Congrats UK

In order to participate in the open market in Europe, England will still have to accept a good amount of immigration. Not being an official member of the EU isn't going to magically remove all the influence the EU will have over England.

I guess if the UK were to make a trade deal with just the US, then they could consider closing their borders and blocking out Europe entirely, but that doesn't seem realistic, especially since it's not like Britain makes enough on its own to not need Europe at all.

 

That's why Cameron bailed. To put it crudely and simply, dude was like "Work is about to get THICK and HEAVY. Peace out!"

No but really though, I'm trying to make sense of his resignation. Honestly didn't even know that was possible. Interesting times ahead.

 

That's common for British politics, most Prime Ministers end up resigning because they stake their career on something and they backed the wrong horse. Some get voted out in the general election if another party gets a majority and some get a vote of no confidence from their own party if the party feels the PM has strayed too far from their goals. It's not like the American system where the president is guaranteed the job until the next election (barring death or impeachment). It's much simpler to vote out a PM than it is to impeach an American president.

On one hand, it's nice because it holds the PM more continually accountable to the party. On the other hand, the American system lets the president take more risks because a failed initiative isn't going to force them to resign.

 

That thread's getting better and better, keep it coming folks, that's highly entertaining from a european pov.

 

Relevant

 

Maybe, but that still doesn't mean that it is wrong.

Either way, this 48/52 vote seems to me to be ridiculous. Votes tend to be described, in marketing-speak, as decisive. This proportion, at best, is don't-know-not-sure-maybe. If they were going to have this ridiculous vote at all (Tory party cockup) they should have set something like a minimum 60% for change. This would have bufferred some of the purely-ignorant-prejudice numbers in the votes.

Prejudice? Yes, much of the anti-europe feeling in UK is pure racism. I grew up with it. I have to admit that joining the common market seemed to me, at the time, like a dreadful thing to do: the English Channel was the best bit of water in the world, it kept us separate. But that was then, and I guess I didn't know much about anything outside of my middle-class, white, English world.

I thought, and I still think, that the Euro was a really wrong idea, and I was always glad that Britain did not join that thing.

 

This referendum is is indication of turmoil inside Britain played out in the EU arena. The tee sipping elite vs the regular punters!

 

Marvey, your ideas about UK are based on a few weeks travelling in black cabs and visiting expensive West-End [London] shops?

And yes, black cabbies do go through that training: you can see them covering the routes on mopeds, which is the cheapest way they can cover a huge mileage.

My view: Black cabs are an expensive, elitist way to travel. Why they (and not other kinds of cab) get to use bus lanes, which is part of their luxury get you there quick USP, I cannot imagine. Well, I can... vested interests.

Stereotypically, black-cab (we ought to hyphenate that to avoid serious misunderstandings!) drivers are the sort of people who would have voted exit.

As to whether cab drivers of any hue (the cab or the skin) are native or not, I wonder how many you asked!

Born: British born and bred. English to the core, even thought the coffee has been stirred and the cream on the surface is nowhere near as pure-white as it used to be. Lived in UK for fifty years. Fairly insular, never travelled much overseas.

Live: In India for past eleven years. I consider myself an emigrant, not an expat. That is partly because I do not do the "ex-pat" community thing, in which I am not really interested and it is too expensive.

Loyalties: India, warts and all. But, hey, fifty years, hence comments re core. My finances are in Rupees.

Selfish: I have a small pension paid in UK (I would be poor with my income there) and a hopefully-coming-soon state pension.

Current Experience: I've spent four weeks in UK in the past five years. Just one visit. Probably less time than Marv.

 

That's ok... I thought the declaring of interests was quite a good idea, so I did it. And my situation is very different to a resident Brit.

 

I live in EU and i would rather have this thread closed. Am i only one who feels sbaf is much better place without politics?

 

Essentially, more than half the posters believe that the franchises of Star Trek and Star Wars analogically clarify European and British politics, strained through an American, ahistorical, narrative structure.

Cheers!

 

I worked in London for years. Born South African ( British Colony until 1960''s) Now living in Finland. I am sad for many of my friends there who are in panic about the future after migrating from South Africa.

 

Naah... let's look like idiots and blabber. It never hurt anybody to look like an idiot! Especially if we admit to it!

 

Here's an idea...

The European Court should rule that the British people are too stupid and therefore not competent to take such a decision, and that the vote is not valid.

 

Temporary insanity seems more plausible. There are some pretty bright people left still.

 

Lots, but my majority, the stupid rule. Just look at the newspaper circulation figures.