Referendum 2? 'Deep Thought' required.

Something flashed into my head this morning. The result of the EU Referendum is like that scene in The HitchhikersGuide to the Galaxy where a supercomputer called 'Deep Thought' is built to answer the ultimate question of life the universe and everything. It takes many years to process the answer and of course the answer is, rather frustratingly, 42. To the perplexed masses the egghead programmers explain that they have provided the answer but not how it is achieved, that would require asking another question. So it is with the referendum. We have an answer but not the how we achieve it. In effect we've only had half the question answered hence the rationale for a second referendum.

What is done cannot be undone. The referendum has been held, the question asked and an answer given. We can discuss the many shortcomings of the Leave (and Remain) campaigns and the negative and often misleading approach they both took but to run the whole thing in the same way to hope for a different result would not bring our country together, it might tear it further apart. We need a different approach.

It has become apparent following the result that neither the Leave nor Remain campaigns had any plan for implementing Brexit. Without this Brexit plan people did not appreciate the implications of their vote. So though Brexit may have been agreed in principle, by 52%, the 'in practice' has not been agreed. In effect the UK has only being asked half the Brexit question. The second question (once we appreciate what the Brexit deal actually is) could be,

"The principle of leaving the EU was agreed on 23/6/16. Do you believe it should be implemented?"

YES.      NO

So yes there should be a 2nd Referendum but with a different question. If the answer is YES then we press ahead with Brexit. If the answer is NO then the outcome of the original 23/6/16 is set aside and we remain members of the EU

With economic chaos breaking out all around us, hate crime rising and people's jobs under threat now it is difficult to take the advice in friendly letters on the cover of The Hichhikers Guide to the Galaxy - "Don't Panic" Let's not panic but we desperately need Political Leadership right now.