UK referendum: The national vote that is determining European history

Policy Brief

With a matter of only days left untill the vote, Europe holds its breath awaiting the outcome. What is well known is that the race is tight. But what is inconceivable is the day after – regardless of what the outcome may be.

The idea that there is a project that the centre left wants to pursue jointly is also what should be the bridge between now and the 23rd June. The probability of the “Leave” to be victorious in the end seems surrealistic. Hence the cautious optimism the sentiment with which the polls are being read, however much can happen still ahead and after the ballots are casted. What should be the warning is that history has witnessed cases where a close call prompted social unrest, following which the general elections led to a total reshuffling of the partisan systems. That is why the political imagination of the Progressives has to stretch beyond the referendum date, already now looking at how to manage its’ results on both the national and the European level.

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