Brexit Mega Thread 16 – Who's Next?

[LouiseCollins28]

We are approaching the 6th anniversary of Brexit, or I suppose the 5th, if you count the period of transition as "in."

Since then, the world has endured Covid-19, seen war in Ukraine and many other things. Brexit has had reduced salience in the minds of many people recently.

When digesting the latest setbacks to befall the elite who govern our islands, a phrase I keep returning to, is “OK, so now do you get it?”

Brexit is undoubtedly the biggest “OK, so now do you get it?” moment directed at our leaders in my life. It’s surely the largest since 1979, since the Labour victory of 1945? or even since the advent of universal suffrage?

The U.K. local elections in 2026, and subsequent national ones, could see a big increase in support for the Green Party and Reform U.K. Two parties with more different attitudes to European integration could scarcely be found, so Brexit’s salience in the U.K. may rise again soon
.
There are many electoral contests in progress or coming across Europe too (the Netherlands and France, for example) which will be worth paying attention to. Maybe the next questions we will face are less about "what next?" and more about "who's next?"

Relations between mainland Europe and the UK remain a worthy topic for discussion, whoever leads the nations of Europe, or leads the E.U. itself.

Sigh

I think when the obituaries are written, it will be agitating for Brexit and generally being anti-immigrant ( in reality anti black and brown people) which will form the substance of the report for Farage.

With Johnson - well there will be a lot more scope to flesh out an obituary - writing pro and anti brexit articles, etc. But mainly I think his covid behaviour and subsequent downfall will be what he is now most remembered for.

I still think that Boris will be primarily remembered for delivering Brexit. His detractors would very much like it to be otherwise and for the focus to be purely on his COVID stewardship. Undoubtedly the time he spent as PM would be the main focus but he's had quite a life.

Should Farage become PM in future (personally I doubt it will happen) then his time as PM would surely be the primary focus of any obit, unless Truss-style it proved absurdly short.

I still think that Boris will be primarily remembered for delivering Brexit. His detractors would very much like it to be otherwise and for the focus to be purely on his COVID stewardship.

No, his detractors will strongly remember him for delivering Brexit. With no clues. And against his better judgment (not that he had any). Proving that he had not a single iota of consideration for the people of the UK.

Proving that he had not a single iota of consideration for the people of the UK.
Yes, this will be the standout finding.

A bit like those who remember Cecil Parkinson who according to one obituary never shook off the air of being a cad, after he had betrayed his mistress.

@MaybeNotBob

No, his detractors will strongly remember him for delivering Brexit

Farage became an MP on 4 July 2024. This is:

8 years after the referendum in 2016
7 years after 498 MPs voted to leave the EU in 2017
5 years after Boris won in 2019

So, by definition he did not:

Take part in the decision for the UK to leave the EU

Take part in the deal signed with the EU

Remainers are desperate to blame Farage because Reform are topping the polls.

@peregrina

Proving that he had not a single iota of consideration for the people of the UK.

How did Farage prevent people from voting for the Liberal Democrat’s in 2019?

Why Are Reform topping the polls if people don’t them?

As per YouGov, 31% of people think they would be better off if the UK rejoined the EU. That means that 69% thinks they won’t be better off doesn’t it?

If as remainers suggest, the majority (99.9 % according to Maybe) in the UK are worse off since Brexit, how come that only 31% thinks they will be better off if the UK rejoined the EU?

Dear Expat, have you seen what's happening in the UK? Reform have peaked. They haven't won a single parliamentary by-election they have stood in. Their beloved leader is up against a bin.

By the way, why can you manage every single plural you write correctly except for 'Liberal Democrats'? You write such screeds, you really ought to proofread them before clicking 'post'.

If we follow EE's logic of Remainers should have voted for the Lib Dems, then Leavers should all have voted for the Conservatives and they would have had a 52% majority.

Proving that he had not a single iota of consideration for the people of the UK.
How did Farage prevent people from voting for the Liberal Democrat’s in 2019?

What made you think that I was talking about Farage here? I was talking about Johnson which should have been clear, because it was a quotation from a previous post about Johnson.

@DuncinToffee

If we follow EE's logic of Remainers should have voted for the Lib Dems, then Leavers should all have voted for the Conservatives and they would have had a 52% majority.

The Liberal Democrat’s were the only clear cancel Brexit party in 2019. For confirmation, watch the 5 September 2019 episode of BBC question time.

For those that wanted Brexit to happen, the choices were either the Brexit or Conservative Party. So, your point fails.

@pointythings

How many by-elections have there been since the 2024 general election? I can find 6. Link is;

https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/by-elections/by-elections-since-the-2024-general-election/

If, however, there are links for the other 644 constituencies that have had by-elections, please provide.

You're being a bit silly now, EEImmigrant.

OK, so 6 by-elections. 2 in Scotland - Reform got nowhere. Sarah Pochin won one for Reform - by a stunning 6 vote margin, and I'd be very interested to see what her constituents think of her after her racist comments on seeing too many brown people on TB.

Gorton and Denton and Makerfield - spectacular losses for Reform.

Clacton - even if Farage wins, the investigations into his finances will resume - and given that he isn't being transparent, it's clear he has things to hide.

You know perfectly well that I was talking about the total of by-elections held. An election where all constituencies are up for election is generally known (ha!) as a General Election.

Also you're still at it with misspelling 'Liberal Democrats'. The plural does not take an apostrophe in the English language. Even I know that, and I'm not British.

Good old Nige stood down his brexit party candidates to favour the Tories, arguing with your won logic EE?

Absolute bunkum. Johnson (who I remind you I don't like, never did like, and didn't vote for) very unusually for a British PM in recent years obviously did the right thing. He did the thing the people who elected him voted him in to do. Starmer certainly hasn't, Truss didn't, Sunak didn't, May didn't... Cameron just about did but most of the credit for austerity needs to go to Osbourne and while he held the referendum Cameron quit straight afterwards.

You might not have agreed with Brexit. I frankly don't care what you thought then or think now. Every post of yours is utterly valueless. The idea that Johnson could have done other than implement Brexit having explicitly campaigned on it in the election is absurd. If Brexit has hurt you personally and/or those you care about, then rn I am very, very pleased about that. It takes an awful lot of pushing to get me to take that position but I absolutely have had it with you.

You are just vile there, imagine being that pleased about someone's hurt.

You won, you got your brexit.

We did win. Thank you for at least acknowledging that much. Better than so many others on here.

I am past caring rn. 39 pages of rubbish from most of you people on a thread that I started! Almost no sensible engagement. No actual solutions. It's taken until page 39 for someone to accept that Brexit won.

Honestly, 10 years ago the vote was and we're still little further forwards. It's appalling. The inability of posters to accept that simple reality that you managed to post above in 6 words is shocking.

WUMs, side-tracks, nonsense about America and Trump

I have been endlessly accomodating and reasonable on these threads for a decade and yet you call me "vile", well that reflects much more on you than it does on me.

We all have accepted that Brexit happened, and it is a shit show.

As for the rest, whatever

Then why on earth do you continue to complain about it? It isn't a "shit show" it's a decision, the right decison for the UK in my view. Has Britain yet made everything it might have of Brexit? Absolutely not, but that doesn't mean for one minute that it was the wrong choice. I find myself wondering how many posters on here even live in the post-Brexit United Kingdom?

Anyhow, Andy Burnham is going to become PM within the next week or so, I expect that will improve matters no end, won't it?

I wonder if you actually read the thread.

None so blind as those who will not see.

I mean, Brexit is objectively a shitshow. It has sunk many small businesses. It has moved many others to the EU, where they now pay their taxes. It has made immigration spike higher than ever. It has cost the UK economy billions. But if you want to crow over winning - you won. Obviously.

Fortunately the people who voted for Brexit are dying off. If there was another referendum today, we would be rejoining. I hope we do, though I probably won't live to see it happen. Nothing is forever, not even shitshows.

@LouiseCollins28 Brexit happened.

It did not deliver any of the things its proponents promised.

Many of the bad things expected have come to pass.

(remember the Scottish langoustine industry anybody)

The things Brexiteers were angry about were nothing to do with the EU
so they are still angry

and those of us who voted to stay in the EU are as angry as we ever were

I agree. If Brexit had delivered the benefits the UK was promised, I'd be the first in line to admit I was wrong. The sad thing is, I wasn't wrong and nor were those opposed to Brexit. The only people still clinging to the cult of Brexit are those for whom it is a badge of toxic nationalism.

Well done Louise - you won! Big whoop! You managed to put a cross in a box in the same place as several million hard of thinking and racists. You must be so proud!

However, the country has lost. EEimmigrant's increasingly desperate, extended AI generated missives only go to shine a light on how much of a catastrofuck it has actually been.

Even the racists didn't get what they wanted, as we now have even more immigration, with a much higher percentage of it coming from non-European countries.

I don't expect them to acknowledge the mistake they made, as that would require a modicum of self-awareness, something that seems to be rather lacking in the mindset of the average Brexiteer...

UK ranks fifth regards immigration. Behind

1st Germany
2nd France
3rd Spain
4th Italy.

Arrivals from Calais are increasing because the number of people arriving in Calais is increasing. The increase is due to the increasing number of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern European border.

Is the UK responsible for the EU failing to control crossings in the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern European border? No, it isn’t because UK is not responsible for EU borders.

As for another referendum, why has Labour not announced there will be another referendum? With their 400+ seats, it should be easy to get it passed.

Benefits to date include:

Lower tariffs applied by the US. This wouldn’t have happened had the UK remained in the EU.

Ability to lower tariffs on imported goods. Rachel Reeves has recently lowered tariffs on 100 supermarkets items. This wouldn’t have happened had the UK remained in the EU.

Immigration is lower than the EU.

Between 2019 and 2024, the gap between UK and Germany GDP narrowed, all be it a small amount. Likewise, the gap between UK and France GDP has widened in favour of the UK. G7 data shows UK grows faster than the EU members; France Germany Italy.

I wound attribute that the the growth of the UK services industry (80% and 83% of UK GDP and employment respectively) which was set free by Brexit.

Will some be worse off since Brexit? Most definitely as there will never be a policy that pleases everyone. However, it’s the majority that counts, not the minority.

Soon be Brexit Mega thread 17. No doubt the same remain statements will be posted such as:

R emain
A re
C level
I ntelligent
S uperior
T ypes

L eavers
E go
A rse
V oters
E nd of

It's taken until page 39 for someone to accept that Brexit won.

And a good many previous threads where we said that you won. And we went on to say it's now up to the Brexiters to make it happen. But funnily enough, a good many of them seemed not to bother to get stuck in and somehow are no longer in Government. Why, you have to wonder?

(And no EEexpat I don't think we need a post about how x many MPs voted for Brexit once the decision had been made.)