We now need to rebuild as a UK

This morning (Friday) we woke up to a changed nation and, if you are to believe the powers that be, a different world. Whichever way Britain voted – at the time of writing it is still as clear as mud – one thing is for sure, as a country we need to rebuild.

The EU referendum campaign has been defined by difference, at points bullying and, in one tragic incident last week, extreme violence.

It has driven a wedge through the nation and whether we are in or out it’s hard to see how we can recover any time soon.

Whatever happened, ‘I told you so’ will soundtrack the next months, probably years and potentially decades.

The only certainty is in order to grow as a nation, whether as part of the EU or as its competitor, we must come together and rebuild as a United Kingdom.

Labelling legitimate concerns about seemingly uncontrolled immigration as racist is not going to help anyone, neither is calling anyone who thinks we are stronger together an unpatriotic, left-wing loon.

Both have become commonplace in the last few months and no doubt went some way to determining the result.

A divided nation will never triumph on the global stage, if we are too busy fighting internal differences we will not achieve what either campaign has predicted.

How will we even start to address the clear flaws within the European Union if politicians and the public are still attacking its very existence? Likewise becoming a global power won’t be possible without a commitment to that common goal.

This morning’s outcome is final, there is no going back, instead we need to look forward.