Ok, we are out, what now?

Elegran 'always the voice of reason' indeed. I am afraid that some of us will need more than a few hours to get our emotions under control before we can start planning for the future. ATM I cannot get past the fact that yet again the majority throughout Scotland have voted one way (remain) and by sheer weight of numbers the decision of English voters (leave) prevails overall. You urge us all to 'pull together' respecting the democratic decision but all I can see this morning is an even more DisUnited Kingdom.

I really thought we would be remaining, although surprised to see so many 'vote leave' posters around. So naturally realize we are all are able to have our own opinion.
I am very much for Europe, not only now for the stability of the country, I was also practically brought up in the Europe, having lived my childhood in Kent with paying guests, foreign exchanges and been so lucky to have been taken for holidays to Europe in the late fifties and sixties.
This is where I fear the English schools do not recognize, how important it is for the pupils to become interested, not only in foreign languages, also that our European neghbours are really no different from ourselves.

When my husband went to work in another region of the Uk in the seventies, I so often heard;
'Oh the foreigners'
Hope this has not offended any of those who wanted out, as I previously said we all have our own opinion.

We can think hard about how the Boystown Left let us all down & get some women -especially older ones -into the government -get politically active stand for councillors MPs -anything

What is a boystown left?

Cath9,

I spent nearly 30 years as a languages teacher in the UK. I tried my best, sometimes against hostility, to promote the view that 'foreigners' were real people and to promote respect for other cultures.

I'm gutted by this decision. I've seen ex-pupils find work in mainland Europe and even some marriages.

My Facebook page is full of posts from very sad languages teachers. Believe me, as a profession we try very hard, but you wouldn't believe how much xenophobia there is. We're at the chalk face and we witness it all the time.

This is a very sad day for the UK.

Anya, well said

What now? Back to business as usual. We have had the chance to have our say and won't get another one in a hurry so "what now" is out of our hands. We can pontificate and come up with clever plans but, unless our internal politics changes, which I feel is unlikely, we are back to have little or no say.

I am also depressed and sad, but not surprised, by the result. But as Elegran said, what's done is done and we have to look to the future. It seems to me that there are two basic areas that have to be looked on as a piority:

There is a deep division in our country which has been widening for years because of the unequal distribution of wealth between the SE and the rest of the country. In many ways I think the vote yesterday was partly a backlash against this. Much more effort has to be made to get new industry and money into the most deprived regions

We are a trading nation and the EU is going to be more difficult to trade with when we leave. New areas have to be developed before this breakoff point. This is not going to be easy; declining trade was a contributory reason for joining the EU in the first place. We also are going to ned to produce more of our own food, since imported food will become more expensive - and we're back to the need for immigrants again.

Democracy, my ar#e!

Absolutely nigglynellie.

What I find strange, from the left, is that, instead of educating[there seem a high proportion of ex-teachers on here] they chose instead to post, what I can only call propaganda, about immigration and other things.
Also sneering and insults.

That is not education.

Yes, they dont have to educate any longer, and may want to run a mile from it, but it might have helped the remain vote if they had. Perhaps they will choose to educate in future.

I constructed my post before I had seen daphnedill's. I do think sometimes, dd, you are the exception to a lot of what I write!

I am shocked. I thought that we would 'remain'.

Although I disagree with many of the decisions made in the EU, being part of it has/would have stopped any possible wars (the thought of being at war with, say, Germany now seems farcical, doesn't it?).

I have been sent a petition regarding the validity of the vote and it can be signed here:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215

Do have a look and see if it is for you.

I voted out,but mine is not a feeling of elation even though I believe we can be a better country without the EU.
I am far from overjoyed to see Nigel Farage grinning like a lunatic on the front pages....UK exit voters did not vote for him or any other individual,neither should we be viewed as being of his ilk.
I am paid in dollars ,so will be immediately affected by the vote,and did not vote lightly.I have spent many years feeling the weight of the EU.

I hope that everyone will settle down,and seize the opportunity to work together for a great country.

I hope there will be cross party support,working for a common cause and the best for all of us.

Looking at the voting results across the country,it was extremely close as predicted,and those of us pleased with the result,should bare in mind that almost half of the country do not share our enthusiasm.
My own family are among them and I feel their disappointment.

I have been reading foreign papers and find it rather irksome to read statements from various European ministers and prime ministers that acknowledge the failings of the EU,and must now work hard to make appropriate changes to improve it.
What a pity they were not prepared to speak out and support the UK against the workings of the EU,prior to this result.

So yes,we have a great opportunity and I hope all will rally to achieve a bright future.
There is a very serious job ahead and it is not the day to hang out the bunting.

Too many EU regulations imposed. Too many other people making decisions for us. Too many other people constantly criticising us for complaining about economic migrants coming here, being issued passports by Germany and then pointing them in the direction of this little island.

Too many hands holding the begging bowl, no chance of a doctor's appointment, or a hospital bed... libraries closing down but being built in Scotland.. free university education for the Scots but we have to pay in England.. all that sort of thing stings when you are an honest hardworking taxpayer.

Now we have the chance to pt it right and shut the whingers up.

Now we have the chance to live without EU restraints. Now we have the chance to actually be proud to be who we are and not able to say it for fear of being called racist.

Now we have a chance to gain back some of that pride we used to have.

That's why people voted out. We have to accept that the majority wanted out, and not for no good reason.

Now we have the chance to prove it to ourselves that we can manage without others saying we can't.

I'm sick of the rhetoric from both sides.
We made a decison yesterday. Now lets get on with it and make the best out of a bad job.

We live in the best country in the world, that's why everyone else in the world wants to be here ! It's only when they get here that they slag us off. It's high time all of that nonsense stopped.

We have the right to change our destiny. We exercised that right last night and we voted to take back control.

I believe this was the right thing to do. It's a shame we felt pushed into doing it.

We are racist, always have been, now we can be openly racist

Apologies, I didn't give the full web address for the petition. It should read:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215

Here's an initial response from Spain who have called for/proposed/demanded (depending on your news source) joint control of Gibraltar:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36618796

Anniebach Everyone is racist. Other countries call it being patriotic.

It's part of the human condition.

Boot out bloody Boris!

Speak for yourself Nonnie, I am not racist, I despise racism , it has nothing to do with being patriotic

I note that Gibraltar voted almost 96% to remain in the EU.
It will be interesting to see if they now wish to be attached to the UK.

For a long time I have felt that we have been dismissed as unimportant. Yesterday we exercised the right to regain control.

Has anyone noticed how other people criticise us whenever they get the chance but we are not allowed to do that in case we are called racist.?

And.. this is not going to make me popular, but I dislke Nicola Sturgeon intensely.

We need to try to unite the UK. At the moment there is a very clear North/South divide and as a Southerner living in the East Midlands I am fearful of what the future holds. Over the next few years we will see house prices rise, the pound struggle, xenophobia set in and the NH S as we know it probably disappear. Oh and Scotland will have passport controls on it's borders as it will want to leave UK and stay in Europe. As to solutions I don't have any, the vote leavers have seen to that.

Those saying we are all racist are ridiculous.
I voted out and have immigrant neighbours,friends and a past partner.
I would say that the vast majority have such relationships and give little thought to it.
Patriotism is not racism,and it certainly is not part of the human condition.

I'm struggling very hard to come up with anything positive. In fact, I am on the verge of tears. The only positive thing I can think of is - "move to Scotland and hope they declare independence"? Too old to emigrate, and where could you go anyway? The US is likely to get Donald Trump for President and we will no longer have the right to live in Europe. So we are stuck here, where we can watch our economy crash and burn...

Sorry, I want to be hopeful but I just can't see anything good about this insane decision. I'm a bit anxious about its effect on pensions but more worried about the future of our children and grandchildren. What have we done to them?