Why Sikhs becoming ‘ready for another vote’ on Brexit is ‘the right thing to do’

Randeep Singh is a Senior Policy Advisor with extensive high level experience of working within both the private and public sectors of the finance industry. As an Amritdhari (initiated) Sikh with a background in Sikh community work, Randeep Singh shares his thoughts in this opinion piece on what is the right thing to do for Sikhs, regarding Brexit.

Please note, a pro-Brexit response from a Sikh perspective will be shared on this platform later this month.

The fact the government is talking about stockpiling food and medicine in preparation of a no deal brexit isn’t ‘project fear’, it is project reality.

As the government loses control on the negotiation of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and heads to its preferred option of a ‘no deal’, we must do our bit to ensure the social fabric of the country is not ripped apart. This is not just the right thing to do, it is also the Sikh thing to do.

The Tory party’s infighting over who should be leading the negotiations and what deal the UK should have with the EU post-brexit is essentially a proxy war at the heart of government over who has ultimate power. This has left a devastating leadership vacuum. This vacuum is having two big consequences; economic uncertainty with a knock on effect on services and increase in social issues.

It is fair to say, we all know the negative economic impact Brexit is having on our economy; loss of productivity, households being £900 worse off and businesses from all sectors of our economy threatening to abandon the UK because of the anti-business stance of the government.

According to a recent study by the Centre for Economic Reform (“CER”) Brexit has already caused a 2.1 percent dip in economic output which has cost the public finances £23 billion (amounts to 440m a week). In fact, the damage to the U.K. economy has already exceeded the size of the budget contributions Britain will be able to claw back when it finally leaves. To put it another way, there will be no Brexit ‘dividend’, and this economic damage means the government has less money to spend on public services such as the NHS, police and education.

The dip in economic output is a direct result of the uncertainty of our future relationship with the EU; businesses aren’t willing to invest until they know they can trade freely within the EU. Airbus recently announced they would need to move operations from the UK in the event of a bad deal, risking 14,000 jobs and another 100,000 indirectly. Others, like Tata, have already announced they are moving production elsewhere in Europe.

During the referendum campaign, Brexiters boasted of taking ‘back’ authority, gaining control of ‘our’ borders, negotiating new trade deals with the Commonwealth nations and making unchecked pledges to fund social services. We are now beginning to see what the reality of Brexit is, a poorer and increasingly intolerant country, no longer a significant player on the world stage.

Like the mainstream Brexiters, the minority of Sikhs who campaigned for Brexit are also silent now, and with the fast approaching deadline around the corner and no real progress, who would want to remind the public they are to blame?

Leaving aside the economic mess the current government has caused, the political leadership vacuum has left a dangerous space for hate to take root, to the point that the Brexit vote has legitimised intolerance and discrimination. Although most of this has and continues to take place online, for example the racism faced by MPs such as David Lammy, there has been over spill with incidents taking place around the country, which have included threats, insults, violence and criminal damage.

To put things in perspective, there has nearly been a 33% rise in hate crime reported to the police year on year since the referendum vote, most of which is racially motivated.

This is being noticed internationally; The UN’s special rapporteur on racism said recently that a “notable shift” in attitudes had taken place following the vote and there was now a growth in volume and acceptability of xenophoc discourses on migration and foreign nations both online and in traditional media.

This hate has been allowed to rage on without check from government, who are too scared to look weak or worse, seem to sound as they have gone soft on Brexit.

So where does the Sikh community come in to all of this? It’s time for us to step up and provide the leadership our communities and the wider country needs. This would not be a step in to the unknown. Sikhs have always stepped to the fore in times of uncertainty and difficulty. Whether this has been through serving free food to the needy, providing shelter to those escaping persecution and overthrowing unjust dictators who have committed atrocities on fellow citizens. Sikhs personify values of courage, equality and boundless compassion which makes them ideal in showcasing the positive attributes of a diverse country, where dignity and equality are the pillars of a fair society.

Sikh Gurdwaras play a major role as community hubs where people can find support, pool resources and make decisions as a collective. The Sikh Gurus knew, in order to bend the minds of Sikhs towards God, the basic provisions of a decent life need to be provided.

As a community we should stand shoulder to shoulder with other minorities and call out hate of all kind. We need to come out strongly and say no, we do accept this legitimising of intolerance, and our silence cannot be assumed to be our support for the hostile environment pursued by the hard right.

Added to this, we need to become more aware of what is going on in the Brexit negotiations. With a stalled parliament, it is highly likely that we may have a general election or second referendum to break the current deadlock. We need to understand the impact of Brexit our economy, public services, rights and freedoms and the environment so that we are ready for another vote on the issue. This is our responsibility.