To think Brexit has damaged the country's mental health?

[KennDodd]

I know it's damaged mine but my job was under threat (colleagues lost their jobs instead) because of Brexit so not surprising. I think Brexit has caused huge stress, anxiety and anger in the country. David Cameron should be ashamed.

I don't think its a 'what part of the country thing', is it? .... Its a: if you are a thinking/political person thing.*

We went to several University open days. The two "southern" ones we went to (South of Birmingham) were obsessed with Brexit - in all the talks we attended, the speakers were constantly mentioning Brexit, even when it was barely relevant. At the "northern" ones we went to, not a single speaker mentioned it. At the one Scottish one we went to, again, every speaker mentioned it. My experience is that it's definitely regional.

Kazzy But what IS the compromise? Whatever else is in the mix, the Good Friday Agreement and ensuring no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland MUST be upheld. This is the purpose of the backstop. Lots of MPs said if the backstop went, they would accept the May deal - and the backstop is only there as a safety net should a formal arrangement not be sorted in the two year transition period. The EU has to look after Ireland as one of its members, so of course they aren't going to be keen to do anything that potentially violates the GFA and the EU has repeatedly said to the UK "come up with alternatives to the backstop, we'll listen" - yet they have failed to do so, and Varadker has stated this morning that the UK has STILL not gone to the EU with possible alternatives.

This nonsense spouted by Johnson that "the threat of a no deal will bring the EU round". So, no deal is clearly a scary thing that could cause lots of problems. Yet, we're at the same time not supposed to worry about a no deal, as it's all Project Fear. So, which is it? You can't have it both ways!

I haven't spoken to my brother in years over Brexit.

Him and his wife have blocked me on all social media.

The rest of my family just don't talk about it any more.

Britain has changed so much. When I go back (increasingly rarely) I see so much snidey disappointment and hatred.

Lots of Brits think they're very stiff upper lip and positive as a whole but I think it's becoming an increasingly negative and depressing place to live. Several family members and friends have all talked about leaving.

So fucking sad.

I’m amazed at people saying no one they know talks about it in real life. Everyone I know talks about it all the time.

DP and I talk about little else atm. When there are significant proceedings in parliament, like last week and when the "indicative votes" were taking place, we're glued to the parliament channel, too.

I even talk about it with the lovely Romanian man who owns our local shop. His current favourite phrase is "Bloody Boris Johnson, he's bloody mad" lol.

Thereis - thank you very much.

Brexit debate is giving thugs a licence.

And we worry about Jeremy Corbyn???

I find that many people talk about it in real life but that it has got to the point that some people avoid the issue as they know it could lead to ill feeling.

MrPan Quite. It's legitimised racism and thuggery in the minds of a sector of the public. Look at the state of the "protest" on Saturday - drunken violence. As with previous ones. I've not seen that at any remain protests.

Are people really not speaking to family over it?! Wow! I know many harcore Brexiteers and have managed not to fall out with them over it.

I have family in Sunderland who have started posting pro EU stuff on Facebook. That's interesting.

YABU. The people I know in RL don't have heated discussions about Brexit. They keep their opinions to themselves if likely to cause upset.

Cheese Yes, a good friend of mine has stopped speaking to his parents. He says it's like they've become different people. He has discovered they are racist whereas before they kept it in check and he never knew.

YANBU - there are very few people I can discuss Brexit with IRL. A few trusted friends and family who can stand it that we voted different ways and wider circle of broader-minded people who are prepared to accept that fact too. I have to avoid the subject with a lot of people as I've seen their poison invective on social media already.

I’m amazed at people saying no one they know talks about it in real life. Everyone I know talks about it all the time

Absolutely this.

From friends watching their lives in the U.K crumble, to work associates concerned about the Brexit effect, to discussion with family, to people chatting on the train.

Yes, a good friend of mine has stopped speaking to his parents. He says it's like they've become different people. He has discovered they are racist whereas before they kept it in check and he never knew

Yup. I’ve culled one friend and one family member.

My parents and Aunt voted remain, however they are almost the complete exception amongst their friendship circles. They are in their 60's and 70's.

The only time I've ever got annoyed with a Brexiteer is when one of them told me, quite seriously that she 'didnt care' about the situation in Northern Ireland and that it 'wasnt our problem' if hostilities broke out there because of Brexit. I didn't have the time or energy to give the ignorant cow a history lesson....

I don't know anyone under the age about 45 who voted to leave. Brexiteers are very older skewed in my experience.

That frustration manifested itself in the referendum which I believe was more of a protest vote against the london centric political elite rather than the EU
Well they've shot themselves in the foot there. Price rises, job losses and medicine shortages is going to affect them much more than it'll affect the political elite

It’s not just here either. I had lunch with family visiting from Australia last week and they’re agog at it all. While the BBC freely admit they’re getting to grips with parliamentary process at the same time as the rest of us, people are watching everything going to try and understand where we are and where we might be going.

I’m on maternity leave and have watched hours of debates and votes but my husband is working ft and they have the news channel on in his office and they’re having constant discussions and trying to second guess what the fuck is happening. It’s a strange time when we, the public, have as much chance of keeping up as MPs themselves. Scary but compellingly engaging and I find myself thinking about it all the time and wondering what the country will look like in 6 weeks, 6 months, a year. The country I had my daughter in is changing beyond belief.

Additionally, apologies, I can’t see how things will get clearer with an ejection. I’m politically homeless and I know most people around me feel the same.

We went to several University open days. The two "southern" ones we went to (South of Birmingham) were obsessed with Brexit - in all the talks we attended, the speakers were constantly mentioning Brexit, even when it was barely relevant. At the "northern" ones we went to, not a single speaker mentioned it. At the one Scottish one we went to, again, every speaker mentioned it. My experience is that it's definitely regional

I don't think what a speaker decided to speak about on one day proves anything. The university sector is going to be massively hit by Brexit - the academics I know North or South talk about it all the time.

The only people I know who don't talk about brexit are people who didn't vote, people who voted Leave but don't care, people who think its done and dusted(!) - ie. all people who don't think about politics a lot.

Whatever else is in the mix, the Good Friday Agreement and ensuring no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland MUST be upheld.

Thinking about an NI/ROI border and possible return to violence actually makes me feel weepy. I think younger people (I'm 64) may not realise how terrible it was. I can still remember the shock and horror I felt when the Bloody Sunday shootings happened, my rage against what, even at the time, clearly amounted to a shoot to kill policy and a plum-in-the-gob army officer describing men armed with rifles as "coming under attack" from what were little more than children, throwing stones.

I also believe that Brexit has created a climate where racists and xenophobes feel comfortable spouting their hate speech and that horrifies me. And I'd like to leave these here for the MNers who've been on the receiving end of that:

I'm truly sorry that this has happened to you.

Lakie Yes, I think people forget the Troubles. They also forget the terrorism on the mainland. People worry about Islamic terrorism but more people have been killed on mainland UK by terrorism related to Ireland than anything else by a VERY big margin.

I struggle with things like Nigel Farage saying "I never claimed we'd be better off after Brexit". Rees Mogg saying it may be 50 years before we get economic benefit. Most of us will be dead then, but he and his family have huge wealth, so it won't worry them (especially as he's moved his stuff offshore - wonder why, as always follow the money). If it isn't beneficial, why are we doing it?

I think people forget the Troubles. They also forget the terrorism on the mainland.

Those under about 30 won't have lived through it. My then boyfriend worked at Caterham hospital and used to drink in the Caterham Arms after a shift sometimes. Colleagues of his that I knew were injured in that bombing.

And I was staying with a friend in Brighton the night the Grand went up. We'd just got in after seeing a late film and were sitting having a cuppa when we heard this boom, followed by an eerie silence for a while, followed by sirens (friend's flat was on the seafront, nearly opposite the Peace statue, for those who know Brighton, so quite close).

We went out to see what was going on, and even though we couldn't get near, it was chaos and blue lights everywhere.

They were very scarey times, the fear was greater then than now, imo. Although the incidents were (mostly) smaller than more recent terrorist attacks, they were more numerous.

Part of my job covers teacher recruitment.
We are concerned about how the recruitment of international teachers will change, but no one knows. It is the continued uncertainty.

We see so much money being spent on Brexit now - the magic money tree is working so hard. It is the tragedy of our times.

It has but it also goes back to before the referendum happened. Why have successive governments not told people what EU membership allows, the options we have to select our own rules and options? We didn't have to leave to get what many leavers were campaigning for? Why wasn't that made clear from long ago?

Odd boots good question.
Done deliberately.
The less we know,the less we question.