Before he is lynched.
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I heard from a former EU worker that the whole backstop furore is a distraction as in fact the EU doesn’t want the backstop to go on forever either as it means the UK having the benefits of the customs union but none of the expected commitments. But the Brexiter obsession with the backstop does appear to be a way to try and enable a hard brexit.
But either way I hope you won’t be needing your mackerel supply anytime soon!
Afternoon Paul, I blame the fact that most MP’s and a lot of people that voted remain have not accepted the referendum result. Instead of coming together and following through on the result, they have spent the last two years arguing about “peoples vote” “rigged vote” etc etc etc!! No one i know is blaming the EU. The EU simply don’t want us to leave.
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I actually tried to ring James O’Brien during this debate but surprise surprise they did not put me through. For the hour i was listening they only put on people that agreed with him, that’s a nice balanced debate. It felt like i was watching Question time with its usual heavy remain studio audience and guest’s. I do wonder what will James O’Brien talk about when/if Brexit actually happens and who he will call “idiots” “racists” etc etc etc. James should do a few shows on the Positives of the EU, if he and others had done that during the lead up to the Referendum then i think remain would have won. People respond to positive messages something that Leave was able to do. Remain focused on scaring people to vote remain and it clearly did not work.
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Isn’t the problem that the Leave Campaign’s positive messages were pipe dreams?
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But yes totally agree the remain campaign should have been far more focused on positives of EU membership
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I agree that some of the promises where just pie in the sky but Show me a Political Campaign that is not filled with them. Humans respond to positive messages, Remain should have focused on them.
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I would agree the Remain campaign had a lot of problems but…
You mean the referendum that Leave won with the benefit of bending the electoral rules to breaking point, by lying, by playing on people’s xenophobia, by blaming the EU for the failings of the UK government,…?
No, I’m not in a hurry to accept that referendum result.
I agree there is nothing to be gained by harping on about it - but accept it? Not on your Nellie.
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Then i think we better re run every election, or maybe just the ones we don’t agree with. Maybe starting with the 1695 Whig vs Tory elections or we go back further.
The big difference with a ‘once in a lifetime referendum’ and an election is that you can change the result every five years for the latter.
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I am fully in favour of another referendum now that people will fully understand what they were voting for (and yes I am saying that last time people did not fully understand it - I for one certainly did not).
So much of the vote leave campaign has been blown apart and given that the result was so close last time I think it should be rerun.
Had there been a massive majority last time then fine, but just a couple of percent - time to go again.
What can be more democratic than asking people to vote now based on the facts and reality.
If Brexit can no longer command a majority it should not happen. A change of this magnitude must have the population behind it NOW - this is far more important than the views from 3 years ago.
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A binding referendum has certain thresholds to achieve. This referendum was not binding (other than certain politicians incorrectly suggesting it was to further their views).
Had this been binding the result would have been thrown out anyway due to finding of improper conduct established by the Electoral Commission - which cannot be applied because it was not binding (you couldn’t make this nonsense up!)
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Torre, whilst I was and am a remain voter for many personal reasons, I did at the time of the result accept that it was the democratic will of the people to leave the EU. So it is somewhat unfair to say a lot of people have not accepted it, I think that is somewhat too simplistic. I think it is not the result of the vote that has not been accepted. It is the fixation of Mrs May on her red lines and inflexibility that has led us to this point in time that has caused so much unacceptance in the country, and that is coming from someone who is usually a conservative voter. So believe me I understand how complicated this has become for voters on both sides.
I felt it was misguided in the first place to hold the vote in the time frame given without first talking to our European partners in depth and establishing the basis for what a future outside of the EU could really look like so that the British Public had full time to consider both sides of the informed arguments at leisure and with the full facts and consequences not these stupid side of a bus statements we were subjected to.
I’m a civil servant and have worked in several areas of government in the UK, including the Cabinet Office, the PM’s Office in No10 and in the MOD. I always felt from the first announcement that two years would never be enough time to stand up a department and negotiate the unpicking of 40+ years of close ties and treaties. Some of which were years even decades in the honing and the making. They are extremely complex and detailed and I knew from the off that the kind of chaos we are seeing now was probably going to ensue. Especially as the Conservative party have always been split when it comes to Europe. That was the main contributing factor in my decision to vote remain. Not on immigration, NHS funding, gaining back sovereignty (though I never understood that concept, as we never lost it in the first place) I have never claimed the vote was rigged, etc etc. Only that the time frames were misguided and the vote far too rushed for a decision so monumental as this one.
I have accepted the outcome and have made the decision to move to France permanently as I believe in putting up or shutting up. I would chose to remain in Europe again because I do feel Britain will be poorer in many respects for leaving. I think with the vote so close there was never going to be a coming together of the country as it was so close it could of gone either way. Indeed I remember the day well as I was in London and there was a terrific thunderstorm that screwed up all the trains out of London Waterloo, London Bridge and Victoria, I know several friends whose polling station was closed by the time they got home. Had that storm not happened I often wonder if those commuters votes would have changed the outcome? We will of course never know.
But, maybe many are still taken in by a bus slogan as they never lie, right 
Oh! And I see Boris has had a smart new haircut! Could it be he is senseing his chance for the top job could be nearing! Lol
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Lets start just with those which have actually been deemed illegal, shall we?
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It’ll take more than a haircut to fix that prick.
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I could be described as a Brexiteer but I have no desire for a hard brexit. The backstop is a relatively new term but if I understand it correctly it can’t be a politically owned mechanism it should be a hybrid of political judicial. Again it seems reasonable to suggest this, let’s see what happens.
Indeed even a labotomy couldn’t improve that idea, just might help make us a little safer.
But in all seriousness if May fails to get these back stop consesions. Then I think her deal falls parliament will take control of the process. And then if she has any remaining semblance of self awesomeness she must surely realise at that point her position finally becomes untenable and she will surely have to resign.
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And David I think you represent a very large portion of the UK leave vote in that sentiment and I applaud it. I respect your position and your values we all made the choices we did for very personal and often complicated reasons. It’s why I try not to judge anyone either way this was and is a very personal decision for each and everyone of us. No one is right or wrong in this debate. We just have opposing views according to how we see Brexit and it’s affects on us personally.
The back stop has become a very emotive issue. More so than I have ever really felt it needed to be. I think my issue with the ERG hardline stance on the backstop is that it appears to me (and I’m no expert in this) that by the very essence of the ERG’s argument they will by default put in place the very thing they want removed. But it would only come into effect on 30th March 2021 if a trade deal is not in place by then under May’s deal. If the ERG got there hard Brexit a hard border would come into effect immediately.
A hard Brexit will mean there is no agreement which by definition will automatically put in place a hard border on the island of Ireland as Europe will have to have this to prevent free access into Europe, from the UK who at this point will cease to be part of the EU and we will be outside of the economic and trade arrangements on WTO terms.
By blocking Mays deal they surely by default bring in the very thing they are currently arguing is the issue. But it’s only an issue in two years time if there’s no trade deal it’s square argument and I really struggle to understand the concept of that.
Hi Brian, the UK won’t put a hard border between NI and ROI and I think that’s fair to say the EU don’t want to either. I think it’s prudent to acknowledge what we do if the envisaged solutions to the question aren’t ready and in an odd kind of way I think there is opportunity for NI here, one foot in one foot out, but what’s key for me is that the decision to consign the backstop to history can’t be political alone.
Any negotiator needs to get the best for their stakeholders and reserve the right to walk away if the deal is unfair. If that happens then the EU will have to erect a barrier. I can’t see that happening which is why they want “no deal” taken off of the table or, more positively, a good deal is likely.
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