The fifth anniversary of Brexit is an occasion to be celebrated, even if we have not yet taken advantage of all the opportunities it provided.
It is worth remembering the fundamental reason for leaving the European Union; the restoration of democracy. Once again our laws can be made by our own people to the benefit of the nation-state. No longer are foreign powers able to outvote us for their advantage, nor will our most important legislation stem from an unaccountable bureaucracy.
Legitimacy rests with the nation-state and its people, and that was restored in the United Kingdom by Brexit. Membership of the European Union denuded the nation-state of power and transferred it to an international block. It changed the basis of our Constitution and took away the oversight of the British people, through the King in Parliament, of all our laws.
As long as we remained part of the EU, voting became less important and the differing parties inevitably came closer together, as their room for manoeuvre was limited. Most important decisions were taken in Brussels, not in Westminster.
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