I regret the way I voted.

[lulucappuccino]

After a long day reading Facebook (didn't announce on there that I'd voted out), colleagues talking and family (who do know how I voted) complaining, I really wish I'd voted to remain.

I read a few bullet point articles and felt swayed by the amount of money were were paying to the EU. But I feel as though I'd partly not researched enough and also believed the hype.

Seeing the pound falling and friends worried for their jobs etc, I feel as though I've done something really bad. In fact, I'm sure I have.

Does anyone else regret the way they voted, whichever way that was?

Definitely BMW6

It's pretty easy to spot the threads started and posts made by disgruntled Remain voters, primarily so they can get everyone to point and say, 'Look at the thick racist, TOLD you no one normal could have voted Leave!'

How do I know this?

Have you been near SM lately, taken a look around here?

Anyone with intellect enough to actually use a pen would be fucking insane to be baiting the remainers like these posts have been.

It's just waving a red flag at the angry bulls and sitting back to watch the bloodbath.

Unless you all think the trolls would never stoop to upsetting people in a time of great turmoil, no they wouldn't do that at all.

OP, I admire your honesty.

Would signing this petition make you feel better?

I'm quite sure among the 2.1 million (and rising) who have signed it that there will be some who voted Leave and now regret it.

They're calling this phenomena 'bregret' and there are lots of people confessing to it on tv.

But you think they are remain voters pretending to be 'thick' brexiters to prove a point?

Okayyyy

Well I don't know what the EU has done or not re the industry.
I do know that n the NE we have seen MAJOR closure in the industry and that the current government has done fuck all.
Sorry but I don't buy into 'it's the EU faukt'. We have a governemnt that is choosing not to support industry, not to vote for laws that will protect workers (eg zero hour contract, low wage jobs etc etc).

It's not the immigrants that are driving wages down. It's the governemnt that is letting companies treating workers like crap by paying them peanuts.
And no one in the EU has forced Britain to act like this (actually a lot of countries in their EU are much more protective of their work force).

Farmers won't get EU funding any more. So CallMeDave and IDS's in-laws will be missing a few quid.

Of course, Vote Leave promised to pay the same as the lost EU funding, and implied that agriculture could get more than it currently does.

Still, we all say things, don't we?

Maybe there should be small print on the ballot paper.

Think before you vote
Once cast your vote cannot be changed
you may not be allowed to vote on this issue again.
assuming you remain eligible to vote you may be able to vote again in 5 years.
Until that time your vote may be counted towards the outcome. The outcome is binding even if the promises given to secure your vote are not.

Please note there is no guarantee the side you vote for will win but they might (even if you didn't really mean it).
If in the event they do win they may enter into a coalition without your consent. This may result in change of policy.

As I just said the Welsh Government are investing in manufacturing hence the ajax contract in Merthyr.

Welsh Government funding from Westminster is driven by the Barnett formula. Wales' share of the pot is fixed. If the UK economy contracts as a result of Brexit, the tax take & available government funding will also shrink. I don't know where you think this magic pot of money is coming from - they won't up Wales' share out of pity for us because we just sacked off our EU funding streams. We're all screwed, at least in the medium to short term.

Jed I know how Welsh funding works and no where did I say there's a magical pot of money. I was simply pointing out that the only manafacturing to come to South Wales recently has nothing to do with the eu.

Gloria thank you for posting that link - here again for anyone who missed it.

The fact is that it's the UK government which screwed over many UK fishermen. Another fact is that the industry has been decimated our waters for centuries. If you read about a history of fishing by authors such as Professor Callum Roberts, for example, you'll find out that as far back is the sixteenth century and even before that fishermen were concerned about what newfangled methods of trawling were doing to stocks and spawning grounds. I have a friend who's a former trawlerman and he openly admits that he used to take his boat to spawning grounds because he knew the breeding age fish i.e. the biggest fish would be there for him to catch. No thought about tomorrow, and every thought about the money he could make. He fully admits he was a short sighted idiot about it.

I'm afraid to say that many inshore netters and offshore trawlers dislike EU controls and quotas because they think they should be allowed to take as much as they can.

When our system of Marine Conservation Zones was being established, the UK government watered down the results as much as they could, and the fishing industry tried to block the process at every stage. I don't have the slightest bit of optimism that any UK replacement system of the CFP will have the long term interests of stocks and healthy ecosystems in mind when they set quotas. The Leave campaign have already shown the contempt they feel towards actual science and evidence.

Those 750 jobs with Aston Martin at St Athan that were announced with much fanfare last February...

Er, Reuters is reporting Aston Martin's CEO's statement on Brexit, in which he says:

"The government must now "maintain economic stability and secure a deal with the EU which safeguards UK automotive interests - this includes securing tariff-free access to European and other global markets."

So that's 750 jobs in Wales that depend on the result of whatever it is that comes next. And the patience of Aston Martin's board, I dare say.

Wish, I also said I understand why people are worried as its a time of uncertainty. My point was its a bitter pill to swallow when people are acting as if the sky has fallen in when for many of us the reality is that our lives, futures, towns etc were shit anyway.

Unfortunately pickledpears, there is nowhere in the UK that doesn't have much further down to go than up. Things can get considerably worse. I agree that some people voted with the attitude you describe, but they're about to get a nasty surprise. And while I appreciate the points people make about immigration having wrought negatives for them, the problem with that argument is that voting Leave is not and never was going to stop EU migrants being able to come here to work. I can see why people thought Brexit would give them the possibility of being able to restrict immigration, but the information was very clearly out there explaining why this idea was wrong.

Yy Boner.

And if things do get shitter the gvmt has an easy excuse....well you voted for Brexit...ine itable finanxial insecurity....more belt tightening. Only it won't be their belts they are tightening.

Anyone regretting how they voted if they voted leave, may be interested in this petition...

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215

Hello,

I think the next few weeks will be interesting. I also strongly believe that people should berate themselves for voting one way or the other. No-one could really predict what would or will happen with any certainty because this situation has never occurred before. Reading posts like the ones on this thread (perhaps my own included), listening to my MIL say, on her 85th birthday, that she voted to leave but she does not now know if it was the right thing to do, and hearing about the number of anti-Brexit rallies that are being organised and with the sure knowledge now that no-one leading the Leave campaign really had an exit strategy, it may well be the case that what politicians and the people should be looking for is a way to rethink and return. Either that, or we start negotiations now to start planning just how we exit and within what time scale. It has only been two days now since the results came in, so there is bound to be a shock wave or two . However, very soon action will have to be taken.

My own feelings are very mixed. As I have said before, the driving force behind my Leave vote was the sheer frustration that no-one was doing anything to help us change our situation. I live in one of the most deprived areas of the UK, and false promises and allusions to a more positive 'truth' are incredibly easy to believe when one is desperate. However, I want to find a way of making this work whether we are in the EU or not.

What do other people think would be the most positive, realistic steps the nation could take now?

BengalCatMum thanks for getting back to me. I agree population control is an issue (and I respect your views for voting as you have done), but I don't agree that voting leave is the correct platform for this. There's a great deal of uncertainty regarding immigration post-brexit, immigration is unlikely to stop (certainly not to the tens of thousands target promoted by the current givernment).

One of the very first issues is the possibility of the French giving back our border. Where do we 'contain' those who land on our shores? How do we reduce the numbers? The economic fall-out could open up a huge deficit in public finances if migration is reduced. If we try to adopt a model similar to Norway or Switzerland (apply to join EFTA under an EEA agreement) then we would have to allow the free movement of goods, services, capital and people). I understand immigration is a huge concern for many of the leave voters but I just can't see how this will be tackled if we leave the EU. If anything I think leaving gives us less control in the future, (I'm in the remain camp, as you can probably tell!).

With respect to my last post, it should read 'should not berate themselves'. (sorry)

I also strongly believe that people should berate themselves for voting one way or the other. No-one could really predict what would or will happen with any certainty

I WAS predicted & remain were accused of scaremongering. It was pointed out repeatedly you can't have a meaningful trade agreement with the EU without free movement of people. The financial figures Leave were throwing around were shown repeatedly to be bollocks. And leave could say as much as they liked that they would replace all the money given to places like Cornwall but it should have been obvious that wasn't something they could do.

As for Leave not having an exit strategy - it wasn't really their job to - they're not in charge. They could promise any old crap safe in the knowledge it would be Cameron who would have to work out what to do (although it's looking increasingly as if they didn't expect to win). You should be FURIOUS if you think you have been played.

And Cameron has been very clever in leaving them to sort out the shitstorm they created. It at least means they have to stop spouting sound bites for 5 minutes.

If you live in one of the most deprived regions of the UK your area will have been in receipt of handouts (that's why Cornwall got so much money - 60 million a year - as it was recognised as one of the most deprived regions within the EU - yes Cornwall).