is Brexit still happening?
- Thread starter RGLD
- Start date
Politicians lie and look after their own interests but even recognising that takes us no further forward. They aren't even the most despicable characters on Earth. Haven't you ever had a manager lie to you? Or spin some "opportunity" to re-locate and/or take up some additional responsibility? Or maybe someone trying to sell you something? Like maybe an estate agent or a sales rep or a car salesman or a retail assistant or a waiter? Didn't your parents ever lie to you when you were a child? They all did these things to look after themselves. Everyone does it.
At least in a democracy there is a sanction available. We can vote the worst politicians out after some monumental fiasco. But in the end, we have to just replace them with another set. We deserve them. They are us.
mr rgld
that's a good question. everybody knows the answer, we just don't want to know it. meanwhile . . .
https://betting.betfair.com/politics/brexit/
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Important changes should be agreed upon by super majority votes e.g. 55% to 45% or 60-40.As compared to minority rule?
Yes but........
Having a referendum is no substitute for not having a policy. When the politicians call a referendum we're entitled to ask what the hell we're paying them all that money for if they're not going to make decisions and then carry the can. Its like they know a decision should be made but they want to be able to blame the people when it goes through.
I hope at least one positive outcome from the Brexit fiasco will be UK governments giving up on referendums. One positive outcome already achieved is David Cameron's resignation as Prime Minister and as MP.
I am a believer in Athenian democracy.
("Greek democracy created at Athens was direct, rather than representative: any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part,")
You need to add Germany, France and rest of EU together really then there bigger than USA.
I've only read a little about it but it sounds entirely inappropriate to today's circumstances and rather cr@p for its own time.
Based on this data from 2017 for goods and services:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_trading_partners_of_United_Kingdom
UK imports more from the EU than it exports to the EU.
UK imports less from the US than it exports to the US.
If Brexit negotiations had been approached commercially by establishing the desired outcomes for each side prior to the negotiating terms, we'd have got somewhere. I believe this is the approach that David Davis started with. Instead, the UK team allowed the EU to turn this into a political negotiation accepting that the negotiating order and method of withdrawal had to be agreed prior to negotiating any future trading terms (btw, this is what makes talk of any 'exit deal' ridiculous. There's no trade deal, just an agreement about a divorce settlement). Overall, a weak and b*ll*cks approach.
In business, you establish where you want to be, aim for some common ground, then work out a way to get there. The EU doesn't want the UK (or anyone) to leave, otherwise 10 gazillion unelected people in Brussels lose their jobs. The first leaver needs to be dissuaded/punished so that no one else is tempted to leave. Hmmm. Sounds good. Democratic. To do this, they set their stall out as 'we must agree the basis of leaving before we even look at doing business in the future'.
If this was a commercial negotiation with someone that sells more to me than I buy from them my response would be 'come back when you're actually ready to do business'.
The facts (that the 'remoaners' like to gloss over or partially present) are the the EU sells more to the UK than the UK sells to the EU. It is in the EU's commercial best interest to avoid trade friction. The UK should grow a pair and just leave. A deal will be struck.
you are entitled to your opinion that it is inappropriate, THe US unlike the UK is blessed with solons as their representatives, Just joking