BREXIT......How do you feel Brits? Excited??

[godders]

I think it will be a long time before anyone in power is actually willing to change our voting system. Not having proportional representation is what keeps the far-right out of power and I can't see either of the main parties (now that the lib-dems have kind of died off) wanting to increase the chance of gaining less votes.

If we had proportional representation then UKIP would've been the 3rd largest party in govt in the last election but luckily we don't and they only got one seat. Farage was an MEP but not an MP.

Corbyn is still limping along as Labour leader but I imagine there will be a vote for new leadership soon and I get the feeling there was some dodgy behind the scenes backstabbing that went on and caused Johnson not to run. Currently many people see Theresa May as the lesser of all evils but who knows

 

[ford family]

I think it will be a long time before anyone in power is actually willing to change our voting system. Not having proportional representation is what keeps the far-right out of power and I can't see either of the main parties (now that the lib-dems have kind of died off) wanting to increase the chance of gaining less votes.

If we had proportional representation then UKIP would've been the 3rd largest party in govt in the last election but luckily we don't and they only got one seat. Farage was an MEP but not an MP.

Corbyn is still limping along as Labour leader but I imagine there will be a vote for new leadership soon and I get the feeling there was some dodgy behind the scenes backstabbing that went on and caused Johnson not to run. Currently many people see Theresa May as the lesser of all evils but who knows

The Johnson story that seems to ring true is that he decided that taking over party leadership now would give him the complex task of putting the EU exit strategy together and then executing it. He is supposed to have said to Theresa May that she would be better suited to that "heavy lifting" role and that he was prepared to not stand in her way for the top job but he would like her to step aside for him in time for the 2020 election. She said she was happy to stand but not happy to step aside later. Quite rightly.
Michael Gove was made aware of this and, because he wanted a Brexiter to be in the running to oppose Theresa May, the "reluctant Remainer", he put his hat in the ring at the last minute.
The delay in triggering Article 50 is, so far, becoming a benefit to the UK as the European countries are already disagreeing amongst themselves as to the kind of negotiation we can expect with much talk of compromise. Some of them have even called for the sacking of Jean Paul Juncker for trying to push for further European centralisation.
Still excited to be on the brink of being an independent country again, able to look outwards to interact with the whole world and not forced to just peer inwards at a collapsing European Union and its sclerotic eurozone.

Happy Independence Day to you all.

ford family

 

[gwynne]

I am curious what those who live in Britain think of all of this now that Corbyn, Cameron, Johnson and now Farage have all quit. They were among the leaders who brought Britain to this tenuous place and now they are all bailing on the issue and leaving it to others to solve. Is there an obvious leader who can navigate the Article 50 trigger and the two years of negotiations?

It's not easy to decide to show up every day and do the hard tasks to the best of your ability. We can hope that some folks of good will, vision and integrity will step forward.

 

[mnrose]

So if your side loses by only 650K in the next election, you'll be ok with revisiting the decision?

It's a little different when you are electing your representatives. That's a single vote process. This was a referendum, where ONLY Parliament is actually given the legal authority to carry out the act in question. So, at best, it's "advisory" as it holds no legal authority. In our country, our election in November determines who will be elected to serve in any number of capacity. It has legal weight (well, technically, the electoral college casts the actual presidential ballots, not the people, which was a very important distinction in a certain election in the year 2000 where the popular vote did not determine the President, but instead was determined by the electoral college)....unlike the Brexit vote.

I would liken this to the referendum process in California....where the "people" have been known to vote on a whole host of issues, and later to vote to undo what they did.

And, I expect this falls election on the Presidential side to involve a heck of a lot more difference than the Brexit vote. ;-) Historically, there is quite a large spread in the popular vote....for example, roughly 10 million votes divided the candidates in 2008 and more than 5 million in 2012.

 

[CPanther95]

And, I expect this falls election on the Presidential side to involve a heck of a lot more difference than the Brexit vote. ;-) Historically, there is quite a large spread in the popular vote....for example, roughly 10 million votes divided the candidates in 2008 and more than 5 million in 2012.

Actually the Brexit vote and the 2012 US election had almost identical margins of victory (Brexit 3.8% vs Obama 3.9%).

 

[Oreo Cookie]

It's not easy to decide to show up every day and do the hard tasks to the best of your ability. We can hope that some folks of good will, vision and integrity will step forward.

I agree. IMO, Johnson and Farage are quitters not leaders, they cut and run when things get difficult, more concerned about their political careers than what is best for the UK. Hopefully, a strong leader with integrity will step forward and fill the gap, the citizens deserved good leadership.

 

[Domo]

I'm actually quite fortunate. I have a lot of money in silver bullion and that has held value, especially against the free-falling pound. But I'm not representative. I have a friend who's now out of the job, thanks solely to Brexit, and has a little one on the way (a little girl). His employment has been shipped to the continent and he now has to find work elsewhere.

 

[Domo]

I agree. IMO, Johnson and Farage are quitters not leaders, they cut and run when things get difficult, more concerned about their political careers than what is best for the UK. Hopefully, a strong leader with integrity will step forward and fill the gap, the citizens deserved good leadership.

Farage leaving could be the greatest or the worst thing to happen to the UKIP party in living memory - indeed, in it's entire history! He spoke his mind, but offended so many people.

 

[CPanther95]

I'm actually quite fortunate. I have a lot of money in silver bullion and that has held value, especially against the free-falling pound. But I'm not representative. I have a friend who's now out of the job, thanks solely to Brexit, and has a little one on the way (a little girl). His employment has been shipped to the continent and he now has to find work elsewhere.

The British Pound is soon going to be an attractive investment. Most experts expect it to stabilize and gradually begin to climb back - but when you add in the possibility that we could possibly see further defections from the EU, it becomes even more attractive. If the EU ultimately collapses and the Euro gets in trouble, the Pound is going to skyrocket.

 

[Domo]

The British Pound is soon going to be an attractive investment. Most experts expect it to stabilize and gradually begin to climb back - but when you add in the possibility that we could possibly see further defections from the EU, it becomes even more attractive. If the EU ultimately collapses and the Euro gets in trouble, the Pound is going to skyrocket.

I can't predict what will happen with the pound. All I know is that, as someone who deals in precious metals, I can no longer afford to invest in said metals. I'm sure there will be a rebound. As it is, things aren't great. Annoyingly, I'm off to mainland Europe in a week and can't afford many Euros at all - I'm scrimping and saving like crazy!

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I'm actually quite fortunate. I have a lot of money in silver bullion and that has held value, especially against the free-falling pound. But I'm not representative. I have a friend who's now out of the job, thanks solely to Brexit, and has a little one on the way (a little girl). His employment has been shipped to the continent and he now has to find work elsewhere.

Sorry to hear about your friend losing their job, hoping they find something soon!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Actually the Brexit vote and the 2012 US election had almost identical margins of victory (Brexit 3.8% vs Obama 3.9%).

Yup, it's all perspective. 5-10 million votes isn't that many in a nation this size. And then of course the previously mentioned electoral vote skews things. Bill Clinton carried 68.7% of the electoral votes in 1992, but only 43% of the popular vote to Bush I's 37.4% of the popular vote & 31.3% of the electoral vote. They were separated by roughly 5.8 million votes in the popular vote.

 

[Domo]

Sorry to hear about your friend losing their job, hoping they find something soon!

Thanks, things are looking up - he's been called for a second round interview

If you trust the polls (heh) if there were a second referendum tomorrow remaIN would win by a large margin as apparently a huge number of OUT voters have changed their mind, especially Wales and to a lesser extent England. Scotland has always been in favour of remaining. Pure conjecture, however, and I doubt there will be a second referendum because if there were and IN won, OUT would challenge and a simple repeat referendum would turn into three, then four, then more, follow-up referendums...