Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Original poster

To wish people would STOP saying 52% of people voted for Brexit......

161 replies

BertrandRussell · 25/06/2016 08:06

No they didn't.

38ish% did.

That's 38%. This seismic change has been triggered by 38% of the population.

OP posts:

MrsJoeyMaynard · 25/06/2016 08:34

It shows that the vast majority of people are unhappy with the way things were

Ha. Since when has a 4% majority been "vast"???

DurhamDurham · 25/06/2016 08:34

52% of those who voted voted to leave, those that didn't vote may have gone for remain or leave but we will never know. That's the thing about a democracy, you have the right to vote and the right not to.

The turnout was high, higher than any general election since the 1990's I think so I cannot understand calling for another referendum, we can't just keep going until we get the result that remain want.

MrsGuyOfGisbo · 25/06/2016 08:35

There is a pointless petition doing the rounds saying the majority should be a minimum of 60% - that horse has bolted
Why weren't they demanding that 60% BEFORE the indyref - oh, wait a minute - they thought then that they would narrowly win....

LizKeen · 25/06/2016 08:35

Sorry chipsandpeas only seeing your posts now. Thanks!

SoupDragon · 25/06/2016 08:37

Why are people who didn't vote getting lumped in with remain?

Because they didn't vote for Leave. If it had gone the other way, they would be lumped in with the Leavers because they didn't vot to stay.

What if 52% of non voters had have gone for brexit?

That's irrelevant though. They didn't vote at all and thus did not vote for the winning side. How they might have voted doesn't matter. I imagine they would be split between "I don't care", "no point voting leave leave because we won't win", and "I don't need to vote remain as they will win anyway".

SoupDragon · 25/06/2016 08:39

Why weren't they demanding that 60% BEFORE the indyref - oh, wait a minute - they thought then that they would narrowly win....

I bet Farage has conveniently forgotten how he (allegedly) said he would call for another referendum if the result was close but for remain :) is he now saying"look, it was close, I think we should have another"? No he is not!

chocolateworshipper · 25/06/2016 08:39

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215

TheGoodEnoughWife · 25/06/2016 08:40

Using the same reasoning behind 'only' 38% of the electorate voted to leave then only 34.56% of the electorate voted to stay - even less of a majority so why should they 'win'?

Egosumquisum · 25/06/2016 08:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoupDragon · 25/06/2016 08:41

No one is saying they should win though.

TheFairyCaravan · 25/06/2016 08:42

You know that pointless petition MrsGuy? Farage was hinting at wanting a second referendum had the result gone the other way!

branofthemist · 25/06/2016 08:42

That's irrelevant though. They didn't vote at all and thus did not vote for the winning side.

Exactly it's irrelevant. Non voters are irrelevant in this case. By not voting they chose to go with the voting majority.

Which, as much as it pisses me off, was out.

Egosumquisum · 25/06/2016 08:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CharlieSierra · 25/06/2016 08:43

Maddy so you are actually saying that people who had a vote but chose not to bother should have a side chosen for them? They should be added to what in this case is the losing side? If you don't vote you don't count, that's the point of voting.

WeekendAway · 25/06/2016 08:43

I hate these threads. We had tons of these after the general election to. It really is irrelevant quoting figures and percentages based on some fantasy system that we don't have.

What on earth is the point in worrying about the opinions of the people who didn't bother to vote? Clearly they were either undecided or apathetic, and therefore for the purposes of a GA or a referendum they don't exist.

Presumably you, OP, voted Remain. I wonder if the vote had gone your way and it had been 52% of voters (but only 38% of actual people eligible to vote) you'd be starting a thread to point that out?

TheGoodEnoughWife · 25/06/2016 08:43

Apart from al the remainders saying the vote should not hold? Because, by default, if the vote doesn't hold and we stay in then remainders have 'won'

DurhamDurham · 25/06/2016 08:44

That's irrelevant though. They didn't vote at all and thus did not vote for the winning side

They didn't vote for the losing side either, why do people assume that if everyone who voted did so that Remain would have won? It's something we will never know.

TheGoodEnoughWife · 25/06/2016 08:45

The only assumption for the non voters is that they didn't care. And if they don't care then they get to follow what the majority of actual voters choose.

21stCenturyBreakdown · 25/06/2016 08:46

To those saying that any result, either way, should only have been valid if it reached at least a 60% majority...

Supposing that had been the case: that the results were the same as they were, but with that rule in place. Then what? We have to repeat the referendum over and over and over again until one side gets a majority? We couldn't call it quits until a majority was reached because doing so would make one option win by default - which is undemocratic (particularly if the majority voted the opposite, just not to the extent of the pre-defined threshold).

A minimum threshold doesn't work in a straight two-way choice because it sets the bar higher for one side than it does the other.

Egosumquisum · 25/06/2016 08:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

BertrandRussell · 25/06/2016 08:49

Obviously the result stands, and the ridiculous petition for a second referendum is just that- ridiculous.

But the suggestion that this is an overwhelming victory for Brexit is just not borne out by the facts. Which needs to be remembered when the "decent ordinary people" line is brought out.

And, incidentally, Farage said this recently "In a 52-48 referendum this would be unfinished business by a long way." That was when he thought he would lose.......!

OP posts:

Egosumquisum · 25/06/2016 08:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BurnTheBlackSuit · 25/06/2016 08:51

The general election was different- you can't say a majority of people voted for the Conservative, or even a majority of those who voted as more people voted for other parties than the Conservatives and also the general election is votes for local MPs not a national vote (so all the numbers aren't added up).

But the referendum was clear cut- people who don't vote don't get a say. 52% of those who voted voted to leave, 48% voted to Remain. It is a clear majority. It is not a large majority or anything, but it IS a majority. That's how democracy works.

If we had to have 60% of those eligible to vote voting for anything, it would never happen. That's why they have(?) are trying to (?) bring in a rule like that for Trade Unions going on strike- because it will prevent strikes from happening.

Egosumquisum · 25/06/2016 08:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GloriaGaynor · 25/06/2016 08:53

I don't think the petition is ridiculous. MPs have the right to oppose the referendum in any case.

It's ridiculous that the future of this country is fucked on a 4% majority, and 38% of the electorate. That's not democracy it's just a cock up.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7