UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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United Kingdom votes to leave EU in historic referendum

London (CNN)The Leave campaign will win the UK referendum on EU membership, CNN predicts. With more than 98% of districts reporting, there are not enough votes left uncounted to change the result.

Almost 46.5 million people were registered to vote in Thursday's referendum.

Leave.EU and UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who had earlier appeared to concede that the "Remain" vote had "edged it," told his supporters that the result heralded a "new dawn" for an independent UK.

He also called on Prime Minister David Cameron to resign as a result of the referendum.
"The dawn is coming up on an independent United Kingdom, something that you did your absolute best -- you used all of your powers -- to prevent," he said.

"You did it using every organ of state available to you. You've lost the trust of the British people. Go, go now."

The result reflects a deeply divided union.

The town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England, had the biggest margin of victory for leave voters -- 76% to 24%.

The tiny British overseas territory of Gibraltar has the biggest margin of victory for Remain. About 96% of ballots there were for remain.

Prior to the final results, historian Simon Schama told CNN "I think Leave is going to win this and I think Britain is going to leave the European Union, which obviously I think is a catastrophe.

"We're on a kind of very dangerous knife edge about the integrity and coherence of Europe... we're entering a very dark and exceptionally dangerous period in European and actually world history, too."

In one of the most divisive campaigns in recent memory, polls had consistently shown voters split down the middle, with the outcome too close to call, and wavering voters likely to determine the result.

The UK has been a member of the European Union -- and its precursors -- since 1973.

Mixed reaction

The results have prompted mixed reaction from European politicians.

Germany's foreign minister tweeted: "The early morning news from #GreatBritain are truly sobering. It looks like a sad day for #Europe+the #UnitedKingdom."

The far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders congratulated the UK on its decision, and called for a Dutch referendum on EU membership.
"We want be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders, and our own immigration policy," he was quoted as saying in a statement on his website.

"If I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide."
Northern Irish party Sinn Fein, which has long advocated for independence from the UK, said that the vote "forfeited any mandate to represent the interests of people here in the north of Ireland," chairman Declan Kearney said in a statement.
Markets start freaking out

The pound has dipped precipitously in forex markets as results from more and more election authorities came in, slowly solidifying the "Leave" camp's hold on the referendum.

The pound has dropped below 1.35 against the dollar, the lowest since 1985, according to Kit Juckes, a strategist at Societe Generale.
Early referendum results have sparked a global markets sell-off. London stock futures are trading 7% lower and stock futures in the U.S. are down 2%, CNNMoney reports.

Before the polls closed, markets had been expecting the UK would stay in the EU. But that expectation changed rapidly as results started coming in.
The pound is dropping sharply against all major currencies, and is currently trading at 1.38 against the dollar. Oil is down 4%.

Gold -- one asset investors turn to in the times of uncertainty --- is up 2%.

The shockwaves are being felt around the world.

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters Japan is keeping a close eye on financial markets following the UK's EU referendum and is ready to take measures if necessary, if markets continue to fall.

Mark Littlewood,Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the UK will have a difficult time moving forward.

"Tomorrow we'll wake up to a totally divided nation," he said.

Ill portents for 'remain' voters

Britons headed to polling stations beneath rainy skies in London, following torrential rains and thunderstorms overnight that caused flash flooding in parts of the capital and southeastern England.

The downpour wreaked havoc on transport networks in London and southern England and caused two polling stations in southwest London to close and relocate after they were inundated with floodwaters. Others across the capital opened late due to the weather.

Among the key political players casting their votes Thursday were UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who voted at a hall in London; Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who also voted in the capital; and Farage, who voted in Westerham, England.

After the polls closed, Cameron tweeted: "Thank you everyone who voted to keep Britain stronger, safer & better off in Europe - and thousands of @StrongerIn campaigners around the UK"

Registered voters include Britons aged over 18 from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar -- a British territory off the southern coast of Spain. Irish and Commonwealth citizens living in the UK are also eligible to vote.

One of the major groups wanting to leave the EU, Vote Leave, tweeted: "Whatever the outcome, it's been an incredible campaign. Thank you to everyone who was a part of this! #ProjectHope"

'Serious consequences'

Turnout in Scotland is 67% and voted overwhelmingly to stay in Europe. Now that the UK as a whole has determine to leave, many north of the border feel that this would be a catalyst for another Scottish referendum, allowing the country to secede from the UK.

"If this result holds, it's the end of Britain, just simple as that... Scotland is voting overwhelmingly to stay," Schama says.

"If Scotland cannot be coerced into leaving the EU against its will, you cannot, in all decency, deny them a second referendum. If all the leavers are about self-government, taking back control, why shouldn't the Scots take back control?

"Bye-bye Great Britain, bye-bye United Kingdom. That will absolutely happen."

'Out is out'

Cameron negotiated with European leaders this year to secure improved terms of membership in the bloc had Britain stayed in the EU.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned Wednesday there will be no further renegotiation.

"We have concluded the deal with the Prime Minister; he got the maximum he could receive, and we gave the maximum we could give so there will be no kind of renegotiation," he said.

French President François Hollande also warned that the result would have a huge impact on the future of the European Union.

"The departure of a country that is, geographically, historically, politically in the European Union would have extremely serious consequences," he said prior to the vote.

Pro-Brexit Member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan insists that cooperation with the EU will continue despite the UK's "Leave" vote.
"Our partners in the EU should know that we will remain engaged," he tweeted. "Taking back control of our laws doesn't mean walking away from our allies."

Toxic climate

The political climate leading up to the referendum was unusually volatile, with both sides accusing each other of lying and scaremongering.

The tension reached its peak with last week's killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, a pro-"Remain" advocate in her first term in parliament. She was the first sitting British lawmaker to be killed since 1990.

Her husband, Brendan Cox, told the BBC she had been concerned about politics becoming "too tribal and unthinking."

"She was very worried that the language was coarsening and people were driven to take more extreme positions," he said.

On Wednesday, another Labour MP tweeted that she had received a death threat for her referendum campaigning.

Source: CNN

A tragic split

How to minimise the damage of Britain’s senseless, self-inflicted blow

HOW quickly the unthinkable became the irreversible. A year ago few people imagined that the legions of Britons who love to whinge about the European Union—silly regulations, bloated budgets and pompous bureaucrats—would actually vote to leave the club of countries that buy nearly half of Britain’s exports. Yet, by the early hours of June 24th, it was clear that voters had ignored the warnings of economists, allies and their own government and, after more than four decades in the EU, were about to step boldly into the unknown.

The tumbling of the pound to 30-year lows offered a taste of what is to come. As confidence plunges, Britain may well dip into recession. A permanently less vibrant economy means fewer jobs, lower tax receipts and, eventually, extra austerity. The result will also shake a fragile world economy. Scots, most of whom voted to Remain, may now be keener to break free of the United Kingdom, as they nearly did in 2014. Across the Channel, Eurosceptics such as the French National Front will see Britain’s flounce-out as encouragement. The EU, an institution that has helped keep the peace in Europe for half a century, has suffered a grievous blow.

Managing the aftermath, which saw the country split by age, class and geography, will need political dexterity in the short run; in the long run it may require a redrawing of traditional political battle-lines and even subnational boundaries. There will be a long period of harmful uncertainty. Nobody knows when Britain will leave the EU or on what terms. But amid Brexiteers’ jubilation and Remain’s recriminations, two questions stand out: what does the vote mean for Britain and Europe? And what comes next?

Brexit: the small print
The vote to Leave amounts to an outpouring of fury against the “establishment”. Everyone from Barack Obama to the heads of NATO and the IMF urged Britons to embrace the EU. Their entreaties were spurned by voters who rejected not just their arguments but the value of “experts” in general. Large chunks of the British electorate that have borne the brunt of public-spending cuts and have failed to share in Britain’s prosperity are now in thrall to an angry populism.

Britons offered many reasons for rejecting the EU, from the democratic deficit in Brussels to the weakness of the euro-zone economies. But the deal-breaking feature of EU membership for Britain seemed to be the free movement of people. As the number of new arrivals has grown, immigration has risen up the list of voters’ concerns.

Accordingly, the Leave side promised supporters both a thriving economy and control over immigration. But Britons cannot have that outcome just by voting for it. If they want access to the EU’s single market and to enjoy the wealth it brings, they will have to accept free movement of people. If Britain rejects free movement, it will have to pay the price of being excluded from the single market. The country must pick between curbing migration and maximising wealth.

David Cameron is not the man to make that choice. Having recklessly called the referendum and led a failed campaign, he has shown catastrophic misjudgment and cannot credibly negotiate Britain’s departure. That should now fall to a new prime minister.

We believe that he or she should opt for a Norwegian-style deal that gives full access to the world’s biggest single market, but maintains the principle of the free movement of people. The reason is that this would maximise prosperity. And the supposed cost—migration—is actually beneficial, as Leave campaigners themselves have said. European migrants are net contributors to public finances, so they more than pay their way for their use of health and education services. Without migrants from the EU, schools, hospitals and industries such as farming and the building trade would be short of labour.

Preventing Frexit
The hard task will be telling Britons who voted to Leave that the free having and eating of cake is not an option. The new prime minister will face accusations of selling out—for the simple reason that he or she will indeed have to break a promise, whether over migration or the economy. That is why voters must confirm any deal, preferably in a general election rather than another referendum. This may be easier to win than seems possible today. While a deal is being done, the economy will suffer and immigration will fall of its own accord.

Brexit is also a grave blow for the EU. The high-priesthood in Brussels has lost touch with ordinary citizens—and not just in Britain. A recent survey for Pew Research found that in France, a founder member and long a strong supporter, only 38% of people still hold a favourable view of the EU, six points lower than in Britain. In none of the countries the survey looked at was there much support for transferring powers to Brussels.

Each country feels resentment in its own way. In Italy and Greece, where the economies are weak, they fume over German-imposed austerity. In France the EU is accused of being “ultra-liberal” (even as Britons condemn it for tying them up in red tape). In eastern Europe traditional nationalists blame the EU for imposing cosmopolitan values like gay marriage.

Although the EU needs to deal with popular anger, the remedy lies in boosting growth. Completing the single market in, say, digital services and capital markets would create jobs and prosperity. The euro zone needs stronger underpinnings, starting with a proper banking union. Acting on age-old talk of returning powers, including labour-market regulation, to national governments would show that the EU is not bent on acquiring power no matter what.

This newspaper sees much to lament in this vote—and a danger that Britain will become more closed, more isolated and less dynamic. It would be bad for everyone if Great Britain shrivelled into Little England and be worse still if this led to Little Europe. The leaders of Leave counter with the promise to unleash a vibrant, outward-looking 21st-century economy. We doubt that Brexit will achieve this, but nothing would make us happier than to be proved wrong.

Source: The Economist

Brexit: Carnage on Australian market as $50b in shares lost, dollar slumps

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Brexit Confirmed – 5 Things You Need To Know

UK votes to leave European Union

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The UK has voted 52%-48% to leave the European Union.

Thursday’s referendum brought the shock result and the impact is already being felt around the world with global stock markets losing $3 trillion.

The British pound has sunk over 10% in its worst day in history. The Aussie dollar has also dropped 2% and Japan has stopped trading to protect itself from further losses.

As well as major financial instability, the result has already led to big questions for the old country. We try to give quick answers on what you need to know:

- Will David Cameron continue as Prime Minister?

In short, no. He led the Remain campaign and too many in the Conservative Party oppose his leadership now. He may stay for a short term to help lead negotiations of a handover as it will help calm

- Who will replace him?

Cameron’s right hand man George Osbourne is also tainted by defeat. That leaves Boris Johnson poised to sweep into Downing Street as he has hardline support of Conservative MPs who would get to decide the identity of the next British leader.

- What next for Scotland?

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already correctly said that Scotland have expressed a clear preference to be in Europe. Two-thirds voted that way with a majority in every single Scottish constituency. She has a mandate for another referendum to leave the UK, which she is likely to win.

- What about other parts of the UK?

Wales voted, just, for Leave in spite of receiving huge EU subsidies. However, they will stay with the decision of Westminster. Northern Ireland on the other hand might be another matter. The vote leaves the Good Friday peace agreement in doubt and Sinn Fein have already asked for a referendum on a united Republic. This could be one of the most contentious and possible destructive areas resulting from the Brexit vote.

- What can be done to settle the economy?

The Bank of England might have to step in and to calm the market. It will eventually settle but the shape of global finances may never be the same, especially with regards to the pound.

Source: MMM

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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David Cameron chokes back tears as he resigns after Leave vote

An incredibly statesmanlike statement from David Cameron, according to those on the other side of the debate. Read the outgoing Prime Minister's full speech here.

Cameron made his resignation announcement outside 10 Downing with his wife Sam nearby and vowed to leave the job by the time of the party conference in October. Here are some more of his comments.

"This is not a decision I've taken lightly but I do believe it is in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required," he said.

"I love this country and I feel honoured to have served it," he said.

"I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination."

"I think it's right that this new Prime Minister takes the decision about when to trigger article 50 and start the process of leaving the EU."

"There is no need for a precise timetable today but in my view we should aim to have a new prime minister in place by the time of the party conference in October."

"I held nothing back, I was absolutely clear about my belief."

Source: The Age

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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I think much of the exit vote was down to the anti-immigration boarding on xenophobic propaganda from the Leave movement which a high proportion of folks bought into. In retrospect, voting leave much have a cataclysmic end result for the UK. Apparently Scotland and Ireland want to break off (there's talk of even Northern Ireland & the Republic re-uniting) which further decreases the UK's international presence. I mean the UK was once a worldwide powerhouse, they were often referred to as the British Empire but most countries under UK control and govern-ship are only part of the commonwealth by their former membership of the Empire really. So in hindsight voting leave might either be the equivalent of a black eye they can recover from or a KO blow that will impact the UK's trading and sovereignty for the foreseeable future.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by Dr. Zoidberg »

They have to sort out trade deals with 27 countries now, so UK exports are probably screwed. British people that want to work in one of those 27 countries are screwed as well.

On the other hand, lots of countries aren't apart of the EU (Australia!) and they are doing OK. Just have to wait and see how everything pans out.

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What a dipshit! :rofl:


What a dipshit. :(

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by Bandit »

Holy shit Johnson looks like Trump's brother.

England will be fine long term once they get the new trade deals in place. It's not like nobody wants to do business with them. But they'll have a recession for a year.

Hey, America had a Brexit once and we did okay.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Surprised the fuck out of me. Markets were rallying yesterday off the bookie bets on remain, glad I pulled my stocks for a small profit at the end of the day.

Cautiously watching the market now, might get back in, might wait until next week when people regain their sanity.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by Big Boss Man »

Yea Boris Johnson looks like he could be Trumps bro lol. There's apparently a campaign for a second vote but I doubt it will get any traction. Really the UK never should have allowed the general public to vote on such an important decision. For the majority and they'd say it in hushed tones or risk being labeled a xenophobe much of the vote was down to anti immigration sentiment. Considering the UK historically has welcomed immigrants from the West Indies, Caribbean, India et AL and how ingrained parts of international culture have metamorphosed itself into British culture like the panache for Curry for example which of course comes from India and tea which is another Indian import. Yet most folks now seem to have forgot that and are pointing fingers of blame at the Polish, Romanian, Russian and other Eastern bloc countries. Not only the Europeans but there's folks from Pakistan, war torn countries like Afghanistan, Syria and there's also immigrants from Africa. Leaving the EU won't stop those seeking refuge and aslyum from entering the UK. So unless there's a border patrol and they shut down the UK borders altogether there will still be immigrants joining the UK. It's up to those in power to adopt a system which is fair and helps those in need.

I think people were tired of the open door policy where folks can just walk into the UK and visit a doctor free as part of the NHS, rent a house and money to pay for it all. So if the door continued to be open ajar it could be kicked open and a influx of more immigrants could essentially cripple the public services to the detriment of the UK residents. Thats not to stay that public services like the NHS and social security won't be overwhelmed and their whole infrastructure collapse in their current forms. If you keep taking and give nothing back those services will be limited and the NHS will be privatised it has to be because otherwise it can't continue to exist in its current form. It would be a massive shame as right to free health care (well not free as its funded by taxes) is something which since it's inception has been something which the UK hang their hat on as something to be applauded. Now I think down the line, not now but at least in the next 25-50 years it will be a service you have to pay to use.

Right now companies values have decreased, the pounds value has hit rock bottom and it'll be hard for the UK to bounce back. Overtime they might turn it around but now they have to find ways to build new trade relationships and some EU countries might not be as open armed in their dealings. However it gives the UK a chance to revitalise deprecated and defunct industries like steel, mining, manufacturing etc. So if they get firing on all cylinders I think the naysayers might find that it wasn't such a bad idea after all. But if they continue to outsource and import goods and services in the current state it might fall into a great depression scenario where UK becomes Greece 2.0. That might be a over the top assumption but if the UK has no ideas and real direction then all the chest thumping England! UK! Patriotism will be for nothing if it has a deleterious affect. It's now a wait and see scenario I guess.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by Hawq »

In other shocking news water is wet! more seriously I'm amazed the gov didnt rig the vote to leave us stuck with the eu (it does not deserve caps, just hatred). For 2 world wars they couldnt get us, they tried politics & it worked for too damn long until we finally got a say in the matter, eu take a long walk of a short prier into a piranha tank filled with starving piranhas (though even thats too good for it)

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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There's talk going around that there's going to be a secondary vote and if that's true, really they need to put the power into the hands of those who make the real important decisions regarding trading, banking etc. Although there will be a public outcry no doubt, when you place an important groundbreaking decision in the hands of the populous and said population aren't fully conversant of what the end result will entail is when it opens up the door to potential anarchy. Because say a Great Depression-esque situation develops like it did in the 30's in the UK and also variations hit the USA & Germany then it will cause economic and social chaos. Could that chaos have ensued if they were part of the EU still?, nope, because in actuality they could rely on the member countries to bale them out like they did with Greece. On the other side of the coin, you have a situation where the UK is essentially running itself into the ground bailing out Greece and other countries when they fall on economic hard times. So leaving the EU really is a double edged sword. In some ways, the UK can work this in their favor if they monopolize the industries they have and rejuvenate those where they are now relying on imports. Say the steel industry is revitalized, or mining then you create a plethora of new jobs and have valuable exportable goods. With the emphasis more outside of the traditional based UK industries they have been reliant on imports from China et al and whilst it may be more cost effective essentially it's deprived those who work within manufacturing etc of a job. So leaving the EU should bring about more job creation. Unless companies tighten their fiscal belts and lay off staff to counteract the amount of money they've lost thru leaving the EU. So again, it's one of those situations where it could be high risk, high reward if it all pans out right or it's right risk, little to no reward and in that situation, the UK have no real other option but to hope down the line that the EU will allow them back in. But then their bargaining position would be decimated and they'd be the lackey of the union, a position a former Empire wouldn't ever want to be in. So yea, interesting times ahead.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by Code-Red »

Hilarious to see all the butthurt remainers trying to start another vote, crying racism and "baby-boomer ignorance". Last I checked, baby boomers were part of the democracy in which you participated in. The votes were cast, you lost. Get over it, stop being sore losers and move forward from here. Racism of course being the leftist buzzword of the day, even if all you want is foreigners to stop leeching off your public systems. What a bigot you must be if you feel your fellow tax-paying countrymen are getting robbed to pay for people who can not and will not ever contribute to society!

Personally, I think this is a great step forward in deglobalization, and I personally believe the UK as a nation and its peoples will come out of this better off.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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I think much of the oh no were doomed is propaganda pushed forth by the media. The whole stay campaigns fundamental flaw was that nothing really was explained in detail or spelled out in a way that the general populous could understand. Much of of the voting was really a protest against David Cameron and the Tory government. The public spending cuts etc but the general election should have been the choice where you vote for change. The Labour government though had an incompetent leader in Ed Miliband. They should have went with his bro, although he was Blair 2.0. The Lib Dems shot themselves in the foot with their backtracking on policies so the only real choices were Labour and Conservative. Historically the older voters always go to the polls and it's them that no doubt pushed forward the Leave votes. I mean in the UK it seems like it's patriotism has been ripped out of it and they can't even put the Union Jack on display without it causing a furore. Imagine if that happen in the US they'd be an outcry. So leaving the EU is a plus in that it gives back their identity and really they need to build upon what makes Britain great. Making a stand, flying the flag, pushing UK products and services and being proud to British will do wonders. Being too PC and pandering to the immigrant population has made the UK a walk over where they can't even put their own flag on display without complaints. I think immigration is something which never will be stopped and Cameron and co have agreed to house refugees from Syria. So that means more jobs will need to set aside, housing, public funds etc. Leaving the EU won't stem the tide it will just make it a little more difficult to settle there. Right now it's a catch 22 situation, in time if they maximise their resources and be proud of themselves as a nation again then the UK will do just fine. If they still adopt the kid gloves approach and be too PC then I see no point in voting leave if you can't be patriotic. The only time it's deemed appropriate is during soccer tournaments and that's all kinds of wrong. Again being proud of your nation and the right to celebrate your nationality should be something which is a given. But right now it's seen as nationalist or your BNP/UKIP, why because your proud of your country?, that's wrong. So on that note I hope the leave vote gives Britain it's patriotism back and makes folks proud to support British goods and services and it greatly benefits the UK.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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A more sober look at Britan's role in the EU, and how it's arms are tied by the EU.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

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Young Brits are angry about older people deciding their future, but most didn't vote

David Cameron addresses the British parliament on the way forward for the UK's European Union exit for the first time since his resignation as prime minister.

The Brexit vote, like most elections, posed a paradox. Those who have to live the longest with the decision's ramifications are also the ones least likely to vote. There is almost always a mismatch between having stakes in an election and actually participating in it.

YouGov, a British polling service, posted a widely shared chart showing that British voters ages 18 to 24 would, on average, "live with" the Brexit decision for 69 years, as opposed to 16 years for voters older than 65.

With a Brexit, those ramifications include diminished possibilities of studying, working and perhaps even travelling to the rest of Europe as the processes for doing so become more complicated and costly with Britain extracting itself from the European Union.

A full three-quarters of British youths (ages 18-24) voted to remain in the EU. Almost two-thirds of the next-youngest category (25-34) did, as well. Given that a large proportion of British youths is concentrated in cities, where they study or have entry-level jobs, young people represented one major factor in cities being centres of the "remain" camp. Meanwhile, 60 per cent of senior citizens voted to "leave" the EU.
Those who have to live the longest with the decision are also the one least likely to have voted.

Those who have to live the longest with the decision are also the one least likely to have voted. Photo: Dan Kitwood

After the Brexit vote's results came in, and it became clear that not only had the "leave" camp won but that the decision would probably be irreversible, many young people took to social media to rage. Others found platforms in major newspapers, which solicited furious articles claiming betrayal by an older generation deemed isolationist, bitter and short-sighted.

But here's the paradox: So few of these young people voted, relatively speaking.

% who got through our final #EUref poll turnout filter by age group:

18-24: 36%
25-34: 58%
35-44: 72%
45-54: 75%
55-64: 81%
65+: 83%
— Sky Data (@SkyData) June 25, 2016

Polling and survey data indicate that young people voted in far fewer numbers than even senior citizens and that areas with the highest youth populations also had the lowest turnout. Many online commenters have scoffed at the outpouring of youth anger, pointing out that in a democracy, those who turn out in larger numbers carry the day.

Low youth turnout in elections is a problem that plagues all of the world's democracies. In the United States, youth turnout was at its all-time low in the 2014 congressional elections, at 19.9 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds.

In the United States and elsewhere, young voters tend to lean more to the left, politically speaking, and failure to mobilise them has been a persistent bane of progressive politics. From 1972, when 18-year-olds in the United States were bestowed the right to vote, until 2012, 18- to 29-year-olds exercised that right at rates 15 per cent to 20 per cent lower than those older than 30.

Source: The Age

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by OrangeRibbon »

I think I only missed one election since I started voting. It was a local election and I was so sick it would have been dangerous to drive.

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Re: UK Politics Thread (Brexit)

Post by Hawq »

What do the young know anyway, its not like they remember the country being free to make its own choices like I & my generation do. If we'd had the level of EU bullshit to deal with back in the 80's we'd have lost the Falklands, hell there probably wouldn't even have been a fight over them

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