. Hard to process what has happened. First acknowledge the fact. We have been dragged out, against the wishes of the majority.

4. No quick easy route back. Why not? Two reasons. British Politics, and the EU itself; both equally important, but one is something we can do something about directly, the other is something we can now only influence indirectly.

5. British Politics. The 2016 referendum scared British politicians shitless, and the division in the country still scares many. The Tory Party has given in to a coup by those who think they can use this to stay in power.