Angry Leavers must accept that ‘hard’ Brexit died on election night

Some Brexiteers are angry. This is not news. This has been true since about 20 minutes after the referendum result was declared. There are some Leavers who have been looking, since 24 June last year, for a new grievance, fresh evidence they are being betrayed and denied, generally by some shadowy group they describe as ‘the establishment’ or ‘the elite’. (Please note that I say ‘some’ Leavers, not all. More people in politics and journalism should distinguish between members of a group and the whole group).

Some of that anger is understandable. For years and decades, anyone who espoused leaving the EU was ignored and marginalised and called a crackpot. I’d be angry too if someone told me my views were illegitimate or mad. But understandable anger doesn’t mean all the expressions of that feeling are justified. Some Brexiteer anger after the referendum, especially last autumn, went beyond the realms of reasonable discourse in a democracy.