Democratic. Um, right.
So what I see is England, with the majority of the population, running roughshod over the wishes of the other three nations. The term "country" is, of course, debatable, so I'll refer to them as "nations" as that implies more of a cultural than political divide.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/is-scotland-a-country.htmlScotland is apparently being held in the "United" coalition against its will (or that of a very large proportion of the people in it). Despite the BBC calling it "North Britain" in an effort to assimilate the Scots, it's culturally not English and a substantial number of the residents here do not appear to appreciate the years of discrimination they have faced. From what I have encountered, they do remember the clearances and English landowners and all that history, and of being dictated to by a cultural entity of which they are not a part. They became part of the UK not by the direct will of their own people, but by the political maneuverings of a handful of aristocracy who would benefit from the arrangement. (I doubt anyone asked the locals what they wanted, at the time.
) At present, a substantial majority of the people of the nation have said they do not want to Brexit at all, and are being ignored.
Northern Ireland is an occupied province, really, although the troops were withdrawn after the Good Friday agreement. NI was held as part of the British Empire, and when the Republic was able to break free, due to the number of English persons who were transplanted into the North who didn't wish to sever their privileged position in that state - and some really excellent treaty negotiators - it remained part of the Empire. The Troubles were all about the abuses that came along with a British minority being in governmental and social control over the larger indigenous population that is not culturally British. Even so, they are now a devolved government (since Stormont is apparently functioning again) and they have made their position clear - they do not support the Brexit deal.
Wales I'm not familiar enough with to discuss, other than it has its devolved government and that points to it also being a nation of its own. I believe it's actually a principality of England, having been absorbed after being conquered by force by the English. Culturally they certainly are not English, aside from the English who have bought property and settled there. They have said they do not support the Brexit legislation.
So, four culturally differing nations tied together. And one state dictates to the other three. That's not democratic, really. It's still English rule. If it was democratic, the people in each nation would vote, and then their representatives would each have an equal voice (four voices). One nation could not dictate to the others, it would have to negotiate with them
as equals.
From what I can see (and I agree that my interaction with "the locals" is limited, even with observing the press, etc.), the three non-English nations generally seem to see themselves as nations in a coalition of nations. The English seem to see them as part of England and one big happy family, so whatever the English majority decide is just peachy for everyone. It's a tad delusional, from some angles.
But understandable, because it must be uncomfortable to look at it from the other direction, if one was culturally English and a decent soul.
Either way, I've got no horse in this race. But it will be sad to watch what happens here for the next few decades (assuming I'm still breathing and coherent enough to do so).
[LATE EDIT to add this from RTE, which sums it up better than I do.
https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2020/0122/1110078-brexit-devolution/ ]
