The view of BD George a Greek view of Brexit – Here is a basic translation for those of you (along with most of our team) who do not read Greek.

Greece is the country that gave birth to democracy and somewhere along the way lost the way to it.

Is the United Kingdom the country that will completely abandon democracy by striking a balance between the majority of citizens for Brexit and the pressure to the contrary?

So let’s see what happened about three years ago in Greece.

On June 28, 2015, the Greek people were invited to participate in a referendum, which was held only a week later on July 5. The question posed by the government that appealed to the polls asking the people’s opinion was whether the draft agreement between the three institutions, ie the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, should be accepted was proposed on 25 June in Greece and related to the conditions of Greece’s support to be saved from bankruptcy.

I do not delve into the economic aspect of the agreement because one can find the information on the internet and my purpose is not that. The result of the referendum was the rejection of the draft agreement with 61.3% of the total number of participants, which reached 62.5%.

Immediately after the referendum the SY.RIZA government – ANEL ignored the result and reached an agreement with the lenders on 13 July 2015.

Paradoxical and not acceptable or a move in the interest of the people? I do not judge, I leave it to you. But it is sunnier that democracy is hit hard by the country where it was born. I repeat that I do not judge whether this means that the subsequent developments have been in the interest of Greece or vice versa.

History seems to be repeated in the United Kingdom too slightly. Certainly the famous Brexit is known and pretty much has troubled us all.

On June 23, 2016, almost a year after the announcement of the Greek referendum, a referendum is held in the United Kingdom with a simpler and clearer question. Let the country remain in the European Union.

Why clearer? Rejecting the agreement with the institutions in the Greek referendum would result in the exit from the Euro and the European Union. Something that was strongly commented upon, since it was considered unclear what the question was asked and to which the Greek people were asked to take their place.

In the United Kingdom, according to the results of the referendum, 51.89% want the country to leave the European Union and 48.11% say no. The total number of those who voted was 72.21%.

The percentage difference between stay and exit is only 3.78%. A little close but are not these details making democracy attractive?

And that’s how the problems for the United Kingdom start. Theories of conspiracy give and take, a section of citizens think it was deceived because it did not know the consequences of the withdrawal of the country from the European Union. There is, of course, the piece that remains firm in his view, which he expressed in his vote in the referendum.

Today, two years later, a “war” with Brexit is raging on social networks. Many citizens are of the opinion that a new referendum needs to be made while the government is trying to come to an agreement with Europe with somewhat utopian proposals.

The reactions are different in relation to the political handling of the results of the referenda in the two countries. Of course different cultures also play their own role.

But the question is this: If the British government cancels the result of the referendum, as happened in Greece, or if the British Government proceeds to a second referendum and the result is the opposite of the previous one, with a similar percentage of difference, it will is the United Kingdom the country that will kill democracy or not?

And do not say that the referendums are merely consultative. It is the cornerstone of democracy.

So my advice, let me say, to the United Kingdom is simple. Learn from Greece and really appreciate Democracy. Do not disturb it and do not abandon it because of a “close” effect or because of the protests of the losers.