Blair meddling again

I absolutely knew that I would get a response like that from someone!
Glad I could be of service and prove you right MaizieD

Mumsnet is an oasis of maturity and politeness compared with some of you lot.
I have taken a look from time to time - that we could be worse than that lot!
At least the language is better on here

He has every right to voice his opinion as do I, the difference is that I don't have the ability, as he has, to inflict it on everyone else. He's a horrid man and I wish he'd go quietly back to the hole he crawled out of.

Well, these words must take on a life of their own when they get bandied about on the internet, it didn't sound particularly offensive to me, but then many words seem to have changed their meaning from when I was young.

I wonder what GN would think about having a kiddies' playground corner, where people can call each other childish names and squabble about who started what or which word is worse. The adults could be left in peace.

Glad to hear it, Maizie. It hasn't been too bad here. I'm still resisting turning my heating on.

Ana, it's not how my daughter used the word when she was a teenager (not so long ago). It's definitely derogatory. I can think of two girls she used to think were 'snowflakes' and, quite frankly, they were the kind of girls it was difficult not to want to smack.

You are not forced to listen ladygracie

PS. It's not an internet word. I'm not sure what the source is. I expect it's out there on Google somewhere.

Touche

Jalima, obviously the likes of thee and me are far too old and past it even for GN these days!

There does seem to be a very vocal faction of younger members on here all of a sudden!

Or should I have said touchy. I honestly can't understand why he's given so much air time, we don't have John Major, Gordon Brown etc forever putting forward their agenda!

Who know all the urban slang

A snowflake to me is a thing of beauty

But I don't suppose you'd call somebody on GN a thing of beauty. The poster who used the word knew exactly what it meant in context.

Daphnedill please do not presume to know what I meant. In my family the term snowflake is used in a mildly amused way to express surprise that someone could be so precious, or over sensitive. If other people use it to express scorn or derision that is not something over which I have any control. You are starting to seriously piss me off now with these accusations. It was a light hearted remark and you are trying to make an issue of it.

Take no notice Ceesnan I have never heard of the expression snowflake, how childish and rediculous some of them are on here, usually remainers ganging up on anybody you doesn't share their views on the EU vote.

When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that's all.”

magpie. That's strange because I see the opposite. I see a little group who always seem to defend each other when they are challenged. They rarely contribute to discussion. Just because YOU haven't heard 'snowflake' used in a derogatory way doesn't mean that it isn't, especially in the context of laughing at people with genuine concerns. It really is standard playground stuff.

dd spot on

I do wonder why some of you decided to join this site. What was wrong with Mumsnet?

I'm still reeling from the shock of finding that Tony Blair has said something I agree with. You only have to listen to any group of people discussing Brexit to find that those who voted to leave did so for a whole range of different reasons. From the people who think all Pakistanis will now leave to those who thought that Cameron would be replaced by Farage (and I've heard both these views expressed!) It makes sense to me that, when the terms for Brexit are finally hammered out, the Government should say "Right this is what it will all mean, do you still want to do it?"

Many Brexit voters talked about reclaiming democracy. I think we are losing democracy. We democratically elected our MPs to represent us but they are not allowed to represent us in discussing the terms of Brexit. No-one voted on what sort of Brexit would happen and the Government is deciding without input from parliament. We will also lose the right to vote for MEPs.
I agree with Blair. The 1975 vote was overwhelmingly to stay in. This referendum is very close. At the least, we should have some say in what happens now in the shape of our elected representatives discussing it and voting on it.

Good post GrandmaMoira. Can someone explain to me please what we have 'actually' gained since the referendum?

No, because we haven't actually left the EU yet.

Why should we have 'gained' anything since the referendum?
Sigh...

The problem is that the whole referendum premise was made on a whim by an over-confident and complacent PM who was so out of touch that he couldn't even begin to contemplate that it might not go his way. As a result it was not properly thought through. Something so big should have been more widely discussed before he made that promise and should have been decided on much more than a simple majority vote. I believe - and I support Brexit - that there should have been the requirement for a clear majority, of say 5% to 7.5% (just grabbing any figure here) in order to prevent the schism we are now facing, and the possible break-up of the UK. I feel the same principle should apply to the Scottish question too.

We haven't gained anything, Tegan, because we are still in the EU. In my case, voting for Brexit was not done in the hope of any short term gain but in the hope of a better long-term future. There will be, I am sure, a price to pay, but I believe it will be worth it. I do not want to see my grandchildren recruited into a European army, and I don't want to have to pay for that army. I do not want to pay taxes direct to Bressels where unelected, despots can choose how to spend them without reference to our elected government. I want to be part of a country that is not limited to trading with countries pre-approved by the EU. I do not want my money going to support countries that are being encouraged into the Federation of Europe so that we can face down Putin. I want to live in a country where we can take people from all over the world, if they have the skills we need, while taking a bigger share of genuine refugees.
If you think Europe is a good place look at the way it drove Greece to the wall, lending them huge amounts of money so that they could join, then demanding it back at huge rates of interest, when they knew the Greeks couldn't pay - not that the Greeks have anything to be proud about there. Greece never met the criteria to join, but they were allowed in and were ruined as a result. And the EU is incapable of dealing with the refugee crisis. It is a big, unwieldy, corrupt and unaccountable, power-crazy amalgamation of people with little in common. Look what happened to the former Yugoslavia, and the USSR, both artificially manufactured federations that failed dismally, and beware.

Well said Casawan