Do you still think Brexit was a good idea?

[YouWillGetThere]

Sorry ask a really fiddly question, but I just wondered if I could ask what people think about Brexit, with hindsight?

I have no opinion, one way or the other, tbh.

I've really enjoyed reading so many calm, sensible, Mumsnet threads on politics in the last few weeks. The anonymity allows people to speak honestly about their views, and I've been so glad understand what people really think, and why they vote the way they do.

I would be so interested to hear what people think and feel about Brexit, now we've had a chance to see how the country has changed as a consequence of it.

I voted to remain
nothing I’ve seen so far has made me think leaving was a good idea

I thought it was a terrible idea.

Turns out it was even worse than I feared.

Do I still think Brexit was a good idea?

I never did! Nor did an awful lot of other people

Why are you asking this now?

Never thought it was a good idea.

Accepted the referendum result and just hoped the exit would be managed well.

It wasn’t and it’s been an absolute disaster. There isn’t a single benefit I can see.

Never wanted to leave the EU - it’s the only reason I was able to emigrate to this country and thought highly of it. Am now a British citizen and realised it was even better than I anticipated. A real loss we’ve left, but unfortunately I wasn’t allowed a vote at the time. If immigrants had been able to vote … well.

It was completely ridiculous to ask the public a question like this without preparations that the vote could be "leave". Just a shock from everyone and handwringing for Xyrs.

Don't ask a question that you don't want the answer to.
Don't ask a question that you are not prepared for every possibility.
If you don't think it will benefit the country, don't ask unqualified people such an important question.

I don't blame the leavers actually, I think it was more a frustration at the govt / general state of politics, ie a vote for change of anything rather than a racist / close minded / xenophobic act. I put the blame at the people who put the question to the public who had no real idea what they were actually voting for.

I thought it was a terrible idea, and nothing I've seen since has persuaded me that it was at all thought out or costed out, and that the people who voted for it actually understood what they were voting for.

I wanted to move to another European country so it's messed that up for me. DH has family who moved there before Brexit and we wanted to live closer to them.

I won't condemn Brexit voters though. Blame is MPs (Labour and Conservative) who failed or refused to address people's valid concerns and issues. Some weren't directly or at all to do with Brexit but it influenced voting choices in the referendum. Calling people thick for however they voted is in fact one of the problems and one of the reasons for Brexit.

I think we're stuck with it.

And with Labour having a flagship policy that is only possible outside EU (introduction of VAT on education - a policy that seems very popular, particularly on MN), then I think the country is showing no appetite for rejoining and is instead supporting approaches that are incompatible with membership

I never thought it was a good idea, indeed the morning that the result came out I started making plans to leave the UK and I left in 2021.

Is there any good that has come out of it, at all?

I know someone (an ex colleague) who voted for Brexit. They're older than me and voted to go in to the EC in the 1970s referedum. I wasn't born at that stage so obviously didn't vote in that. They wanted the option (in the 2016 referendum) to stay in but have it reformed to being more like the EC, rather than the EU. I don't understand much about the differences tbh so don't know if that was possible or desirable but I found it interesting that some Brexit voters voted to join originally and might've voted Remain with reforms/ changes.

Off topic maybe but I wonder how many Brexit voters voted to join in the 70s?Does anyone know if there's any statistics on this? Just curious about that.

I thought Brexit would cost billions, cause nothing but problems and that within 10 years of leaving we would've seen sense and started the process of rejoining.

I don't blame Leave voters. I blame the conmen who lied to them. Like Nigel Farage.

I do t know how anyone can vote for a man who was so gleeful at watching the value of British currency plummet as the referendum result came in.

I have no opinion, one way or the other, tbh.

If you have no opinion, why do you care?

Think it's really weird to either have no opinion or claim not to have one.

I have no opinion, one way or the other, tbh

How odd.

I thought it was a terrible idea at the time and nothing I've seen since has changed my mind. Not one single good thing seems to have come from it for ordinary people.

Always thought it was a terrible idea. And it has turned out to be vastly more devastating than even I ever thought it would be.

I voted remain - never thought it was a good idea.

Only family member who admitted voting leave - did so because they honestly believed the claims about NHS getting more money - they were a heavy user at time of NHS - and rapidly regretted it - they've since passed away.

I suspect IL voted remain though that's less by them saying so and more about what they've said since especially about BBC coverage in years after - they aren't happy and getting less so as it impact their holiday travel.

I think it was wrong to pose it to the public and then everything was handled poorly afterwards - the remain campaign to the actual leaving.

Sorry, what I mean is that I was not either an ardent "leaver" or "remainer". My actual opinion was that they were asking the wrong question.

I liked many things about being in the EU but I could see that the way things were being managed were causing problems for a lot of people too. I thought reform would have been great.

But asking the population a binary question, to chose leave or remain, seemed like a bad idea to me.

In the title I asked "do you still think Brexit was a good idea?" and that was a mistake. What I meant was "do you think Brexit was a good idea?"

A Brexit under the Tories and a Brexit under Corbyn's Labour would have been very different. I voted remain for two reasons, because I was pretty sure the costs of it would be shouldered by those who could least afford it and it would weaken both ours & the EU's influence and position in the world.

I voted to remain, big mistake for this country to leave. But I know a lot of people who voted leave 'as it will stop all the immigrants coming to this country'. And people who voted leave because 'my dad told me too'.

"do you think Brexit was a good idea?"
It wasn't an idea. It was one big scam brought about by a series of lies (from Johnson's bent bananas to the message on the bus).

It was concocted and driven home by a small, very rich group of people who sought to benefit from removing a layer of checks on their ability to control the rights and freedoms of ordinary people.

People were manipulated by that lie which was driven home by self seeking billionaire-owned newspapers.

No ordinary man or woman in the street was ever going to benefit from Brexit.
No ordinary man or woman in the street has benefited from Brexit.

I don't know anyone who thought it was ever a good idea, but I guess quite a few did. I'm in Spain now and two things get mentioned over and over when talking about how so many shops have ceased trading and the economy: Covid and Brexit. My children will now apply for Irish passports to give them some access (a very long process).

The only people I know who still think it is a good idea also still don't understand how the EU works or how Brexit is responsible for many of the things they moan about!

Yeah. Not understanding was kind of a prerequisite for voting for Brexit really.

I mean how could imposing economic sanctions on ourselves ever be a good idea?

Brexit was a bad idea.

Made even worse by having someone leading the country who had been infantile if not racist towards our EU neighbours.