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Brexit

AIBU to think that if the government stopped or paused Brexit, it is highly unlikely there would be massive 'civil' unrest ?

504 replies

frumpety · 12/11/2018 12:04

I have heard people say that if Brexit was stopped or even paused there would be riots and mass civil unrest as a result. I honestly don't think there would be, I know a lot of people would be annoyed or angry.


Would any leave voter on here seriously consider rioting ?

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RedneckStumpy · 12/11/2018 12:06

The neighbor of my parents would, they would say democracy has failed.

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frumpety · 12/11/2018 12:09

So they would go out in the cold, wet and dark and riot in their town ?

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Singlenotsingle · 12/11/2018 12:11

There would be a lot of very cross people. Other people march, so why not?

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twofingerstoEverything · 12/11/2018 12:11

I think the extremists might well riot - by which I mean those charmers from BNP, NF, EDL, the Identitarian movement and the Football Lads Alliance. But then, they're thugs anyway and don't need much excuse.

Disaster capitalists will be very angry, too, but probably aren't the rioting type.

I think the government needs to fess up and admit that there is no way that Brexit can be achieved without massive damage. Most reasonable people would be willing to accept and understand that, especially if they've been paying attention to the so-called negotiations.

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twofingerstoEverything · 12/11/2018 12:12

Other people march, so why not?
Marching is not 'rioting' or 'civil unrest' though, is it?

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ShreddedBanksy · 12/11/2018 12:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RedneckStumpy · 12/11/2018 12:13

I would expect them to join a organized riot. I suspect there are a large number who would riot, plus a number of people who would join in “because they can”.

The country isn’t as civilized as it first appears

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MephistophelesApprentice · 12/11/2018 12:14

Rioting I doubt.

But I think people would stop engaging in democracy and start listening to anti-democratic groups more and more. Give it a decade or two and you would see fascist/communist uniforms on the streets of Britain and then you would start seeing street violence.

If the people cannot bring about change (for better or worse) through peaceful voting, but still urgently desire change, what options other than violence will be left? It will take a while, but it would destroy the liberal democratic order utterly, forcing either the creation of a tyrannical police state or a brutal revolution.

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DadJoke · 12/11/2018 12:14

If it did happen, it would be nothing to what might happen at the Irish border if the GFA is broken.

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53rdWay · 12/11/2018 12:18

Riots, no. Marches and protests, yes, and certain figureheads using it as an example of why you just can’t trust Parliament and true democracy would mean bypassing it entirely, probably.

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Davros · 12/11/2018 12:18

I think there would be protests. Probably not riots

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RedneckStumpy · 12/11/2018 12:20

DadJoke

At this stage in the proceedings I think it last safe to assume that war on the border is inevitable.

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reallybadidea · 12/11/2018 12:20

Avoiding civil unrest is, IMO, not a good enough reason to pursue a hugely damaging course of action. Threatening civil unrest is a form of terrorism really.

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KlutzyDraconequus · 12/11/2018 12:22

Well 17milion people voted leave. If only 1% of leave voters decided to riot because their democratic choice has been ignored, that would 170,000 people rioting.

Rightly or wrongly this country is democracy. There was a vote, it entirely one way, we can't start redoing democratic votes.
Unless we start redoing every general election too.. maybe we could have 3 votes? Best out of three wins. General elections and referendums would run for years and years.

Bring in compulsory voting I say. Referendums and general elections, vote of get fined £150

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frumpety · 12/11/2018 12:23

An 'organised' riot is an interesting concept, completely different to a peaceful protest march. Although I could see a peaceful protest march being hijacked by those with nefarious purposes.

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Butterymuffin · 12/11/2018 12:25

It's really a question of whether those riots will be worse than the riots that will happen when supplies of food and medicine run low after Brexit.

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frumpety · 12/11/2018 12:25

But Klutzy that would be 170,000 people rioting all over the UK , that would limit the impact surely ? Or are they all going to get buses and trains to London ?

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Butterymuffin · 12/11/2018 12:26

There was a vote, it entirely one way

52/48 doesn't strike me as 'entirely one way'.

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FaFoutis · 12/11/2018 12:30

General elections get redone every few years. That 'democracy' argument doesn't work.

YANBU
The only rioting would take place in The Mail comments.

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ShreddedBanksy · 12/11/2018 12:31

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53rdWay · 12/11/2018 12:31

It would depend on the reason for government abandoning Brexit.

Another referendum that ends in a Remain vote - hard to argue that’s anti-democratic, we don’t demand that general elections bond everybody for a generation.

Government admitting that it is impossible to carry out a Brexit that isn’t hugely damaging to the country with the red lines it’s set for itself - honest, but unlikely to happen!

Government unable to get a deal vote through Parliament, then saying “well we can’t in good conscience inflict No Deal on the country, so we’re revoking Article 50” - seems most likely to lead to protests/unrest

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53rdWay · 12/11/2018 12:33

52/48, and a majority in only 2/4 of the countries that make up the U.K.

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FaFoutis · 12/11/2018 12:34

It doesn't even need to be changes of mind.
How many people who voted leave have died since the vote?
How many people who would vote remain have turned 18 since the vote?

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KlutzyDraconequus · 12/11/2018 12:38

What majority did the conservatives get in last election?
Why isn't that being redone?

There was a vote, it entirely one way
That is a typo, it should have said it went one way. Autocorrect changed it cause I missed the 'W'..

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