Should the UK leave the EU?

[steve25805 121,099]

Another question of the week - my second this week because I am on holiday and trying to trigger some discussion. Will try something a little more overtly political.

But let me say in advance that let's debate nicely regardless of how much we may disagree with any view. All views are equally valid.

Should the UK leave the EU?

Well we had a vote on it 3 years ago in which the people voted narrowly for it having been issued a load of false promises about the ease with which we'd obtain a best of both worlds deal.

And yet every reputable economist says leaving would be economically damaging, the harder the exit the worse it will be, with a no deal departure being held up as potentially catastrophic.

Nevertheless, after the vote the government - without consulting with anyone else to ensure an agreement - negotiated with the EU something it wanted, and presented it to the rest of us on a take it or leave it basis. We and parliament rejected it - repeatedly. In the meantime we have seen inward investment into this country collapse, and certain industries - notably car manufacturing - starting to implode. All the signs and forecasts suggest this is going to get a lot worse if and when we leave, especially if on no deal terms.

We also now know that we were promised bullshit and that the only viable options actually on offer are the departure deal negotiated by the government, leaving with no deal at all, or not leaving at all.

Faced with such stark realities, all the polling suggests that a significant majority now favour calling the whole thing off. In consequence of this, committed Leavers are running scared of the very notion of a second referendum, lest now, knowing the facts, the people vote to remain. They will do anything in their power to prevent a second vote.

Yet the arguments in favour are overwhelming. Nothing that was promised has proven to be deliverable. We now know what we didn't know then - what the actual options before us are. Parliament seems incapable of reaching a decision on anything so putting it back to the people seems the logical thing to do. And after 3 years, several million of the 35 million who voted in 2016 have since died, whilst several million young adults whose future this is and who never had a say before have since come of age.

I think the right thing to do is to hold a second up to date referendum putting the actual options available to the people. I would champion Remaining in such a vote since leaving is likely to be economically disastrous and many of those in favour either have negative motivations of a racist kind, or dubious ulterior motives re selling off our NHS or undermining workers' rights, or some such shit.

 

[PissOnMyParade 435]

I'm personally very happy we're out of the EU. It's a sinking ship for which we used to be an enormous cash cow and political rubbish dump in my opinion. We've had a far better covid vaccine rollout as a single nation state than all 27 EU countries have done. Investment in our country hasn't tanked at all, either (quite the opposite in fact!), it's simply swept under the carpet by the media. Before we left the EU, many businesses were shutting up shop on British soil and moving to EU countries with EU funding! Now, small and medium sized businesses in the UK are less restricted, and are developing ways to cope with the pandemic too. My only regret is that we didn't leave sooner.