francovendee wrote:I wonder what it will take to unite the country again?
Lots of good points made upthread.
On the EU issue, only an evidently successful outcome from leaving will produce a painless consensus, as Remain supporters realise their fears were groundless and accept things. An evidently bad outcome might eventually have the same result, but only through lots of Leave supporters changing sides and an expensive and contentious rejoining process. An outcome where it could plausibly be argued either way, some convinced that leaving has left us a bit better off and others than we would have been a bit better off had we stayed in, could keep divisions going for decades.
Economic inequality is not helping. Britain already has one of the least equal income distributions in the EU (e.g. the ratio of the incomes of richest and poorest deciles here is roughly twice that of Germany). I can't see leaving doing anything to improve that.
Excessive individualism, probably IMO linked to both more customer focused industry and the Internet, may also be a factor. More people want only a solution which suits them exactly and will not accept any necessarily collective solution to what are really collective problems. (People who won't vote for any candidate as none of their policy offers suit them, but won't either accept that what they want is too unusual to have much influence in a democracy, or consider trying to get together with other like-minded people to start a new party, so they remain perpetually dissatisfied).