to think the Remainers aren't going to take this lying down and we won't leave

[SybilEngineer]

A million plus more people voted leave than remain but still over 16 million voted in. And many of the people this will affect - the under 18s - didn't get a say.

The majority of our elected representatives want us to remain as does our capital city.

The EU wants us to remain and once the leaders have stopped throwing their toys around they will realise they need to reform the EU and make changes that will keep UK and all the other eurosceptic people in.

Today has been a body blow for us remainers but, we're shot of Cameron, so we can re-group and start the fight to remain in the EU but with changes that much of Europe wants.

I'm curious about how many people who voted out might be regretting that today and would change their vote if there was another referendum. Lord Ashdown made an interesting remark on tv last night early on (way before we knew which way it would go) he thought that the Leave side would do better than the polls suggest and pointed out that a very high proportion of votes were postal ballots that people may have completed a week or two before when the Leave side was surging. People who voted leave a few weeks ago may have changed their minds by the time referendum day.

I'm feeling optimistic that we will remain.

For many it was a protest vote (like a by-election). I would guess many who voted Brexit are thinking 'oh shit!' today.

MPs are making soothing noises but they'll get their act together and not pass it in parliament. Boris will bottle it.

Oh FFS don't be bloody ridiculous.
Go and live somewhere that's not a democracy if you hold such crazy opinions.
It was a VOTE.
LEAVE WON
REMAIN LOST.

I hope so, I just read this article in the Economist that takes a realistic look at our options for negotiating with the EU and it doesn't look good. We'll be damn lucky if the UK avoids a recession.

www.economist.com/news/britain/21701264-britain-has-voted-leave-eu-what-follows-will-be-new-prime-minister-volatile-financial

Boris has already bottled it. Did you see his speech? He was crapping his pants. He didn't want this, he just wanted a job.

He doesn't want the charge of being the man who broke up the union and the EU either. He gambled, he lost. Fucking privileged wankers who want to have a 'Legacy'

I think it's a bit far fetched to imagine that the SNP would give up their independence hopes to help a remain labour leader gain power over the UK, or that there is an unidentified labour leader who could win over conservative voters/'leave' labour voters in the next 2 years . Even if such a person existed they would have to win such an overwhelming majority that the leave vote was destroyed.

Is that really likely when leave have just won?

Yes Boris already looked decidedly less than gung-ho.

If a credible Labour leader emerges coupled with a will to go into coalition with the SNP, he might not roll the dice.

Then again all this is speculative.

merry I'm not saying it's a likely scenario. Not at all. Just possible.

There are other versions of democracy you know. There is such a thing as the tyranny of a majority. Here is ireland we have proportional representation.

Here you have a tiny majority for a hugely significant destabilising decision. That will rattle down through the generations. Is it right to do so for less than 2%? It is a hugely disproportionate effect for 2%. It is not decisive outcome by any means.

Plus referendums are not some sure fire method of making the right decision. And the debate was insane. Here in Ireland we are still paying the price of an awful referendum in 1983 to make the right to life of a foetus equal to the right to life of a woman. We are paying and paying.

I really hope it works out but I feel terribly fearful. I don't think the Brexit leaders really have a clue what to do next. Or of the implications for everyone. Not just uk. It just all seems so massively reckless and irresponsible.

What's done is done, the vote has been cast, I don't see how it can be changed. I don't think the EU would even want us now after this.

You can't just demand a re vote because it didn't go your way.

We're out, that's that.

Farage was already advocating a second referendum if the vote was 52/48 in favour of remain - he's quoted as saying "in a vote that close there will be a lot of unfinished business" apparently that only applies if he didn't get the result he wanted.
MPs in the commons could hold their own vote and overrule the vote of the public, though how they would justify it I don't know.
There is a petition (that I have signed) advocating that there should be a minimum pass mark of 60% majority needed for deciding something this big. A 3.9% majority is not definitive, and the 48% who voted to remain are now going to be unrepresented given that David Cameron has decided to jump ship.
It's such a sad day for those who wanted to stay part of the EU, and compounded by gloating of Farage saying he got what he wanted without any shots being fired - a week after Jo Cox.
I wonder how the UK will be able to unite now with SNP already talking about another referendum, and NI talks of uniting with ROI. The vote was supposed to be about British people deciding their future, and yet everything feels more broken than it did 24 hours ago, I think it'll take a long time for those who wanted to remain to move past this

What worries me is that the leave-ers seem to be shocked they won. Does that mean they're unprepared?

All the polls seemed to point to a remain, I'm a leaver and was ready for remain to win. A very respected one which predicted the election result gave remain a 74 percent chance of winning.
Plus the bookies (as we kept being told), back the winner and they were plumping for remain. I wouldn't say I was shocked, more surprised.
These polls seem to be wrong time and time again.

I honestly can't believe what I'm reading from some of the remain voters here.
You want a second referendum because you didn't get your own way? Tough!
If the vote had been to stay would you be so willing to let leave voters have a second referendum? Very much doubt it!

Leave won by a majority vote, like it or not that is how the UK has voted!

And for those of you implying leave voters are racist - grow up!

To those of you who voted remain and respect the results, I salute you.

The rest of you however need to seriously get your head out of your own backsides and accept the result, it's done and the majority have got the result they want.

If you really feel that an online petition will get you what you want then there will be petitions to stop you, petitions for a 3rd referendum etc

Just accept the result and concentrate on going about your everyday life.

Again, those of you who have voted to remain but have accepted the result, I wish they were all like you

Some of the language used to talk about 16/17 year olds on this thread is appalling. Not all young people are clueless and ill-educated on politics and current affairs. If I was turning 18 next week and had wanted to vote remain yesterday I would be incandescent.

At 16 you can work full time, join the armed forces, have consensual sex and leave home. Why the hell shouldn't you also be able to have your say in the running of your country?

Nobody will bother voting a second time,

Leave won.... Deal with it

Nobody has died fgs

Nobody has died fgs

Nicola Cox did.

Nicola?

Jo.

Trying to use iPad while reclining.

Democracy also gave us the House of Lords!!!!!

Leave may have won the referendum but as has been stated the government still has to ratify the results and mandate a policy to leave (backed by the house of lords)

Given cameron quitting, and a 2% lead to leave it is possible for this to be dragged for years before anything happens, especially when you consider that cameron going (and corben looking like he will be out), it could trigger a general election.

and yes another referendum could be argued for and achieved.

I voted stay same as DH but we didn't think bremain argued strongly enough for such a big decision.

I voted Remain - and I'm devastated by the result.

However, it's democracy, we have to respect the result. The BBC are busy painting the 'Leave' voters as uneducated racists (which many of them interviewed do appear to be). There is a terrible feeling that people didn't understand what they were voting for, didn't fully appreciate the consequences. That may be true - but then it was up to our leaders to educate and inform people properly prior to voting. They failed to do that, allowing lies and spin to propagate on both sides.

This is the result. This is what the majority have voted for and we have to live with it.