EU referendum - what if the UK votes to stay in?

[rs1952]

Just a thought that crossed my mind, given that the majority of views around here fall squarely into the anti-EU camp. What if we did have a referendum on continued EU membership and the UK voted to stay in? What would you do then?

Any thoughts?

[rs1952]

Spiritual_Beggar said:

At least if we had the vote we'd know where the majority of the population stand and could move on.

I'd stand by the outcome, whatever it is.

But we had a vote in 1975, and the majority of the population voted to stay in. But apparently that wasn't the end of the matter then, hence where we are now

[rs1952]

Globs said:

rs1952 said:

But we had a vote in 1975, and the majority of the population voted to stay in. But apparently that wasn't the end of the matter then, hence where we are now

We didn't have a vote, we were too young.

I had a vote - I was 23 at the time. My views haven't changed since.

[rs1952]

Eric Mc said:

How often should succeeding generations get the chance to overturn decisions made by their parents or grandparents?

I don't think that's realy relevant because Parliament is doing this all the time by amending and repealing laws passed, essentially, by their parents and grandparents.

But if we are taking specifically about referenda, we had one just lately on changes to the voting system. And we voted to keep the one we had. If you think for one moment that that will be "the end of the matter" then I suggest you are mistaken, because as sure as the sun rises in the morning somebody will raise the issue again in 5, 10 or 20 years time.

You could argue that that's the problem with the whole concept of referenda, that they never really resolve an issue permanently.

Should we vote to stay in the EU, would UKIP disband? Would Europhile tory MPs shut their traps and shrug their shoulders until they drop off their perches? Somehow I doubt it

[rs1952]

Getragdogleg said:

The sensible anti EU superstate/federal Europe side are not as organised and have not got the funds to throw at the huge task of waking up the slumbering masses.

In the anti-EU camp:

At least half of the Tory Party
Most of the UK press
UKIP
BNP

In the pro-EU camp:

The Lib Dems
A small proportion of the Tory Party

Sitting on the fence waiting to see which way the wind blows:

The Labour party
Call Me Dave

[rs1952]

fbrs said:

rs1952 said:

Just a thought that crossed my mind, given that the majority of views around here fall squarely into the anti-EU camp. What if we did have a referendum on continued EU membership and the UK voted to stay in? What would you do then?

Any thoughts?

certainly worth thinking about because you will vote to stay in.

I have deliberately not made my personal views public on this thread to try to get a reasoned debate going.

Having said that, I understand why you might take the view you do, but I couldn't possibly comment

[rs1952]

The Black Flash said:

Globs said:

It always puzzles me why they spent so long fighting for independence from their neighbour, and then gave it up as thoroughly and permanently as possible to a foreign power at the first chance they got. A big masochistic streak there IMO.

See also the SNP...

There is clearly only one explanation. It must be that the EU is not the EUSSR that many people around here are convinced it is, and that those who run (or want to run) those countries have sussed out something that the PH massif just will not accept, that it can indeed by a good idea for countries to be members.

But - nah - I must be having one of my flights of fancy again.....

[rs1952]

Art0ir said:

On the walls of the new EU Museum..

" National sovereignty is the root cause of the most crying evils of our time. The only final remedy for this supreme and catastrophic evil is a federal union of the peoples."

Sounds like communism to me.

There are plenty of federal republics about the place that aren't communist. Like the Yanks, for example and, although we don't call it such, the United Kingdom (the clue is in the word "United")

[rs1952]

rudecherub said:

historically the EEC's budget was largely spent on Common Agricultural Policy, which supported small inefficient farms in Europe

I agreed with you that far

rudecherub said:

pushing up prices in the Customs Union - ie making the poor pay more for their food, while dumping the food mountains onto the World market depressing prices which hit producer countries - many of which were developing nations.

I would be the last one to support the CAP, but you have to bear in mind that the Common Market was set up at a time when many European countries were not self-sufficient in food. The original intention of the CAP was to assist European farmers to increase production and thereby make the countries self-sufficient.

The fact that the whole thing was then hijacked, primarily by the Fench but there were others, when the food mountains of the 1970s started to appear is something that should have been sorted out 40 years ago.

It was a classic case of the law of unintended consequences which nobody has had the bottle to face head-on - not even Margaret Thatcher

Edited by rs1952 on Thursday 14th February 23:35