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Original poster

To want Brexit be reversed

812 replies

BeKookySheep · 05/05/2025 10:59

I don’t normally post about politics, but this has been playing on my mind for a while. I wasn’t super political before the referendum — just a mum trying to do her best for her family. But now, years later, I really feel like Brexit hasn’t delivered what we were promised. And I think we should seriously start talking about reversing it.

My eldest is 16, really bright, and had dreams of studying languages and maybe doing a year abroad. We looked into Erasmus a while ago, but that’s gone now. And the cost and hassle of studying or working in Europe is so much higher now. She asked me, “Why is it so much harder for us than it was for you, Mum?” And honestly, I didn’t know what to say. It hit me hard.

Everything’s more expensive — our food shop has gone up loads, and don’t even get me started on getting certain things for school packed lunches! Little things, but they add up. My brother runs a small business and he's drowning in paperwork just to send stuff to Ireland. And a friend of mine left the NHS because she felt so overstretched — they can’t recruit enough staff anymore, especially from Europe.

Brexit hasn’t made anything better. It’s just made life harder in so many small but important ways. And if something clearly isn’t working — and is limiting our children’s futures — why shouldn’t we talk about changing it?

We tell our kids it’s okay to admit when something’s not right and make it better. Maybe it’s time we took our own advice.

Would love to hear if others are feeling the same. Has Brexit made life harder for your family too?

OP posts:
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MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/05/2025 17:36

OonaStubbs · 07/05/2025 17:25

But it is true, if people were happy with the way things were, with us being in the EU, Brexit wouldn't have won the vote.

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People were persuaded to believe that our membership of the EU was the source of their problems. That doesn't actually make it true that that EU was the source of their problems, it merely proves how very easy it is to manipulate people.

OonaStubbs · 07/05/2025 17:25

TooBigForMyBoots · 07/05/2025 10:46

Repeating this lie does not make it true.

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But it is true, if people were happy with the way things were, with us being in the EU, Brexit wouldn't have won the vote.

TooBigForMyBoots · 07/05/2025 14:25

BatchCookBabe · 07/05/2025 11:11

That was the EU that caused the issues for N.I. Not Brexit. HTH. Smile

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Yep, you paid no attention at all to the shit it caused here. It wasn't the EU that was the problem. It was purely UK made by the Conservatives and the DUP. But sure you don't seem overly bothered by facts.

HTHSmile

Odras · 07/05/2025 11:59

BatchCookBabe · 07/05/2025 11:11

That was the EU that caused the issues for N.I. Not Brexit. HTH. Smile

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I think that both the EU and the UK caused problems for Northern Ireland. From an Irish perspective I’m not sure either side really cared about the people of Northern Ireland that much. The UK made a deal and then broke it, and showed their complete ignorance and apathy towards N.I. and the EU was focused on ensuring it gave the UK government a hard time.

I think when it came down to it was mostly Ireland who actually cared about the people of Northern Ireland and protecting peace there. Obviously because the cost for us would be much greater if NI went down the plug hole.

Odras · 07/05/2025 11:37

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 07:53

Is it poor? Comparatively against say Germany or France? I mean outside short term Labour policies which might halve growth.

Over time where’s the EU v UK

@Clavinovathanks for those DA posts, it hadn’t made sense on these threads for a while, you’ve explained the report etc

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Yes it is comparatively poor.

it’s really very clear that Brexit has been bad for the economy so far. Other things have happened to affect the world economy but the UK was in a worse position because it basically had created barriers to trade. I think it’s fairly undeniable - no genuine economists say otherwise. . But there are experts who argue it could ultimately work out better in the longer term.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 07/05/2025 11:13

BatchCookBabe · 07/05/2025 11:11

That was the EU that caused the issues for N.I. Not Brexit. HTH. Smile

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How exactly did the EU cause issues for Northern Ireland?

BatchCookBabe · 07/05/2025 11:11

TooBigForMyBoots · 07/05/2025 10:54

You clearly didn't pay any attention to what happened to NI because of Brexit. We are only beginning to recover now.

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That was the EU that caused the issues for N.I. Not Brexit. HTH. Smile

BatchCookBabe · 07/05/2025 11:10

Walkaround · 07/05/2025 08:12

Over time, but conveniently excluding any inconvenient realities, like the way the country has been and is being run. Let’s exclude Liz Truss, too. And Covid. And Boris Johnson. And the invasion of Ukraine. And Trump. In a vacuum, how are we doing? 🤣

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All of which have NOTHING to do with Brexit.

Nice try though. Smile

Goldenbear · 07/05/2025 10:56

OonaStubbs · 07/05/2025 00:28

The problem with talking about "how Brexit damaged the UK economy" is that many of the people that voted for Brexit didn't get any benefit from the economy when it was good. Because most, if not all, of the benefits of being in the EU were for the middle and upper classes. For working-class people it just meant having to compete for jobs and houses and resources with the influx of EU migrants.

Oh do you mean like Nigel Farage kind of people?

TooBigForMyBoots · 07/05/2025 10:54

BatchCookBabe · 06/05/2025 23:49

I bet you can't find any 'report' on how Brexit has damaged the UK economy. You can't, because it didn't damage it. The economy in the UK - and the rest of the world - got fucked by the covid pandemic, and the cost of living rise. There is zero proof of Brexit doing anything negative to the UK economy... Any 'UK economy damage' was done by the lockdowns/covid/the cost of living crisis!

The only 'negative' of Brexit, is the fact you need to have 3 months on your passport now - to travel to Europe. Who cares? Any sensible and rational person would have made sure they had at LEAST 3 months on their passport, before travelling ANYwhere on it, (before we left the EU!)

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You clearly didn't pay any attention to what happened to NI because of Brexit. We are only beginning to recover now.

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 10:47

StandFirm · 07/05/2025 10:36

Right. Rejoining the EU would require a referendum but not to start the negotiations - only once the negotiated deal is known. That's what should have happened with the Brexit vote. What should have been is this: Step1. advisory referendum. Ends up Pro leave -marginally, not the sweeping mandate that some would have us believe, there was less than a 2% difference between leave and remain- but ok, on to Step2. We negotiate the terms of departure BEFORE we set a ticking clock over our heads Step3. We know what Brexit looks like and we get British voters to confirm they're on board with whatever deal has been negotiated and its implications Step4. We're now in or out off the back of an informed popular mandate, for good, and we stop bitching about it either way.

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I don’t think negotiations can happen without mandate.

If it was known that the plan was to rejoin, and I don’t see why that wouldn’t be known, people would rightly ask hang on who’s given you mandate for this?

TooBigForMyBoots · 07/05/2025 10:46

OonaStubbs · 07/05/2025 00:28

The problem with talking about "how Brexit damaged the UK economy" is that many of the people that voted for Brexit didn't get any benefit from the economy when it was good. Because most, if not all, of the benefits of being in the EU were for the middle and upper classes. For working-class people it just meant having to compete for jobs and houses and resources with the influx of EU migrants.

Repeating this lie does not make it true.

StandFirm · 07/05/2025 10:36

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 10:25

And to rejoin? Which was the question.

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Right. Rejoining the EU would require a referendum but not to start the negotiations - only once the negotiated deal is known. That's what should have happened with the Brexit vote. What should have been is this: Step1. advisory referendum. Ends up Pro leave -marginally, not the sweeping mandate that some would have us believe, there was less than a 2% difference between leave and remain- but ok, on to Step2. We negotiate the terms of departure BEFORE we set a ticking clock over our heads Step3. We know what Brexit looks like and we get British voters to confirm they're on board with whatever deal has been negotiated and its implications Step4. We're now in or out off the back of an informed popular mandate, for good, and we stop bitching about it either way.

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 10:25

StandFirm · 07/05/2025 10:23

Labour does not need a referendum to negotiate a proper trade deal with the EU.

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And to rejoin? Which was the question.

StandFirm · 07/05/2025 10:23

Southwestten · 07/05/2025 05:06

I have zero respect for Brexit voters and hope with everything that it’s reversed but Labour would need a bloody backbone.

@beachcitygirl do you think there should be another referendum to decide whether we rejoin, or should the government start negotiations with the EU without a referendum?

Labour does not need a referendum to negotiate a proper trade deal with the EU.

Bikergran · 07/05/2025 10:13

StillProcrastinating · 05/05/2025 11:02

People are voting Reform, so looks like lots think Nigel Farage knows what he’s doing. Presumably they’re quite happy with the outcome of brexit and think it’s been good for the country because otherwise why vote for him ….

Because they're idiotic sheep who believe these liars.

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 10:11

beachcitygirl · 07/05/2025 10:06

Hi @SouthwesttenI’m genuinely in two minds about this. On the one hand the public deserve a say on such a monumental issue, however
a) a lot of general public are politically illiterate and easily manipulated and selfish, evidenced by surge in reform voting.
b) I’m not convinced the lies told last time wouldn’t be repeated, rephrased
c) we have a system of political electoral representation and we have already given out trust (democratically at the polling station ) to our MP’s.

so on balance, i think let the elected government crack on if they had the sense to do so.

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They haven’t been elected on that mandate. Starmer ruled out the CU and SM pre GE let alone rejoining. A gov would need a mandate via a GE at least.

And probably a mandate for a referendum.

beachcitygirl · 07/05/2025 10:06

Southwestten · 07/05/2025 05:06

I have zero respect for Brexit voters and hope with everything that it’s reversed but Labour would need a bloody backbone.

@beachcitygirl do you think there should be another referendum to decide whether we rejoin, or should the government start negotiations with the EU without a referendum?

Hi @SouthwesttenI’m genuinely in two minds about this. On the one hand the public deserve a say on such a monumental issue, however
a) a lot of general public are politically illiterate and easily manipulated and selfish, evidenced by surge in reform voting.
b) I’m not convinced the lies told last time wouldn’t be repeated, rephrased
c) we have a system of political electoral representation and we have already given out trust (democratically at the polling station ) to our MP’s.

so on balance, i think let the elected government crack on if they had the sense to do so.

StandFirm · 07/05/2025 09:03

JustAndrea · 07/05/2025 08:12

Then you must have been lucky. I visited Prague myself just before Christmas and had exactly the opposite experience. The EU gates had all cleared whilst the Non EU nationals stood in a very long snake-like queue. It took us over an hour to clear passport control.

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Casual travel is not the issue - even though sometimes I have seen the long queues, but speed at the border depends very much on how the station, port or airport is set up. Took me recently less than 30 seconds to go through immigration checks at Singapore for example, but sometimes 3 painful hours at LAX and in Europe, it varies depending on the destination.
The real issue is the red tape involved in exporting/importing goods or getting visas for staff from the EU when before none of that was required. It's made everything more complicated and more expensive. It's literally slowing us down. Then of course we need trade deals - but all of them come with some loosening of visa rules, which is logical, but doesn't seem to suit the anti-immigration narrative. However we may want to though, we can't be self-sufficient, so we're going to have to restore some form of freedom of movement with the EU if we want to revive trade with them.

Walkaround · 07/05/2025 08:12

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 07:53

Is it poor? Comparatively against say Germany or France? I mean outside short term Labour policies which might halve growth.

Over time where’s the EU v UK

@Clavinovathanks for those DA posts, it hadn’t made sense on these threads for a while, you’ve explained the report etc

Edited
Show quote history

Over time, but conveniently excluding any inconvenient realities, like the way the country has been and is being run. Let’s exclude Liz Truss, too. And Covid. And Boris Johnson. And the invasion of Ukraine. And Trump. In a vacuum, how are we doing? 🤣

JustAndrea · 07/05/2025 08:12

WhoDatDen · 07/05/2025 07:38

Every time I now find myself queuing in foreign airports, I get angry just thinking about the short-sightedness of the leave vote.

This is not always the case. I was at Prague airport last month and the passport controller was waiting for me in his booth and DH had one beckoning him to come over. We were both through within minutes. Whereas the EU booth had 8 people queuing and it took them longer.

People get het up over this issue, but lately I've found more booths for non-EU and a quick process at the four destinations visited over the past 18 months with Prague being the speediest.

Then you must have been lucky. I visited Prague myself just before Christmas and had exactly the opposite experience. The EU gates had all cleared whilst the Non EU nationals stood in a very long snake-like queue. It took us over an hour to clear passport control.

EasternStandard · 07/05/2025 07:53

Odras · 07/05/2025 07:16

https://www.london.gov.uk/new-report-reveals-uk-economy-almost-ps140billion-smaller-because-brexit

https://niesr.ac.uk/blog/five-years-economic-impact-brexit

https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/impact-brexit-uk-economy-reviewing-evidence

You’d be hard pushed to find an economist who thinks Brexit hasn’t damaged the economy. Even the people pushing Brexit to begin with mostly pointed that the economy would decrease initially. Wasn’t it Reece Moggs who told people to think 50 years ahead? I mean it is fairly obvious that putting in trade barriers doesn’t help the economy grow.

Inflation, Covid all these global shocks impacted the UK economy more than it would have without Brexit. That’s why the prognosis for the UK economy is so poor.

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Is it poor? Comparatively against say Germany or France? I mean outside short term Labour policies which might halve growth.

Over time where’s the EU v UK

@Clavinovathanks for those DA posts, it hadn’t made sense on these threads for a while, you’ve explained the report etc

WhoDatDen · 07/05/2025 07:38

Every time I now find myself queuing in foreign airports, I get angry just thinking about the short-sightedness of the leave vote.

This is not always the case. I was at Prague airport last month and the passport controller was waiting for me in his booth and DH had one beckoning him to come over. We were both through within minutes. Whereas the EU booth had 8 people queuing and it took them longer.

People get het up over this issue, but lately I've found more booths for non-EU and a quick process at the four destinations visited over the past 18 months with Prague being the speediest.

Rummly · 07/05/2025 07:29

I don’t disagree in principle.

But the report paid for by the Mayor has been dealt with already.

Odras · 07/05/2025 07:28

OonaStubbs · 07/05/2025 00:28

The problem with talking about "how Brexit damaged the UK economy" is that many of the people that voted for Brexit didn't get any benefit from the economy when it was good. Because most, if not all, of the benefits of being in the EU were for the middle and upper classes. For working-class people it just meant having to compete for jobs and houses and resources with the influx of EU migrants.

The economy since Brexit has impacted those on the bottom the most. Inequality has grown. There is more immigration now and the unemployment rate hasn’t changed much (it was low and it’s still low)

Housing continues to be a problem.

I’m not sure Brexit was the right medicine for people on lower incomes. It’s looking in the wrong direction.