And that reinforces the divisions we have. You make excuses for students, I make excuses for manual workers. But when all said and done, petitions and marches make little difference, it will be parliament or the ballot box that decides. With so many of the original voters entrenched in their views, it may be that the result of any second referendum will hinge on which one of these two populations can be motivated to vote for the first time. Not an outcome I'd like to bet on
I’m not making excuses for anyone Andy...I’m just stating a fact. Our system of government is outdated and archaic imo and the same is true of our voting systems.
It isn’t the easiest thing for students to join the electoral role and that situation is exacerbated at times like late June when some courses may have finished while others haven’t.
If any Referendum is to be considered an appropriate way to resolve such complex issues as our membership of the EU then surely we have to aim for 100% participation and make sure that those with dual addresses and other less straightforward domestic arrangements are not marginalised by the voting system.
Thats an excuse! I'm my slight point though was there are 'classes' of people who are more and less inclined to indulge in token shows of support, the acid test (if there is another vote) will be how many of that 12 million who didn't vote last time can be mobilised by the opposing sides. Last time, it was clear that Leave hit the spot, Remain missed so many open goals. I guess Remain will be a bit more switched on in a re run
Regarding compulsory voting, be careful what you wish for, most literature points to such a device favouring your nemesis, 'The Right', in times of high conflict
At the risk of becoming ‘Pythonesque’, it’s not an excuse it’s an explanation.
I agree, last time ‘Leave’ got their act together and ‘Remain’ were horribly complacent.
If there is a next time things will be different...the electorate as a whole will be better informed and less complacent which is what all Brexiteers, from Farage to Adi, are fearful of.
I’m aware of the dangers, which probably also extend to PR, but this is the 21st Century and we need a more modern and streamlined system of voting, both inside and outside the chambers of Parliament imo.
I'm not fearful of people being better informed, if they were I wouldn't have to listen to the constant stupidity. Fact is RA, nobody is better informed now, just more brainwashed by mainstream media and armed with the same old tiresome rhetoric that amounts to no more than "my dad is bigger than your dad". Some intelligent debate would be absolute bliss, wouldn't you agree?
I'm not keen on being referred to as a Brexiteer either, I can see the merits and cons of both destinations, but made my choice based on education and experience. If people stopped blindly picking sides and engaged some thought process then maybe we wouldn't have all this ridiculous tit-for-tat that I've lost all patience for.
The last 6 weeks have reinforced my long held belief that Guy Fawkes was absolutely right.
What started 3 years ag as an attempt by a PM to make the public voice heal a split party (which spectacularly backfired) has since become a political football. Politicians are posturing and positioning themselves to gain/retain power in a future election, and appear to totally overlook their responsibility to make decisions and take action.
They are all total ***** and frankly parliament deserves to be dissolved by the monarch and all standing MPs should be debarred from standing for public office ever again.
But that won't get a decision made either.
No offence intended Adi...although it’s odd that you voted for Brexit and have been one of that cause’s biggest supporters on here ever since but now object to the label of ‘Brexiteer’.
I don’t understand this ‘brainwashed by the mainstream media’ thing. I’d have thought the ‘mainstream media’ tended far more to the Right than the Left so we’ll have to agree to differ, but it seems to me that the electorate can hardly be anything other than better informed given the level of misinformation that formed opinions back in 2016.
My choice too was based on ‘education and experience’ and 90% of what has emerged since the Referendum has only convinced me that my initial choice was the one that favours the best interests of both this country and a united Europe.
I agree about the ‘tit for tat’ nature of politics but that is usually on a Party basis whereas with Brexit the arguments are cross Party and originate largely from one Party’s own particular power struggle. Agree too about the need for intelligent debate, but it’s difficult when there is, imo, absolutely no intelligent case to be made for one of the ‘options’...a ‘no deal’ exit.
Last edited by ramAnag; 25-03-2019 at 01:38 PM.
As you all know, I am very anti EU. You also know why because I have explained it on more than 1 occasion. Personally I would back any party that that took over my idea of the middle road to scrap the EU completely and revert tp the pre Maastricht position of the whole thing being no more than a free trade area with some necessary rules to make it so. Those rules should include the limitations on the banks, the stock market and the money markets that I have also previously explained. Take some of the power back off the 1% and thereby give the man in the street more cash in hand through lower taxes for him and making the multinationals pay what they ought to as opposed to the cosy little pay nowt deals they have made with various governments TMITS will spend that extra creating more jobs, taking people off the dole, increase turnover/profit/dividend for the multinationals and benefitting everybody in the end. Multis and their share holders will take a hit in year 1 but after that it's all roses for everybody.
US of E? Forget it.
Reports in the press that May has offered to resign if BoJo et al vote for her deal and get it through.......
....... We get a new PM to handle the negotiations 2.0 including the new trade deal. That new PM will likely be a Remainer who is very likely to do everything possible to please the EU and the UK will be screwed over again.
Is that what people really want?