Re: Can we have a straw poll of contributors to this site..... Archived Message
Posted by John Monro on March 26, 2019, 9:31 am, in reply to "Re: Can we have a straw poll of contributors to this site....."
I see a point, but it doesn't t stand much scrutiny. First, we didn't have two years of debate and negotiation in regard to Iraq, Afghanistan of Libya.so there was never any opportunity to think again. So these circumstances are in no way comparable. If we know then what we know now and had two years to change our minds about Iraq, would we not be clamouring to do so? (In any case the public were strongly opposed to the invasion of Iraq so really they had nothing to "change their minds" about.} Of course we (the UK) can change its mind, it would be absurd not to if the UK citizenry now have a reasonable majority to stay. People make mistakes, countries make mistakes, this two years have given plenty of opportunity to see the real and serious problems leaving is causing and the sheer untrustworthiness of those promoting Brexit. Their claims were basically fraudulent. It amazes me that so many posting here wishing to leave the EU seem to be being led by Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees Mogg or the Daily Express and Sun. Leaving the EU and staying in the EU were never equivalent decisions, (joint the EU is the opposite of leaving) one comes with absolutely no change in anything at all, the other with the most profound implications for our trade, our relationships with our close neighbours in Europe, for the millions of UK citizens living abroad or EU citizens living in the UK There is no written constitution in the UK, The referendum was absurd and asking for trouble. and I wrote here many times about it. UK citizens living in the EU or EU citizens living in the UK had no say, yet it affected them more than anyone. Because this stupid "binary" vote seemed to assume that either answer was the equivalent of the other, a simple 50% majority was all that was required, when for a major constitutional issue it should have been 60%. And indeed the referendum should never have been anything other than advisory. Referenda, except perhaps in Switzerland are not a great way to run a country, that's what Parliament is for. A large majority of MPs in Parliament are pro-Europe and strongly anti-brexit, so the public have asked our MPs to vote against their conscience or what they consider the best interests of the UK. No wonder this cognitive dissonance is causing the massive problems the UK is facing. But as Jonathan Pie pointed out in his rant, Brexit is the symptom of an increasing failing of trust in government - they've breached the contract with the citizens. Cheers.
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