Brexit: how scared should we be?

[staydazzling]

Theres been worries about a lot, all valid reasons medical suppliers, food unrest. People stockpiling, and now that photo on twitter about the back pack with supplies & paperwork. do we need to be prepared for the real threat of some impending civil war? how scared do we need to be?

P. S i appreciate some people argue this is scare mongering so apologies but i feel we need to be able to have these conversations.

On a scale of 1-10 you need to be scared 1 which to me means not at all.

What exactly is there to fear? We will become poorer as a Country? Well we're right near the top of the list for wealth and standard of living so falling some way is hardly something to fear.

We'll see a reduction, probably temporary on the selection of items in the Supermarket? So we have to use Heinz tomato ketchup instead of Tescos Home brand, it's costing us 50p extra but we still get that tomato ketchup on our chips.

So just what is it exactly that you feel you need to fear? Not being able to make ends meet? That's likely a legitimate fear for the very poorest but most of these people are used to not being able to make ends meet. Some will get dragged into that but that presents opportunity for a new kind of politics.

To me Brexit is a bit of a nightmare but if it happens there's no need to be scared for the vast majority. For most we should see it as an opportunity to change the Country that we live in for the better. Wealth isn't everything and the current inequality is a bigger challenge that needs to be overcome and who knows, Brexit may ultimately provide the platform for that due to the short-medium term disillusionment that it creates.

I don't recall seeing "wealth isn't everything" on the side of a bus .

stay I worry about it a lot. I feel very vulnerable as a lone parent.

What is there to be scared of? What on earth do you think will happen?

@bunglefromrainbow
Really so the poor are used to not being able to afford to eat and heat their home so when they can do neither that's fine then. Wow I guess you've never had to worry about money, try a modicum of compassion

No deal Brexit would be disastrous, you should be afraid about that. It won’t happen though, thankfully so I reckon it’ll be ok. May be thrust into another recession with a nice patch of austerity afterwards but we survived the last so...

Scared? Not in the slightest

Working in certain industries i would be concerned

Other than that - no concern whatsoever

And I was and am a remainer

You need to fear for short term shortages of essential supplies (medicines, petrol etc.)

You need to fear long term job shortages and higher prices for goods.

The grab bag is either deliberately alarmist propaganda for some strange end (or an advert for a grab bag supply company), or there is a firm belief in government that the short term measures will lead to serious disruption in law and order or safety.

The government has been preparing for months for no deal. They have petrol reserves (we have big supplies from other countries, not Europe)!, and any good chemist will be sourcing supplies from other countries.

I think the only things that will change, will be for those who were living an unsustainable lifestyle. Domestic help that was shipped in harder to find? Boo-hoo.
4 holidays a year overseas no longer quite as easy?? Wah boo, sucks for you.

now that photo on twitter about the back pack with supplies & paperwork

It's an american thing. Basically it's to encourage people to be prepared for anything. From natural disasters like wildfires to extreme weather and including things like terrorism.

It has nothing to do with brexit. I am not sure why Scottish police chose to share it too. Probably in case of extreme weather?

They have petrol reserves
I would say most countries have that...

Not being able to make ends meet? That's likely a legitimate fear for the very poorest but most of these people are used to not being able to make ends meet
Right. So it doesn't matter if they are made poorer by brexit. They're used to it.

In addition to no deal brexit, which would be a disaster, it’s the far right authoritarian govt that is taking advantage of the situation that bothers me. Many people are sleepwalking into this.

That's likely a legitimate fear for the very poorest but most of these people are used to not being able to make ends meet

Seriously you didn't write that with a straight face did you? The lack of understanding of the subject it conveys is astonishing.

Many many people who can make ends meet can't afford a five percent plus increase in the cost of living. They can't afford for one or both of them to loose their jobs, they don't want their children to. Those people who can make ends meet today, likely won't be able to tomorrow. They could lose their homes, everything,

So yes, if your in an industry that may downsize or leave the U.K., if you're just making ends meet today, there is something to be scared of in a no deal brexit.

However no deal is illegal, and the law will be applied by th government. Irrelevant of what Boris does or doesn't do. And the eu will grant the extension, likely for much longer than the three months. Irrevlant of the noise that always comes out of France beforehand.

So to be scared, no, not of no deal. Scared of what is going on in parliament, scared of the fact we might have a prime minister who would do that to th country given the chance, scared that the alternate is Jeremy Corbyn, yes that's something to be scared of.

Apparently the grab bag thing doing the rounds is an American initiative and it has a special month. This happens to be that month and it’s particularly tin eared of UK police forces picking up on it this year of all years.

If even arch leaver, Jacob Rees Mogg reckons it will take the country 50 years to recover, I think we can count on leaving the EU being pretty damned unpleasant. Of cause he’s moved all his money into Europe. What does that tell you?

Well I’m very scared that dh will lose his job. So that’s a 50% reduction in income straight away. Combined with rising costs and probable food shortages I’m fairly unhappy.

A lot of the MPs will be scared they aren't going to get their lucrative European allowance.

Lots of wealthy people are scared their won’t make the enormous sums they are counting on from a no-deal brexit. Amazing how many people have been taken in by a small number of powerful wealthy people who view them with scorn

Tbe grab bag thing has nothing to do with Brexit. September is Preparedness month and has been for a few years.
I'm a general prepper. I know this stuff.

As for "should we be scared?"
Define "scared". There were people on here recently freaked out over supermarkets not having ice lollies in the heatwave.

No Deal is a fucking stupid idea which will cause interruption to our Just In Time food supply. And fuck up any legal agreements we have so we have to waste time and money fixing that.
With whatever consequences flow from that. The ice lolly-gate people should be fucking terrified. The rest of us should get a small buffer of food in (should have done this already, slowly and in a budget friendly way) and have the capacity to steer clear of any bumpiness in the shops.
And then there's ripping up GFA. Which no Deal does.

And orderly Brexit would be a bit shit but manageable because we would have a transition period.

Lobby for an orderly Brexit.

Depends on how wealthy you are. Higher prices will affect everyone, but obviously you will feel the effect more if you don't have much disposable income.

I'd be scared if I didn't have settled status sorted and lived in the UK. If my job was in jeopardy. If I didn't have a good lump of savings to live off. If I needed medication to stay alive. All legitimate reasons to be scared/worried/however you want to phrase it.

I don't think we should be scared, I think we should be angry.

Unless you live in Northern Ireland, then you would quite justifiably be both.

I'm no expert on economics, but I have worked in logistics. I can say confidently that there is no room whatsoever for delays at customs. You are already on such a tight timescale to try and get, for example, refrigerated goods transported in and out of the country. And drivers can only do a very short number of hours. You would be surprised how little they are legally allowed to do. So a delay of half an hour could push them over into a delay of hours and hours because they are not legally allowed to continue driving. Plus, we frequently have inclement weather conditions in this country. We have a decent road system, but we're a small country so we have comparatively huge congestion issues in this country compared to others.

And then we're talking about potentially setting up new trades, with unplanned lanes. Or we'll lose established trades because it won't be in anyone's financial interest to continue. It's a quagmire of concerns for me.

Civil war? No. Are you likely to be poorer, or your money not stretch as far for a considerable number of years? Yes.

Do you need to be scared? Well that depends on your individual situation.