General Chat

https://tinyurl.com/y3bsd7hm

Hands up who didn't think the referendum was a democratic election???

And hands up who thinks BOTH sides lied?

and sorry Sharron :-)

Well this brexiteer granny is still alive and kicking and I can assure the real PITA people who say “a new referendum will swing the opposite way because the oldies have died” are simply despicable for expressing that as a reason to try to subvert a perfectly good poll.

So is this one and I have no intention of kicking the bucket soon :-|

If I knew then what I know now, I'm not sure how I would have voted. :-S

Many, I think, are remembering the poll tax riots and imagining that they can overthrow the Brexit vote in the same way.

The difference is that Brexit has been decided upon by a democratic process of voting whereas Thatcher imposed the poll tax without consulting the populace.

She and David Cameron each misjudged the population.

My dear old Mum is still alive and kicking too and ready to kick anyone knocking on her door about this issue if need be :-) I also know many people who voted remain who are fed up with it all now but they want it finished as they want the result upheld.

Could we have a short rest from pathetic childish political infighting? :-S

OK, Dermot, you've had an hour and a half off.

The Parliament that the government is moaning about was elected since the referendum and over 32 million voted for it. That is the will of the people until the next one.

Did we ever get rid of purchase tax that became SET (?) that became,

Poll Tax that became Council Tax ? I don't think so.

Purchase tax and selective employment tax were replaced by VAT. The poll tax replaced the council rates and became the council tax.

When Brexit happens the government will be able to reduce VAT below 15%. It won't of course.

The percentage looks good, but 'Leave' only won by 1.3 million votes.
If it had been run on Cameron's own 'law' on Trades Union votes for industrial action, it would have been declared null and void.

Apparently, Industrial Action is either more important or is worse for the country than leaving the EU!

There are 66 million people of voting age in the UK.
The actual number of people who voted was 33551983 - just over half.
Of these, 17,410,742 voted leave, 16,141,241 voted remain, a margin of 1,269,501 votes.

Then there were all those living abroad who had the right to vote - but didn't receive their papers in time.

Perhaps we should have another referendum where everyone HAS to vote.

Personally I think the fact that almost half of those eligible to vote

chose not to says we should have left well alone.

I voted REMAIN, but I'm part of a minority.

The population of the UK according to Govt. National Statistics Office is 66 million. That is for all ages and includes people of voting age but not qualified to vote for one reason or another - peers, under 18, foreigners, guests of HMP, uncertain mental health.

The total number of UK Parliamentary electors in December 2017 was 46,148,000, an increase of 380,000 (0.8%) from December 2016.

Thus the "Leave" vote was 38% of those who could vote. As has been commented such a turnout would not pass muster for a workplace vote. Maybe any future referendum should adopt Australian rules with mandatory turnout and a 60% acceptance bar. If that had been done in 2016 the current row would not have happened. The Scottish indie poll did have a 60% pass target. That there was no such check for the brexit ballot was due to opposition from Cummings, Farage, Johnson, Gove, Banks et al.

Given that the Leave margin was 1.5 M and that over 3 M UK citizens are registered as living in the EU ( there are a lot more who don't register) and that these expats had a great motivation to vote Remain the fate of the large number of votes which arrived too late to be counted would be interesting. Like the 1931 census we shall never know.

Agree with all of that BUT it is what it is...the vote was taken and albeit by the merest of margins within the parameters set that's the result. This can be used Worldwide as an example of making sure you cross your t's and dot your i's before actually letting everyone vote.

The blond one, Boris, a polarizing PM, aims to make Britain great again.

An original idea, surely - all the way from America!

I say if you don't use your vote don't moan about the outcome.

Yep - sorry about my numbers - as you can see by the time. I was trying to find them just before I went off to work!
(some of us had our retirement stolen too :-P)

It's funny, in some country's people would miles in their bare feet to vote.