Leave won by a margin of 3.78%. There was also very little talk of leaving the single market. In fact much of the talk that there was of that came from the Remain campaign and was shouted down as project fear.
The referendum was non binding. There were two general election, where people could have voted for parties opposing Brexit.
In 2017 they voted Theresa May to do Brexit. When she was failling to achieve the absurd idea of Brexit, that was propagandarized in 2016, People voted Boris Johnson in 2019 to "get Brexit done". Also Johnson won "in a landslide" gaining an 80 seat majority in a 650 seats parliament. That was a 62% majority, almost the two thirds often needed in democracies for things such as constitutional ammends.
People had three elections were Brexit was the main issue and they could have voiced a change of mind, or which conditions were necessary to still be on the side of Brexit. They had access to plenty of information, they had seen that the idea of Brexit they had in 2016 was in fact impossible, and how a real Brexit will look like. And still they voted Brexit again and again.
I am sorry for everyone that got fucked by Brexit, but the British as a sovereign people have made it abundantly clear, that the majority wanted Brexit, or was fine with Brexit. The first step to moving on from this, is to take the full responsibility, that they have. There is a very clear indication that rejoining the EU would be the best for the UK. But this only becomes viable, if the British people work through and accept their past.
Everyone knew that brexit means leaving the single market. The entire point of Brexit was to 'take back control'. People voted for this Brexit in 2019. They made their bed, now they can lie in it.
Yeah, British people got played dirty. A lead of 3,78% is not a real mandate for such a strong move. There was so much propaganda out there - anyone remember the NHS bus? Does anyone remember how much Russian influence campaigns were going on even then? And how extreme the British media was?
Many residents of the UK were not allowed to vote, all EU citizens for example or younger people, and they are also massively affected. And now, 8 years on, many of the older voters have also died. So "well, you voted for this, get fucked by your own greedy elites" is not the best argument to solve this mess
The first time I was ever put through a metal scanner and a pat down was when landing at an airport in the UK. Mind you, this was before 2001, but any traveler complaining was given dirty looks or pulled aside, one of my co-travelers was pulled aside and his luggage was searched and he was more thoroughly searched and questioned for a while (can’t remember exactly how long, but it delayed us for a conference and we were too late for our hotel check in, so we had out of pocket expenses).