None of us have a clue how history will record these events. We simply cannot know. Besides which, given that historians tend to be white, upper middle class and male, their recording of events is far from unbiased and diplomatic.
Time and time again the point on these threads is made - 48%, we cannot ignore the 48%. I agree, although I voted Leave. Another recurring theme is that the 52% "didn't know what they were doing" and further, that those who DID know, are "lacking education, xenophobic, racist."
If we take the gloss off, let's simply present that as some see it. They see it as Good vs Bad; as 48% liberal, open minded, non racist, non xenophobic, educated individuals, vs 52% xenophobic, possibly racist, lacking education, disillusioned, closed minded. That's about the gist of it.
To put it into human terms, it's your anxiously smiling middle class mummy concerned Jemima and Jonty can't go and study in Berlin as planned, it's your tutting teachers that someone dislikes the delightful Polish children in your class, it's your buisinessman who lives in the leafy suburbs (plenty of space!) and he's tried to get the lazy British people to work for him but they won't, who read books about different cultures to their children and encourage discussions in the family Saab ('but mummy, WHY don't we want to be friends with French people?' Jemima asks sadly.)
They are tempered against the white working classes: they have tattoos, skinheads, bad teeth, strong local accents, say 'I'm not racist but' (tinkly laugh), they live cheek by jowl in flats or terraced streets, they work locally or are unemployed, they left school at 16, they go to the pub, they probably ARE xenophobic, certainly sexist, they don't see the good things the EU has done because they read the Sun or the Mirror. They are idiots. And shock horror, they have decided where our country is going.
Their vote counts too. But even if we assume it doesn't - even if we assume for arguments sake that they are racist and stupid and remain are good and noble, let me put it to you another way. If the government turn around and say 'you know what, Remain, you're right. Let's ignore these stupid racist views and stay European. European all the way!' Would that 52% quietly take that?
I think we'd have a UKIP government in like a flash. Major disillusion with the main political parties and serious, serious social problems.
You see, one thing I haven't seen mentioned is that in that 52%, you have the percentage of people LEAST likely to vote, LEAST likely to engage in politics, LEAST likely to try and change their environment. Why - because what's the point? Now for the first time for some of them, they saw the point and I really do regret it they didn't give the opinion some of you wanted - but they did.
How will it look now if we turn round and say 'ok, tough shit, we are staying.'
On another note, I suspect Frexit will be next following April 's elections. Le Pen is currently third in the polls but polls are notoriously unreliable of late.