To still be really sad and angry about Brexit

There was that little matter of Hitler murdering millions of Jews and others and attempting to conquer the world by slaughtering all those in his path, but perhaps that's trivial?

So are my parents who were gutted about Brexit. Not because they were making ridiculous claims like your oh so hilarious parody but because they saw the huge benefits of free movement and the financial benefits to the country as a whole.

Nobody's claiming we couldn't function as a country before the EU or that we can't function now. But it's a functioning with far fewer additional benefits.

Which is shit.

My mum's 76 now and was furious with most of her generation for voting leave and mortified that people would assume she was one of them purely due to her age.

I feel the same OP. I can’t get over it.

I'm old enough to remember life before the EU existed.

We lived on crusts of bread in the gutter and treated each other brutally as we didn't know any better.

Anything 'they' have told you about the long history of the UK is false. We were savages until the EU graciously took over and will be savages again now.

It's already affected the OP who is wishing people dead.

Spare a thought for 250 millions Americans who will never know what it's like to be in the EU. Doomed to a life of poverty and oppression without their guiding hand. Not just now but for all time.

There's just no way forward for them.

OK, I'll bite.

How is the UK today materially and tangibly better as a result of leaving the EU? What is great about the UK in 2024 that did not exist prior to 2016?

I think many people who voted remain are quite rightly, and justifiably, very angry about how our country was plunged into a state of hatred and fear by a few very rich racists. And no, I don't think everyone who voted for Brexit is racist, but I'm damn sure that all racists voted for Brexit. And the quality of the 'discussion' often betrayed that fact, so it goes both ways. I am actually genuinely sorry for those who were hoodwinked and sold a lie, expecting their lives would be better once we rid ourselves of the EU, rather than realising it was Tory/ Lib Dem austerity. But I don't remember them affording much in the way of constructive discussion at the time. It was largely about 'sovereignty' and anyone who tried to engage them was called a snowflake, or part of the London 'elite'.

I think these threads tend to be vent threads so you get a lot of talk about how shit the UK is and how stupid leave voters are rather than actual debate. Plus the usual catch phrases - blue passports, sunny uplands, project fear etc.

"all leavers spouted"?
The problem was people feeling that they weren't being listened to, but patronised. I think that a valid discussion to allay those fears may have been helpful.
But terms and insults being used on here indicate that it's still not the case.
Note: I voted Remain, with some concerns about the EU. However . If people shut down discussion by using terms such as "forrin" and "ennit" to dismiss other voters, I think it's problematic.

Valid concerns? It's all Leave voters spouted when asked about the benefits of Brexit. Yet when you asked them what they meant by 'sovereignty' there was a deathly silence. I also well remember how Remainers (and many experts in their professional fields) were mocked about their valid concerns. Everyone told them they were part of 'Project Fear'. Oh, and let's not forget how we questioned that £350m on the side of a bus. How's the NHS doing now with all that extra money?

I find it really interesting that on the one hand Brits complain about relocating from their home towns to where the work is and moving geographically within the UK, but also complain they no longer have opportunities to work/live in Europe if they wish.

I used to frequent the higher education threads on here and on other forums. I think you are being disingenuous to deny that organising a year abroad since Brexit has caused a lot more headaches caused by red tape. So many students have had to wait months for their visas and cut it really fine when it came to organising placements, travel and accommodation.

Not everyone has the advantages you clearly have.

I don't disagree with you fundamentally. However, needing a visa to come to the UK to study doesn't stop international students coming to the UK and neither does or shoukd it stop UK students from studying in Europe or elsewhere in the world. Lots of the DC's friends have done it post Brexit.

Nothing stops DH and I retiring to France except that we would pay more tax there. Our dc both speak fluent French but it has very little to do with school and formal qualifications.

DD's boyfriend spent school holidays in Germany and speaks fluent German. It is highly likely he will be transferred there in the next year or so.

Freedom of movement around Europe did not commence as soon as we joined the EU or common market, it was introduced in the 80s or early 90s. I am pretty sure I had only 2 European passports between 1975 and 2015. Also, I've endured some horrendous queues coming into the UK from Europe even lre Brexit because we couldn't use the e gates because one of us didn't have the right chip on their passport!

I am old enough to remember the vociferous outcry when we joined the common market about the impact on prices and how terrible a decision joining was. My family were all for it, others were vitriolic about it.

I have no issue with immigration. It is absolutely necessary because due to the structure of our benefit system far too many people in the UK do not have to work. Tell me of another country where someone who has abundant work available can refuse to work more than 16 hours per week because it would impact their universal credit. If issues like that were dealt with, then the desire to come to the land of plenty would diminish.

Brexit has not diminished my dc's opportunities one iota. It didn't stop them going to uni, it didn't stop them doing further post grad quals, it didn't stop them getting good jobs, it doesn't stop them or us hopping on a plane to Europe when we want to. Where I work, all the European people who were employed at Brexit stayed due to the settlement scheme.

I find it really interesting that on the one hand Brits complain about relocating from their home towns to where the work is and moving geographically within the UK, but also complain they no longer have opportunities to work/live in Europe if they wish.

"ennit"?
Yes, national sovereignty has been a concern to many people, who are not confident about a supra national organisation.
It should have been addressed.
No need to mock people's valid concerns.

Yeah, but ... 'sovereignty', ennit? Our new currency, after tanking the pound.

There was a thread on here asking what the benefits of Brexit have been not that long ago.
Nobody had any

Another one here who is really sad and absolutely bloody livid about it.

Rolls eyes. Ok I wrote ‘Clapton’ instead of ‘Clacton’. This must mean everything I said about Farage and Brexit is wrong. Farage is a great man and Brexit has worked out wonderfully for the UK.

Leavers really don’t have much to crow about if a random on the net misspelling a town name is a major gotcha to them.

@Zebedee999

the reason your wages were low was due to a low level of employment law.
not the reasons you gave.

i come from a working class background and yes moved about to improve my job prospects. I have lost a job three times so don’t talk about what you don’t understand, oh yes based on your reply to me that’s your thing.

the major economic data shows the harm, or do you believe the BS and twisted data out of the racist hypocritical mouth of Farage.

if you do I would suggest clinical help.

Clacton. I wonder how much else in the above quote is factually incorrect.

That sums it up for me as well.

Years abroad for students are a beaurocratic nightmare, it has caused loads of issues at work (we have a branch in Dublin), we waited an hour to get through passport control on holiday as non EU citizens, I had to pay ££ in roaming charges on holiday.

And these are just the issues that immediately spring to mind.

What on earth did the small minded, xenophobic voters think would happen when they voted for Brexit?

I'm with you OP. I'm in Scotland and have always been anti-independence but if we'd held a referendum in the months following Brexit, damn right I'd have been a yes voter. I was fucking fuming and still am. It makes it worse that parents in both sides voted for it without a thought to their grandkids. It was all about 'immigration' but if you quiz them on it they don't really know what they were going to get out of it personally. A vote smeared with racism and we're all paying the price.

Thing is we can't rejoin with the favorable terms we had before so where would the benefit for them be? People forget we are a small small island they don't need us

And I'm fuming that he decided an advisory referendum was no longer advisory and did it anyway fleeing to protect his own ass it's obvious many people were unhappy with the EU and voted for brexit as a way to express that because it was touted as ADVISORY

swines they are

Did he get the passport? I read there had been issues.