To think it’s clear as day now that Brexit was a massive mistake and we need to rejoin the EU asap

[G3ran1um]

How can anybody still argue than it was a good idea?

Agreed

I voted remain, and would almost certainly vote to rejoin... but I don't think Brexit would have been such an enormous balls-up if there had been a clear set of targets to the leave deal, and we'd vote on that deal, instead of a load of vague delusional promises about what might be achieved. For that reason, a simple referendum on going back in or not, with no idea of what the actual terms would be, would not be sensible.

Whatever the terms it’s clear we need the EU in all sorts of ways not least defence.

I’d agree that leaving is an utter shit show. I don’t actually know if we’d be able to rejoin. I suspect some countries would be delighted to welcome us back into the fold but it requires agreement from all member states and we’d be blocked.

I agree - and I voted to leave.

We were lied to.

It's not going to happen. This is our lot now.

I think if we promised to exclude a list of certain Leave politicians who either refuse to work in a team with the EU or have displayed past incompetence or contempt towards the EU, then the EU would let us rejoin.

Certain British politicians who used to work in EU facing roles deliberately fostered poor working relationships and actively shit stirred.

The EU is going to want to have British staff appointed that are good at team working. I think that’s fair enough after the shit show certain personages have caused.

Dh is still confident it was the right thing to do. I’m a remainer still! We do fall out whenever I make your point OP. He’s better at economics and arguing than me!
He would say, and in this he’s probably correct, that the EU over reached its original purpose that we’d agreed to. There are issues I am not aligned with the EU over. Maybe it wasn’t possible to hold to idealistic goals that were a bit too challenging to meet.

Speaks volumes that none of the people I know for a fact voted Leave ever seen to admit to it nowadays. They've all gone surprisingly quiet.

It was an act of massive economic suicide self harm, I don't think anyone can argue with that looking at the state of the country now vs 2016.

But no, sadly I don't reckon we will rejoin, no government would dare overturn a democratic referendum (yet)

I feel very sorry for my kids and other young people who may well have loved the opportunity to study or work in Europe.

I can’t see that we would be accepted back on the same basis as before we left. I voted remain but it is what it is unfortunately unless someone can negotiate a favourable return.

There might be arguments to rejoin, but they are not economic. France and Germany - the most similar countries to us - are growing even slower than the UK right now. Re-aligning ourselves with a declining bloc wouldn’t change anything.

I would NOT want to rejoin the EU at the time. Have you seen how badly the economies of all the countries in the EU are doing at the moment? It's clear that union is not benefitting them.

The (low tax) US economy has grown by about 50% in the last 15 years. The (high tax) EU economy has grown by about 1% in that time.

I'd rather we became the 51st state TBH.

I think we should only have a vote to rejoin after a fully worked out plan to rejoin had been created. A legally binding this is the deal if they vote to rejoin.

Which is what should have happened for Brexit. A fully agreed plan for leaving should have been the leave vs stay vote.

We voted blindly to the deal once before we shouldn’t be so stupid again.

The only riposte that is ever produced these days in favour of Brexit is, roughly: “Remoaners are boring wankers who should shut up and accept democracy.”

Which tells you everything you need to know.

I have never read a coherent defence of Brexit, other than people wibbling about the ECHR. I am sure I won’t now. The economic damage and the total failure to control immigration have completely destroyed any semblance of a pro Brexit argument.

I voted remain, but I’m not sure if I would vote to rejoin now. We had a good deal, but crappy politicians who cocked up repeatedly and just blamed the EU (which itself is very undemocratic and problem ridden).

If we were to look at rejoining, I believe they’d shaft us in the rejoin deal and it’d be nothing like before.

I agree. I was a remainer but wouldn't currently vote to rejoin the EU.

It just wasn't done right. Nigel will get in and do Brexit right. He's a proper patriot, you can tell by how hard he works for his constituency

This.

While I don’t want to be the 51st state, and there’s something to be had that’s in between high regulation and low growth and little protection for citizens and high growth, I don’t think the EU is the model I’d be jumping into.

I voted leave as I think we should be able to decide our own regulation, and the EU was becoming too broad and their legislation had to cater for countries that were in very different economic situations and so couldn’t possible be the right answer for all countries. I wouldn’t vote to rejoin now either. Even if we were the 51st state we’d have more autonomy over our own state legislature than the EU afforded us.

What reasons do you think we should rejoin?

truth!

Nonsense, anyone with half a brain wouldn’t have voted for Brexit.

Time will sort this out. It will have to be done, it’s just, when. I don’t think you can all agree on anything though.

Not true. This is solving nothing.

People voted in the dark, they were given hope and it didn’t work.

No regrets.

Just get back in and move on.

My reservations about Europe remain the same as they ever did.

I am, and was, totally in favour of being part of an economic trading community, like the EEC we joined originally.

What I have reservations about is becoming completely united, with the same currency, same laws, one single army etc., no border control etc. Basically one big country. Especially as that big single country keeps expanding and bringing other countries into it's fold who have quite different cultural values and economies.

When it self-implodes, which it very well could do for economic, cultural or political reasons (USSR springs to mind) it could be very messy.

Where did you get this?

Various respected and readily available statistics tell me that the EU economy grew 13.5% over this time.

The EU is not a monolith. It includes some poorer countries. So this overall statistic is not one I find terribly meaningful.

This. I voted remain but I would not be in favour of rejoining under less favourable terms.