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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think no one can name a single positive benefit of Brexit

328 replies

measuringmylifeincoffeespoons · 04/12/2022 07:49

Just that really. I'm genuinely curious. There seems to be increasing coverage and evidence of the harm and cost of Brexit. Can anyone point to a positive benefit?

OP posts:
Exasperatednow · 04/12/2022 22:31

Florenz · 04/12/2022 20:19

The country cannot be run solely for the highly educated (who also tend to be the more wealthy) who want to be able to move around the world as easily as possible to make more money. At the expense of normal people who just want normal jobs near to their family and want to make enough to live a normal life, buy a house, raise a family, go on holiday etc.

Normal jobs for normal people local to where they are is a government issue not an EU issue. Given that funding for regions has been slashed post brexit (see Cornwall) I'm surprised you're not more bothered about the government's spectacular levelling up failure.

Exasperatednow · 04/12/2022 22:33

And it's not an either, or. Successful economies tend to have both. Isolationism as a policy kills economies

OldMotherHubbardsCat · 05/12/2022 04:30

Here you are OP, from the horse's mouth, enjoy :assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1054643/benefits-of-brexit.pdf

Exasperatednow · 05/12/2022 06:35

OldMotherHubbardsCat · 05/12/2022 04:30

Have you read it?

Dontevenstart · 05/12/2022 06:43

The one benefit is that it outed all the previously covert racist fuckers. Now we know who they are.
Now we know what they are willing to do in the name of their racism, even if it means a huge national act of self-harm.
That can be used.

OldMotherHubbardsCat · 05/12/2022 06:43

@Exasperatednow 'Have you read it?'

Have you?

Let me know when you have and we'll have an intelligent discussion

OldMotherHubbardsCat · 05/12/2022 06:45

@Dontevenstart The one benefit is that it outed all the previously covert racist fuckers. Now we know who they are.
Now we know what they are willing to do in the name of their racism, even if it means a huge national act of self-harm.
That can be used.

I love a good Conspiracy Theory, tell me more......

forwhatitsworth22 · 05/12/2022 07:20

So other the trading which was very limited to who the EU told us to trade with, and been able to travel to the EU, what where the benefits of remaining?

Exasperatednow · 05/12/2022 07:47

Yep I have. I read it when Johnsons government put it out. Its a different government now, again. That's the problem with instability.

Plastic bag charges were an EU initiative btw. Crown signs on glasses? Pictures are now a benefit?

Exasperatednow · 05/12/2022 08:02

forwhatitsworth22 · 05/12/2022 07:20

So other the trading which was very limited to who the EU told us to trade with, and been able to travel to the EU, what where the benefits of remaining?

Lower export costs including the cost of paperwork to the largest market on our doorstop. Lower food costs.
Good relationships with our nearest neighbours. Scientific partnerships, access and participation to large scale research projects. We were the financial gateway to Europe for outside EU countries such as the US. France is now the largest market...

A closed economy means no growth and no growth eventually means a shrinking economy.

forwhatitsworth22 · 05/12/2022 08:16

A closed economy means no growth and no growth eventually means a shrinking economy.

But we are now able and are trading with other countries we weren't able to when we where under the EU. Japan, the US, India for example.

Itisbetter · 05/12/2022 08:17

I think the constant rehashing of the negative effects of brexit give you quite a clear indicator of who is or isn’t politically aware. There are lots of people now who know all the arguments and some useful “facts” so they can trot them out to demonstrate their political awareness and superiority to the ignorant who either disagree or don’t care. Repeating facts as you see them and drawing the same conclusions doesn’t make you particularly savvy but obviously scratches an itch for a huge number of people. Democracy isn’t a magic pill that means countries make good choices. The alternative is most would agree is pretty ghastly. So we have to live with a system that doesn’t always lead to the best outcomes.

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:19

Democracy had given us a pile of shit regarding Brexit. Everyone has to swallow it. Brexiters want us all grinning with pleasure while doing so.

forwhatitsworth22 · 05/12/2022 08:22

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:19

Democracy had given us a pile of shit regarding Brexit. Everyone has to swallow it. Brexiters want us all grinning with pleasure while doing so.

Same can be said for those who wanted to stay, let's bend over the barrel whilst the EU took what they wanted.
Either way someone was gonna feel hard done by!!

WatchoRulo · 05/12/2022 08:26

I'm genuinely curious. Is a massive lie. As with all these threads it means "I am pretending to be curious, but will instantly seize upon anything anyone posts as a benefit and provide a long diatribe about why they are wrong, bigoted, stupid and evil"

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:28

@forwhatitsworth22 you think? How come a hundred page document linked above came up with ZILCH benefits. Look at the health section: we will encourage stop smoking, we will tackle obesity, we will trademark the GHIC card. That’s it. As if those things couldn’t be done within the EU and the loss of staff and poverty is a good price to pay. Poverty which will hamper efforts to reduce smoking, will increase obesity and not affect much travel abroad.

WatchoRulo · 05/12/2022 08:28

Itisbetter · 05/12/2022 08:17

I think the constant rehashing of the negative effects of brexit give you quite a clear indicator of who is or isn’t politically aware. There are lots of people now who know all the arguments and some useful “facts” so they can trot them out to demonstrate their political awareness and superiority to the ignorant who either disagree or don’t care. Repeating facts as you see them and drawing the same conclusions doesn’t make you particularly savvy but obviously scratches an itch for a huge number of people. Democracy isn’t a magic pill that means countries make good choices. The alternative is most would agree is pretty ghastly. So we have to live with a system that doesn’t always lead to the best outcomes.

I agree with this. During the Thatcher years I ended up keeping my trap shut about how much I hated what was being done to the country since all the Thatcher supporters were so keen to remind me that it was a democracy and this was what people voted for so I had to put up with it.

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:32

I disagree about keeping your trap shut. Government is for us, not for the wet dream of 7 times failed politicians.

WatchoRulo · 05/12/2022 08:39

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:32

I disagree about keeping your trap shut. Government is for us, not for the wet dream of 7 times failed politicians.

I wasn't suggesting anyone has to keep their trap shut about Brexit - just that the difference in relation to Brexit seems to be that I had to learn to respect other people's right to an opinion (Thatcher supporters) that I profoundly opposed and hated. In threads like these (and MN in general) a lot of posters are very keen to point out why the opinions of others have no value and no merit and should be shouted down and ridiculed as much as possible.

Mirabai · 05/12/2022 08:43

Itisbetter · 05/12/2022 08:17

I think the constant rehashing of the negative effects of brexit give you quite a clear indicator of who is or isn’t politically aware. There are lots of people now who know all the arguments and some useful “facts” so they can trot them out to demonstrate their political awareness and superiority to the ignorant who either disagree or don’t care. Repeating facts as you see them and drawing the same conclusions doesn’t make you particularly savvy but obviously scratches an itch for a huge number of people. Democracy isn’t a magic pill that means countries make good choices. The alternative is most would agree is pretty ghastly. So we have to live with a system that doesn’t always lead to the best outcomes.

Brexit is not a “system” it was a choice. A choice made by people who had no grasp of the consequences.

If had even a modicum of “political awareness” you’d know that, rather than “repeating facts and drawing the same conclusions”, 18 months into Brexit, the true extent of the damage is being revealed in real time. New facts.

Do you expect all the businesses, industries, sectors, science programmes etc now being hit to keep quiet to spare your blushes?

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:48

@WatchoRulo i don’t know if you missed the shouting down and ridicule over “Project Fear”, which it turns out is “Project Reality”.

WatchoRulo · 05/12/2022 08:48

"choice made by people who had no grasp of the consequences."
That is how democracy works.

WatchoRulo · 05/12/2022 08:49

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:48

@WatchoRulo i don’t know if you missed the shouting down and ridicule over “Project Fear”, which it turns out is “Project Reality”.

No I didn't. The whole thing has been a profoundly depressing experience.

LadyWithLapdog · 05/12/2022 08:50

Perhaps it’s a good thing to discuss the reality of those decisions so people aren’t fooled as easily again. Though there’ll always be foreigners or some other groups to hate on and scapegoat…

Mirabai · 05/12/2022 08:56

WatchoRulo · 05/12/2022 08:48

"choice made by people who had no grasp of the consequences."
That is how democracy works.

No it’s not. Elections have manifestos and the past policies and record of each party. There was no Brexit manifesto simply a yes/no vote on a massively complicated issue, far too complex to reduce to a binary choice. The winning campaign not only lied but reduced complicated economic and political issues to soundbites.

That’s not democracy.