Brexit at 10, America at 250: Miami’s reminder that self-rule still matters | Opinion

This year presents a remarkable coincidence.

On June 23, Britain marked the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, when voters chose independence from the European Union. Just days later, Americans celebrated the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence.

Separated by nearly 240 years, these events may seem worlds apart. One was a modern referendum. The other was a revolution that gave birth to a nation. Yet both were driven by the same idea: that free people have the right to govern themselves.

Throughout history, people have repeatedly demonstrated a simple truth. They will tolerate many hardships, but they will not willingly surrender control over their own future. The desire for self-government has toppled empires, redrawn borders and changed the course of nations.

That was the principle at the heart of the American Revolution.

The founders did not declare independence because they objected to every policy. They asserted something far more important: Government power must remain accountable to the people.

Two hundred and fifty years later, that conviction remains the foundation of our nation.

It was also, in many respects, the question confronting Britain in 2016. The Brexit debate involved economics, trade, immigration and regulation. But beneath those arguments lay a simpler question: Who should make the decisions that shape Britain’s future?

For millions of voters, the answer was clear. Those decisions should be made by leaders accountable to the people. Whether one supported Brexit or opposed it, the referendum represented something significant: the first great self-government movement of the 21st century.

Just weeks ago, Miami-Dade County welcomed former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County recognized with our International Guardian of Conservatism Award.

Johnson became one of the most recognizable faces of Brexit, but he did not create the movement. Similarly, George Washington did not invent the desire for American independence.

Both men understood something fundamental: when decisions affecting people’s lives drift too far from their control, citizens demand that power be brought closer to home. That message resonates deeply in Miami.

Few communities in the world understand the value of self-government better than South Florida’s. Ours is a community shaped by people who fled regimes where power became concentrated in the hands of distant elites and unaccountable rulers.

Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and countless others came here seeking not merely economic opportunity, but political freedom. They came because they wanted a voice. They wanted the ability to choose their leaders, criticize their government, cast a ballot and have a say in their own future.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Miami stands as living proof of the enduring appeal of those ideals. The sons and daughters of political refugees now serve as mayors, legislators, judges, commissioners, business leaders and civic leaders throughout our community. One even serves as our nation’s secretary of state, fourth in line to the presidency. That story could only happen in a country founded on the principle of self-government.

Reasonable people will continue to debate Brexit for years to come. Such debates are healthy in a free society. But the larger lesson of both anniversaries remains clear.

The American Revolution and the Brexit referendum were separated by centuries and circumstances. Yet both reflected the same enduring belief: that government should remain accountable, and that free citizens have the right to determine their own future.

Two hundred and fifty years after America’s founding, that principle remains as powerful as ever. Ten years after Brexit, it continues to shape democratic societies around the world.

The lesson of both anniversaries is ultimately the same: free people do not wish to be governed from afar. They want a voice. They want a vote. And they want a meaningful say in their own future.

Kevin J. Cooper is chairman of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County.