Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1161926
25 OPINION result. Yet even as I write, people are gathering in London for a public protest to 'defend British democracy'… against a government that is ultimately only 'threatening' to deliver on a three-year-old electoral mandate. About the only real differ- ence I can see between that, and the hypothetical scenario I described above, is that… well, one remains purely hypothetical, 15 years after the event; while the other is looking more like a distinct possibility by the minute… three whole years later. The equivalent would be Malta still not having intro- duced divorce (another 'hypo- thetical possibility' we must con-sider, given that there was resistance there, too) de- spite the Yes campaign having won the divorce referendum, fair and square, in 2011. Would 'Yes' voters have ac- cepted that outcome, do you reckon? Or would their howls of democratic outrage be still reverberating in all directions across the Mediterranean, and beyond? From this perspective, I can only marvel at the patience and restraint of those tens of millions of British voters who have been denied the future they voted for – 'for them- selves, their children', etc. – for so long. Any other country would be aflame with riots by now; but I guess it must have some- thing to do with the classic British 'stiff upper lip', and all that. Maybe they're still discuss- ing how to react over tea and biscuits; or maybe it takes longer than three years to form the 'orderly, disciplined queue' British people seem to insist on in all matters… like getting on a bus, for in- stance… or starting a revolu- tion… But whatever the reason, it is – like Brexit itself – the sole affair of the British people themselves. In fact, I still haven't fully understood why so many non-British Europe- ans seem to take such mortal, personal offence at what was, after all, the UK's decision to determine its own political destiny… just like our own decision to join the EU in 2003 (only, as usual, the other way round). The repercussions on the democratic process itself, however, are another mat- ter. After all, one does have to ques-tion the democratic credentials of so many people who seem to think that their own political opinions – however sensible these may sound, to their own ears – are enough to simply overturn the result of a perfectly legal referendum: on Brexit, or any other issue. Otherwise, by their own logic… Alfred Sant would have been right, to persist with his 'Partnership won' in- terpretation, even beyond the 2003 election result. And any political party, anywhere in the world, would be justified in simply disregarding the result of any election it did not win…. on the basis that… um… I don't know, actually. What sort of justification could there possibly be, any- way, for only ever accepting a democratic verdict when it suits your own political agenda? That, as far as I can see, is the only real 'democratic threat' in this entire Brexit business; and… do I still even need to spell it out?... it is no different from the threat we all saw, and experienced, back in 2003… … only – yes, you guessed it – the other way round. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 SEPTEMBER 2019 Talk to us | 2131 2020 | bov.com Issued by Bank of Valle a p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valle a VLT 1130. Bank of Valle a p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). IMPROVING YOUR INTERNET BANKING EXPERIENCE Your internet banking Securekey is now available on the BOV Mobile App. Download yours now. BOV INTERNET BANKING