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

[BertrandRussell]

No they didn't.

38ish% did.

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

[BurnTheBlackSuit]

Can people stop listening to and quoting Farage and giving him airtime? He's a dick.

[InShockReally]

someone has fucked up in allowing this referendum to go ahead without a similar safeguard. yes, hugely!

I think if there had been a third option - "I don't know about the EU but want to say a massive 'fuck you' to everyone in power, I don't trust any of you and my life is shit' that box would have been overwhelmingly ticked.

As it is I don't think people know what leaving the EU really means because we've been a part of it for so long, it's embedded into everything. Even those desperate to leave can't say for sure what will happen. That's not ok with such a narrow margin!

[BertrandRussell]

"Can people stop listening to and quoting Farage and giving him airtime? He's a dick."

Oh, the irony!

[AdrenalineFudge]

And all of this just to settle a bit of in-fighting in the Conservative party. Utter madness.

[Bluebolt]

There is loads of hate going around for older generations and yet I know a few who did not vote as they felt it was not their decision to make. Now getting the blame for not voting.

[BillSykesDog]

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.

Actually, I'm not sure that's true. This seems to be an argument which is mainly used when something perceived to be broadly left wing loses. Like the last election. The Conservative Party won 36.9% of the vote to 30.4% for Labour. The common left wing complaint was that the government didn't have a mandate as including those who didn't vote it was only 24.3%.

BUT by comparison when something broadly perceived to be left wing won with a worse result (21.6% by the same method) few objections were raised and certainly not as vocally or consistently.

For some reason those who tend towards the left seem to view none voters as being in agreement with them by default.

I think there would have been objections raised if 'leave' had lost, but probably due to perceived unfairness in the campaign and the extension of voter registration. But this complaint is traditional left wing sour grapes which gets dragged out every time they lose but never when they win in the same circumstances. But it's a particularly pointless and petulant complaint which never goes anywhere.

[GloriaGaynor]

TBF - that comment could be made by a Leave campaigner if the result had gone the other way

If it was one of the many many Leave voters who have no idea of the political and economic consequences of their choice, sure.

[WeekendAway]

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.......!

Well presumably he meant that UKIP and Brexit supporters would carry on campaigning for an eventual exit from the EU. NF doesn't get to dictate whether there would be a second referendum or not.

[frostyfingers]

I voted in and am disappointed by the result and nervous of the consequences but the fact is that those who wanted out were in the majority, never mind it's not a massive one and there's nothing to be done about so let's just get on with it and stop blaming other people, the system and everything else.

It is the democracy we have, generally it works out and if the Remain campaign had won by the same margin would everyone on that side being saying democracy is a cock up? I don't think so.

I don't like the result, I really don't but I can't change it right now so I'm praying that it can be made to work.

[BertrandRussell]

"There is loads of hate going around for older generations and yet I know a few who did not vote as they felt it was not their decision to make. Now getting the blame for not voting."

And so they should! Why didn't they just ask their children or grandchildren?

[MorrisZapp]

Scotland will be very tight lipped about narrow margins and voting safeguards.

Indyref 2 will produce a narrow result and both sides know it. They can't criticise the narrow, apparently undemocratic result in Brexit because if a narrow result goes for Yes they'll call it a clear mandate for change.

[WeekendAway]

I know it's slightly different with a GE because of proportional representation, but the fact still remains that we have to look at the voting within the system that we have. Whether it's PR or straightforward referendum style where each vote for whichever side counts in the final result, there is ZERO POINT in considering which way non-voters might have voted and what that might or might not say about the will of the people.

[mamamea]

We don't have compulsory voting, so YABU and a very bad loser.

[InShockReally]

Yy Ego

[21stCenturyBreakdown]

And all of this just to settle a bit of in-fighting in the Conservative party. Utter madness.

JUST to settle in-fighting? There has been euroscepticism in Britain for a long time and Leave voters wanted change. The Conservatives picked up on that before the last general election and promised a referendum as part of their manifesto - this happened because the public wanted it.

[DianaRoss]

Our country has extricated itself from the most ambitious PONZI SCHEME, and by a margin of 1.2 million people

Bernie Madoff pulled it off with worldly, sophisticated people. Ask yourselves - Merkel said that she wants our exit wrapped up swiftly in case there is a DOMINO EFFECT amongt some of the other member countries. Why would that be, if everything is hunky-dory in the club?

[AuntMabel]

YANBU. It's factually incorrect to state "52% of the country wants this so fuck off you sore losers" which was one of the charming posts I blocked scrolled past on my news feed today. Maths was never my strong point but even I can calculate 52% of 72% of the electorate does not = 52% of the Great British people.

But, it is what it is. It's done. We will just have to see what happens.

[BertrandRussell]

"Our country has extricated itself"

Our country has not extricated itself from anything the process has barely started

[Rosie0987]

Hi all

What have you done Granny !

This is tragedy for the youngsters - there is a way to get another 2 petition

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215/signatures/new

Sign it but share it with your kids and on social media

It was only passed by less than 60% of the population and with less than 75% turnout so you can have another say

Make your feelings heard
Rosie

[DianaRoss]

Well, obviously, Bertrand. Feeling a wee bit nitpicky, are we?

[AdrenalineFudge]

Euroscepticism yes but other than the fringe parties there wasn't an appetite for a full on referendum. Cameron promised it with his sights set on getting into Number 10, not as what's now happened that we'd end up leaving and he'd be out of a job. The EU is in dire need of reform and agree with a pp that this will hopefully be the catalyst to achieve that.