This week we witnessed history in the making. Britain was to decide whether to stay in the EU. For weeks the BREXIT polls had been tied with all the establishment leaders including the Prime Minister confident in a “REMAIN” vote. Bookies offered 13 to 1 odds against a BREXIT.
The demographics pointed to the over 40 age favouring “LEAVE” and the younger voters wanting to “REMAIN.” London in the South had elected a Muslim mayor and favored “REMAIN” while the further North more and more favored to “LEAVE.” A high turnout was seen as helping the “remain” camp, a Wall Street Journal story said. That’s because it would suggest younger people, who typically don’t bother to vote, would actually cast ballots, and younger people supported EU membership.
Although the British seemed ready to vote in the Brexit referendum to “Remain” in the European Union, an intense “Act of God” storm system moved in and favor a vote for the “Leave” campaign by bringing a month’s worth of rain in “just three hours” on voting day.
The eve of the election at precisely midnight a huge storm hit England. Summer storms always came from the West and Atlantic Ocean. Eerily this storm came from Europe and Brussels in the East. In London alone 300 calls an hour poured in to emergency services…while 6,000 lightning strikes hit. The storms would move North from the Southeast as the day progressed.
The Breakdown was as follows:
Central England (High Brexit support): Largely dry day with more showers in the evening.
East (High proportion of Brexiters): Wetter than northern and central England with the chance of thunder during the afternoon.
Southwest (Around 40 per cent of people plan to vote leave): Wet and rainy during the morning, becoming clearer and drier through the afternoon.
Southeast (Relatively high percentage of leavers): Largely dry with showers around the coast.
London (High support to stay): Heavy rain in the morning, drying out later with thunderstorms predicted in the afternoon.
Two London polling stations were forced to close due to flooding. Another two, in Kingston-upon-Thames, had to be moved at the last minute. Then the London Underground flooded. Conspiracy theorists saw an attack on their democratic rights. Even Britain’s loudest blond, Boris Johnson, who made it to his local polling station with only 18 minutes to spare after his flight from Edinburgh, was delayed by the weather.
Despite the storm, the flooded Underground, and the power blackouts the older voters came out. They held their nerve and were not deterred by warnings from the Bank of England, or by the money markets, that the pound would plunge (it did) and markets would crash (that happened too).
They were not defeated. The BREXIT “LEAVE” campaign won by more than a million votes. Europe and England were forever changed.
We forget who is Sovereign over all.
Leaders scheme and masses vote….but Daniel 2 v21 says It is God who alters the times and seasons, and He removes kings and promotes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. The weather played a part. Some feel it tipped the scales to favour BREXIT. Jeremiah 10:13 When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And He brings out the wind from His storehouses.