Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

This last week has seen Britain make a bold democratic decision.

Brexit – the public referendum to leave the E.U. – is the latest in a long history of decisions with far-reaching consequences from a country with a landmass slightly smaller than New Zealand. It is unlikely to be the last.

At its heart, this was a vote on national sovereignty. Did the people of Britain (around 65 million) want to share responsibility for its national destiny with 443 million neighbours, or take a huge risk, and bet on themselves to decide for themselves?

Whether you agree with the ‘Brexiteers' or the ‘Bremain'ers, leaving it up to the public to decide was the brave, and the right, thing to do.

With so many figures and so much fear flying about, rightly or wrongly 52% of British voters decided they were up for the challenge.

The most important point is that this was undeniably democratic.

Our Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that referenda are a waste of time and money. Until he wants a new flag, and is temporarily filled with democratic passion.

Meanwhile he has passed over 400 pieces of legislation in Cabinet that never reached the floor of our democratically-elected House of Representatives.

Think about that number for a moment. Four hundred. 400 pieces of legislation that the rest of Parliament didn't get to look at, let alone analyse and debate.

With the New Zealand people and their elected representatives so far removed from the decision-making, perhaps we should be calling the Prime Minister's office ‘Brussels South'.

I know a lot of kiwis are looking forward to the 2017 General Election as a referendum on NZexit from our ‘Key'U.