Should the public have a referendum about having a second referendum?!

[MyNameIsArthur]

I know, sounds a bit bonkers.

Theresa May is adamant that we won't have a second referendum because the British people made up their mind in the 2016 referendum and believes it would be arrogant to then ask the people again and would lose the trust of the electorate.

I understand what she is saying but I wonder if many people have changed their minds because of the mishandling of Brexit over the past couple of years by the Government plus the fear of No Deal plus the realisation that the Leave campaign was not altogether based on facts.

Therefore I wonder if a way round it would be to hold a referendum to ask the people if they want a second referendum on Brexit. This could be a Yes / No referendum.

If No vote wins, then they honour the 2016 referendum result. If Yes vote wins, then they hold a second Brexit referendum then they can ask the questions remain, leave with her deal, leave with No Deal, leave with alternative deal, etc, what ever way they want to word it.

Or would this be a waste of time and be regarded as just as much a betrayal as just holding a second referendum itself?

What do you think?

Anyone?

Your thread title made me smile! To be fair, it's not the most bonkers suggestion I've heard. And Theresa May is looking so broken, she might just go along with it!

I understand the thinking, I really do, but we are all adults and a decision was made.
It's not fair to the leave voters, we have to make the best of the situation.

I like to make people smile Wenever! Glad you agree. I just wondered whether it might save her face by allowing her to remain faithful to the result of 2016 but at the same time allowing a possibility of a second referendum. However perhaps this would be seen as just as divisive. I don't know.

I know what you are saying MrsRhett . But it is such a big decision that will affect us all for generations. It was clear what Remain meant, ie staying in the EU , but everyone had different ideas of what Leave meant. That was what was not clear on the ballot paper. It didn't specify what kind of Brexit people wanted.

I don't think we should leave, and I wasn't an avid remainder at the time of the election.

But I also don't think that a referendum about a referendum is a good idea. People will get political fatigue, turn out will drop and by the time we'd get two referendums in, it would feel like no time until the next GE.

I think a second referendum should be called on the basis that the first one is implicated in legal proceedings around how it was conducted and how it was funded and there was an ever increasing amount of lies involved.

But you'd ask ten people and get ten different responses so whoever did it would be becoming a sacrificial goat at this point.

Makes more sense than no deal anyhow.

I think it’s down to the Politicians to take ownership now. I used to think a PV was best way forward.
But they got us into this mess, they need to get us out of it.

This was in Lord Buckethead’s manifesto!