Young people are at the end of their tether – which is why we'll march for a Final Say on Brexit

Far from laughing in the face of democracy, the prospect of giving the people another say is the only sensible option we have left

It’s strange to think that the formerly abstract threat of Brexit has somehow failed to become any clearer in the two years since the result of the EU referendum was delivered.

But there’s no getting around the fact that Brexit, and all the frothy-mouthed, ill-informed debating that’s come with it, has become the bane of all of our lives at this point, especially those of us it’ll end up affecting the most in the long run, should it come to pass.

“Young people are surely right to protest in such numbers that their future is being profoundly compromised,” said political economist Will Hutton in light of research showing that young people would, among a series of other devastating pitfalls, lose up to £108,000 in earnings in 30 years should Brexit (in any form) take place.

And I’m inclined to agree with him. As a 26-year-old who knows equally what it’s like to fight to have a hand in shaping a future that feels ever more elusive by the day, as well as how it feels to be excluded from political discourse concerning that very future, I believe people my age and younger must be heard in this debate.

We did it once before – some polls have suggested that 71 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted to remain two years ago – and we can do it again. Only this time, we have more Remainers who’ve reached voting age since 2016, and as many as 75 per cent of young people aged 25 and under support a Final Say referendum too.

Not only are our frustrations worth paying attention to, they could very well effect the change we need to give our own futures a fighting chance.

I’m saying this not just as someone who voted remain, though I’m sure many will be inclined to believe otherwise. I’m speaking as one of many people, Leave and Remain, who are sick and tired of having Brexit’s endlessly confusing mechanics disrupt every aspect of our lives, with no real means of doing anything about it.

Except, as has been argued time and again, through a second referendum.

Once scoffed at as a fanciful dream of those who laugh in the face of democracy, the prospect of giving “the people” a Final Say on what is now essentially the future of our country, is increasingly the only sensible option we have left to get us out of this mess. But there’s no use in simply talking about it, we actually need to do something about it.

Each week, we’re inundated with warnings over what a catastrophe a no-deal Brexit would be. We’ve seen the reports about medicine supply shortages; major car manufacturers so spooked by the ongoing lack of clarity that they’ve decided to take their business elsewhere; and everything else unrelated to Brexit practically fall by the wayside in the process.

All the while, poll after poll, the public’s frustrations have grown. According to a recent poll exclusive to The Independent, Remainers now have a 12-point lead over Leave voters, compared to four points in favour of Leave following the 2016 EU referendum.

And six weeks before the day we’re due to leave, the desire for the Brexit process to come to a halt, even just temporarily, has grown too: 53 per cent of voters are in favour of delaying it.

Many young people, more in tune with the real world than people often give us credit for, were crushed by the result of the referendum two years ago – I certainly was. With fresh hostility in the air, it was clear that something ugly and uncontainable was on its way.

But it’s not too late. Now that more of us are of voting age, and practically at the end of our tether, this is our chance to take what little semblance of control we have left into our hands.

And for those of us who are inclined to utter the phrase “Oh for god’s sake, let’s just sack it all off” under our breath each time a new Brexit acronym or doomsday warning surfaces in the media, marching on 23 March to demand that the government put it to the people will be the only way to make sure that actually happens.

Shameless conduct from MPs and endless votes that never seem to lead to meaningful outcomes have already grabbed the world’s attention. Now that we have it, shouldn’t we use it to steer the UK in the right direction and secure a Final Say?

For more details about the Put It To The People march – and to sign up – please visit https://www.peoples-vote.uk/march

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