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?

Sensible. I actually like the GCC for example.

Ireland doesn't seem so great to me:

According to the Irish Times, 894,369 people were waiting for hospital treatment in the Republic of Ireland in 2025 (population 5.4 million) and the government spent €1.2 billion on asylum accommodation for 2025.

I think the whole thing was a shambles, badly set up, badly communicated to the public and, ultimately, badly enacted
Regardless of how anyone voted back then, we are supposed to live in a democracy so the result should have been respected but, instead, Cameron walked away and prominent politicians and lawmakers spent their time frustrating and undermining it while telling the public they were too old, too stupid, too poor, too right wing, too uneducated, etc
I don't think going back is an option now anyway as Europe would make us pay through the nose and it would be a nightmare. It's not as if Europe is a bed of roses either.
There is no option but to make the best of where we are in my opinion.

It was 10 years ago, get over it

and if we rejoin do you really think we would get good terms? No we wouldn’t they would be making an example to ensure no one else leaves plus we would have to convert to the euro

It is also a disaster because it sent the Conservative Party into a doom spiral from which they will never recover, breaking our political system. As Kier S is discovering, if you have a large majority and a weak opposition, your own party will create the opposition for you and you will tear yourselves apart.

it has also opened the path to extremists at both ends of the political spectrum.

I’m old enough to remember intelligent, moderate, sensible conservative ministers.

A common market - which is why we were in it in the first place? Yes.

A group of matey nations that co-operate on things that matter like the environment, science, shared values, security and intelligence? Yes.

A political and economic mash up? No.

Are you saying Farage had no part in the reason why a referendum was held in the first place?

He didn't play a part in the outcomes of the negotiations.

Why are you defending Farage and trying to make out he wasn’t influential?

The LSE has described him as a "decisive" figure in reshaping British politics, despite never serving as an MP.

He moved anti-EU populist, anti-immigration ideas which were formerly on the fridge, in to the mainstream; in other words he legitimised racism. He created tribes and set them against one another for short term financial gain. He is a disrupter whose rich friends benefited from the volatility of the markets.

Farage was also considered a kingmaker for Boris Johnson's victory in the 2019 election. by deciding not to contest 317 seats won by the Conservatives in 2017 which allowed the Conservatives to capture Labour-held seats, doubling their parliamentary majority.

In the 2024 election he then split the right wing vote and managed to take over Reform and continued to turn grievances felt by the failure of successive governments to serve its people effectively, in to an anti-immigration crusade. Like Trump he cynically massages statistics with very little reference to the truth.

In summary he is extremely effective at sowing discord on both sides of the political spectrum but Farage never takes responsibility for the fall out caused by his actions and he never achieves anything constructive himself.

Please don’t order people who are still very much not over it, to disregard the catastrophic effects that Brexit has had on the UK economy and is still having ten years on.

You may be comfortably off but some of us are still suffering financially as a direct result of leaving the EU, and continue to do so.

You do realise that the financial fall out from Brexit is long and slow and is still ongoing? It’s a long, painful, drawn out decline. Ten years is nothing! I work in the agricultural sector and the impacts are devastating. It’s the same for some areas of the UK manufacturing sector and for the creative industries.

Brexit has resulted in a 6–8% reduction in GDP per capita and a 12–18% drop in investment.

Trade with the EU has become much more expensive and difficult logistically and bureaucratically.

The UK’s financial services has lost its global edge thanks to a decline in export services.

And latest studies suggest that Brexit has lost the UK 90 billion a year in lost tax revenue.

And you say oh so dismissively that we should just “get over it”? Yeah, right 🙄

Yes and I believe it’s why we are all broke

The lies were blatantly obvious.

Exactly. Thank you for an intelligent post. More intelligent than "Get over it, innit!"

Which is the fault of Brexit voters

The EEC was always more than just an economic trading bloc.

There isn’t and won’t be an EU army.

The UK exercised the opt out on a single currency.

The UK wasn’t part of Schengen.

Apart from that you’re spot on 🙄

Indeed

He was influential, he's a big figure. He didn't negotiate the exit agreement one bit.

I see it as people putting their head in the sand and only picking the bits that only benifited themselves

it is only lies when it turns out people dont get what they thought they would and only beleive the tabloids and how much of it is ''it will give me moeny and keep people out I dont want"

I voted remain and would vote to rejoin at the drop of a hat

Yes that’s because, very conveniently, the minute the Brexit vote had been achieved, very marginally in favour of Leave, Farage suddenly decided he wanted to “step back”
from politics and leave everyone else to do what he knew what was impossible ie negotiate a better trade deal with the EU than we already had! And that imho showed him up to be the weak, cynical coward he has always been.

A bit like a rebellious child starting a fire and running away to leave the emergency services to deal with the fall out, and not caring who got hurts in the process.

Farage jumped back in of course when he saw the business opportunity to head up Reform, which he owned until very recently. Just as many Reform-led councils have not achieved the savings they promised; Farage is all talk and no trousers and is utterly hopeless when it comes to implementing real change. His skills lie in destroying things and getting people to believe in simplistic crass solutions.

What is drama about an EU army?

It’s an excellent idea. United force in the face of Putin and Trump.

Your h is wrong. See attached.

Brexit was, is and always will be an utterly shit idea.

Exactly. The referendum depressingly showed how many people are pretty ignorant when it comes to important decisions, how gullible they are, and how they only have capacity to consume tabloid soundbites. Everyone intelligent, inquisitive and considered person I know, voted Remain. The same information was available to all of us. It’s shocking how so many people are seemingly incapable of applying a little insight and critical thinking.

Aside from the trade and work opportunities fall out, defense and being such a teeny tiny country with so little really worries me particularly not being part of things like the EU defense loans scheme.

Being so reliant on the USA is dangerous, surely being part of something bigger and having a voice is safer and better.

YANBU.
And the people who promoted it most vocally (including Farage and Badenoch and the Daily Mail) and their voters are all gleefully blaming Starmer and Reeves for the dire state of economy Brexit has caused.
Its diabolical.