Maybe we deserve Brexit?

I am opposed to Brexit.

I am distressed about the mess we seem to be finding ourselves in politically, socially and economically – all thanks to an ill-informed magical unicorn fantasy about 'taking back control'.

The UK is edging closer to the cliff edge and nobody really knows what's going to happen, but the general consensus (even from the Brexiteers) is that it could be pretty bad.

That said, I wonder if maybe we deserve it.

You see, there's this thing in the Bible called 'generational sin'. It pops up every now and again mostly in the Old Testament and my understanding is that it's this idea that when someone sins against God the consequences of their behaviour aren't necessarily limited to the duration of their lifetime but can have an impact on their descendants, sometimes for several generations.

So, here we are in the midst of the biggest UK crisis in recent history and I'm thinking about our national past.

Sadly, a lot of this Brexit insanity is based upon some misguided nostalgia about the British Empire, sort of like saying 'Make Great Britain Great Again'. The problem is, the British Empire is long gone. It was even beginning to fade before World War Two broke out. And it is not something to be proud of (see 'Five of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire' www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire).

As we face up to an event which could plunge our economy into recession for an entire generation, I feel like we've brought it upon ourselves. Our forebears screwed over half the world, and now their descendants (us) are paying for their sins.

I recently read a story on Twitter that kind of confirmed my theory: a British guy was chatting to his Kenyan-born taxi driver who said he voted for Brexit. When asked why, he explained that he wanted to hurt Britain. His country had been ravaged by unbridled colonialism and he saw Brexit as a way of getting back at his country's former oppressors. He wanted to see us suffer.

A bit petty perhaps? Maybe, but who can question the motives of someone who has grown up oppressed by British rule? Can anyone honestly say they'd do things differently if it was them?

I know I can't. I guess it proves there's some justice in the world ... unfortunately it's not so great when you're on the sharp end of that justice.