It is a shame that the EU was blamed for the failings of the UK government, especially in areas where car plants were situated in areas of high unemployment, the North East and rural areas which are somewhat isolated and which depend to a large degree on tourism and which benefit from EU Regional Grants.
Of course, it is the fault of the voters that they could not, or would not, understand the facts.
Unfortunately it turned out there is a distinct undercurrent of xenophobia in the UK and a certain type of voter was more prepared to believe that problems - which were genuine enough - especially low availability of and high prices for housing stick, overflowing schools and imagined problems with âforeignersâ using the NHS were due to EU migrants rather than 10 years of Tory austerity.
The irony is that type of voter, having elected âa government of incompetentsâ is more likely to be affected by the economic hit of Brexit and more likely to suffer with and die from Covid.
Chris Grey seems to putting more emphasis on the âwould notâ - that both brexit and coronavirus/lockdown scepticism is all part of the same rejection of facts, evidence, science, experitise, etcâŚ
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That well known maxim, âDonât confuse me with the facts my mindâs made upâ.
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Not sure if ths is the latest Brexit thread⌠but here is the transcript of Michel Barnierâs press conference : https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_20_739
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This is also interesting in the same context:
Brexiters, coronavirus/lockdown sceptics, climate science deniers - all part of the same mindset?
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It is now getting too close to a Hard Brexit and BoJoâs bluster will get us nowhere.
we need to stand together at this difficult time, which has changed everything and to continue down the same path with the same blinkered approach simply will not do.
Rednecks the lot of them!
Interesting that Rees-Smug quietly announced among all the bad news going on that the immigration bill had been dropped in the commons last week. Not long after they had to lay on flights for the fruit and veg pickers, and all the publicity in the Press about the two immigrant nurses that basically helped keep Boris alive in Hospital! The public attitudes may have changed slightly, after seeing the stories about flying in migrants as no one in UK would do the work, and on hearing night after night the long lists of overseas workers being read out of those fighting to save lives within the NHS and care system. Letâs hope so.
I am struggling to see though how they can realistically not extend Brexit negotiations now. It would be irresponsible and reckless to the highest degree to bring the country out in December When businesses have taken such a financial hit and going to the wall with the virus. Many will be fighting still by then for their very survival, or may just be starting to get back on their feet, so to then hit them again with the financial shock of actual Brexit. Well in my opinion it is politically reckless and I think the Government would face a very hard time as a result with mass unemployment and huge further strain on the economy coming on top of the eye watering national debt racked up due to the pandemic, the country will be broke and struggling for decades.
I foresee many countries becoming much more self sufficient and insular in their outlook on production and manufacturing as a result of the virus. I think many will turn to production in house to boost their economies, build stockpiles and to reduce reliance on overseas or cross border suppliers. Given the UKâs reliance on trade this could prove very difficult for Boris as he heads out to try and negotiate his new trade deals.
If they continue in the same direction on brexit I fear the UK has a very bleak future ahead. So I really canât wait for lockdown on both sides of the channel to be lifted so I can complete our new property purchase in France, sell my place in the UK (which went on the market the week before lockdown) and finally make our permanent home in France. We really hope we can get there before 31st December 2020 
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@Brian_Wheeler - do you think that the current situation combined with previous posturing about not moving deadlines will bring about a no deal Brexit (which was the preferred route of many)?
It will be very difficult to establish the before/after economic effect of Brexit now.
It has occurred to me that Covid-19 may result in the demise of many of the people who voted for Brexit, while the young will be relatively untouched. As a result, if the referendum took place at the end of this year, the outcome could well be different.
A government that really wanted to carry out the âwill of the peopleâ might allow a rerun, on the basis that the the economic model was inevitably going to change.
But I fear that ideology and personal financial gain is what motivates the current incumbents.
If it is any consolation to you, life is a bit better for the poor in France than in the UK.
I think life is better for many of the poor in France, especially if they have able bodied children. But there isnât the number/range of community and voluntary support here that can help with all sorts of issues from translation, to breakfast clubs, to teaching skills which can give a quality to life beyond mere survival. Particularly for the mentally disabled it seems there fewer support services - which of course may vary by location but there is a big void in this area. And whilst the health service is great, I wouldnât like to have psychiatric problems here.
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There was a point a few years ago that if people voted the same way again, due to inevitable demise of elderly voters and young people gaining the vote that the âwill of the peopleâ is now quite different.
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I donât know about mental disability, it hasnât come to that - yet! But as I understand it, people with mobility problems can get help at home, which is good for them and keeps them out of hospitals and maisons de retraite, as well as being less costly for the government. But these services are available as a legal right and not dependent on charity.
As I see it, the dictator and creep extraordinaire scummings - who doesnât have to answer to the electorate will press ahead with his evil plan.
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Mat, sadly I think that may be exactly what the inner Government circle hope to bring about. What better way is there than to hide a no deal Brexit plan than To hide it behind a pandemic and blame it for the inability to bring about a deal.
The fact it will turn the country into an economic wasteland for years to come wonât bother them sadly. I just hope we can get over before the year ends. Iâm taking early retirement at 51 just to make it happen. Itâs a huge gamble my husband is only 36 so we will need to find alternative income and not just rely on my pension but the new property affords us many more opportunities to do this than our previous wreck did. Life is short as recent events prove so sometimes you have to make the leap of faith and just follow your dreams!
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Sadly I think you may be right Mike
Which area is the new house?
Itâs always wrong to think everything is better in one country than in another just because some things are - and in my experience Jane you have put your finger on 2 areas - mental health and learning difficulties - where France is indeed a bit behind many other countries.
On balance, I think France tends to get more things right, but perhaps our role as immigrants is to gently promote the better approaches we have seen elsewhere - while acknowledging the many benefits of living in France.
I think that you are right - opinion was swinging narrowly away from Brexit, though not definitively enough to say the issue would be settled by a further referendum.
Also, while it is undoubtedly true that Covid affects the elderly, possibly Tory voting groups it also looks as though it disproportionately affects BAME groups (i.e not just because most of the UK figures come from London/Birmingham) and I suspect they might be less likely to support Johnson.
Also, and I do not mean this to sound callous, although it probably does - even 40k votes lost will not make a lot of impact in a GE, even if every one of them were a card-carrying Tory.